New In Chess Podcast

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with grandmaster Boris Gelfand.Today’s interview reaches you from Paphos, in Cyprus, on a rest day of the Candidates tournament, after ten of the fourteen rounds have been played. With four rounds to go it looks like Uzbek star Javokhir Sindarov is heading for first place and a World Championship match against World Champion Gukesh from India at the end of this year.Boris has himself successfully played in the Candidates, won Interzonals and a World Cup and was the Challenger of Vishy Anand in the World Championship match in Moscow in 2012. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Boris reflects on his own participation in the Candidates tournament and the unique pressures of playing at such high stakes.0:10 - Intro 2:47 - Boris reflects on his own experiences at the Candidates Tournament14:48 – AD BREAK 15:19 – Qualifying for the World Championship in 2012 23:50 – The difficulty of dedicating one’s self completely to one chess tournament 27:51 – Jakovhir Sindarov’s performance 34:56 – How did Boris psychologically deal with losing his lead over Anand in 2012? 35:43 – AD BREAK 36:42 – Boris thinks Fabiano has taken too many risks in this tournament 38:34 – Boris’s current chess life 40:38 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Danish-Scottish grandmaster Jacob Aagaard.Jacob is arguably the most versatile chess professional in the world. At the risk of turning this episode description into an essay, we'll summarise his activities. Jacob is a grandmaster who occasionally still feels the lure of competitive chess; a prolific and successful writer, who has authored more than twenty books; a chess publisher; a coach for world-class players such as Boris Gelfand, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Sam Shankland and many names that are supposed to remain a secret; the proprietor of the Killer Chess Training brand; and, last not but least, the owner of the New In Chess Group, which comprises New In Chess, Quality Chess, Everyman Chess, Popular Chess and Elevation Chess. In short, he is the boss of everyone involved in the production of this podcast. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jacob talks about his ambitions and plans for the near future, and anything else that pops up. These include his predictions for the upcoming Candidates Tournament in Cyprus and his thoughts about the new Netflix documentary Untold: Chess Mates, about the controversy between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann that made headlines all over the world. Will Carlsen and Niemann finally speak freely and clarify what really happened?0:00 – Intro 2:11 – How does Jacob coordinate his many top-level roles in the chess world? 14:42 – Jacob compares the different publishers under his umbrella 24:22 – Daniel Naroditsky’s brilliance as a chess author and educator 29:36 – AD BREAK 30:09 – Jacob previews some other chess books in the pipeline 31:19 – How chess literature has developed throughout the computer age 36:53 – The genius of Mikhail Tal 38:26 – Jacob’s Killer Chess Training platform 48:48 – AD BREAK 49:47 – The Carlsen – Niemann saga 1:00:17 – The upcoming Candidates Tournament 1:10:02 – Some football talk 1:12:35 – Pragg

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Hungarian grandmaster Judit Polgár.Judit is universally considered the greatest female chess player of all time. After breaking Bobby Fischer's record to become the youngest grandmaster of all time at age 15, she topped the women's rankings for 25 years, from 1989 until her retirement in 2014. She is the only female player to have every broken into the world top 10. Over the course of her career, she amassed victories over no fewer than eleven current or former World Champions in classical or rapid chess. With a life so filled with records, firsts and extraordinary achievements, it should come as no surprise that a Netflix documentary about her unique career has come out. "Queen of Chess" was directed by Rory Kennedy, daughter of late US attorney general Bobby Kennedy, and focuses on her strict upbringing and her intense matches with then-World Champion Garry Kasparov.A second topic of conversation is Judit's relationship with the late Jan Timman, who passed away a few weeks ago and with whom Judit had a strong relationship, having had many training sessions together, as well as a shared love for endgame studies. 0:00 – Intro 2:26 – How did “The Queen of Chess” come about?11:48 – Did Judit have any doubts about Kasparov’s participation in the film?20:11 – How does Judit look back on being the “guinea pig” of her father’s experiment?24:40 – AD BREAK 25:12 – Mr. Polgar has no regrets! 27:02 – The influence of Judit’s husband Gustav 30:40 – How does Judit remember the late and great Jan Timman?37:53 – Judit’s words of encouragement for talented young women41:02 – AD BREAK 42:00 – Was Judit intimidated by Kasparov?46:17 – Judit and Timman’s shared passion for the artistry of chess 53:43 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with chess grandmaster Jonathan Tisdall.Jon is a grandmaster and a prolific journalist, who has worked for Reuters as a chess correspondent, and has written many stories for New In Chess. He has been active in the chess world for decades, wearing a multitude of hats; n fact, if you want to know who is who in a chess press room, then the gentleman with the hat is usually Jon Tisdall. Jon is also the author of the widely acclaimed book Improve Your Chess Now, and he is working on a new book in collaboration with stand-up comedian (and chess fanatic) Nick Doody.Jon was present in Wijk aan Zee to witne respective players' performances. ss Uzbeki Nodirbek Abdusattorov win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, he recaps the event and itsEnjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast!0:00 – Intro 3:02 – Nodirbek and Sindarov 6:15 – Jonathan reviews some strange moves and decisions from Wijk aan Zee 9:35 – Hans’s mentality 11:15 – Abdusattorov’s strong performance 12:40 – Jonathan’s personal relationship with Arjun Erigaisi 16:25 – Why does Erigaisi perform so poorly in Wijk aan Zee? 19:56 – Jorden van Foreest’s performance 23:45 – Controversy around the time control in Wijk aan Zee 27:42 – Matthias Bluebaum’s strong development 29:20 – AD BREAK 29:52 – How strong is Gukesh right now? 35:28 – The role of psychology in chess 40:10 – Dirk Jan tells a story about the Spassky-Korchnoi match 44:51 – AD BREAK 45:43 – The Uzbeki revolution: why hasn’t Norway followed suit? 58:00 – Jon’s previous and upcoming books 1:07:41 - Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an emergency interview with Wijk aan Zee veteran Loek van Wely! This podcast was recorded in the early afternoon of Thursday, January 29, 2026, on the third and final rest day of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Loek has spent the past two weeks in Wijk aan Zee, coaching Dutch GM Max Warmerdam in the Challengers group while keeping an eye on the Masters. With three rounds to go, Uzbekistan’s top player Nodirbek Abdusattorov is leading the Tata Steel Masters, half a point ahead of three pursuers: his countryman Javokhir Sindarov, Jorden van Foreest (winner in 2021) and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum. The New In Chess Podcast is coming at you with unprecedented urgency this week! Enjoy. 0:00 – Intro 1:40 – Welcome back once again, Loek! 4:47 – Loek criticises the tournament’s time control 11:58 – Is the FIDE tournament calendar too busy these days? 22:44 – Do players really care about Freestyle? 25:08 – AD BREAK 26:01 – Anish’s bad tournament 28:40 – Bluebaum’s strong performance thus far 31:23 – Jorden’s strong play so far 33:40 – The Uzbeki stars: Abdusattorov and Sindarov 36:35 – Erdogmus, the young superstar: how serious should we take him? 46:40 – Vasyl Ivanchuk’s performance in the Challengers 50:33 – AD BREAK 51:34 – The rest of the Challengers group 54:25 – Abdusattorov: a safe bet with three rounds to go? 56:30 – Hans 59:43 – Loek’s master plan to overtake Erwin l’Ami in the Dutch rating list 1:04:50 – Fedoseev’s beautiful Rc3 against Erigaisi! 1:06:30 – Outro

In this year’s first episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam interviews Peter Svidler. It’s a special moment, as two years ago, Peter was the first guest in the inaugural episode of the podcast. We are delighted that he’s returning. Peter Svidler can look back on an incredible career as a player and he is one of the most knowledgeable and versatile experts in the world of chess. He is a three-time Candidate for the World Championship, an eight-time champion of Russia, and a World Cup winner. Among his many further successes are five gold team medals at the Olympiad.Over the past years, as he began to play less, Peter has become one of the most popular chess commentators in the world. In fact, it’s fair to say that he was one of the commentators that took chess broadcasts to a new level. For all these reasons, Peter is a perfect guest at the start of 2026, as we look ahead to a well-filled chess year that no doubt will bring us many highlights.First, Peter looks back on the Rapid & Blitz World Championships in Doha, where Magnus Carlsen won the title in both time controls for the fifth time in his career. Next, he talks about the Tata Steel tournament that starts tomorrow in Wijk aan Zee, the world-famous village on the Dutch coast. And, of course, he also touches on the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus in the first half of April. Peter is an easy talker, who happily shares his stories and insights about many leading and upcoming great chess players.How does he see Magnus’s new victory? What is his take on rising stars Yazig Erdogmus and Faustino Oro? Or on Vincent Keymer, Anish Giri, Javokhir Sindarov, Leinier Dominguez, World Champion Gukesh and the other Indian stars? You’ll hear about all of them and many more. If you’d like to warm up for the Tata Steel Masters and Challengers and get into the mood for more highlights in 2026, this episode of the New In Chess Podcast is a good place to begin. Don’t miss it!The New In Chess Podcast is brought to you by DGT, the chess innovators. DGT is the only brand that provides everything you need to broadcast the games of a chess event - from chess clocks to sensory chess boards.2:05 – Peter’s recap of the World Rapid and Blitz3:50 – Which “new kids on the block” did Peter follow with particular interest? 10:36 – Peter’s match against Erdogmus 20:49 – Magnus’s outrageous Messi comparison 23:16 – AD BREAK 23:55 – Is it unwise for Oro to play in the Masters group in Wijk aan Zee?27:20 – Keymer’s great form going into Wijk aan Zee 28:17 – Anish Giri 30:53 – Gukesh 33:36 – Why Peter thinks this World Championship cycle will be more exciting than before40:15 – Jakovhir Sindarov’s dark horse status42:56 – Fabiano Caruana’s chances 47:35 – Pragg 47:57 – AD BREAK 51:34 – What can we expect from Ivanchuk in Wijk aan Zee? 54:30 – Does Peter miss playing competitive chess? 59:03 – How has Uzbekistan become such a strong chess country? 1:02:53 – Will the “India conveyor belt” ever stop? 1:04:14 – What is the current state of chess overall according to Peter?

