New In Chess Podcast

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

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from Genna Sosonko’s “The Essential Sosonko”. The subject of this week’s audiobook is one of the most beloved and inspiring chess players of all time: Mikhail Tal. With his fierce attacking style, “Mischa” dethroned reigning World Champion Botvinnik to claim the World Chess Championship in 1960. Widely acclaimed as a genius, Mischa’s tactical play would produce numerous brilliancies, as well as a 95-game unbeaten streak, a record that would stand for over forty years.

Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, “My Mischa” is a retelling of Genna’s twenty-five year friendship with Mischa. It is a first-hand account of everything the “Magician from Riga” was known for: his striking appearance, his notoriously unhealthy lifestyle, his complicated family dynamics, but most importantly: his deep love of chess.

The hard-copy of the entire "The Essential Sosonko" is available on the New In Chess Website: 

https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko 

0:00 – Intro

1:15 – Mischa’s victory in the 1959 Candidates Tournament

1:52 – Mischa’s early reputation as a reckless player

2:53 – Stories of Mischa’s first meeting with Mikhail Botvinnik

3:47 – Genna’s experience analysing openings with Mischa

5:34 – Mischa’s deep love of chess, especially blitz

6:55 – Mischa’s very complicated family

10:16 – Mischa’s simple and lazy lifestyle

11:57 – Alcohol

13:36 – Mischa’s talent on the piano despite his physical deformity, his love of football

15:23 – Mischa’s poor health, addiction

16:40 – AD BREAK

17:19 – Mischa’s imposing appearance, piercing eyes, and mental strength

20:03 – Genna’s personal Mischa stories

27:35 – Witnessing Mischa’s declining health, Mischa’s last tournaments

30:14 – Genna’s last letter from Mischa

32:26 - Outro 

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen.

A five-time Danish champion, Peter Heine Nielsen is primarily known for his highly successful coaching career. From 2007 till 2023, he continuously coached World Champions Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen. In that capacity he was a winning coach in a World Championship match a record eight times.

Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Peter Heine Nielsen looks back on the Candidates tournament in Toronto that ended earlier this week. The sensational winner was 17-year-old Gukesh from India who will now challenge World Champion Ding Liren in a match for the world title. That match is scheduled to take place in November. The exact dates and place have not yet been announced.

Nielsen shares his views of Gukesh and also speaks extensively about the three favourites – Caruana, Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi – that were pipped at the post by the youngster in one of the most exciting last rounds ever.

0:00 - Intro

1:33 - How did Peter follow the Candidates, now that Magnus is not involved in the cycle?

5:53 - Peter's expectations before the event vs reality

7:36 - The dramatic final round

11:58 - Peter's criticism of the 8-player, 14-round format

18:18 - Peter unfavourably compares Magnus's experience winning World Championship matches with winning big tournaments, like Tata Steel

19:41 - How special winning the World Cup was for Magnus

21:34 - Gukesh's impressive performance and mindset

30:09 - How Peter has seen chess become more of a sport, the evolving role of opening preparation

33:30 - Is the "middlegame-focused"-approach

34:58 - AD BREAK

35:41 - Fabiano's devastating result, his playing strength and status as the unofficial #2 in the world

41:39 - Nepo's performance

44:33 - Hikaru's impressive performance, media career

51:09 - Gukesh's strength and potential, chances against Ding

55:37 - Ding's state of mind following World Championship win, lackluster performances

1:00:07 - Peter tells the world not to count out Ding

1:01:16 - Magnus's reaction to Gukesh's win

1:03:07 - Alireza

1:06:48 - Future games between Gukesh and Magnus

1:11:20 - Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features not one, but to esteemed guests. Women International Master Natasha Regan and Matt Ball are longtime collaborators, having recently co-authored “Zwischenzug!”, a book about a concept that will be familiar to many but, according to its authors, is missed exceedingly often in modern (online) chess. The zwischenzug, also known as the in-between move, intermediary move, or intermezzo, occurs regularly in chess at all levels, from amateur games to the last World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi. 

Interviewed by Remmelt Otten, Regan and Ball expand on the concept of the zwischenzug and draw parallels with various other strategy games, like go and shogi, and introduce concepts from those games that may even be interesting for chess players to learn. "Zwischenzug!" will be available on the New In Chess website soon:

https://www.newinchess.com/zwischenzug 

00:06 – Intro

02:14 – How Matt and Natasha met

02:53 – Why name the course “Zwischenzug”?

04:09 – How did the idea to write the book come about?

05:13 – How does one become an official FIDE coach?

07:05 – Why should people buy the book instead of using some online course?

08:33 – How should a student use the book?

09:43 – How the online "pre-move" makes people forget about in-between moves

11:25 – The beauty of the zwischenzug move

12:48 – How common are zwischenzugs?

14:01 – The unbelievable amount of zwischenzugs that occurred in the Ding-Nepo match

16:10 – Natasha and Matt coming up with new phrases to describe specific zwischenzug situations

18:29 – AD BREAK

19:11 – Matt gives the listener a visualisation exercise

22:34 – Natasha's affinity for abstract games such as go and shogi

25:39 – Natasha carrying over phrases from go into chess

25:57 – “Tenuki"

27:10 – “Aji”

30:50 – Natasha and Matt's participation in the European Senior Team Championship, using Puzzle Rush in preparation

36:12 – What books do Natasha and Matt recommend for chess improvement?

38:14 – Outro

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast, Anish Giri returns to give his take on the first half of the Candidates. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, he candidly shares his assessment of the players so far.

0:00 – Intro

1:35 – Anish’s experience following the Candidates so far

2:57 – Alireza-Gukesh (round 7)

6:25 – Nepo’s performance so far, games against Pragg and Hikaru

14:13 – How many points does Anish think the winner will need?

16:18 – Fabiano’s performance so far

20:52 – Gukesh’s play

23:03 – Pragg’s crazy combinations

28:32 – Vidit-Pragg (round 3)

32:29 – Could this be Pragg’s tournament?

34:20 – Vidit’s play thus far, his early win against Hikaru

37:20 – Vidit’s “meditation”, other top players’ rituals before games

43:24 – AD BREAK

44:04 – Hikaru jumping right to YouTube after a game, even a loss

48:30 – Anish’s dislike of post-game press conferences, his preference for Hikaru’s approach

52:32 – Alireza’s tournament

58:33 – Who does Anish favour, halfway through the tournament

1:06:23 – The Women’s Candidates Tournament

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with grandmaster Jacob Aagaard.

Jacob Aagaard is a GM - he was the British Champion in 2007 – but is best known as a prolific and award-winning chess writer, the founder of Quality Chess publishers, and a top coach who has worked with many big names we know and no doubt various that have remained a secret.

Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Jacob Aagaard shares memories of Mark Dvoretsky (1947-2016), the legendary coach and writer, who was a dear friend of his and a great inspiration.

The occasion is the publication of the book "Chess Coach, The profound and lasting Influence of Mark Dvoretsky by New In Chess", a tribute to Dvoretsky compiled by Vladimir Barsky that first appeared in Russian.

Aagaard has called Dvoretsky ‘the biggest authority in my adult life’ and considers Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manuel simply ‘the best chess book ever written’. In a one-hour interview he explains why that is and treats the listeners to many wonderful stories about one of the most influential writers and coaches chess has ever seen.

He also provides advice how to read Dvoretsky’s (and his close associate Jussupow’s) books, while also speaking about his own acclaimed books that would not have been written without the inspiration of a great example and their interaction.

"Chess Coach" is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: 

https://www.newinchess.com/chess-coach

0:00 – Intro

2:16 – What Mark Dvoretsky meant to Jacob during his adult life

4:30 – Jacob clarifies that two of his chess awards are now defunct and emphasizes Dvoretsky’s legacy

6:47 – Jacob’s first meeting with Dvoretsky, attending the Dvoretsky school as a kid

11:19 – How the relationship between Kasparov and Dvoretsky soured

15:51 – Life as a young Dvoretsky pupil

18:28 – Dvoretsky’s strong personal convictions

19:59 – Jacob recalls Mark Taimanov getting arrested in the Soviet Union after his loss to Fischer

21:20 – How wealth and fame affected Dvoretsky, him refusing to charge money from his strongest pupils

26:19 – Jacob rebuffing a request to coach a national team

27:50 – Why Jacob chose to end his coaching relationship with Nodirbek Abdusattorov

32:30 – The mental toughness required to become world champion

34:30 – The complex characters of Karpov and Kasparov

38:39 – Insights about Dvoretsky from his wife Inna

40:17 – Jacob shares a personal story about Dvoretsky

43:42 – AD BREAK

44:15 – Dvoretsky knowing even the most obscure books

44:55 – Why Dvoretsky’s “Endgame Manual” is the greatest chess book ever written

49:35 – Jacob’s book “Practical Chess Defence”

52:30 – Are Dvoretsky’s books accessible to beginners?

53:30 – Being proud to publish books containing Dvoretsky’s lessons

56:48 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri, one of the strongest and most popular chess players in the world.

A prodigy, Anish achieved the grandmaster title at the age of 14 and steadily grew into one the world’s leading players, eventually joining the select group of grandmasters to have breached the 2800-barrier. Among his finest victories is last year’s Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee.

Anish is also one of the most many-sided players around. His online presence has brought him hundreds of thousands of followers, he has produced highly successful Chessable courses and he is, of course, a contributing editor to New In Chess magazine.

Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Anish looks ahead to the Candidates tournament that will kick off on April 3rd in Toronto. Providing great insights, he assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the eight Candidates and speaks openly about his expectations and personal favourites. Anish’s expert analysis is a must-hear treat for everyone who is looking forward to one of the greatest chess events of 2024.

00:00 – Intro

01:40 – Anish’s upcoming tournament schedule

02:44 – The unprofessional way FIDE tournaments are scheduled

08:16 – How Anish feels about the events that led to him missing the Candidates tournament

16:00 – Anish will make predictions for each Candidate

16:28 – Abasov

20:37 – Why Anish likes the dynamic of having one weaker player in a strong tournament

22:51 – Vidit

28:08 – Gukesh

29:51 – AD BREAK

30:30 – Pragg

35:47 – Nepo

37:53 – Will Russian and Indian Candidates feel pressure from their governments to perform well?

40:55 – Alireza

46:30 – Hikaru

53:17 – Fabiano

57:18 – How would have the best chances against Ding?

1:01:11 – Anish’s personal favourite to win the tournament

1:02:10 – Having grown closer to Fabiano

1:04:10 – How closely will Anish follow the event?

1:05:43 – Anish stresses that his predications may vary according to his mood

1:06:47 – Outro

This weeks episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with International Master Thomas Willemze. Thomas is one of New In Chess’s most prolific authors, with a varied body of work that includes opening books, puzzle books, endgame books, and strategy books. His two latest works, “What Would You Play” and “World Chess Champion Strategy for Club Players”, have received positive reviews for their high-quality analysis and educational approach, which aims to simulate over-the-board situations as much as possible.

In addition to his authorship, Thomas has had 30 years of experience as a coach and draws heavily from his coaching experience when structuring his material. Perhaps surprisingly, he has found that a game does not have to be played at grandmaster level to be educational. “What Would You Play” draws lessons from games played at all levels, including by a very young Magnus Carlsen, popular online streamer and influencer Alexandra Botez, and Thomas himself.

Interviewed by Alex Polak, Thomas talks about chess post-COVID, gives his view on what it takes to become a better player, and previews his future publications with New In Chess.

Thomas's most recent work "What Would You Play" is available on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/what-would-you-play 

To purchase "World Chess Champion Strategy for Club Players", visit https://www.newinchess.com/world-chess-champion-strategy-training-for-club-players 
 

This weeks episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with grandmaster Loek van Wely. “King Loek” is an 8-time Dutch champion, and, at 51, has remained active as a player while expanding his activities as a trainer and organiser. He reached his peak in 2001, making it into the world top 10 with a rating of 2714. As a coach, Van Wely has worked with stars like Gata Kamsky, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov, and more recently with the Italian national team and Dutch GM Max Warmerdam. He can also look back on a political career, as a senator in the Dutch First Chamber from 2019 to 2023.

Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Loek talks about his career highlights, his political years and his adventures as a second for the prodigious Gata Kamsky (and his father Rustam!), as well as the demanding Vladimir Kramnik. He also gives his take on the way chess preparation has evolved, and who he expects to do well in the upcoming Candidates tournament.

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:16 – 01:40 Being excited about the podcast

00:01:41 – 02:52 Playing in the German cup, experiencing some fatigue

00:02:53 – 04:40 His fondest (chess) career memories

00:04:41 – 05:24 Turning his prize money into a BMW 5-series , crashing it

00:05:25 – 07:54 Winning numerous open tournaments, eight Dutch championships

07:55 – 10:30 Getting deported from the United States for having the wrong visa

10:31 – 12:00 When and why he got the nickname King Loek, being one of the first online chess players

12:01 – 14:00 His character, challenging himself, rivalries with other players

14:01 – 16:55 Dirk Jan witnessing his bloody football matches with Magnus in Wijk aan Zee

16:56 – 18:02 Loek’s love of placing bets

18:03 – 23:56 His remarkable career switch into politics

23:57 – 27:27 Joining the controversial Forum For Democracy party, leaving because of the weird conspiracy theories of some of its members

27:28 – 30:15 Where does Loek stand politically?

