Dr. Benjamin (Ben) Balas is an MIT-educated professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, where his research focuses on visual recognition. He’s also a passionate chess player who blogs frequently about the intersection of science and chess. On his popular LiChess blog, Ben (aka NDPatzer) has explored topics like whether streakiness exists in chess, the science of blunders, and how confirmation bias influences decision-making over the board. In our conversation, we touch on all of these topics and also delve into Ben’s personal chess journey. He shares the scientific studies he believes every chess player should know about — and, as with his writing, I learned alot from chatting with Ben. 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=proAnd you can check out their new offerings here:https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/partnersMentioned: Ben’s interview with Dr. Can Kabadayi on the Chess Cognition podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzblptGNjwMentioned: https://lichess.org/@/NDpatzer/blog/science-of-chess-winning-streaks-losing-streaks-and-skill/K4NmnE6bAlso mentioned, FM Nate Solon’s post:https://zwischenzug.substack.com/p/yes-theres-luck-in-chessThe Hot Hand by Benjamin Cohen:https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Hand-Mystery-Science-Streaks/dp/0062820729Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know, The Woodpecker Method, Dr. Katie Wissman Mentioned: IM Fernand Gobet Mentioned: Preventing Blunders in Chess by Dr. Can Kabadayi https://www.chessable.com/preventing-blunders-in-chess/course/258968/Mentioned:Blindfold Chesshttps://www.amazon.com/Blindfold-Chess-Psychology-Techniques-Champions/dp/0786475269/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1FSJ92B6Q46H0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Rrt6OpihMGjYaHTqvOcHzb6-vZpowdj6xWtFMGFyA6gRhFRzSVmJdBCFgP7UkFD4FUNk4TmKhse2uqjgQ7ZXcuEf5znf67nC8ENj73IDNspElRzfCfxGNYTtHoUUnJTzb_2oecXU8NIk7B4ZJj1mIw.uelpnrMJtCfCmpe6iIa0qWyDhlE32PRwGmXsv5_MeBw&dib_tag=se&keywords=blindfold+chess&qid=1753302264&s=books&sprefix=blindfold+ches%2Cstripbooks%2C112&sr=1-4Book Recap Podcast discussing Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Gameshttps://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/8/29/book-recap-talking-blindfold-chess-with-guest-co-host-jerry-wellsLichess:https://lichess.org/@/NDpatzer/blogSubstack:https://benbalas.substack.com/And don’t forget to sub the Perpetual Chess Linkfest:https://benjohnson.substack.com/Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices