New In Chess Podcast

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 podcast@newinchess.com.0:00 – 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