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to English grandmaster Matthew Sadler. Matthew returns to the New In Chess Podcast to look back on the year that’s almost behind us and cautiously look ahead to the year we’re about to enter.Matthew Sadler is a two-time British Champion, a streamer, a YouTuber, an expert in chess engines, and a prolific writer. The best-selling Game Changer, co-authored with Natasha Regan, on AlphaZero’s groundbreaking chess strategies and the promise of AI, was one of the most successful and talked about books of the past years.These days Matthew is an IT Consultant, but he makes no secret of the fact that he fills his spare time with as much chess as possible. And although the FIDE rating list no longer has him as an active player, his FIDE rating still hovers eerily close to 2700. In fact, Matthew might very well be the strongest amateur chess player in the world. Last but not least, Matthew is the highly popular book reviewer of New In Chess Magazine. For all these reasons, Matthew was invited to return to the New In Chess Podcast - to talk about the best books that came out and to discuss general tendencies and developments in the chess world.Matthew is a great conversationalist and storyteller. You’ll enjoy his stories about 19th century Scottish-American Master Captain Mackenzie, Yugoslav legends Albin Planinc and Dragoljub Velimirovic, the benefits and dangers of AI, and much more. Don’t miss it! 0:00 – Intro 2:55 – Matthew’s tells the story of Captain Mackenzie12:14 – AD BREAK 12:52 – Matthew’s favourite books of 2025 15:30 – The forgotten genius of Albin Planinc17:50 – Velimirovic21:40 – Chess history’s tendency to forget non-world champion players23:50 – David Bronstein26:40 – Sergio Mariotti33:42 – AD BREAK 34:45 – Matthew previews the Candidates Tournament 37:55 - Vincent Keymer 38:58 - Javokhir Sindarov40:38 - Who are Matthew's favourites to win the Candidates?43:50 – Why 2026 will look very different in terms of top level chess 49:21 – Has Freestyle been a success in 2025?53:05 – AD BREAK53:47 – Matthew’s field of expertise: computer chess!55:48 – Why humans are moving towards a more engine-like style of play1:03:45 – Is the Benoni still alive? 1:05:10 – Is English chess entering a new Golden age? 1:09:00 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from the Essential Sosonko, a collection of chess portraits and personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Ghenna Sosonko. The subject of this week's story is Russian grandmaster Anatoly Lutikov (1933-1989). "Luka" is another lesser-known name in the Essential catalogue, but his story is no less interesting. Coming from a working-class background, Genna describes how "with his independent character, recklessness, and his entire manner of behaviour, he somehow did not fit in with the academic regime of tournaments on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and theoretical lessons on Fridays. His sole trainer became play itself." Lutikov's recklessness translated to the chessboard, where he was an attacking player feared by everyone in the Soviet chess elite, and beyond. When a fifteen-year old American boy named Bobby Fischer visited Moscow for a series of blitz matches, he crushed several masters in a row before the "big guns" were called in. Luka showed up and beat the youngster 20/30.Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman. Jan returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Timman’s Studies, an impressive volume of 455 pages in which he presents his collected endgame studies and explains how they originated.Of course, Jan Timman is primarily known as the most successful Dutch chess player of the past fifty years; a world-class player who won countless elite tournaments and rose to second place in the world rankings in 1982. However, in recent years, after Covid, Jan’s appearances as a player had become less frequent, and a few weeks ago he announced in an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, that he has ended his active career as a player. As Honorary Editor, Jan continues to write for New In Chess Magazine, but he will no longer seek the tension and excitement of the chess arena. And one thing Jan will definitely not forego is the pleasure of endgame studies! As he puts it in our talk, during the last 10 years endgame studies have actually been the most important part of his chess life.In 2011, Jan wrote his first book on endgame studies: The Art of the Endgame, My Journeys in the Magical World of Endgame Studies. And last year he paid tribute to all the great composers who have inspired him, and wrote 100 Endgame Studies You Must Know. And now Jan has written Timman’s Studies, My Collected Endgame Studies and their Origins. As said, it’s a thick book of more than 450 pages and it contains 186 of his endgame studies composed in a period of more than half a century, between 1971 and 2025. What’s more, the final chapter, with 31 studies in total, consists entirely of new work.If you’re interested in studies and what they mean to Jan Timman, this is certainly a podcast for you. Don’t miss this talk with one of the modern legends of our game.The New In Chess Podcast is brought to you by DGT, the chess innovators. DGT is the only brand that provides everything you need to broadcast the games of a chess event - from chess clocks to sensory chess boards.The New In Chess podcast can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the New In Chess website. To leave a comment go to our socials or e-mail us directly at [email protected]:00 – Intro 4:10 – Jan’s lifelong passion for endgame studies 5:57 – Jan tells stories about his father, Max Euwe and Paul Keres 12:40 – Jan’s great admiration for fellow endgame composers like Troitsky, Kubbel and Kasparyan 17:40 – How Jan started composing endgame studies himself 23:09 – AD BREAK 23:41 – How much do we know about famous chess composers? 30:39 – Chess composers who were also strong players 35:12 – Composing chess studies without a board 37:27 – Why grandmasters are often appreciative of chess studies 42:49 – AD BREAK 44:50 – What can composers do to increase general interest in chess studies? 46:15 – Why studies are the most important part of Jan’s chess life these days 49:00 – Will endgame studies inevitably become more complicated? 51:40 – Will solving studies make you a better player? 53:41 – Outro

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely. Loek is a good friend of the NIC podcast and he returns to talk about the chess event that is keeping us glued to our screens these days, the World Cup in Goa, India. The World Cup started almost two weeks ago and will end on 27 November. There’s a lot at stake in Goa, as the top three finishers will qualify for the Candidates tournament in Cyprus next year (28 March-15 April). There’s also an attractive prize-fund, with the winner taking home $120,000. Loek had just returned from Goa, where he was the coach of Dutch GM Max Warmerdam and there was a lot to talk about. For instance, about the brutality of the knock-out system. After 4 rounds no fewer than 8(!) of the top 10 seeds have been eliminated, including the top-seed, World Champion Gukesh. Was it wise for Gukesh to take part? And how regrettable is the elimination of Vincent Keymer, who has been playing such great chess this year? And what about Ian Nepomniachtchi, seeded 12th? Did he have a point when he complained that the conditions in Goa were not as they should have been? If you want to hear Loek’s thoughts, you should not miss this episode of the New In Chess Podcast. Or if you’d like to hear his views on a couple of other issues. Such as FIDE’s belated action against Vladimir Kramnik because of the pain and damage his obsessive ‘anti-cheating’ crusade has caused. Or Loek’s role in the upcoming Global Chess League in Mumbai, where he will once again captain the defending champions’ team, the Triveni Continental Kings.0:00 - Intro2:05 - Coaching max Warmerdam at the World Cup 7:36 - Nepo’s early knockout from the tournament and subsequent complaints about the accommodations12:55 - Why have so many top seeds been knocked out of the World Cup already?19:00 - Gukesh partaking in the World Cup despite not playing for a Candidates’ spot24:54 - AD BREAK 25:26 - Anish Giri's performance 28:10 - Bluebaum, Donchenko and other German players 32:00 - Nodirbek’s performance 34:29 - Hans Niemann’s defeat against Lorenzo Lodici40:06 - Jose Martinez 43:05 - AD BREAK44:08 - At this point, who does Loek think is the favourite to win the tournament?47:55 - FIDE’s much belated action against Vladimir Kramnik 50:46 - Working for Kramnik 54:48 - AD BREAK55:28 - Loek’s involvement in the Global Chess League

