#2 Interview with FM Ingvar Johannesson from Zibbit Chess and best videos since the launch!
Everything from Xzibit to Alphazero are covered in this weeks newsletter..
Hi!
The launch of the howtoplaychess.online has been a success. No major crashes and people have been positive about the idea. I have also launched a twitter-account (@Howtoplaychess1) that will tweet-out when new videos are posted:
Before we go to the interview with Ingvar I want to share some of the YouTube highlights from the last week or so:
The first video is from GM Sune Berg Hansen’s new channel, GM talks, where he goes through a game from 1994 against Tony Miles. We often hear about the advantages of gaining space in chess, but in this video, Sune shows, how it also can be punished.
Miles, Anthony J (2590) - Hansen,Sune Berg (2415), Seville op Seville (3), 1994
The second video I liked this past week was from Daniel King’s channel, PowerPlayChess, on the game Ian Nepomniachtchi vs. Hikaru Nakamura, Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2021. It was interesting how Ian Nepomniachtchi managed to play something new and interesting in the Berlin opening. If I did not mistake King also made a small subtle remark about Nakamura slacking on his prep due to streaming.. or was it just me reading between the lines? (Also check out the game So vs. Aronian, where So played a stunning attack!)
This video is really something special! It is an interview with adult chess improver Neal Bruce on the Chess Dojo. It is a movie-length video, so you can best consume it as a podcast (the Chess Dojo should make a podcast btw). What I found most interesting about the video is Neal’s grinding mentality, something I personally lack. Listing to this interview will most likely make you rethink your approach to training.
The last video in this week's highlight reel is from Ingvar’s channel. It shows that Grandmasters are human too and that knowing your mating patterns is very important!
Interview with FM Ingvar Johannesson from Zibbit’s Chess Channel
Why is your channel called Zibbit’s Chess Channel?
My first username on ICC in 1997 was Xzibit. It somehow merged into Zibbit as a username on other sites. It probably would have been something like "Viking Chess" or "Thor Chess" (Thor my middle name) if I had been thinking of branding or something like that ;-) 1
Tell us a little about yourself and your background in chess?
I come from Iceland and I was born in 1977. I started playing at around ages 8-9 when I followed my uncle to the chess club. I fell in love with the game and did pretty well as a junior, winning some tournaments and coming 2nd in the U12 championship at one point. I reached around 1900 before I more or less stopped playing at age 17 but started again at age 23. Started studying pretty hard and reached FM within about 3 years and have since scored two IM norms.
When and why did you start your YouTube-channel?
I've had the channel for a pretty long time but spent most of my time and energy on http://Chessvideos.tv which was a nice site. Originally I started a channel just to post random videos but over time it became a chess channel. Only started trying to be a "YouTuber" the last few years.
What do you want to achieve with the material you are creating?
I just want to share my knowledge of the game. I haven't seen any channel post the type of material I am posting when it comes to pattern recognition and I think this is very useful for learning.
Try to describe the target group for your videos?
The target group especially for the pattern recognition should be pretty wide but I try to cater to beginner/intermediate players and up to pretty advanced players.
Do you have any visions or plans for your channel?
Not really, just want to keep grinding and it would be nice to at least break even on the channel ;-)
What has been the biggest challenge starting and running a YouTube channel? Starting isn't that difficult but running it can be very difficult. The so-called "YouTube algorithm" seems to work in mysterious ways and it's hard to crack. It can be discouraging over a long time to have the same general views almost no matter what you do. Still, I keep getting very nice feedback, especially on pattern recognition videos and I just hope at some stage something will click.
What video of yours has the most views? What do you think is the explanation?
I have a video on an Alphazero game. It has over 250k views now and is still getting recommended.
It was of course relevant at the time when the first Alphazero games came out, so I guess something clicked with the algorithm.
Which video on your channel are you most happy about and why?
I am most happy with the pattern recognition videos in general, but don't really have a favorite.
How can people follow you outside of Youtube?
I have @Zibbitvideos on Twitter and I play on chess.com under the handle Zibbit.
Can you recommend one other Chess YouTube channel that you find interesting? And are there any other Icelandic YouTubers?
There are other Icelandic Youtubers but not really chess Youtubers. There is one good one in Icelandic but none other doing English commentary. In regards to other chess channels, I always enjoy GingerGM and have been enjoying Chesscoach Andras as well. Plenty of channels I watch on and off. Used to watch Hanging Pawns but mostly cause I liked following his journey. Maybe I need to check back in with Stjepan a little bit.
That concludes this week’s newsletter! If you liked it please share it with your friends or on social media :)
And if you have any suggestions for creators to be added to howtoplaychess.online, videos you liked, or ideas for the newsletter then leave a comment below!
Best,
Martin / @saychess1
Note to those who do not know Xzibit: