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 first of a two-part story about Mikhail Botvinnik. He won the 1948 World Chess Championship tournament and thus became the sixth World Chess Champion, thereby succeeding Alekhine who had died two years prior. He lost and regained the title twice – to Smyslov and Tal respectively – before he was ultimately dethroned by Petrosian in 1963. In that same year, Botvinnik founded his own chess school, which ensured that the Soviet Union dominated the world of chess for many years to come. The “Soviet School of Chess” has world champions such as Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik among its graduates, as well as many other Grandmasters. Next to his chess career, Botvinnik was very interested in engineering. He sought to combine the two and became one of the pioneers in the world of computer chess. Thanks to his endeavours on computer chess, Botvinnik was awared an honorary degree in mathematics in 1991, at the age of 80. In this episode, Sosonko talks of his personal contacts with Botvinnik. He then takes a step back and gives the stage to Botvinnik himself. “The Engineer” talks of his youth in St. Petersburg, his becoming acquainted with the game of chess, and the often difficult relationships with his rivals. Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! Remember, you can find us on popular platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, making it convenient for you to browse the chapters and listen to your favourite parts.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  Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction 01:23 - Genna plays a game with Botvinnik for the Dutch national television 04:43 - “Misha” Botvinnik's visit to Amsterdam in 1989 07:28 - Genna meets with Botvinnik in Moscow in 1988 09:48 - Botvinnik talks about his family 15:25 - Botvinnik learns chess; having to deal with anti-Semitism 17:17 - AD BREAK 17:49 - A 9-year-old Misha becomes interested in Russian literature 20:23 - How Botvinnik met his wife thanks to music 23:13 - Botvinnik remarks on his connections with the Russian composers 26:36 - Botvinnik begins his chess journey 29:04 - Botvinnik's strained relationships with Bronstein, Levenfish, Romanovsky, Petrosian, Smyslov, and Euwe

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American grandmaster Robert Hess. A former US #5 with a peak FIDE rating of 2639, Robert is renowned as one of Chess.com’s star commentators, covering its largest events such as the World Chess Championship and the Candidates Tournament. Growing up in New York City, Robert showed promise in chess at an early age, but he credits his success to one man in particular: the late Soviet-born American grandmaster and coach Miron Sher (1952-2020). Miron Sher, together with his wife and son, emigrated from Ukraine to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York in 1997. There, he would foster the talent of Robert and, among others, Fabiano Caruana. The book “Dream Moves: Eye-Opening Chess Lessons For Improvers” is a collection of instructive chess materials that Miron gave to his students. Thanks to the tireless work of his wife Alla and son Mikhail, New In Chess is now able to posthumously publish Miron’s work. With hundreds of exercises ranging from easy to very difficult, Dream Moves is both an instructive work for improving players and a sentimental window into the life and teachings of one of chess’s most beloved coaches. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Robert reflects warmly on his personal experiences with Miron as both a coach and a human. He also talks about his career as a commentator and how Miron’s lessons continue to inform his approach to the game. “Dream Moves: Eye-Opening Chess Lessons for Improvers” is available at a 20% discounted rate in the New In Chess web shop. Click the link below and enter the code “DREAM20” to claim your discount!https://www.newinchess.com/dream-moves 0:00 - Intro 1:52 - What Miron Sher meant to Robert and his other students 5:20 - How Miron would teach different students differently 8:56 - Robert's fondest memory of Miron 11:00 - Miron's love of his family 14:33 - "It's very Miron to not speak about his difficulties", the respect Miron earned in the chess community 19:28 - Miron taking early notice of Robert's fighting mentality 21:35 - Robert's part in having the book published after Miron's passing 25:45 - The structure of the book, Miron "tricking" his students and how his teachings continue to inspire Roberts play and commentary 29:00 - The "20% rule" and the "Dream Move" 32:30 - How Miron would incorporate "themes" into his material and the lasting impact on Robert's play 37:13 - AD BREAK 37:45 - How Robert incorporates Miron's teachings into his commentary 42:06 - Does Robert have a favourite event to commentate on? 44:50 - How difficult is it to analyse bullet games in real-time and, conversely, how does Robert keep his commentary interesting during slower-paced classical games? 45:48 - Robert's ideal commentary setup 48:05 - How does Robert see the game of chess develop in the forthcoming years? 52:00 – The lack of statistics as a preparatory tool in chess 53:53 – What does Robert like about chess’s recent development in the mainstream? 58:10 – 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. In this episode Sosonko draws up a portrait of the ninth World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Lauded by the Armenian populus as a national hero, Tigran often found himself accompanied by fans wherever he went.Petrosian turned prophylaxis into a trademark of his playing style, which gained him the nickname “Iron Tigran” as well as several tribute books. Refining many defensive and prophylactic ideas, he raised the positional Exchange sacrifice into an art form."The Main Thing Is Happiness" focuses on Petrosian's personal background. Born in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to parents from Armenia, he lived in Moscow for most of his life. This begs the question as to Petrosian's nationality, especially now that the Soviet Union as an entity no longer exists.Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! Remember, you can find us on popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, making it convenient for you to browse the chapters and listen to your favourite parts.Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:17 Petrosian was celebrated as an Armenian hero 06:33 The reception by the people when Petrosian became World Chess Champion 10:35 "Our Tigran": Petrosian did not belong to just one country 12:31 Petrosian the Polyglot 13:56 AD BREAK 14:29 Petrosian's friendship with composer Arno B abajanian 15:46 The Armenian-Jewish combination17:02 Khrushchev's joke and Mikoyan's warning 19:31 How Petrosian's life might have been if he had still been alive today 22:35 Petrosian in anticipation of his demise

Dear Chess Friend, This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with grandmaster Jan Timman. One of the world’s leading players during the 80’s and 90’s, Jan was at some point considered the best non-Soviet chess player in the world, acquiring the nickname “The Best of the West”. Jan is also an active chess author and composer, and still spends much of his time creating endgame studies. However, at 72 years of age, Jan is far from a spent force in competition: with a FIDE rating of 2527, Jan is currently gearing up to participate in his seventeenth Dutch championship, of which he has won nine in the past. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jan reflects on his experiences as a world-class player, his encounters with eccentric figures like Hein Donner, and his preparatory work for what may just be his tenth national championship.0:00 – Intro 2:02 – Participating in the Dutch national championship again 4:03 – How did Jan work on his chess in the pre-computer era? 11:44 – Hein Donner stories 23:05 – Max Euwe stories 26:00 – Jan’s father’s initial objections to his chess career 29:25 – Jan’s brother, FIDE master Ton Timman 31:17 – AD BREAK 31:48 - Winning his first national championship fifty years ago, dominating the Dutch chess scene 35:41 – The rise (and stagnation) of rival Dutch players like Piket, Van Wely, Nikolic and Sokolov 38:07 – Gearing up for his first Dutch championship in 18 years 42:19 – When did Jan achieve his peak? 43:44 – What were Jan’s weaknesses as a player? 45:06 – Why did Jan’s contemporaries not achieve the same success? 47:00 – Does Jan still enjoy the game as much as before? 48:08 – Jan’s passion for composing endgame studies 50:36 – The upcoming Dutch championship 52:31 – Jan’s dream tournament and Kasparov's menacing stare56:02 – Outro

American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura discusses the rise of non-classical tournament play, the importance of sponsors in chess, and his journey as a top online chess content creator. He reflects on the impact of fan support, humorous mispronunciations in chess, and the future trends in the game. Nakamura also navigates the dynamics of rivalry, tournament participation, and personal relationships in chess, while exploring the evolution of chess tournaments and future prospects for the game.

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast delves into the life and career of one of the greatest chess-players of all time: Garry Kasparov. The "Beast of Baku", whose matches with Anatoly Karpov meant a redefining of the format of the World Championship match, was feared by many for his deep preparation and knowledge in the opening. After announcing his retirement from chess in 2005, Kasparov pursued his political ideals. His fierce opposition of the practices of the Russian political elite has forced him to leave Russia. But his energy and fierceness are nonetheless as strong as they have always been. With "His Unlimited Struggle" Genna presents a rather belated 55th birthday present to the thirteenth World Chess Champion: Kasparov turned 60 mere months before The Essential Sosonko was released. Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! Remember, you can find us on popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, making it convenient for you to browse the chapters and listen to your favourite parts. 00:00 - Introduction 01:23 - "The worst of the vices is to be over 55 years old" 05:26 - How Garry became as good as he was 07:39 - Garry set the standard with his dedication to the study and preparation of the opening 09:51 - Sosonko's impressions of "Garik" 11:27 - Garry dominates the world of chess for 15 years 12:45 - Garry retires from chess 13:09 - Going into politics: Garry is forced to leave Russia 14:15 - AD BREAK 14:47 - Chess is only one of Garry's outstanding talents 17:33 - "I won't spare myself": Garry's unlimited struggle 19:45 - Smear campaign in Russia: the chess speaks for itself, and time will tell 25:37 - 10 years of having left Russia 28:01 - Garry's move to the United States 29:17 - "One has to live long..."

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Norwegian grandmaster Simen Agdestein. Simen made history by becoming the first Norwegian chess grandmaster in 1985. A nine-time Norwegian chess champion, Simen also had a notable career in professional football, representing the Norwegian national team nine times. Additionally, he has been credited with discovering and fostering the talent of Magnus Carlsen, becoming the latter’s first chess coach. Two weeks ago, Atle Grønn appeared on the New In Chess Podcast to discuss “Games and Goals: the Fascinating Chess and Football Careers of Simen Agdestein”, a reflection on Simen’s dual professional careers and influence on the game of chess. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, this week Simen is here himself to talk about the book, his own career achievements and regrets, as well as the past and future of Norwegian chess. "Games and Goals" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website:https://www.newinchess.com/games-and-goals 0:00 – Intro 3:25 – How did “Games and Goals” come about? 7:09 – Becoming the first Norwegian grandmaster 11:55 – Simen’s professional football career and the pressures of combining two high-level sports 19:03 – Simen’s career regrets 22:59 – His knee injury and retirement from football 27:55 – AD BREAK 28:37 – How it feels to play football against all-time greats like Baresi and Maldini 31:03 – Simen’s image in the media and reflections on his football career 37:32 – Being the “clown” of the Norwegian football team 40:18 – Discovering Magnus 43:47 – The Norwegian school of chess 47:37 – Comparing Magnus to the greatest players before him 49:37 – Elham Amar: the next Magnus? 53:15 – Winning the Norwegian championship for the 9th time in 2023 58:01 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with British grandmaster Matthew Sadler. Often called “the strongest amateur in the world”, Matthew, a two-time British chess champion, has retired from playing full-time with a more-than-respectable FIDE rating of 2694. Despite his inactivity as a player, Matthew is far from done with chess. In addition to his own writings (the most notable of which is Game Changer, a game analysis of Google’s AI-powered AlphaZero engine), Matthew also actively reviews the work of other chess authors, from highly technical endgame books to biographies and more personal chess stories. His review column in the New In Chess Magazine is amongst the publication’s most popular rubrics. Interviewed by Dirk-Jan ten Geuzendam, Matthew talks about chess literature, his own personal favorites, and his process for reviewing the work of other authors, among other things. 0:00 – Intro 2:05 – Matthew’s work in IT 5:08 – Why Matthew hasn’t played since COVID 6:47 – The role of (chess and non-chess) literature in Matthew’s upbringing 12:20 – Matthew’s music taste, his brother’s career in music 15:55 – The chess books that molded a young Matthew 21:13 – Why the quality of chess literature has drastically improved 26:20 – How should a chess author explain playing styles of less accessible players? 28:06 – How much time does Matthew spend reading chess books? 32:02 – Top players creating their own material, the effects of the computer age 34:54 – Does reading chess biographies help a player become stronger? 40:13 – AD BREAK 40:45 – Why young players should be wary of old literature 46:01 – Should we replace the “one-to-five-star” system with a rating system? 48:15 – Matthew’s favorite chess book of all time 56:19 – Matthew’s other favorites 59:19 – Where does Matthew think chess literature is headed? 1:00:01 – Writing Game Changer 1:05:03 – Which book still urgently needs to be written? 1:07:32 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Atle Grønn, the author of Games and Goals, The Fascinating Chess and Football Careers of Simen Agdestein. Atle Grønn is Professor of Slavic linguistics at the University of Oslo, but he is also a strong chess player - an International Master - and has written several books on chess. In Norway, he is a familiar face on television as chess expert in the live broadcasts of big chess events by NRK. Games and Goals is the biography of Simen Agdestein, who not only was the greatest Norwegian chess player before Magnus Carlsen appeared on the scene, but who also - and this can safely be called spectacular - had a successful football career. Agdestein won the Norwegian Chess Championship nine times, while as a footballer he played for the Norwegian national team eight times. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Atle Grønn talks about his new book, the most remarkable double career of Simen Agdestein, the unique approach of ‘the Norwegian school of chess’, Magnus Carlsen, chess biographies in general and much more.Games and Goals is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/games-and-goals 0:00 – Intro 2:18 – Why did Atle decide to write the book? 3:51 – How involved was Simen in the writing process? 5:42 – Finding out new things about Simen’s life and childhood 12:50 – How would Atle characterise Simen’s influence on Norwegian chess? 15:46 – Simen’s father 17:11 – Simen’s insistence on privacy as a young player 20:20 – The pressures of combining professional chess and football 26:35 – Could Simen have gone further in chess? 27:56 – Simen’s influence on Magnus 32:26 – AD BREAK 32:58 – What is Simen’s legacy in Norwegian football? 37:02 – How did Simen deal with his career-ending football injury? 38:32 – Discovering Magnus and the “Norwegian school of chess” 43:02 – Simen’s competitive nature 45:24 – Which other chess biographies inspired Atle to write this one? 51:21 – Which other biographies would Atle recommend? 57:12 – Will Atle write Magnus’s biography? 1:00:42 – Outro

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