#44. Joel Lautier About His Dual Careers In Chess And Business!

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