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 second in a two-part story about late Soviet grandmaster Semyon Abramovich Furman (1920-1978). As the formative influence in the career of future World Champion Anatoly Karpov, Furman's own skills as a grandmaster have not always received the attention they deserve. At the age of 56, only eleven years after becoming grandmaster and a year before his death, he finished third in the Bad Leuterberg tournament of 1977, which was won by Karpov.
He also had many other interests. When bridge became popular in the 1960s, "Syoma" became obsessed with it. He was also an avid radio listener, a sometimes frowned-upon activity in the totalitarian former Soviet Union. But amongst all of his hobbies, chess always remained number one. And even after some of his pupils overtook him, Furman continued to be a coaching influence to them. Despite passing away a few months before the 1978 Karpov-Korchnoi match, his extensive work with both players made him a looming presence over the match. As Karpov later said: "I owe everything in chess to Furman."
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
A hardcopy version of "The Essential Sosonko" is available 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 IM Willy Hendriks, one of today’s most entertaining and interesting chess authors.
Willy Hendriks’s debut Move First, Think Later was an instant success. In a highly original and witty manner, the book looks at the sense and nonsense of methods to improve in chess. The book won the 2012 ECF Book of the Year Award and was runner-up in the 2012 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year competition.
In the meantime, Hendriks has written three more books, page turners that challenge the traditional view of chess history.
All three have met with wide acclaim. First there was On the Origin of Good Moves (2020), which was followed by The Ink War, Romanticism versus Modernity in Chess (2022), starring William Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort, and most recently, The Philosopher and the Housewife (2025), a riveting tale about Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch and the evolution of chess expertise.
Willy Hendriks is interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, who makes no secret of the fact that he is a big fan of his books: ‘But then, of course I am biased. I love chess, I love chess history and I like people with original thoughts and a sense of humour.’
The interview focuses both on Hendriks’s books, and on the article he wrote for the latest issue of New In Chess Magazine, entitled ‘Rewriting Chess History’.
The article is a heartfelt plea to look at chess history with fresh eyes and free ourselves of several misconceived ideas that became generally accepted because they were formulated by such greats as Emanuel Lasker.
So, more than enough to talk about! Enjoy the podcast!
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
2:35 – Willy’s scepticism about chess history
6:30 – The story behind Willy’s work “Move First, Think Later”
12:55 – Misconceptions about chess improvement, according to Willy
15:20 – Steinitz, Lasker and the (often misconceived) origins of positional chess
20:40 – Lasker’s chess philosophy and style
25:43 – Why caricatures about chess players persist
27:25 – Richard Réti and the Tarrasch-Nimzowitsch feud
32:00 – AD BREAK
32:32 – Adolf Anderssen and the legacy of great 19th century players
38:10 – Willy’s criticism of historical ratings
44:00 – Zukertort and London 1883
47:40 – Romanticism vs modernism as a corollary to the struggle between chess amateurs and professionals in the late 19th century
53:20 – Willy’s use of wit and humour in his books
55:00 – AD BREAK
55:55 – Willy’s theory that the best way to study the historical development of chess is to look at openings
1:03:35 – What is Willy working on now?
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 in a two-part story about late Soviet grandmaster Semyon Abramovich Furman (1920-1978). A late bloomer in chess, who became grandmaster at the age of 45(!), Furman gradually made his way to the chess elite after the end of the Second World War. As a trainer, he is best known as a formative figure in the career of World Champion Anatoly Karpov, credited with developing the youngster's enormous talent. He also had other students, among which Genna, who refers to him as "essentially my only trainer".
Furman died in 1978 of cancer, just as Karpov was solidifying his dominance on the world stage. He is remembered as a brilliant mentor and theoretician, whose influence lived on through his students, including Genna.
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
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features in interview with Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.
Commonly known as Vishy, Anand is one of the greatest and most popular world champions in the history of chess, as well as one of its most admired and respected ambassadors. Although no one could blame him if he decided to rest on his laurels, Vishy remains active as a player – and he is still ranked number 13 in the world (2743), which is frankly incredible - but in the past years he has also taken on new roles.
He is Deputy Vice-President of FIDE and he is a partner in the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy in Chennai, where the cream of the highly successful young Indian generation is training and, no doubt, many youngsters whose names we do not yet know.
With a unique career like Anand’s, it’s impossible to do a career-spanning interview. Therefore Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam decided to focus on two particular events: the New Year’s tournament in Reggio Emilia (1991/92), which resulted in a sensational victory, and Anand’s personal favourite: the luxurious Amber rapid and blindfold events, held in Monaco.
0:00 – Intro
1:56 – Where does Vishy keep his countless trophies?
5:29 – Vishy recalls bursting onto the chess scene in the early 90’s, scoring victories over the world’s best
8:44 – Linares, Tilburg and Reggio Emilia 1991
17:49 – Being initially underestimated by the rest of the chess elite
22:35 – Linares 1992
26:16 – AD BREAK
26:48 – The Reggio Emilia tournaments
30:45 – Vishy’s experience of the first Amber chess tournament
40:00 – Joop van Oosterom, the billionaire sponsor of the Amber tournaments
42:30 – Why Kasparov didn’t play in the Amber tournaments
47:30 – Vishy describes finding a sort of refuge at the Amber tournaments
49:20 – AD BREAK
50:19 – “We have to talk about Lubo and John Nunn”
56:43 – Jeroen Piket
58:40 – Ivanchuk’s short-lived retirement
1:00:15 – Does Vishy see a future for blindfold chess?
1:03:15 – Vishy’s affinity for rapid chess
1:05:30 – Vishy’s memories of Reggio Emilia
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Indian chess star Tania Sachdev.
Tania Sachdev is a two-time Indian Women’s Champion and she was a member of the Indian Women’s team that wrote history at the Budapest Olympiad last year, where they won the gold medals.
Probably most chess fans will know her as one of the most popular online chess commentators in the world. Armed with both the broad knowledge and deep insights of the professional, and the unbridled enthusiasm of the true chess lover, Tania can entertain and speak to audiences of all levels.
Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Tania Sachdev speaks about her family background, the unwavering support she got from her parents and the unforgettable peaks in her chess career. Naturally, she also speaks about her second career as a commentator that was launched when she was invited to be on the commentary team during the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen in Chennai in 2013.
What is it that she loves in commentating? Why is she such a wonderful duo with Peter Leko? Why should the players engage more with the media? How can we capture the emotional moments in chess even better? Which are her favourite places on this earth and what has food go to do with it?
Tania loves talking and sharing stories and memories. You don’t want to miss them.
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
2:31 – Welcome Tania!
3:08 – Why Delhi means so much to Tania
5:55 – Getting to travel for her career
8:08 – Tania’s family background
11:02 – Falling in love with chess and entering competitions
16:48 – How did people react to Tania’s strong performances as a young girl?
19:10 – Tania’s oldest chess friends
21:45 – Did Tania have many doubts about pursuing chess professionally?
25:26 – Winning the Women’s Olympiad with India last year
30:23 – AD BREAK
30:55 – Tania’s commentating career
39:30 – How does Tania commentate boring games?
43:42 – The viral Magnus-Gukesh moment at Norway chess
45:32 – Gukesh’s crushing loss to Fabiano Caruana in Norway
48:30 – The evolution of online chess commentary and chess media
56:20 – Tania asks Dirk Jan about chess journalism back in the day versus now
58:40 – What would Tania like to see in terms of improving chess broadcasts?
1:01:41 – AD BREAK
1:02:41 – Tania advocates for the use of heartrate monitors during big tournaments
1:04:27 – Tania’s incredible commentating chemistry with Peter Leko
1:07:25 – Tania’s part in the Freestyle movement
1:15:15 – Tania recommends some Bollywood music to Dirk Jan
1:16:30 – Outro
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American chess player and businessman James Altucher.
James Altucher is an investor, a venture capitalist and a firm believer in AI and cryptocurrency. He’s also a bestselling author – you may know his book Choose Yourself – and he has a popular podcast with 50 thousand subscribers, The James Altucher Show. In his podcast, he dives into the world of entrepreneurship, personal development and out-of-the-box thinking. Or, as he puts it himself, he interviews the world’s peak performers in every area of life.
James has been writing a column for New In Chess Magazine for the past four years, in which he describes his struggle to regain his old chess strength after he returned to our game following a ‘sabbatical’ of more than twenty years. His articles are witty, perceptive and full of humour and insights.
The interview, conducted by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, took place on the day when James was to be a co-commentator next to five-time World Champion Vishy Anand in the Norway Chess studio, a privilege he was thrilled about. With his contagious enthusiasm, he spoke about Anand and the other chess greats he has encountered, from Kasparov, Judit Polgar and Hikaru Nakamura to the legendary Sammy Reshevsky.
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
0:00 – Intro
1:47 – Welcome James!
3:24 – Where does James’s natural curiosity come from?
5:00 – How James became obsessed with chess
9:15 – James’s memory of the late and great Samuel Reshevsky
10:25 – Did James ever aspire to a pro chess career?
12:52 – James’s hiatus from chess
16:05 – Does chess skill translate into other areas of life?
18:49 – What is James’s biggest achievement in business?
21:11 – James’s writing
30:36 – AD BREAK
31:09 – How The Queen’s Gambit got James back into chess
33:40 – The challenges of improving your chess at a later age
46:24 – What does James find special about chess players?
49:38 – Having chess superstars on his podcast
53:25 – Hikaru Nakamura’s entrepreneurial talent
58:11 – AD BREAK
59:11 – Robert Greene, the laws of power, and James’s next book
1:02:38 – James’s own tournament and writing for New In Chess
1:05:12 – Commentating alongside Vishy Anand
1:05:58 – Outro
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Soviet chess player and coach Vladimir Zak.
Vladimir Gregorievich Zak (1913-1994) was the head coach of the Leningrad Pioneers' Palace, a premier chess institution in the Soviet Union, for forty years. He was known for his classical approach to chess, which emphasised self-analysis and disciplined study. His stall of pupils included several future grandmasters, including Boris Spassky, Viktor Korchnoi, Gata Kamsky, and of course, Genna Sosonko himself.
Despite his limited playing strength, Vladimir Zak has an enduring legacy as a teacher of chess. Genna explains why: a good teacher explains, a great teacher inspires. And Vladimir Zak was a great teacher.
"The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase 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 Czech grandmaster David Navara. For more than 20 years, David Navara has been the leading chess player of the Czech Republic. Thirteen times he won the national championship. In 2015, he was ranked number 14 in the world, with a peak rating of 2751.
I (Dirk Jan) spoke to David last week, in Prague, the city where he was born 40 years ago and where he still lives. Over the years, we met on many occasions, but for some inexplicable reason we never sat down for a proper interview.
Now we did and to begin with we returned to our first meeting, in 2001 at the European Team Championship in Leon, in the north of Spain, where 16-year-old David was one of the stars as he scored an impressive 7 out of 9. Even if we’d only just met, he kindly showed me three of his games, giving me a first taste of his phenomenal talent.
After this nice memory, David talked with great openness about his upbringing, his loving parents, the crises in his life, his Asperger and the comfort that he finds in religion.
Finally, we spoke about something that has been troubling him for many months now. How he was dragged into Vladimir Kramnik’s troubling crusade against cheating. Although Kramnik claims that he never accused David of any misbehaviour, he did include him in a list of seemingly suspect results. This greatly upset and angered David, who contacted FIDE, explained why in his view Kramnik’s insinuations were ridiculous and insulting, and urged them to undertake action against Kramnik.
So far, nothing has happened. Apart from a short message of support, FIDE’s reaction has been deafening silence.
We sincerely hope they will listen to this podcast and do what they should have done months ago: listen to one of their finest members and care about his well-being.
0:00 – Intro
2:43 – Welcome David!
3:05 – DJ’s first meeting with David in 2001
5:30 – David’s interest in foreign languages
8:05 – Where does David’s politeness come from?
10:15 – How does David cope with his autism?
13:25 – The importance of religion in David’s life
19:05 – Despite his self-proclaimed laziness, how has David achieved such success in chess?
25:12 – Being the #1 Czech player for over 20 years
26:15 – David’s relationship with Thai Dai Van Nguyen
30:22 – How stressful is chess for David?
32:08 – AD BREAK
33:06 – Cheating allegations made by Vladimir Kramnik
46:56 – What did the allegations do to David?
52:05 – What does David expect from FIDE in this situation?
56:15 – AD BREAK
56:55 – Reaction from FIDE
1:10:15 – When is David’s next tournament?
This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman.
A living chess legend, "The Best of the West" needs no introduction. As one of the world's leading players during the late Soviet era, Jan played and befriended a number of legendary players. Today's conversation centres specifically on two of his late colleagues, both of whom passed away recently: the former World Champion, Boris Spassky, and the father of Icelandic chess, Fridrik Olafsson. Like last time, Jan was kind enough to invite us to his home in Arnhem, Netherlands to conduct the interview.
Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam in his own chess library, old chess books and materials scattered around the area, Jan fondly rememers the lives and careers of his two late friends.
0:00 – Intro
1:20 – Jan’s first meeting with Boris Spassky
4:05 – Jan’s assessment of Spassky as a person
5:55 – Spassky’s interest in Russian politics and history
8:30 – Spassky’s relationship with Fischer
14:40 – When Spassky was the best player in the world
19:28 – When Spassky fell ill during a match
22:50 – AD BREAK
23:47 – The rivalry with Korchnoi
27:33 – Spassky’s life in the aftermath of the Fischer match
30:52 – Spassky’s game against Kasparov at Linnares 1988
34:05 – The chaotic last years of Spassky’s life
37:38 – Jan’s first meeting with Fridrik Olafsson
43:45 – How strong was Olafsson?
45:46 – Olafsson’s relationship with Fischer
48:30 – Jan tells a drinking story with Fridrik Olafsson
51:24 – AD BREAK
52:03 – Olafsson’s attitude and position within Icelandic society
This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American International Master Kostya Kavutskiy.
Kostya is one of the three "senseis" (teachers) at the ChessDojo, an international chess training program that Kostya runs together with fellow Americans GM Jesse Kraai and IM David Pruess. As a player, he is currently embarking on a "European tour", which has included the recent Reykjavik and Grenke tournaments. His next destination is Spain, where he will be attending the Killer Chess training camp organised by Jacob Aagaard.
Joining us from Hamurg, Germany, Kostya talks to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam about the origins of the ChessDojo program, his GM ambitions, meeting Vasyl Ivanchuk and much more. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
2:08 – Why Kostya prefers playing in Europe
4:00 – The philosophy behind the Chess Dojo
9:58 – How did Kostya transition from playing to teaching?
11:25 – Drawing inspiration from Mark Dvorestky
12:55 – The Dojo’s online training plan
16:20 – If a player outgrows his teacher, can the teacher still be of use?
18:00 – Running into Dojo fans around the world
21:35 – How Kostya finds his training material
23:00 – Why Kostya does not necessarily think new books are better than the older ones
28:10 – Meeting Vasil Ivanchuk in Reykjavik
37:08 – AD BREAK
38:05 – The value of post-mortem analysis
41:00 – What eleven hours of analysis with Vasil Ivanchuk feels like
49:00 – Grenke
50:50 – The future of freestyle chess
54:40 – Did Kostya analyse the freestyle games from Grenke?
57:00 – Kostya’s trip to Spain to train with Jacob Aagaard
58:20 – AD BREAK
59:00 – Kostya’s quest to become a grandmaster
1:01:50 – Has teaching made Kostya a better player?
1:05:10 – Kostya’s bet with Dirk Jan
Dear Chess Friend,
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 and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Ukrainian grandmaster Efim Geller.
Efim Petrovich Geller (1925-1988) was a two-time Soviet chess champion and a six-time Candidate for the World Chess Championship. During the twenty-year period in which he was recognized as being a world top ten player, he faced ten different world champions, scoring victories against eight of them and even coming out with a positive overall score (+39-36=131). A natural attacking player who became more well-rounded as his career progressed, Geller was also known as an opening expert, contributing significantly to the emergence of the King's Indian Defence in top-level play. He was active as a coach, aiding future world champions Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov in their respective world championship match preparations. Genna, who ran into Geller several times over the years, paints a compelling portrait of the somewhat "underappreciated-by-history" grandmaster.
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
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 and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.
