Best-selling author Brad Stulberg has devoted a large part of his professional life to studying what it means to be excellent. He has interviewed peak performers in fields ranging from athletics and music to, of course, chess. His new book, The Way of Excellence distills all he learned. In our conversation, Brad shares tons of helpful advice for anyone looking to improve at something. We tackle topics such as:

– What “pursuing excellence” means for an amateur chess player hoping to get a little bit better – Why Brad admires chess, and what he learned from interviewing GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave for his new book, – Brad’s advice for striking a balance between digital and analog life and learning

As a long-time fan of Brad’s writing and podcast, I was honored to speak with him about improving at chess and other domains.

0:00- Be sure to check out the bots and courses at Chessiverse.com. Use the code “Perpetual30” to receive a 30% discount on courses and premium offerings.

2:00- Brad joins the show. What is “arrival fallacy” and is it the same thing as what hikers call "summit fever?”

08:00- Why did Brad want to include chess in a book about excellence?

12:00- How would Brad define excellence for someone engaged in a hobby, such as a chess player who just wants to go up in rating class?

15:00- Brad’s advice for people working hard on chess who are not seeing any rating gains

Mentioned: The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus

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22:00- What did Brad learn from an exchange with Kasparov about the value of early-life specialization?

Mentioned: Kasparov’s reply here:

https://x.com/Kasparov63/status/2002428459688341793

25:00- Brad’s experiences as a chess player and parent

28:00- Digital vs. Analog life and the biophilia hypothesis

37:00- The value of consistency over intensity

40:00- What Brad learned from interviewing 70+ elite performers across domains

45:00- Brad’s parting advice

Thanks to Brad for joining me, here is how to keep up with him:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bradstulberg/

Substack:

https://bradstulberg.substack.com/

Webpage:

https://www.bradstulberg.com/

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