Cycling is physically one of the most gruelling sports in the world -- and it requires as much of the mind as of the body.

Welcome to Episode 53 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah.

In this episode, Amit explains his passion for cycling by telling us how the sport works. Amit and Ajay discuss the kinds of races and the kinds of racers. They discuss why it is a team sport. They get into deep nuances of strategy -- and the drama of some of the great stories in modern cycling. Get into the slipstream!

For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, ⁠⁠click here⁠⁠.

We love chess -- and now, as it has exploded as a spectator sport, so do millions of others. But why do we love it so much? What does it mean for India that D Gukesh has qualified for the World Championship match? How did Vishy Anand inspire a generation of grandmasters to emerge? What role do computers play?

Welcome to Episode 52 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah.

In this episode, Amit takes us through a history of the World Chess Championships, all the way from 1886 to now. He discusses the intellectual evolution of the game -- and the geopolitics of it. He parses the role of computers, and explains why the game is more exciting now than ever before. Ajay adds in some higher-order thoughts about chess and society. And finally, right at the end, the two of them even play a game!

For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, ⁠click here⁠.

We have normalized lines on maps -- but they are unnatural to the way we live. They are toxic in the ways they push us to think of people in categories decided by the accidents of geography and politics.

We must free our minds.

We must tear down these walls.

Welcome to Episode 51 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah.

For magnificent, detailed, juicy show notes, click here.