This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Georgian-Dutch grandmaster Robby Kevlishvili. Born in 2001, Robby has represented the varsity chess team of St. Louis University since 2019, winning numerous national prizes with his teammates.

Interviewed by Alex Polak, Robby talks about his life as a chess player on the American collegiate circuit, his strong performances in blitz play, and his impression of St. Louis, deemed by many to be the chess capital of the world.

0:00 – Intro

1:01 – What it means to be a student athlete in the world of chess

1:54 – How Robby ended up in St. Louis

3:30 – Chess and academics

7:00 – The collegiate tournament schedule

9:43 – Robby’s strong coaches at SLU

11:03 – St. Louis, the city of chess

13:11 – Robby’s incredibly strong online play

17:53 – Other strong chess universities

23:13 – Robby’s training schedule

24:49 – Experiencing the chess boom while a part of SLU

28:48 – Outro

Phantom Menace Minute 123: The Shaft