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from the Essential Sosonko, a collection of chess portraits and personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week's story is Latvian international master Alvis Vitolins. Alvis was born in Riga, like his compatriot Misha Tal. And this was not all they shared in common. Like Tal, Vitolins was known for his brilliant sacrificial play. Before executing a speculative sacrifice, Tal would even say: "Let's play like Vitolins!" However, due to some personal hardships, Alvis never reached the title of grandmaster. He also did not play many international tournaments; however, in Latvia, he shone, winning several championships. He was also known for his contributions to the poisoned pawn variation of the Sicilian, which was extremely popular during that time. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast! A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam interviews Ukrainian grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov.Born in 1983, Ruslan embarked on his chess career as one of the most astonishing prodigies in history. When he was 12, he won the U18 European Championship, when he was 14, he became the youngest grandmaster in the world, the youngest ever at that time. When he was 18, he won the FIDE World Championship by defeating his countryman Vasyl Ivanchuk in the final of the 2002 knock-out championship.There are many reasons to have Ruslan on the New In Chess podcast, but the main reason this time is the victory earlier this week of the Ukrainian national team, with Ruslan on first board, at the European Team Championships in Batumi. A victory that made his country proud in incredibly difficult times, as Ukraine continues to suffer day in day out after Russia’s brutal invasion three years ago.Ruslan spoke from his home in the vicinity of Bilbao, the Basque city in the north of Spain where he settled some thirteen years ago and where he lives with his wife Ines and their two kids. The conversation focused not only on the European Championship, but also about the situation in Ukraine, for those who remained and for those who are scattered around Europe. And you’ll get to know more about the stars of the winning team, 16-year-old former prodigy Ihor Samunenkov from Kyiv, who excelled at the bottom board with a 2714 performance, and the amazing 36-year-old Igor Kovalenko, who interrupted a stay of more than two years at the war front to divert his mind at the chess board. Igor Kovalenko contributed heavily to the team’s success with a 2827 performance and impressed and inspired his team mates with his optimism and fighting spirit before he returned to the front again to defend his country. And there’s more, such as Pono’s view on FIDE’s half-hearted attitude towards his world title and his advice to chess prodigies. Don’t miss it!0:00 - Intro 2:36 – Ukraine’s emotional victory at the European Team Championships 5:05 – What were Ruslan’s expectations of the tournament, being that Ukraine was the 9th seed?7:44 – How difficult was it to get the Ukrainian team together? 9:20 – Igor Kovalenko’s fantastic performance while also fighting in the war with Russia18:13 – What role does the war play in Ruslan’s life?21:26 – AD BREAK 22:00 – How complicated is it for Ruslan to have a Russian FIDE president? 24:30 – The composition of the Ukrainian team 30:25 – Ihor Samunenkov35:25 – Ruslan celebrating his 42nd birthday on the rest day of the tournament 42:20 – Where was Vasyl Ivanchuk?46:07 – AD BREAK 46:40 – How does this European victory compare to Ruslan’s two Olympiad wins? 50:50 – Becoming “best friends” with Garry Kasparov after finishing second behind him in Linnares53:30 – The match with Kasparov that never took place55:22 – FIDE’s weird attitude towards Ruslan’s world title reign 59:28 – What are Ruslan’s current chess ambitions?1:04:00 – Does the life of a chess prodigy look much different than in Ruslan’s time?1:05:34 – AD BREAK 1:06:35 – What does Ruslan do in his free time now? 1:11:08 – Ruslan calls upon the people of the world to support Ukraine

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from the Essential Sosonko, a collection of chess portraits and personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week's story is Latvian international master Alvis Vitolins. Alvis was born in Riga, like his compatriot Misha Tal. And this was not all they shared in common. Like Tal, Vitolins was known for his brilliant sacrificial play. Before executing a speculative sacrifice, Tal would even say: "Let's play like Vitolins!" However, due to some personal hardships, Alvis never reached the title of grandmaster. He also did not play many international tournaments; however, in Latvia, he shone, winning several championships. He was also known for his contributions to the poisoned pawn variation of the Sicilian, which was extremely popular during that time. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Erwin l'Ami.Erwin has been a chess professional for some twenty years now. Among his most notable successes are victories in the Reykjavik Open in 2015 and in the Dutch Championship in 2022.Erwin loves to play in tournaments – that remains his biggest passion - but his chess activities expand into other areas as well. He’s a prolific writer, has made popular courses for Chessable, and is a highly respected trainer. In that role, he has been on Veselin Topalov’s world championship team and has worked with Anish Giri for many years. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Erwin talks about all things chess, from the current wave of Indian players to his own experience working with champions.0:00 – Intro 1:55 – Welcome Erwin! 2:05 – Previewing the upcoming European Team Championship 4:00 – How Erwin has maintained his passion for chess 10:53 – Erwin’s strong performance in this year’s Tata Steel Tournament 17:40 – Going from commentator to participant in Malmö 19:25 – The eccentricities of Vasyl Ivanchuk 24:00 – The incredible talent of Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus 26:45 – AD BREAK 27:19 – Faustino Oro 31:40 – How computer chess continues to evolve 36:25 – Freestyle 37:42 – The indefatigable new generation of Indian players 41:20 – Working closely with Veselin Topalov 46:40 – AD BREAK 47:20 – The Topalov – Kramnik controversy 50:15 – Cheating 52:45 – Working closely with Anish Giri 58:01 – AD BREAK 59:01 – The FIDE Grand Swiss 59:25 – The impressive play of Matthias Bluebaum 1:02:29 – Hikaru’s rating strategy 1:04:35 – The World Cup 1:07:49 – Thank you Erwin! 1:08:02 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with British grandmaster Jonathan Speelman.Jon, as he's commonly known, is a three-time British Champion and a two-time Candidate for the World Championship. In the Candidates, he has won matches against Nigel Short and Yasser Seirawan. He was also successful with the English national team, as they twice finished second in the Olympiad, in Dubai in 1986 and in Thessaloniki in 1988, while finishing third in Novi Sad in 1990. At the peak of his career Jon was a world top 10 player, his highest spot being number 5 in 1988. In 1987, he beat Garry Kasparov in a televised rapid game and then went on to win the event.Jon has authored several acclaimed books and over the years he’s written literally hundreds and hundreds of chess columns. He was the chess columnist for The Independent and still is the chess columnist for the Observer. He also has a regular column on ChessBase. Besides writing about chess, Jon enjoys teaching students of all levels.Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jon Speelman takes a closer look at the main protagonists in the FIDE Grand Swiss and comments on their performances. In the process, he shares many memories from his own career at the highest level.Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!0:00 – Intro 5:25 – Anish’s unbeaten performance at the FIDE Grand Swiss 6:35 – Keymer’s performance and final game against Bluebaum 8:56 – Bluebaum’s strength in open tournaments 9:40 – Jon’s own experience playing long tournaments 12:00 – Mishra’s performance and his future in chess17:48 – Gukesh’s current reign as World Champion 20:38 – Jon’s expectations going into the Grand Swiss event 22:35 – The strong performances of Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum 24:47 – AD BREAK 25:26 – How does Jon feel about the way qualifications for the Candidates tournament are set up? 27:50 – Andy Woodward’s performance and his prowess at solving chess puzzles 32:25 – Did Jon practice tactics a lot during his playing career? 33:55 – Jon’s work as a trainer 36:30 – How did Jon go about writing chess books in the pre-engine era? 44:30 – Drunken Tal stories 48:37 – AD BREAK 49:47 – Previewing the Candidates Tournament 51:50 – Hikaru’s unorthodox approach to reaching the Candidates 58:06 – Jon’s wish list for the Candidates Tournament 59:41 – Hans Niemann’s performance 1:03:18 – How does Jon feel about freestyle?1:09:00 – Music1:11:54 - Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features the second part of a narration from "The Essential Sosonko", a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week's episode is Latvian chess master and trainer Alexander Koblenz. Picking up where the last episode left off, the second half of the story focuses on Koblenz's contributions to chess beyond his mentorship of Mikhail Tal. He co-founded a chess magazine in Latvia, directed the chess club of Riga, and authored several books. What drove his passion for chess is what he himself described as creativity. It was this creativity that sustained his passion for chess well into his seventies, radiating a "joie de vivre" that his friends described as contagious. The story also goes deeper into Koblenz's national and ethnic identity. Born to a Jewish family in Latvia (later part of the Soviet Union) and fluent in German as well as Russian and Yiddish, Koblenz was described as belonging everywhere and nowhere. The fall of the Soviet Union shook him, as did the death of his most famous pupil Tal not long after. Nevertheless, his relentless energy and passion for chess never left him. As Genna jokes: had Koblenz been stranded on a deserted island, within a few years there would be chess tournaments, schools and booklets of his combinations.Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from "The Essential Sosonko", a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week's episode is Latvian chess master and trainer Alexander Koblenz. A four-time Latvian national champion, Alexander Koblenz (1916-1993) is best known as the coach of another, more famous Latvian: the eighth World Chess Champion, Mikhail Tal. Born into a prosperous Jewish family, Koblenz discovered at an early age that his profession would deviate from the well-trodden path laid out for him by his parents. At the age of nineteen, he began writing his first chess book, a hobby he would maintain for the rest of his life. There was also tremendous hardship: his mother and sister perished in World War II, and the annexation of Latvia by the Soviet Union brought its own set of challenges. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from "The Essential Sosonko", a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko.This episode is the second in a two-part story about late Soviet grandmaster Semyon Abramovich Furman (1920-1978). As the formative influence in the career of future World Champion Anatoly Karpov, Furman's own skills as a grandmaster have not always received the attention they deserve. At the age of 56, only eleven years after becoming grandmaster and a year before his death, he finished third in the Bad Leuterberg tournament of 1977, which was won by Karpov.He also had many other interests. When bridge became popular in the 1960s, "Syoma" became obsessed with it. He was also an avid radio listener, a sometimes frowned-upon activity in the totalitarian former Soviet Union. But amongst all of his hobbies, chess always remained number one. And even after some of his pupils overtook him, Furman continued to be a coaching influence to them. Despite passing away a few months before the 1978 Karpov-Korchnoi match, his extensive work with both players made him a looming presence over the match. As Karpov later said: "I owe everything in chess to Furman."Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch IM Willy Hendriks, one of today’s most entertaining and interesting chess authors.Willy Hendriks’s debut Move First, Think Later was an instant success. In a highly original and witty manner, the book looks at the sense and nonsense of methods to improve in chess. The book won the 2012 ECF Book of the Year Award and was runner-up in the 2012 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year competition.In the meantime, Hendriks has written three more books, page turners that challenge the traditional view of chess history. All three have met with wide acclaim. First there was On the Origin of Good Moves (2020), which was followed by The Ink War, Romanticism versus Modernity in Chess (2022), starring William Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort, and most recently, The Philosopher and the Housewife (2025), a riveting tale about Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch and the evolution of chess expertise.Willy Hendriks is interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, who makes no secret of the fact that he is a big fan of his books: ‘But then, of course I am biased. I love chess, I love chess history and I like people with original thoughts and a sense of humour.’The interview focuses both on Hendriks’s books, and on the article he wrote for the latest issue of New In Chess Magazine, entitled ‘Rewriting Chess History’. The article is a heartfelt plea to look at chess history with fresh eyes and free ourselves of several misconceived ideas that became generally accepted because they were formulated by such greats as Emanuel Lasker. So, more than enough to talk about! Enjoy the podcast!The New In Chess podcast can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the New In Chess website. To leave a comment go to our socials or e-mail us directly at [email protected]:00 – Intro 2:35 – Willy’s scepticism about chess history 6:30 – The story behind Willy’s work “Move First, Think Later” 12:55 – Misconceptions about chess improvement, according to Willy 15:20 – Steinitz, Lasker and the (often misconceived) origins of positional chess20:40 – Lasker’s chess philosophy and style25:43 – Why caricatures about chess players persist 27:25 – Richard Réti and the Tarrasch-Nimzowitsch feud 32:00 – AD BREAK 32:32 – Adolf Anderssen and the legacy of great 19th century players 38:10 – Willy’s criticism of historical ratings44:00 – Zukertort and London 1883 47:40 – Romanticism vs modernism as a corollary to the struggle between chess amateurs and professionals in the late 19th century 53:20 – Willy’s use of wit and humour in his books 55:00 – AD BREAK 55:55 – Willy’s theory that the best way to study the historical development of chess is to look at openings1:03:35 – What is Willy working on now?

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from "The Essential Sosonko", a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko.This episode is the first in a two-part story about late Soviet grandmaster Semyon Abramovich Furman (1920-1978). A late bloomer in chess, who became grandmaster at the age of 45(!), Furman gradually made his way to the chess elite after the end of the Second World War. As a trainer, he is best known as a formative figure in the career of World Champion Anatoly Karpov, credited with developing the youngster's enormous talent. He also had other students, among which Genna, who refers to him as "essentially my only trainer".Furman died in 1978 of cancer, just as Karpov was solidifying his dominance on the world stage. He is remembered as a brilliant mentor and theoretician, whose influence lived on through his students, including Genna. The hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase in its entirety on the New In Chess website:https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features in interview with Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. Commonly known as Vishy, Anand is one of the greatest and most popular world champions in the history of chess, as well as one of its most admired and respected ambassadors. Although no one could blame him if he decided to rest on his laurels, Vishy remains active as a player – and he is still ranked number 13 in the world (2743), which is frankly incredible - but in the past years he has also taken on new roles. He is Deputy Vice-President of FIDE and he is a partner in the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy in Chennai, where the cream of the highly successful young Indian generation is training and, no doubt, many youngsters whose names we do not yet know. With a unique career like Anand’s, it’s impossible to do a career-spanning interview. Therefore Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam decided to focus on two particular events: the New Year’s tournament in Reggio Emilia (1991/92), which resulted in a sensational victory, and Anand’s personal favourite: the luxurious Amber rapid and blindfold events, held in Monaco. 0:00 – Intro 1:56 – Where does Vishy keep his countless trophies? 5:29 – Vishy recalls bursting onto the chess scene in the early 90’s, scoring victories over the world’s best 8:44 – Linares, Tilburg and Reggio Emilia 1991 17:49 – Being initially underestimated by the rest of the chess elite 22:35 – Linares 1992 26:16 – AD BREAK 26:48 – The Reggio Emilia tournaments 30:45 – Vishy’s experience of the first Amber chess tournament40:00 – Joop van Oosterom, the billionaire sponsor of the Amber tournaments 42:30 – Why Kasparov didn’t play in the Amber tournaments47:30 – Vishy describes finding a sort of refuge at the Amber tournaments49:20 – AD BREAK 50:19 – “We have to talk about Lubo and John Nunn” 56:43 – Jeroen Piket58:40 – Ivanchuk’s short-lived retirement 1:00:15 – Does Vishy see a future for blindfold chess? 1:03:15 – Vishy’s affinity for rapid chess 1:05:30 – Vishy’s memories of Reggio Emilia

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Indian chess star Tania Sachdev. Tania Sachdev is a two-time Indian Women’s Champion and she was a member of the Indian Women’s team that wrote history at the Budapest Olympiad last year, where they won the gold medals. Probably most chess fans will know her as one of the most popular online chess commentators in the world. Armed with both the broad knowledge and deep insights of the professional, and the unbridled enthusiasm of the true chess lover, Tania can entertain and speak to audiences of all levels.Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Tania Sachdev speaks about her family background, the unwavering support she got from her parents and the unforgettable peaks in her chess career. Naturally, she also speaks about her second career as a commentator that was launched when she was invited to be on the commentary team during the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen in Chennai in 2013.What is it that she loves in commentating? Why is she such a wonderful duo with Peter Leko? Why should the players engage more with the media? How can we capture the emotional moments in chess even better? Which are her favourite places on this earth and what has food go to do with it? Tania loves talking and sharing stories and memories. You don’t want to miss them. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 2:31 – Welcome Tania! 3:08 – Why Delhi means so much to Tania 5:55 – Getting to travel for her career 8:08 – Tania’s family background 11:02 – Falling in love with chess and entering competitions 16:48 – How did people react to Tania’s strong performances as a young girl? 19:10 – Tania’s oldest chess friends 21:45 – Did Tania have many doubts about pursuing chess professionally? 25:26 – Winning the Women’s Olympiad with India last year 30:23 – AD BREAK 30:55 – Tania’s commentating career39:30 – How does Tania commentate boring games?43:42 – The viral Magnus-Gukesh moment at Norway chess 45:32 – Gukesh’s crushing loss to Fabiano Caruana in Norway 48:30 – The evolution of online chess commentary and chess media 56:20 – Tania asks Dirk Jan about chess journalism back in the day versus now 58:40 – What would Tania like to see in terms of improving chess broadcasts? 1:01:41 – AD BREAK 1:02:41 – Tania advocates for the use of heartrate monitors during big tournaments1:04:27 – Tania’s incredible commentating chemistry with Peter Leko1:07:25 – Tania’s part in the Freestyle movement 1:15:15 – Tania recommends some Bollywood music to Dirk Jan 1:16:30 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American chess player and businessman James Altucher. James Altucher is an investor, a venture capitalist and a firm believer in AI and cryptocurrency. He’s also a bestselling author – you may know his book Choose Yourself – and he has a popular podcast with 50 thousand subscribers, The James Altucher Show. In his podcast, he dives into the world of entrepreneurship, personal development and out-of-the-box thinking. Or, as he puts it himself, he interviews the world’s peak performers in every area of life. James has been writing a column for New In Chess Magazine for the past four years, in which he describes his struggle to regain his old chess strength after he returned to our game following a ‘sabbatical’ of more than twenty years. His articles are witty, perceptive and full of humour and insights.The interview, conducted by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, took place on the day when James was to be a co-commentator next to five-time World Champion Vishy Anand in the Norway Chess studio, a privilege he was thrilled about. With his contagious enthusiasm, he spoke about Anand and the other chess greats he has encountered, from Kasparov, Judit Polgar and Hikaru Nakamura to the legendary Sammy Reshevsky. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast! 0:00 – Intro 1:47 – Welcome James! 3:24 – Where does James’s natural curiosity come from? 5:00 – How James became obsessed with chess 9:15 – James’s memory of the late and great Samuel Reshevsky 10:25 – Did James ever aspire to a pro chess career?12:52 – James’s hiatus from chess 16:05 – Does chess skill translate into other areas of life? 18:49 – What is James’s biggest achievement in business?21:11 – James’s writing 30:36 – AD BREAK 31:09 – How The Queen’s Gambit got James back into chess 33:40 – The challenges of improving your chess at a later age 46:24 – What does James find special about chess players? 49:38 – Having chess superstars on his podcast 53:25 – Hikaru Nakamura’s entrepreneurial talent58:11 – AD BREAK 59:11 – Robert Greene, the laws of power, and James’s next book 1:02:38 – James’s own tournament and writing for New In Chess 1:05:12 – Commentating alongside Vishy Anand 1:05:58 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Soviet chess player and coach Vladimir Zak.Vladimir Gregorievich Zak (1913-1994) was the head coach of the Leningrad Pioneers' Palace, a premier chess institution in the Soviet Union, for forty years. He was known for his classical approach to chess, which emphasised self-analysis and disciplined study. His stall of pupils included several future grandmasters, including Boris Spassky, Viktor Korchnoi, Gata Kamsky, and of course, Genna Sosonko himself.Despite his limited playing strength, Vladimir Zak has an enduring legacy as a teacher of chess. Genna explains why: a good teacher explains, a great teacher inspires. And Vladimir Zak was a great teacher. "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko-hardcover

