Today’s guest is GM Jacob Aagaard — one of the most influential chess coaches and authors in the world. He has worked with players such as Boris Gelfand, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, among many others, and even Magnus Carlsen has studied his books. We talk about the real path to the GM title: what you actually need to do, why so many strong players never get there, and how Jacob’s “four types of thinking” model and views on talent fit in. Jacob also shares a practical training framework and breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of Magnus, Hikaru, Nepo and Fabi — and we finish with a blitz game. Don’t miss it! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/bXZN36xb My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Jacob's X: https://x.com/GMJacobAagaard Resources and books mentioned in this episode: https://www.newinchess.com https://killerchesstraining.com Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation — https://amzn.to/3XgbG4Z Grandmaster Preparation: Positional Play — https://amzn.to/48f3Oqk Grandmaster Preparation: Strategic Play — https://amzn.to/4oFrDxx Grandmaster Preparation: Endgame Play — https://amzn.to/49l3urc Grandmaster Preparation: Thinking inside the box — https://amzn.to/44chf87 Matter of Endgame Technique — https://amzn.to/4p53FLS Mastering Chess Exchanges — https://amzn.to/4paU4mT Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:34 — Can ANYONE become a GM? 02:55 — Official requirements to become a GM 07:20 — Why most never reach GM 10:17 — 2700 players don’t know BASIC things 21:32 — Four types of chess thinking 28:01 — Hikaru’s strengths & weaknesses 32:33 — Magnus: strengths & weaknesses 35:02 — Why KASPAROV (not Magnus) is the GOAT 44:11 — THIS is Nepo’s biggest strength 45:08 — What makes Fabi special? 48:15 — Dubov, Fabi & real talent 51:02 — Aagaard’s 3-minute training plan 1:00:45 — Blitz against Jacob 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! #jacobaagaard #magnuscarlsen #hikarunakamura #chess #chesspodcast #praggnanandhaa #grandmaster #gmtraining #chesstraining #chessimprovement #grandmasterpreparation #nepomniachtchi #fabianocaruana #kasparov #chesstalent #chesscoach #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #cwm