Chess with Mustreader

Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://www.chessreps.com/

Today I’m joined by an absolute legend of the game — five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand. We discuss where chess fits into Vishy’s life today, how he continues to compete with the new generation, and how both his own game and chess itself have evolved over the years. Could his younger self beat him today? Could the Candidates tempt him into one more World Championship run? Will the classical World Championship remain chess’s ultimate prize, or could the Esports World Cup — or even Freestyle Chess — eventually overtake it? We also talk about the upcoming FIDE presidential election and why Vishy decided to run alongside Timur Turlov. And of course, we finish with a blitz game — don’t miss it!

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader
My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP
My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Vishy's X: https://x.com/vishy64theking
Vishy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vishy.mindmaster/

My podcast with Vidit: https://youtu.be/JPQ99az19og
My interview with Nihal Sarin: https://youtu.be/gxTx2Oaii6s
My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs
My podcast with Sagar Shah: https://youtu.be/XzCD_ghaALs
My podcast with Arjun Erigaisi: https://youtu.be/3Nvfuk70v6g

Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus

00:00 — Intro
01:00 — Who is Vishy Anand today?
05:01 — Competing with younger players
10:00 — How much does Vishy train?
11:48 — How Vishy’s game evolved
13:19 — Chess is different now
15:35 — Prime Vishy vs today’s Vishy
16:57 — Vishy back in the Candidates?
20:31 — Classical world title losing relevance?
25:01 — Esports World Cup vs classical chess
27:23 — A faster World Championship?
29:11 — Chess960 replacing classical chess?
32:25 — A day in Vishy’s life
35:05 — Why Vishy nearly left FIDE
36:41 — Vishy’s role in the FIDE election
38:53 — Why Vishy chose Timur Turlov
41:00 — How Vishy wants to be remembered
42:47 — Blitz vs Vishy Anand

My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. 

On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). 

I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.

Don't forget to subscribe!

#vishyanand #viswanathananand #chess #indianchess #candidates #worldchesschampionship #fide #freestylechess #chess960 #chesspodcast #chesswithmustreader

Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://www.chessreps.com/

Today’s guest is Jan Henric Buettner — a candidate for FIDE President and co-founder of Freestyle Chess. Jan shares the story behind his unexpected presidential run: why he decided to enter the race after stepping back from running Freestyle Chess, and how Javokhir Sindarov and Bibisara Assaubayeva helped spark the idea. We discuss whether he could bring Magnus Carlsen back into the classical World Championship cycle, why he questions the transparency and fairness of the FIDE election, and what he plans to change if he becomes president. Jan also shares his vision for the future of classical chess, how to make chess more popular, and discusses his position on Russia and Belarus in FIDE events. This one got pretty heated — don’t miss it!

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader
My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP
My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Jan's X: https://x.com/JanHBuettner
Jan’s campaign website: https://janhenricbuettner.com

Links and resources mentioned in the podcast:
FIDE Budget: https://doc.fide.com/docs/DOC/2025_GA_online/GA-202509.pdf
Jan’s Chess Manifesto Summary: https://onecdn.io/media/4chessmanifestosummary-ce195d9b-272c-4eca-9af2-ea9cb9036ac6.pdf

My previous podcast with Jan: https://youtu.be/4qLJHs2J-KY
My podcast with Magnus’s coach, Peter Heine Nielsen: https://youtu.be/bXQAvKUiA7A
My podcast with Nodirbek: https://youtu.be/IIQ3eguWJdY
My podcast with Boris Gelfand: https://youtu.be/fj5BmOc6Rrk?si=aEkzLvPMmkbdSLZl
My podcast with Levon Aronian: https://youtu.be/3EuVAo74L4U

Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus

00:00 — Intro  
01:11 — Why run for FIDE President?  
08:51 — Preparing for the election  
10:11 — Weren’t you leaving chess?  
12:44 — Who runs Freestyle Chess now?  
14:38 — A conflict of interest?  
17:02 — Why Freestyle’s model failed  
23:01 — What’s going on with Magnus?  
24:42 — Can Jan bring Magnus back?  
28:43 — Jan’s campaign platform  
32:14 — How to make chess more popular?
34:32 — The future of classical chess  
38:15 — Russia and Belarus at FIDE events  
43:24 — Is FIDE favoring one candidate?

My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. 

On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). 

I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.

Don't forget to subscribe!

#janhenricbuettner #fide #fideelection #magnuscarlsen #freestylechess #chesspolitics #chesspodcast #chess #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #gregmustreader #cwm

Try Chessreps and check out my lines here: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mustreader-s-milner-barry-gambit-vs-the-french-6sbbek7
Today I’m joined by Vidit Gujrathi — one of India’s strongest grandmasters, a Chess Olympiad winner, and a Candidates Tournament participant. We haven’t seen Vidit at many major classical events lately, so we talked about where he’s been, why he decided to step back, and what his future in chess might look like. We also discussed Sindarov and the new generation, why Gukesh is struggling, and the upcoming 2026 Olympiad. And as always, we finished with a blitz game. Don’t miss it!
Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader
My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP
My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Vidit's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@viditchess
Vidit's X: https://x.com/viditchess
Listen on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chess-with-mustreader/id1745521337
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mU5WbBXgDklyN3jm6GMSN
All platforms: https://mustreaderchess.mave.digital
My podcast with Nepo: https://youtu.be/sW-i4CPCa_w
My podcast with Daniil Dubov: https://youtu.be/rimjT4Pj3jY
My podcast with Arjun Erigaisi: https://youtu.be/3Nvfuk70v6g
My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs
My podcast with Anish Giri: https://youtu.be/eFWwfFySx2Q
Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus
00:00 — Intro
00:57 — All world champions in 60 seconds
03:02 — Chess openings in 60 seconds
04:35 — Why Vidit took a break
07:42 — Two years all-in on chess
12:01 — The cost of going all-in
14:31 — How much did Vidit train?
15:22 — Building a team
17:55 — The shower test
19:06 — 1,830 days of meditation
21:26 — Vidit’s chess training routine
23:02 — Vidit’s favorite chess legends
24:24 — Sindarov, Gukesh, and the new generation
27:36 — Why is Gukesh struggling?
30:46 — Vidit has no chess goal?
33:20 — Vidit at the UzChess Cup
36:33 — Vidit working with Anish?
37:09 — Vidit as a future coach?
38:33 — Vidit builds chess apps
44:47 — Will Vidit build a startup?
45:53 — Who wins the 2026 Olympiad?
47:55 — Blitz vs Vidit
My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
Don't forget to subscribe!
#viditgujrathi #gukeshdommaraju #indianchess #chessolympiad #javokhirsindarov #chesspodcast #chessinterview #mustreaderchess

Try Chessreps and check out my lines here: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mustreader-s-milner-barry-gambit-vs-the-french-6sbbek7
Today I’m joined by a young super-GM Awonder Liang. We talked about his matches against Hikaru Nakamura and Hans Niemann, the 2026 Candidates, and the discontinued Webster chess program. Awonder also shared his thoughts on chess mindset, playing under stress, what it takes to become great, and his own training routine and goals. And of course, we finished with a blitz game you don’t want to miss!
Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader
My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP
My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Awonder's X: https://x.com/awonder676
Listen on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chess-with-mustreader/id1745521337
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mU5WbBXgDklyN3jm6GMSN
All platforms: https://mustreaderchess.mave.digital
My podcast with Giri: https://youtu.be/eFWwfFySx2Q
My podcast with Caruana: https://youtu.be/1LMPYFf1iLo
My podcast with Peter Svidler: https://youtu.be/qVpKE0mTVsI
My podcast with Erigaisi: https://youtu.be/3Nvfuk70v6g
Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus
00:00 — Intro
01:11 — Match vs Hans Niemann
03:25 — Playing under stress
07:31 — The Chessreps discussion
11:12 — Awonder’s chess mindset
14:50 — Recent troubles in Awonder’s play
17:07 — Did beating Hikaru matter?
20:53 — Confidence in chess
24:42 — Sacrificing everything for chess?
29:01 — How much does Awonder train?
29:52 — What does Awonder train?
33:06 — Do chess books matter?
35:42 — Pattern recognition
38:49 — Plan to become World Champion
41:34 — Awonder’s chess goals
42:56 — Webster chess program discontinued
45:46 — Chess support in the U.S.
50:08 — Candidates 2026
53:06 — Blitz vs Awonder
My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
Don't forget to subscribe!
#awonderliang #hikarunakamura #hansniemann #uschess #candidates2026 #chesspodcast #chessinterview #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #cwm

Try Chessreps and check out my lines here: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mustreader-s-milner-barry-gambit-vs-the-french-6sbbek7
Today I’m joined by chess legend GM Peter Svidler — World Cup winner, former World No. 4, elite commentator, second, and one of the most fascinating voices in chess. We discuss his career path, the dreams he never fully achieved, and why GYM matters more than most players realize. We also talk about whether Kasparov could still compete with the very best today, and what happens to chess once Magnus is gone. And of course, we finish with a blitz game you don’t want to miss!
Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader
My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP
My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Peter's X: https://x.com/polborta
Peter's Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/plbrta
Listen on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chess-with-mustreader/id1745521337
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mU5WbBXgDklyN3jm6GMSN
All platforms: https://mustreaderchess.mave.digital
My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs
My podcast with Grischuk: https://youtu.be/EfwA420_1bo
My podcast with Boris Gelfand: https://youtu.be/fj5BmOc6Rrk?si=aEkzLvPMmkbdSLZl
My podcast with Jan Gustafsson: https://youtu.be/7gV7nxBaoQs
My podcast with Erigaisi: https://youtu.be/3Nvfuk70v6g
My podcast with Kramnik that got me blocked by him: https://youtu.be/YKzes4eteb4?si=5nUg3RNqeHXnqANK
My podcast with Nodirbek: https://youtu.be/IIQ3eguWJdY
My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs
Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus
00:00 — Intro
00:56 — Who is Peter Svidler today?
05:00 — Peter as a Candidates second
05:55 — Why Peter commentates less
08:39 — Does Peter still want 2700?
14:56 — Why Peter doesn’t play online
16:16 — Will Peter become a streamer?
18:48 — Hearthstone and chess
19:29 — How Peter works on chess now
21:22 — Why gym matters so much
24:24 — Can Peter still compete?
31:44 — What about Kasparov?
34:58 — Unexpected doggo
35:14 — Back to Kasparov
36:45 — Pressure against young players
39:36 — Back to the Russian team?
41:19 — Peter never had goals?
47:02 — Chess in Peter’s life
49:17 — Must chess cost everything?
53:54 — How long will Magnus last?
58:53 — Blitz
My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
Don't forget to subscribe!
#petersvidler #magnuscarlsen #garrykasparov #futureofchess #chesspodcast #chessinterview #chess #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess