#69. Tania Sachdev Talks About Her Journey From Indian Women's Champion To World-Class Commentator!

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 career

39:30 – 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 tournaments

1:04:27 – Tania’s incredible commentating chemistry with Peter Leko

1:07:25 – Tania’s part in the Freestyle movement

1:15:15 – Tania recommends some Bollywood music to Dirk Jan

1:16:30 – Outro