30:16 – 32:14 Similarities and differences between chess and politics

32:15 – 34:31 Does Loek have any regrets about his political career?

34:32 – 35:04 AD BREAK

35:05 – 40:51 Being a second for Gata Kamsky in preparation for the latter’s 1996 World Championship match against Anatoly Karpov, Gata’s crazy father Rustam

40:52 – 45:52 Seconding for Kramnik and Topalov, Loek’s expertise with early engines such as Rybka and Fritz

45:53 – 53:30 His predictions for the 2024 Candidates tournament, the evolution of engine analysis and preparation, not seeing Pragg’s potential early on

53:31 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration of a chapter from The Essential Sosonko, a collection of chess portraits written by legendary grandmaster and chess author Genna Sosonko.

In today's reading, Sosonko takes us along the path of his own personal history against the background of the geopolitical situation in Europe and Russia in the second half of the 20th century, and provides insight into the reasons why he took up the pen to write his chronicles. 

"The Essential Sosonko" is available in full on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko-hardcover 

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov.

A talented player in his youth, Sergey studied under former World Champion Vasily Smyslov along the likes of Vladimir Kramnik. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he won the U-18 world title and later emigrated to the Netherlands, where he would win multiple national championships as well as a European Championship in 2008. Sergey's dominance in tournament play culminated in a baffling 110-game unbeaten streak, a feat surpassed by only some of the greatest players of all time.

Sergey's book, “Rock Solid Chess”, has got unanimous praise from critics, including the very best players in the world, for its novel insights. Sergey describes his chapter on opposite-coloured bishops as a personal favourite. Additionally, the book takes a different approach to engine analysis: where some annotators would be happy to call a -0.05 evaluation a dead draw, “Rock Solid Chess” tries to look beyond the horizon of the silicon brain to find hidden winning chances in “drawn” positions.

Together with Remmelt Otten, Sergey discusses his writings, his playing career, and his life in The Netherlands.  

"Rock Solid Chess" is available in the New In Chess webshop: https://www.newinchess.com/rock-solid-chess 

Today’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration of a chapter from The Essential Sosonko, written by grandmaster Genna Sosonko. Sosonko is a prolific author of chess books. His works are non-technical, instead chronicling his personal experiences and the lives of famous players of the past and present. 

Today's reading centres around Alexander Alekhine. In the first half of the 20th century, Alekhine twice became World Chess Champion, but these were hardly the only interesting events in his life. His turbulent relationship with alcohol, women, his competitors, and the Russian political establishment made him a controversial figure during his lifetime, as well as after his death under mysterious circumstances in 1946. 

Narrated by Nick Murphy, please enjoy today's episode of the New In Chess Podcast: Alexander Alekhine: The Paris Years.

The Essential Sosonko-collection is available in its entirety on the New In Chess website:

https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko

Today's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features in an interview with Grandmaster Nigel Short. Nigel Short is one of the greatest British chess players of all time and was became the first British player ever to challenge for a world championship title in 1993. He is also an avid traveller who has played many tournaments abroad, especially in India. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Nigel talks about his appreciation for Indian chess, Vishy Anand, and India's current status as an emerging chess superpower. 

Today’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov. Ivan is a former Dutch and Yugoslav chess champion who holds victories over several former World Champions, including Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. He has also been highly successful as a chess trainer, currently coaching the Romanian national team and having previously worked with the Iranian, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbek teams, the latter winning the 2022 Chennai Olympiad under his guidance. He is also a prolific author of chess books on a variety of technical topics. His most recent release, "Winning Chess Middlegames: An Essential Guide to 1.e4 Pawn Structures", is a sequel to the 2009 original, with stronger computer analysis and a heavier focus on open and half-open games.

Together with Remmelt Otten, Ivan discusses his playing and coaching career, his greatest victory, the careers of Alireza and Pragg, and much more.

Ivan's most recent release, "Winning Chess Middlegames: An Essential Guide to 1.e4 Pawn Structures", is available on the New In Chess website:

https://www.newinchess.com/winning-chess-middlegames-e4-structures  

Today’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration of a chapter from The Essential Sosonko, written by grandmaster Genna Sosonko. Sosonko is a prolific author of chess books. His works are non-technical, instead chronicling his personal experiences and the lives of famous players he competed with. The Essential Sosonko is a collection of these player portraits.

Today's reading centres around Tony Miles. Miles, the first Englishman to achieve the grandmaster title, came close to reaching the pinnacle of the chess world in the 1970's and 1980's, scoring victories over former world champions such as Smyslov, Spassky and Tal. He was also seen as a controversial figure; he clashed with chess authorities and his fellow players, and famously beat then-World Champion Karpov with the move 1...a6, a decision that drew allegations of unsportsmanlike behaviour despite its success. While these incidents may have made Miles a divisive figure in the chess world, his life story is all the more interesting for it. Narrated by Nick Murphy, this episode of the New In Chess Podcast features Sosonko's first-hand account of the life and career of Tony Miles.

The full version of The Essential Sosonko is available for purchase on the New In Chess website:

https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko 

Today’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Grandmaster Ramachandran Ramesh, also known as Ramesh RB or simply Ramesh. Ramesh is an award-winning chess coach, with pupils all around the world. He is also a popular chess author. His most recent title, Improve Your Chess Calculation, was published by New In Chess in 2022.

Ramesh is best known as the trainer of Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, popularly known as Pragg, and his sister Vaishali. Under Ramesh’s guidance, Pragg would eventually become, for a time, the highest-rated Indian player in the world, a position previously occupied by Vishy Anand for over three decades. But Ramesh’s influence on Indian chess extends beyond the performances of one player. As its number of grandmasters has grown from 1 in 1988 to 84 in 2024, Ramesh has played a continuous role in chess’s incredible rise in India.

Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Ramesh talks about Pragg’s win over World Champion Ding Liren in Wijk aan Zee, his relationship with Vishy Anand, and his coaching philosophy.

Ramesh's work "Improve Your Chess Calculation" is available on the New In Chess website:

https://www.newinchess.com/improve-your-chess-calculation 

Davorin Kuljasevic is a Croation chess grandmaster and FIDE trainer with over 15 years of experience as a coach. In addition to training numerous grandmasters and coaching the Finland national team, he has collaborated with New In Chess to publish several instructive chess works, including the bestselling books "Beyond Material" and "How to Study Chess on Your Own". He discusses his latest book, "Ding Liren's Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion", with New In Chess editor-in-chief Remmelt Otten. 

Davorin's books are available in the New In Chess webshop:

- "Ding Liren's Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion":

 https://www.newinchess.com/ding-liren-best-chess-games

- "How to Study Chess on your Own":

https://www.newinchess.com/how-to-study-chess-on-your-own 

- "Beyond Material":

https://www.newinchess.com/beyond-material 

Davorin's coaching page can be accessed here:

https://lichess.org/coach/GrandmasterThinking  

Dit is de eerste aflevering van de New In Chess Podcast. Gast van vandaag is grootmeester Paul van der Sterren. Paul heeft een indrukwekkende carrière als profschaker achter de rug. Zo won hij tweemaal het Nederlands kampioenschap, plaatste zich voor het kandidatentoernooi van 1994, en vocht schaakgevechten uit met de grootste namen van zijn tijd, onder wie Karpov, Timman, Korchnoi en Najdorf. 

Het schaken is Paul altijd blijven boeien. Na zijn actieve carrière als speler bracht Paul meerdere boeken uit, waaronder zijn autobiografie, "In Black and White", en "Mindful Chess: The Spiritual Journey of a Professional Chess Player", waarin Paul verder ingaat op zijn spirituele zoektocht op en naast het schaakbord. 

Meer informatie over de New In Chess Podcast: https://www.newinchess.com/podcast 

Het volledige New In Chess-assortiment aan schaakboeken: https://www.newinchess.com/more-to-explore/books-new-in-chess 

Paul's biografie, "In Black and White": https://www.newinchess.com/in-black-and-white 

Today's podcast features an interview with Grandmaster Peter Svidler. Peter is an eight-time Russian Chess Champion and three-time Candidate for the World Championship. In addition to his accomplishments on the board, he is renowned in the chess world as a prolific commentator, having provided real-time chess commentary for close to 25 years. 

Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Peter will preview the upcoming Tata Steel Chess Tournament, while also giving his opinion on recent developments in the 2024 Candidates' cycle, Chess960, and the next generation of chess superstars, among other things.