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Czech grandmaster David Navara. For more than 20 years, David Navara has been the leading chess player of the Czech Republic. Thirteen times he won the national championship. In 2015, he was ranked number 14 in the world, with a peak rating of 2751.I (Dirk Jan) spoke to David last week, in Prague, the city where he was born 40 years ago and where he still lives. Over the years, we met on many occasions, but for some inexplicable reason we never sat down for a proper interview. Now we did and to begin with we returned to our first meeting, in 2001 at the European Team Championship in Leon, in the north of Spain, where 16-year-old David was one of the stars as he scored an impressive 7 out of 9. Even if we’d only just met, he kindly showed me three of his games, giving me a first taste of his phenomenal talent. After this nice memory, David talked with great openness about his upbringing, his loving parents, the crises in his life, his Asperger and the comfort that he finds in religion.Finally, we spoke about something that has been troubling him for many months now. How he was dragged into Vladimir Kramnik’s troubling crusade against cheating. Although Kramnik claims that he never accused David of any misbehaviour, he did include him in a list of seemingly suspect results. This greatly upset and angered David, who contacted FIDE, explained why in his view Kramnik’s insinuations were ridiculous and insulting, and urged them to undertake action against Kramnik. So far, nothing has happened. Apart from a short message of support, FIDE’s reaction has been deafening silence. We sincerely hope they will listen to this podcast and do what they should have done months ago: listen to one of their finest members and care about his well-being.0:00 – Intro 2:43 – Welcome David! 3:05 – DJ’s first meeting with David in 2001 5:30 – David’s interest in foreign languages 8:05 – Where does David’s politeness come from?10:15 – How does David cope with his Asperger's? 13:25 – The importance of religion in David’s life 19:05 – Despite his self-proclaimed laziness, how has David achieved such success in chess? 25:12 – Being the #1 Czech player for over 20 years 26:15 – David’s relationship with Thai Dai Van Nguyen 30:22 – How stressful is chess for David?32:08 – AD BREAK 33:06 – Cheating allegations made by Vladimir Kramnik46:56 – What did the allegations do to David?52:05 – What does David expect from FIDE in this situation? 56:15 – AD BREAK 56:55 – Reaction from FIDE1:10:15 – When is David’s next tournament?

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman.A living chess legend, "The Best of the West" needs no introduction. As one of the world's leading players during the late Soviet era, Jan played and befriended a number of legendary players. Today's conversation centres specifically on two of his late colleagues, both of whom passed away recently: the former World Champion, Boris Spassky, and the father of Icelandic chess, Fridrik Olafsson. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam in his own chess library, old chess books and paraphernilia scattered around the area, Jan fondly rememers the lives and careers of his two late friends. 0:00 – Intro1:20 – Jan’s first meeting with Boris Spassky 4:05 – Jan’s assessment of Spassky as a person5:55 – Spassky’s interest in Russian politics and history8:30 – Spassky’s relationship with Fischer14:40 – When Spassky was the best player in the world19:28 – When Spassky fell ill during a match 22:50 – AD BREAK 23:47 – The rivalry with Korchnoi27:33 – Spassky’s life in the aftermath of the Fischer match30:52 – Spassky’s game against Kasparov at Linnares 1988 34:05 – The chaotic last years of Spassky’s life 37:38 – Jan’s first meeting with Fridrik Olafsson 43:45 – How strong was Olafsson? 45:46 – Olafsson’s relationship with Fischer 48:30 – Jan tells a drinking story with Fridrik Olafsson 51:24 – AD BREAK 52:03 – Olafsson’s attitude and position within Icelandic society

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American International Master Kostya Kavutskiy.Kostya is one of the three "senseis" (teachers) at the ChessDojo, an international chess training program that Kostya runs together with fellow Americans GM Jesse Kraai and IM David Pruess. As a player, he is currently embarking on a "European tour", which has included the recent Reykjavik and Grenke tournaments. His next destination is Spain, where he will be attending the Killer Chess training camp organised by Jacob Aagaard.Joining us from Hamurg, Germany, Kostya talks to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam about the origins of the ChessDojo program, his GM ambitions, meeting Vasyl Ivanchuk and much more. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!Timestamps:0:00 – Intro 2:08 – Why Kostya prefers playing in Europe4:00 – The philosophy behind the Chess Dojo9:58 – How did Kostya transition from playing to teaching? 11:25 – Drawing inspiration from Mark Dvorestky 12:55 – The Dojo’s online training plan16:20 – If a player outgrows his teacher, can the teacher still be of use?18:00 – Running into Dojo fans around the world 21:35 – How Kostya finds his training material23:00 – Why Kostya does not necessarily think new books are better than the older ones 28:10 – Meeting Vasil Ivanchuk in Reykjavik37:08 – AD BREAK 38:05 – The value of post-mortem analysis 41:00 – What eleven hours of analysis with Vasil Ivanchuk feels like49:00 – Grenke50:50 – The future of freestyle chess54:40 – Did Kostya analyse the freestyle games from Grenke? 57:00 – Kostya’s trip to Spain to train with Jacob Aagaard58:20 – AD BREAK 59:00 – Kostya’s quest to become a grandmaster1:01:50 – Has teaching made Kostya a better player? 1:05:10 – Kostya’s bet with Dirk Jan

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Ukrainian grandmaster Efim Geller.Efim Petrovich Geller (1925-1998) was a two-time Soviet chess champion and a six-time Candidate for the World Chess Championship. During the twenty-year period in which he was recognized as being a world top ten player, he faced ten different world champions, scoring victories against eight of them and even coming out with a positive overall score (+39-36=131). A natural attacking player who became more well-rounded as his career progressed, Geller was also known as an opening expert, contributing significantly to the emergence of the King's Indian Defence in top-level play. He was active as a coach, aiding future world champions Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov in their respective world championship match preparations. Genna, who ran into Geller several times over the years, paints a compelling portrait of the somewhat "underappreciated-by-history" grandmaster.Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.This week's narration, which is the final part of a six-part series, examines the final phase of Tal's life. As his physical ailments mounted, Tal never "slowed down" his hedonistic lifestyle. Money was tight in his final years, but he never stopped relying on chess for his income, ultimately living off simuls and exhibitions. However, this did not diminish the legendary, near-mythical status that he achieved during his heyday. A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch businessman and chess benefactor Bessel Kok.Bessel is one of the founders of SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, which provides the main messaging network through which international payments are initiated. In the 1980's, Bessel organised the first SWIFT chess tournaments, which significantly raised the standards for chess professionalism. He befriended several of the world's strongest players, including Garry Kasparov. Together with them, he would go on to found the Grandmaster Association (GMA), an organisation aimed at creating "a high-quality environment for chess and to promote professional chess by grandmasters". Although the GMA would eventually disappear, Bessel kept his interest in chess while remaining active in other fields, such as film production and pro cycling. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam during the Prague Chess Festival, Bessel retells the story of the origins of the GMA, his relationship with Kasparov, and numerous anecdotes involving the greatest chess players of all time. 0:00 – Intro2:44 – Welcome Bessel! 4:26 – How Bessel became involved in chess 8:42 – The first SWIFT tournament 13:45 – The origins of the Grandmaster Association (GMA) 19:50 – Lubomir Kavalek, dawn of a “golden era” 24:50 – Start of the conflict between GMA and FIDE 30:30 – Kasparov’s vision for the GMA 32:12 – AD BREAK 32:52 – Kasparov breaks away from the GMA 41:16 – Bessel’s appreciation for chess players 44:44 – Bessel’s favourite: Misha Tal 46:50 – Bessel tells a Bobby Fischer story 54:21 – AD BREAK 55:19 – The Magnus vs FIDE conflict 58:10 – Chess vs cycling 1:01:30 – Bessel’s candidacy for FIDE president 1:04:10 – Bessel doesn’t see a leader in the chess world 1:05:35 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko. A world-class grandmaster and former prodigy, Peter now works as a coach and has achieved acclaim as one of the most popular online chess commentators.Peter Leko was extremely successful as a player. As a young kid of only 14 years, four months and 22 days, he became a grandmaster in 1994. This achievement made him the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time, breaking the old record of Judit Polgar. Peter rapidly grew into a world-class player and ultimately challenged for the world title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2004. This proved to be both a high in Leko’s career and a traumatic moment, as he was leading by one point going into the last game and dramatically lost that game, allowing Kramnik to retain the title. In 2025, Peter is no longer an active player and devotes himself to commentary and coaching, with Vincent Keymer as his most notable pupil.In a lively and engaging conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Peter speaks about his years as a chess prodigy, his greatest successes, the Kramnik match, freestyle and much more. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!0:00 – Intro 2:45 – Welcome Peter! 4:04 – Difference between top level chess now versus in Peter’s prime 6:36 – Becoming the then-youngest grandmaster of all time at age 14, first encounters with Kasparov and Korchnoi 12:58 – Peter’s first Wijk aan Zee tournament in 1992, first games with Vishy Anand 16:48 – First big victories 20:51 – The “Adorjan years” 26:02 – Peter’s flawless memory 28:50 – Music 32:40 – How the Hungarian government persuaded Peter to play in the Olympiad 38:02 – Preparing for the Olympiad 47:19 – AD BREAK 47:50 – Peter’s World Championship match against Kramnik 57:15 – Aftermath of the Kramnik match 1:00:47 – Retirement 1:04:30 – Peter’s relationship with Vincent Keymer 1:09:00 – Commentary 1:14:21 – AD BREAK 1:15:14 – How does Peter prepare himself for commentary? 1:17:40 – Freestyle and Peter’s problem with FIDE time controls 1:24:30 – Peter’s relationship with Bobby Fischer 1:27:50 – Vincent Keymer’s fantastic Freestyle performance 1:30:00 – Why top players are gravitating towards Freestyle 1:39:27 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.This week's narration, which is the fifth in a six-part series, chronicles the "second surge" of Tal's career, where he achieved over-the-board success despite having lost some of his trademark aggression. It also delves deeper into Tal's personality off-the-board. A mild-mannered freethinker, Tal was wary of the totalitarian Soviet regime of which he was a part, and always sought to maintain his independence without ruffling too many feathers "at home".Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of last year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Matthew Sadler, one of the most versatile chess lovers in the universe. In a lively conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, the English grandmaster touches on a variety of subjects, spicing up his stories with fascinating observations, sound advice and not-to-be-missed reading tips.Matthew Sadler is a two-time British Champion, a streamer, an expert in chess engines, a successful author and, as he is no longer a professional player – after all, he has a fulltime job in IT - he is often called the world’s strongest amateur. One of Matthew’s latest interests is humans taking on engines that give their opponents odds. Would you like to play an engine with an extra knight? Or rather with an extra queen? You’d be surprised how much you’d learn from those games, as Matthew explains with his contagious enthusiasm.He also looks at the recent Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee, won by an impressive Praggnanandhaa, and the first leg of the new Freestyle Grand Slam that took place in Weissenhaus. While Vincent Keymer stunned Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana to claim the $200,000 first prize, the event also led to heated chess-political discussions around the globe. 0:00 – Intro 2:16 – Matthew’s fascination with recent odds games played by chess engine Leela9:02 – Has Matthew been following Freestyle chess?17:08 – Tata Steel22:37 – Which recent books have especially impressed Matthew? 29:36 – The erosion of strategic principles in favor of pure calculation in the computer era 36:14 – AD BREAK 36:45 – Matthew’s love for historical chess books 39:25 – The legacy of lesser-known players like Efim Bogoljubow, David Janowski and Frank Marshall 45:00 – Matthew’s love for Zukertort and dislike for Steinitz 46:55 – The GOAT debate and why Matthew thinks the “Big Three” debate is unfair53:24 – AD BREAK 54:21 – How modern chess does not require “classic chess education” 55:53 – The influence of Kasparov’s “modern” opening preparation57:48 – Matthew previews the year 2025 and his expectations for Gukesh, Pragg, Keymer and Nodirbek 1:05:00 – The Gideon Ståhlberg biography 1:07:06 - Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely. One of our return guests, Loek needs no introduction for our regular listeners. An eight-time Dutch national champion, Loek had his career peak in 2001, when he made it to the world top 10 with a rating of 2714. Besides his own achievements on the chess board, Loek is a successful coach, who has worked with stars like Gata Kamsky, Vladimir Kramnik (2007), Veselin Topalov, and more recently with the Italian national team and Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam. With an incredible 25 appearances in the Masters group, Loek is the most experienced Tata Steel Chess Tournament player alive. Interviewed by Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam, he looks back on the performances of several top players at this year’s event, while also recalling several legendary Wijk aan Zee moments and traditions. 0:00 – Intro 2:23 – Why Loek is the ultimate Wijk aan Zee expert8:38 – Differences between Wijk aan Zee now versus in the past10:50 – Loek guesses Wijk aan Zee record holders 12:20 – Loek reflects on his own best and worst Wijk aan Zee experiences15:42 – “Handshake-gate”19:23 – AD BREAK 19:55 – Loek’s favourite Wijk aan Zee tournament28:02 – Why players often go on losing streaks in Wijk aan Zee 29:35 – Gukesh’s performance35:16 – Caruana’s performance 38:10 – Erigaisi’s performance42:47 – Pragg’s performance44:54 – Are tiebreaks a satisfactory way to decide the winner of the tournament? 49:07 – The tiebreaks between Gukesh and Pragg 50:43 – The crazy last round of this year’s event 55:03 – AD BREAK 56:04 – Should Pragg consider this win a milestone in his career? 57:14 – The Challengers group 1:00:27 – The famous Wijk aan Zee football match1:07:37 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features the fourth part of a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.With his fierce attacking style, “The Magician from Riga” dethroned reigning World Champion Botvinnik to claim the World Chess Championship in 1960. Widely acclaimed as a genius, Mischa’s tactical play would produce numerous brilliancies, as well as a 95-game unbeaten streak, a record that would stand for over forty years.Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of this year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.A physical copy of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko-hardcover

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Jorden van Foreest.On the eve of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Jorden talks to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam about his preparation for ‘the Wimbledon of chess’ and his adventures in earlier editions of this world-class event. Most notably, the 2021 edition that Jorden sensationally won ahead of a daunting field that included Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri. As they look ahead to the 87th(!) edition of ‘Wijk aan Zee’, Jorden also gives his take on two news stories that got worldwide attention during the World Rapid & Blitz Championship in New York that he recently played in: ‘Jeansgate’, the scandal that erupted when Magnus Carlsen was fined for wearing jeans, and the controversial end of the Blitz championship, when Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi decided to share the title and the world chess federation FIDE went along in this breaking of the rules.Jorden was born into a family with a rich chess tradition. At the end of the 19th century, his great-great-grandfather Arnold van Foreest was Dutch champion, and so was the brother of his great-great grandfather, Dirk van Foreest. Interestingly, Jorden’s younger brother Lucas has been Dutch champion as well. And yes, Jorden himself has also been Dutch champion as he won the title when he was only 17 years old, one year after he had become a grandmaster. Jorden, who is 25 now, has been U-10 Open Dutch Youth Champion in 2010, U-14 European Youth Champion in 2013, and only a month ago he won the European Blitz Championship in Skopje. As said, Jorden’s biggest triumph so far was his win in the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, where he defeated Anish Giri in a hectic blitz tiebreak. Jorden is not only a former winner of this epic tournament, it’s also one of his favourite tournaments. He truly knows the village of Wijk aan Zee inside out, as he has been playing there from a very early age.If you are looking forward to the Tata Steel Chess Tournament as much as we are, you should not miss this highly entertaining conversation with Jorden van Foreest. If you are slowly but surely getting into the mood for two weeks of great chess, you will definitely enjoy this episode of the New In Chess podcast!0:00 – Intro 2:50 – What is Jorden’s state of mind with Tata Steel right around the corner?7:37 – When Jorden won the tournament in 2021, how did he prepare? 10:21 – Cold showers 13:15 – Jorden being one of the older players in his group at 2514:05 – How Jorden’s life and career changed after his 2021 win 15:18 – Working for Magnus in the runup to his World Championship match with Nepo21:46 – How does Jorden prepare for his thirteen opponents in Wijk aan Zee?24:27 – Does Jorden follow the same “modern” approach to opening preparation?26:44 – Does Jorden get affected by his opponents’ presence?29:13 – AD BREAK 29:45 – Does Jorden prepare differently in such an exceptionally strong field? 33:10 – Why did Jorden participate in the rapid and blitz World Championship in New York? 36:00 – Jorden’s history of good performances in Wijk aan Zee38:29 – Jorden tells a funny Daniil Dubov story39:48 – “Jeansgate” and how other top players responded to it47:18 – How does Jorden feel about the prize-sharing situation between Magnus and Nepo? 49:55 – How does Jorden plan to work with his brother Lucas in Wijk aan Zee?52:48 – AD BREAK 53:50 – The special atmosphere in Wijk aan Zee during Tata Steel 57:50 – How is Jorden preparing for the upcoming qualification cycle for the Candidates’ Tournament?1:00:23 – Jorden’s view on freestyle chess1:03:45 – Are there any opponents in Wijk aan Zee that Jorden is especially excited to play against? 1:08:13 – Outro

