GM Alexandr Fier is a 5 time champion of Brazil and 9 time chess Olympian. He also recently qualified for the FIDE World Cup for the 8th time by finishing tied for first at the American Continental tournament. But aside from all of his impressive accomplishments, what interests me most about GM Fier is how frequently he competes. Last year alone, he played nearly 200 classical games,, and he has now travelled to over 50 countries. In our conversation we discussed:
How he maintains his energy and positive outlook through a busy tournament calendar
Why he thinks playing quickly gives him a competitive advantage. (Hence the nickname “No Fear”)
How he reacted to getting some harsh feedback from legendary trainer IM Mark Dvoretsky at age 18.
We also talked about GM Fier’s recent qualification for the 2025 FIDE World Cup, his plans for the rest of 2025, and of course, chess books. It was a pleasure to chat with one of Brazil’s top players, and I look forward to following his nonstop tournament adventures in the years to come.
Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
And you can check out their new offerings here:
https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/partners
0:02- Alexandr is one of the most active Grandmasters in the world- how does he stay motivated?
0:06- How does Alexandr prepare for opponents?
0:11- How did Alexandr begin to collaborate with Imperial sports?
0:13- How Alexandr qualified for the World Cup?
Mentioned: Fier-Shankland 2025
https://www.chess.com/events/2025-american-continental-chess-championship/05/Fier_Alexandrandr-Shankland_Sam
0:16- Why Alexandr plays quickly
Mentioned: GM Giga Quparadze
18:00- What makes the World Cup special to Alexandr?
22:00- Alexandr’s early Chess Development and Influences
Mentioned: Blokh’s Combination Art, Domination by Kasparian, Laszlo Polgar’s Chess: 5334 Combinations and Games
Navara-Fier 2015
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1787858
GM Navara’s Blog Post:
https://lichess.org/@/RealDavidNavara/blog/because-we-care/fauAwr9r
26:00- Was it challenging to get chess books as a kid in Brazil?
28:00- Is chess gaining popularity in Brazil?
Mentioned: GM Rafael Leitao, GM Henrique Mecking
31:00- When did Alexandr decide to pursue chess professionally?
33:00- What languages does GM Fier speak?
35:00- Alex’s approach to following top games
37:28- How he Studies Openings and Uses Engines
39:00- Alexandr’s favorite opening authors
Mentioned: GM Ivan Cheparinov, Nikolaos Ntirlis, GM Alexei Kornev
Memories of Training with Dvoretsky
42:00- Alex’s favorite chess books
Mentioned: GM David Navara’s Best Games, Tal-Botvinnik 1960, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal
44:00- Memories of a training camp with legendary trainer Mark Dvoretsky Influences and Inspirations in Chess
48:00- Why GM Fier loves endgame studies
50:00- GM Fier’s fondest memories
Fier-Ryan 2009, Ireland
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1601053
Fier-Akopian 2017-
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1870136
54:00- Alex’s passion for music
55:00- Upcoming tournaments and advice for Aspiring Chess Players
1:00:00- Thanks to Alex for joining!
Be sure to follow him on Instagram and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/alexandr.fier/
https://www.instagram.com/pontocego/?hl=en
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices