EP 485: GM Simon Williams on Mistakes, Revival, and the Future of Chesspublishing

GM Simon Williams returns to Perpetual Chess for the first time in several years. Simon is one of chess's most recognizable personalities, known as the Ginger GM through his work as a streamer, commentator, author and Chessable creator. He is also an accomplished tournament player, having shared first in the 2010 London Chess Classic and finished second in the 2004 British Championship. Simon joined me for a wide-ranging conversation covering both chess and life. We discussed: • His candid reflections on becoming involved with a pension company that later collapsed, the mistakes he made, and how he has worked to move forward • His new role helping revitalize Chesspublishing.com, and why he believes its archive of opening analysis remains an underappreciated resource • How modern opening preparation has changed, and why Simon increasingly relies on offbeat ideas to avoid preparation battles • His love of creative, attacking chess and the memorable games he has played at the Reykjavik Open We also discussed the Stonewall Dutch, rising British star Bodhana Sivanandan, the losses of IM Adam Hunt and GM Jonathan Hawkins, and even Simon's thoughts on Las Vegas. As always, it was great catching up with Simon, and I am glad to see him creating chess content again.   00:00 The 2026 Reykjavik Open and Simon’s flair for the dramatic chess game  Check out Simon’s epic queen sacrifice in this article by NM Anthony Levin: https://www.chess.com/news/view/2023-reykjavik-open-williams-sacrifices-queen#:~:text=Williams%27%20Brilliancy,he%20played%20the%20interesting%205. 04:45 How Simon has adapted his approach to openings in the engine age  Mentioned: Simon’s game vs. Bodhana Sivanadan https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=3124933 07:35 Playing Against Younger Opponents 10:38 The State of British Chess 13:32 Exploring the Stonewall Dutch Mentioned: Bronstein’s famous blunder-  https://www.chess.com/blog/ThummimS/the-1951-world-chess-championship 16:32 The Impact of Computer Analysis 19:39 Experiences playing against legends at the 2025 European Club Cup 22:26 Simon’s Involvement with Chess Publishing More background info here: https://www.chess.com/news/view/simon-williams-ordered-to-pay-back-900-000-to-pension-scheme 26:30 Innovative Chess Solutions 28:11 Lessons learned from working for a pension firm that went bankrupt.  35:42 Navigating Financial Mistakes 40:17 The Importance of Chess in Life 44:48 Content Creation and Future Projects Keep an eye out for The Ginger and The Bear podcast! 48:54 Remembering IM Adam Hunt and GM Jonathan Hawkins  50:00- How to keep up with GM Simon Williams Suggestions for Chesspublishing.com  https://www.chesspublishing.com/contact X: https://x.com/ginger_gm?lang=en YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/gingergm Disclosure: Some links in this description are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, Perpetual Chess may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices