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Perpetual Chess Podcast

Bonus Pod: Sindarov’s Historic Start + Inside the FIDE Candidates with Mike Klein

Perpetual Chess Podcast

Perpetual Chess LLC

Leisure, Sports, Hobbies

4.8706 Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

FM Mike Klein of Chess.com  joins the show from Cyprus to give an on-the-ground look at the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. We discuss the incredible start by GM Javokhir Sindarov, and what Mike has observed from his interactions with the rising star. Mike also describes the tournament atmosphere,shares  behind-the-scenes stories from the venue, and provides insights on the Women’s Candidates race. We also discuss what to expect in the critical rounds ahead including a huge round 8 battle.  0:00 – Intro + Mike Klein joins (Candidates update)0:45 – Javokhir Sindarov’s historic start (6/7) + Anna Muzychuk leading women’s field 1:20 – Sindarov’s personality: “infectious,” approachable, media-friendly3:35 – Candidates trivia + chess culture vs performance debate 4:45 – Comparing Sindarov’s start to past Candidates performances6:18 – Mindset: why Sindarov isn’t satisfied (even after a draw) 7:50 – Will Sindarov keep pushing or coast to victory?9:27 – Tournament suspense vs runaway leader (Nepo comparison) 10:25 – Life in Cyprus: smaller scene vs Madrid/Toronto11:00 – Hotel stories + luxury setting + “White Lotus vibes”12:48 – Safety, isolation, and player accommodations 13:51 – Venue setup: viewing area, fan zones, and logistics15:30 – Rest day activities + paddle tournament 16:30 – Paddle tournament results + Caruana appearance17:50 – Chess + tennis crossover (Pavel Tregubov trivia)19:05 – What is paddle? (sport explanation + Magnus tie-in) 20:30 – Women’s Candidates overview: Muzychuk vs Vaishali + contenders22:48 – Seconds and prep teams (Caruana, Hikaru, etc.) 25:00 – Key matchup: Nakamura vs Caruana26:00 – What would Sindarov be like as World Champion? 28:30 – Mike’s YouTube channel + future content plans29:20 – “Weightless chess” goal (fun viral idea)30:40 – Wrap-up + sign-off 31:00- Thanks to Mike Klein for joining me! Be sure to sub to his YouTube channel here for additional on-site Candidates coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@FunMasterMike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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And we are continuing a big chess event tradition, a feedate candidate slash world championship tradition.

1:29.7

We are joined by an old friend of mine who is a award-winning journalist.

1:33.7

He is known as a funmaster on chesskid.com in particular.

1:37.5

He's a world traveler.

1:38.2

He is now a YouTuber, as we will be discussing, and he has been reporting forest.com on location in Cyprus and really enjoying his

1:46.1

interviews and always happy to get some behind the scenes color from FM Mike Klein.

...

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