This week’s guest on the New In Chess Podcast is Jacob Aagaard.Jacob returns to the podcast after his last interview last year, in which he was interviewed about legendary Russian trainer Mark Dvoretsky, in his words ‘the biggest authority in my adult life’.This time host Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam invited him to talk about what 2025 will bring us (yes, Wijk aan Zee coming soon!) and to look back on two major events at the end of 2024: the World Championship match won by Gukesh in Singapore, and the Rapid & Blitz World Championship in New York (in other words, Magnus Carlsen’s jeans and the uproar after Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi decided to share the world blitz title). When Jacob Aagaard appeared on the podcast for the first time, he was introduced as ‘a grandmaster, a prolific and successful writer, a publisher of chess books at Quality Chess, and a top coach who has worked with many big names that we know and no doubt various that have remained a secret.’ Not long after that talk, it became publicly known that Jacob Aagaard had acquired the publishing houses New In Chess and Everyman Chess. Together with Quality Chess, they are now the New In Chess Group. And so, before they go on to discuss the issues above, Dirk Jan and Jacob talk about this remarkable merger; how it came about and what the plans are.0:00 – Intro 2:00 – Jacob’s acquisition of New In Chess and Everyman Chess 20:56 – Are we in a “golden age” of chess publishing? 23:25 – Jacob’s training camp in Singapore during the beginning of the Ding-Gukesh match26:00 – Does Jacob agree with the overall criticism that the match was not played at a high enough level?30:57 – Jacob’s Twitter/X opinions are his views, not his publishers’! 32:12 – Dirk Jan’s countless fights with Kasparov over content published under the New In Chess banner 32:41 – AD BREAK 33:20 – Jacob’s “no losers” approach to his acquisition of New In Chess and Everyman 35:25 – Why this match was not “unworthy” of the World Championship, according to Jacob37:55 – Was the criticism expressed by Magnus on his Take Take Take platform too harsh?41:10 – Magnus’s greatness is a “package deal” 42:53 – Gukesh’s team, Gajewski’s influence44:50 – How important is mental coaching during a chess match?55:43 – The jeans situation1:01:20 – The underlying conflict between classical and freestyle chess 1:04:53 – The title sharing situation between Magnus and Nepo1:06:39 – AD BREAK 1:08:28 – Is a shared world title acceptable?1:14:07 – Jacob’s predictions for Tata Steel 1:20:59 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features the third part of a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal. With his fierce attacking style, “The Magician from Riga” dethroned reigning World Champion Botvinnik to claim the World Chess Championship in 1960. Widely acclaimed as a genius, Mischa’s tactical play would produce numerous brilliancies, as well as a 95-game unbeaten streak, a record that would stand for over forty years. Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of this year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.A physical copy of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko-hardcover

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Peter Doggers. Peter is a chess journalist from The Netherlands and the director of News & Events for Chess.com. In his book, The Chess Revolution, Understanding the Power of an Ancient Game in the Digital Age, Peter writes about the historical and sociological importance of chess through the ages and, in the second part, about the incredible boom the game has seen in the past years thanks to the pandemic and the success of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. In the process he writes about the success story of Chess.com, including its early beginnings and how it managed to attract millions of new fans to the game.Peter has followed the chess revolution, of which has himself been a part, firsthand, and he believes that the future looks bright. If you are interested in recent developments in chess or want to find out if The Chess Revolution is a book that will appeal to you, you should not miss this episode of the New In Chess Podcast!"The Chess Revolution" can be purchased in full on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-chess-revolution 0:00 – Intro 2:02 – The manifestation of the “chess revolution” in the Ding-Gukesh World Championship match 4:03 – Extensive media coverage of the World Championship, Peter Leko’s tremendous commentary 7:50 – The current “Indian era” 9:11 – Chess.com’s history and eventual dominance of the worldwide chess scene 16:30 – Peter’s personal history as a chess journalist and “chess vlogger” 20:14 – AD BREAK 20:54 – Peter’s successful short videos 24:20 – What inspired Peter’s book, “The Chess Revolution: Understanding the Power of an Ancient Game in the Digital Age” 29:21 – Chess’s assimilation into short video culture and pop culture in general 32:43 – Chessboxing and the “Ding Chilling” meme 36:53 – The Queen’s Gambit Netflix series 42:20 – AD BREAK 43:26 – Mainstream media attention for chess during the pandemic, the new wave of chess content creators on social media 49:18 – Peter’s hate-love relationship with chess 52:29 – The very earliest beginnings of chess.com and its fruitful cooperation with content creators and streamers 1:04:58 – What does Peter think the future of chess looks like? 1:10:48 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features the second part of a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.With his fierce attacking style, “The Magician from Riga” dethroned reigning World Champion Botvinnik to claim the World Chess Championship in 1960. Widely acclaimed as a genius, Mischa’s tactical play would produce numerous brilliancies, as well as a 95-game unbeaten streak, a record that would stand for over forty years.Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of this year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal. With his fierce attacking style, “The Magician from Riga” dethroned reigning World Champion Botvinnik to claim the World Chess Championship in 1960. Widely acclaimed as a genius, Mischa’s tactical play would produce numerous brilliancies, as well as a 95-game unbeaten streak, a record that would stand for over forty years. Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of this year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov. Daniil, currently rated 2693, earned the grandmaster title in 2011, a few weeks before he turned 15. His biggest success to date was his win in the Rapid World Championship of 2018, ahead of Carlsen, Mamedyarov and Nakamura. Daniil is not only a perfect guest because of his perceptive views and thoughts on chess, but also because of the fact that on two occasions he was one of Magnus Carlsen’s seconds in a world championship match: in 2018, when Carlsen defeated Caruana in London, and in 2021, when Carlsen defeated Nepomniachtchi in Dubai. With five classical games to go, the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Gukesh D is tied at 4.5-4.5, and Daniil has followed the event closely. Remarkably, Daniil is not surprised at all that Ding Liren is playing much better than the pundits feared and he explains why. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam immediately after the draw in Game 9, Daniil gives his take on what we’ve seen so far and what we can expect from the remaining games between Ding and Gukesh. He also shares memories and behind-the-scenes stories of the matches when he worked for Magnus Carlsen, and gives a sharp analysis of how the current world championship cycle is an economically bad idea for most chess professionals. In short, an episode you should not miss! 0:00 – Intro 1:30 – Welcome Daniil! 1:59 – Is Daniil surprised by the turn of events in the World Championship match between Ding and Gukesh?5:36 – Daniil’s recollection of Ding’s world title victory against Nepomniachtchi last year 8:00 – Ding’s mental health issues 11:40 – The difference between a match and a tournament 14:27 – What is Daniil’s take on Magnus’s statement that the world title should not be decided in a classical match format? 17:20 – Will a 2800-player be able to maintain his rating in open tournaments?19:50 – Ding’s current level and overall playing style compared to Gukesh and Magnus25:02 – AD BREAK 26:00 – The Chinese and Indian ways of playing chess29:50 – The Indian way of “learning through playing” as opposed to learning from chess books 31:13 – Why do Ding and Gukesh have guys like Rapport and Gajewski on their respective teams? 33:04 – Daniil’s experience coming up as a player in an era where engines where not as strong as they are now 37:24 – Daniil’s experience working with Magnus40:55 – Does Magnus display the same “clarity” in his play that Fischer demonstrated? 42:52 – Why a modern coach should do more than just present lines47:00 – How did Daniil befriend Magnus, and Magnus’s sense of humour50:50 – AD BREAK 51:29 – Friendships among chess teams 55:59 – The Balenciaga sweater 57:36 – What is Daniil’s prediction for the rest of the World Championship?1:02:22 – Why Daniil finds it “weird” to see top players like Magnus and Hikaru doing daily recaps of the World Championship match 1:06:34 – Liverpool vs Manchester City and Daniil’s love of other sports 1:08:28 – Weird press conference questions 1:13:53 – Should the World Championship match continue to exist in its current format?

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. Subject of this week’s episode is Dutch grandmaster Max Euwe (1901-1981). This is the third part of Sosonko’s series on Euwe; Part 1 was covered in our October 19 episode, Part 2 on November 8. Machgielis “Max” Euwe was a chess grandmaster, mathematician, author and administrator, who became the fifth World Chess Champion in 1935, when he defeated Alexander Alekhine. After losing the title two years later, he would continue to play with the world’s best for many more years before retiring in 1953. After retiring as a player, he would later serve as FIDE president starting in 1970. In this capacity, he presided over the famous Fischer-Spassky of 1972 and had to navigate many other chess “situations” of the time, such as the defection of Viktor Korchnoi from the USSR and attempts by Soviet officials to remove him from power. Genna, a fellow native of The Netherlands, met Max Euwe around the time of the 1972 World Championship match, and the two remained in touch until Euwe’s death in 1981. When Viktor Korchnoi enlisted Euwe’s help in applying for political asylum in The Netherlands in 1976, Genna facilitated communications between the two chess greats. Over four decades later, Genna’s story paints a picture of Max Euwe as both a friend and a historical chess figure. Max Euwe, for all of his chess accomplishments on- and off the board, was a man with many hobbies. A “workaholic” before that term existed, he made sure to meticulously schedule his day so as to leave time, but not too much time, for activities such as music and table tennis. As his wife Caroline recalled: “He hated disorder more than anything in the world.” In this third and final part of the Euwe narration, we learn more about the man behind the legendary administrator and player that is Max Euwe. Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast!"The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko-hardcover

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Indian grandmaster Swayams Mishra. At the young age of 32, Swayams is already a decorated chess coach, having worked with the Indian national team for several years and coaching their women’s team to gold at this year’s Olympiad. His private coaching practice has also been successful: this year, his mentee Shreyas Royal became the youngest grandmaster in British history. Interviewed by Jacob Aagaard, Swayams talks about his transition from player to coach, shares his experience with the Indian women's team, and gives three pieces of advice for ambitious players of all levels!0:00 – Intro 1:54 – Welcome Swayams! 3:55 – Where Swayams and Jacob first met 5:03 – Does Sam Shankland troll Swayams’s online sessions? 5:48 – Jacob tells a (non-child-friendly) Stany story 7:31 – What was Swayams’s role in the Indian’s women’s team at this year’s Olympiad? 9:02 – Swayams explains the difference between coaching men versus women 10:18 – AD BREAK 11:00 – How do Swayams’s days look when his pupils are playing big tournaments? 13:03 – To what does Swayams attribute the current Indian chess boom?16:17 – Swayams stresses how universally popular chess is and predicts its possible inclusion in future Olympic games 19:30 – The role of petroleum companies in sponsoring Indian chess 21:53 – Swayams’s success coaching Shreyas Royal, who became the youngest British grandmaster in history; multiple-time Indian Women’s Champion Padmini Rout; and Ethan Vaz, a young talent who Swayams regards as the future of Indian chess 24:39 – AD BREAK 25:37 – Swayams gives three pieces of advice for an ambitious chess player trying to improve28:56 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen.Peter is a five-time Danish chess champion, but is primarily known for his highly successful coaching career. From 2007 till 2023, he was continuously coaching the reigning World Champion, working first for Vishy Anand and later for Magnus Carlsen. In this capacity, he was a winning coach in a world championship match a record eight times.As always, this year’s world title match, which takes place in Singapore between November 25th and December 13th, is eagerly awaited. At the same time, the reigning champion’s lacklustre recent results keep confusing the experts. Ding Liren has dropped to 22nd place in the world rankings and only seems a shadow of the great Ding that not that long ago was the second player in the world behind Magnus Carlsen. In stark contrast, Gukesh has been going from strength to strength. After winning the Candidates tournament in Toronto earlier this year, he led India to gold at the Olympiad in Budapest with a stellar performance on first board.Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Peter Heine Nielsen assesses the situation at the start of the match, analyzing Gukesh’s strengths and possible weaknesses and looking for glimpses of hope for Ding Liren.0:00 – Intro 2:05 – What is Peter expecting from this year’s world championship match? 3:33 – Ding’s physical and mental state8:40 – Ding’s deterioration over the past year, winning 3 out of 49 classical games 13:47 – Comparing Gukesh’s rise to the rises of Kasparov and Carlsen16:50 – Ding’s strong competitive mindset, despite his mental health issues21:02 – AD BREAK 21:35 – How should Ding’s team aid him in his preparation for Singapore? 25:59 – Ding’s friendship with Richard Rapport 31:53 – What will be the role of computer preparation in this match? 37:00 – Could Gukesh’s confidence be his downfall? 40:30 – Could Ding be exaggerating his symptoms to make Gukesh underestimate him? 43:00 – AD BREAK 44:00 – Kasparov’s assertion that this is “not a world championship match at all” 50:22 – Peter’s love of freestyle chess, also known as Chess960 and Fischerandom 56:48 – Developments in chess in China and India 1:06:20 – So, what is Peter’s prediction for the match? 1:09:17 - Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. This week features the second part of Genna’s story about Dutch grandmaster Max Euwe (1901-1981). Machgielis “Max” Euwe was the fifth World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. After retiring as a player, he would later serve as FIDE president starting in 1970. In this capacity, he presided over the famous Fischer-Spassky of 1972 and had to navigate many other chess “situations” of the time, such as the defection of Viktor Korchnoi from the USSR and attempts by Soviet officials to remove him from power. Genna, a fellow native of The Netherlands, met Max Euwe around the time of the 1972 World Championship match, and the two remained in touch until Euwe’s death in 1981. Genna’s story paints a picture of Max Euwe as a player, friend and historical chess figure all at once. Three weeks ago, Part 1 of Euwe’s story focused on his later career as a chess administrator, including the 1972 World Championship match. This week, Genna delves into Max Euwe, the chess player. A hardcopy of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with French grandmaster Joel Lautier.Joel has had a rich chess career: he became the youngest Junior World Champion in history in 1988, holds a lifetime positive score against Garry Kasparov and is, along with Vasily Ivanchuk, the only grandmaster of his generation to have defeated all world champions of his time: Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Khalifman, Anand, Ponomariov, Kasimdzhanov and Topalov. He was also one of Kramnik’s seconds when the Russion sensationally defeated Kasparov for the world title in 2000. Despite his successful chess career, Joel came to the conclusion that he was hungry for new challenges and opted for a career change, going into investment banking.In a lively conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Lautier speaks about his chess career as well as his career as an investment banker, including the shocking moment in 2022 when the US State Department unjustly put him on the sanctions list after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a dramatic and painful error that was corrected about a year later.0:00 – Intro 2:10 – Welcome Joel! 3:05 – Becoming the youngest Junior World Champion in history in 1988 4:24 – Meeting his great influence, Bobby Fischer, in 1992 8:52 – Realising upon meeting Fischer that he did not want to remain in chess forever 10:42 – Dropping out of school at 16 to pursue chess, Joel’s father’s influence 13:05 – Joel’s experience being coached by Lev Polugaevsky 16:25 – Joel’s positive score against Kasparov 20:41 – Joel’s spectacular three-queen game against Kasparov 23:49 – The legendary Linnares 1994 tournament 26:23 – AD BREAK 27:02 – Joel’s victory over Kasparov in Amsterdam 1995 33:16 – Joel’s experience as a second for Kramnik in 2000 40:18 – The evening of Kramnik’s victory 42:17 – Joel’s visit to Fischer with Spasski in 1992 47:01 – The start of Joel’s business career and move to Russia 52:48 – AD BREAK 53:47 – Continued business career and eventual move to Barcelona 59:53 – Being incorrectly put on (and later taken off) an American sanctions list after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 1:06:49 – AD BREAK 1:07:42 – Will Joel be compensated by the American government for their mistake? 1:08:09 – Joel’s talented 13-year old daughter Naomi, whose paintings are displayed at various exhibitions in Europe 1:14:26 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely. Loek was the captain of the winning team, the Triveni Continental Kings, at the recent Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in London.Loek van Wely can look back on a rich career as a player. He won the Dutch championship 8 times and had his career peak in 2001, when he made it to the world top 10 with a rating of 2714. Besides his achievements on the chess board, Loek is a renowned coach, who has worked with stars like Gata Kamsky, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov. In more recent years he’s been coaching the Italian national team and Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam.If you are new to the Global Chess League, Loek will fill you in as he speaks about the strategies, the players that made the difference and the pros and cons of the remarkable time control (20 minutes per player per game, no increment) that almost inevitably led to wild time scrambles. In a lively conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Loek talks about the innovative format of the Global Chess League and the impact it may have on the chess world. In passing he reveals his ambitions as a coach and gives his take on Vladimir Kramnik’s anti-cheating crusade that continues to fuel heated and widespread discussions online.0:00 – Intro 2:59 – Loek explains how the Global Chess League works 6:00 – Is there a limit to every team’s financial means? 7:18 – Magnus and Ding’s participation 8:58 – Wei Yi’s participation in Loek’s team and the “point system” 13:43 – How does Loek deal with situations where teammates have strained relationships, such as between Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina? 17:29 – AD BREAK 18:27 – The format and length of the event 20:27 – The controversial 20+0 time control and Alireza Firouzja’s performance 24:10 – Does the Global Chess League change the chess world? 26:38 – Are the organisers happy with the way the Global Chess League has taken off? 28:27 – What considerations go into Loek’s selection of his players? 30:04 – The bidding process on players like Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura 33:25 – AD BREAK 34:04 – Magnus’s participation? 36:35 – Does the Global Chess League, operated by India, foreshadow Indian dominance on the chess organisation circuit? 40:46 – What does Loek bring to the table as a coach? 43:26 – Does Loek’s own playing strength and activity as a player help him as a coach? 45:35 – What were the crucial moments that contributed to Loek’s team’s victory this year? 47:24 – What did Loek do to make Wei Yi feel comfortable as part of the team? 49:36 – AD BREAK 50:25 – How does Loek see his future in coaching and beyond? 53:56 – Is it always a coach’s dream to work with young talent? 56:30 – Vladimir Kramnik’s controversial cheating allegations 1:05:40 – Outro