"I almost QUIT CHESS" | Anish Giri PODCAST

Try Chessreps and check out the gambit against the French: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mustreader-s-milner-barry-gambit-vs-the-french-6sbbek7Today my guest is one of the world’s top players and a 2026 Candidates participant — Anish Giri! We cover all the hottest topics: how Anish is preparing for the Candidates, who he thinks are the main favorites, why the Candidates matter so much for Hikaru, Fabi’s road to the world title, and a few spicy thoughts about Magnus. We also talk chess improvement, whether Freestyle could replace classical, and what it takes to win the Candidates. As always, we finish with a blitz game — followed by Anish’s post-game review. Don’t miss it! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreaderMy X: https://x.com/mustreaderMy chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: [email protected] Anish's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnishGiriOfficial Anish's X: https://x.com/anishgiri Anish’s project — Chess Monitor: https://www.chessmonitor.comMany thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:08 — Candidates qualification — surprised? 02:34 — Why 2025 clicked 06:08 — “I almost quit chess” 08:57 — What went wrong in your classical chess? 12:19 — Did the WC dream bring you back? 17:22 — Fabi and online chess 19:42 — The most important tournaments 21:44 — Anish on the WC cycle 24:22 — Are Candidates bigger than the WC match? 25:28 — Are Candidates everything for Hikaru? 27:38 — Who’s most motivated to win Candidates? 29:57 — What score wins the Candidates? 32:05 — Candidates strategy: solid or sharp? 34:50 — Anish reacts to Magnus’s Candidates tier list 39:52 — Anish’s Candidates tier list 45:17 — Who are Anish’s seconds for Candidates? 45:59 — Best way to improve in chess 49:28 — How Anish adjusts his prep 52:04 — Everyone hides prep for Candidates 54:21 — Why Anish skipped Freestyle events 01:00:24 — Could Freestyle eclipse classical? 01:05:16 — Anish’s new project 01:10:44 — A must-have chess app 01:17:41 — How players trained before apps 01:18:41 — Why Anish believes in the project 01:24:51 — Blitz vs Anish 01:30:22 — Game review with Anish "I almost QUIT CHESS" | Anish Giri PODCASTAnish Giri podcast Anish Giri interview Anish Giri Candidates 2026 Candidates 2026 FIDE Candidates 2026Magnus Carlsen tier listAnish Giri on Hikaru Nakamura Anish Giri on Magnus Carlsen Anish Giri on Fabiano Caruana Anish Giri on Candidates 2026chess podcast chess with mustreader mustreader chess mustreader greg mustreader cwm 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! #chess #anishgiri #candidates2026 #magnuscarlsen #hikarunakamura #fabianocaruana #worldchampionship #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #gregmustreader #cwm