This week's narration, which is the final part of a six-part series, examines the final phase of Tal's life. As his physical ailments mounted, Tal never "slowed down" his hedonistic lifestyle. Money was tight in his final years, but he never stopped relying on chess for his income, ultimately living off simuls and exhibitions. However, this did not diminish the legendary, near-mythical status that he achieved during his heyday.
This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch businessman and chess benefactor Bessel Kok.
Bessel is one of the founders of SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, which provides the main messaging network through which international payments are initiated. In the 1980's, Bessel organised the first SWIFT chess tournaments, which significantly raised the standards for chess professionalism. He befriended several of the world's strongest players, including Garry Kasparov. Together with them, he would go on to found the Grandmaster Association (GMA), an organisation aimed at creating "a high-quality environment for chess and to promote professional chess by grandmasters". Although the GMA would eventually disappear, Bessel kept his interest in chess while remaining active in other fields, such as film production and pro cycling.
Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam during the Prague Chess Festival, Bessel retells the story of the origins of the GMA, his relationship with Kasparov, and numerous anecdotes involving the greatest chess players of all time.
0:00 – Intro
2:44 – Welcome Bessel!
4:26 – How Bessel became involved in chess
8:42 – The first SWIFT tournament
13:45 – The origins of the Grandmaster Association (GMA)
19:50 – Lubomir Kavalek, dawn of a “golden era”
24:50 – Start of the conflict between GMA and FIDE
30:30 – Kasparov’s vision for the GMA
32:12 – AD BREAK
32:52 – Kasparov breaks away from the GMA
41:16 – Bessel’s appreciation for chess players
44:44 – Bessel’s favourite: Misha Tal
46:50 – Bessel tells a Bobby Fischer story
54:21 – AD BREAK
55:19 – The Magnus vs FIDE conflict
58:10 – Chess vs cycling
1:01:30 – Bessel’s candidacy for FIDE president
1:04:10 – Bessel doesn’t see a leader in the chess world
1:05:35 – Outro
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko. A world-class grandmaster and former prodigy, Peter now works as a coach and has achieved acclaim as one of the most popular online chess commentators.
Peter Leko was extremely successful as a player. As a young kid of only 14 years, four months and 22 days, he became a grandmaster in 1994. This achievement made him the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time, breaking the old record of Judit Polgar. Peter rapidly grew into a world-class player and ultimately challenged for the world title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2004. This proved to be both a high in Leko’s career and a traumatic moment, as he was leading by one point going into the last game and dramatically lost that game, allowing Kramnik to retain the title. In 2025, Peter is no longer an active player and devotes himself to commentary and coaching, with Vincent Keymer as his most notable pupil.
In a lively and engaging conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Peter speaks about his years as a chess prodigy, his greatest successes, the Kramnik match, freestyle and much more. Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
0:00 – Intro
2:45 – Welcome Peter!
4:04 – Difference between top level chess now versus in Peter’s prime
6:36 – Becoming the then-youngest grandmaster of all time at age 14, first encounters with Kasparov and Korchnoi
12:58 – Peter’s first Wijk aan Zee tournament in 1992, first games with Vishy Anand
16:48 – First big victories
20:51 – The “Adorjan years”
26:02 – Peter’s flawless memory
28:50 – Music
32:40 – How the Hungarian government persuaded Peter to play in the Olympiad
38:02 – Preparing for the Olympiad
47:19 – AD BREAK
47:50 – Peter’s World Championship match against Kramnik
57:15 – Aftermath of the Kramnik match
1:00:47 – Retirement
1:04:30 – Peter’s relationship with Vincent Keymer
1:09:00 – Commentary
1:14:21 – AD BREAK
1:15:14 – How does Peter prepare himself for commentary?
1:17:40 – Freestyle and Peter’s problem with FIDE time controls
1:24:30 – Peter’s relationship with Bobby Fischer
1:27:50 – Vincent Keymer’s fantastic Freestyle performance
1:30:00 – Why top players are gravitating towards Freestyle
1:39:27 – 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 and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.
This week's narration, which is the fifth in a six-part series, chronicles the "second surge" of Tal's career, where he achieved over-the-board success despite having lost some of his trademark aggression. It also delves deeper into Tal's personality off-the-board. A mild-mannered freethinker, Tal was wary of the totalitarian Soviet regime of which he was a part, and always sought to maintain his independence without ruffling too many feathers "at home".
Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of last year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Matthew Sadler, one of the most versatile chess lovers in the universe. In a lively conversation with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, the English grandmaster touches on a variety of subjects, spicing up his stories with fascinating observations, sound advice and not-to-be-missed reading tips.
Matthew Sadler is a two-time British Champion, a streamer, an expert in chess engines, a successful author and, as he is no longer a professional player – after all, he has a fulltime job in IT - he is often called the world’s strongest amateur. One of Matthew’s latest interests is humans taking on engines that give their opponents odds. Would you like to play an engine with an extra knight? Or rather with an extra queen? You’d be surprised how much you’d learn from those games, as Matthew explains with his contagious enthusiasm.
He also looks at the recent Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee, won by an impressive Praggnanandhaa, and the first leg of the new Freestyle Grand Slam that took place in Weissenhaus. While Vincent Keymer stunned Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana to claim the $200,000 first prize, the event also led to heated chess-political discussions around the globe.
0:00 – Intro
2:16 – Matthew’s fascination with recent odds games played by chess engine Leela
9:02 – Has Matthew been following Freestyle chess?
17:08 – Tata Steel
22:37 – Which recent books have especially impressed Matthew?
29:36 – The erosion of strategic principles in favor of pure calculation in the computer era
36:14 – AD BREAK
36:45 – Matthew’s love for historical chess books
39:25 – The legacy of lesser-known players like Efim Bogoljubow, David Janowski and Frank Marshall
45:00 – Matthew’s love for Zukertort and dislike for Steinitz
46:55 – The GOAT debate and why Matthew thinks the “Big Three” debate is unfair
53:24 – AD BREAK
54:21 – How modern chess does not require “classic chess education”
55:53 – The influence of Kasparov’s “modern” opening preparation
57:48 – Matthew previews the year 2025 and his expectations for Gukesh, Pragg, Keymer and Nodirbek
1:05:00 – The Gideon Ståhlberg biography
1:07:06 - Outro
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely.
One of our return guests, Loek needs no introduction for our regular listeners. An eight-time Dutch national champion, Loek had his career peak in 2001, when he made it to the world top 10 with a rating of 2714. Besides his own achievements on the chess board, Loek is a successful coach, who has worked with stars like Gata Kamsky, Vladimir Kramnik (2007), Veselin Topalov, and more recently with the Italian national team and Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam.
With an incredible 25 appearances in the Masters group, Loek is the most experienced Tata Steel Chess Tournament player alive. Interviewed by Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam, he looks back on the performances of several top players at this year’s event, while also recalling several legendary Wijk aan Zee moments and traditions.
0:00 – Intro
2:23 – Why Loek is the ultimate Wijk aan Zee expert
8:38 – Differences between Wijk aan Zee now versus in the past
10:50 – Loek guesses Wijk aan Zee record holders
12:20 – Loek reflects on his own best and worst Wijk aan Zee experiences
15:42 – “Handshake-gate”
19:23 – AD BREAK
19:55 – Loek’s favourite Wijk aan Zee tournament
28:02 – Why players often go on losing streaks in Wijk aan Zee
29:35 – Gukesh’s performance
35:16 – Caruana’s performance
38:10 – Erigaisi’s performance
42:47 – Pragg’s performance
44:54 – Are tiebreaks a satisfactory way to decide the winner of the tournament?
49:07 – The tiebreaks between Gukesh and Pragg
50:43 – The crazy last round of this year’s event
55:03 – AD BREAK
56:04 – Should Pragg consider this win a milestone in his career?
57:14 – The Challengers group
1:00:27 – The famous Wijk aan Zee football match
1:07:37 – Outro
This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features the fourth part of a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.
With his fierce attacking style, “The Magician from Riga” 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, this week’s episode about Mikhail Tal is different from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of this year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.
A physical copy of "The Essential Sosonko" is available for purchase 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 Jorden van Foreest.
On the eve of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Jorden talks to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam about his preparation for ‘the Wimbledon of chess’ and his adventures in earlier editions of this world-class event. Most notably, the 2021 edition that Jorden sensationally won ahead of a daunting field that included Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri.
As they look ahead to the 87th(!) edition of ‘Wijk aan Zee’, Jorden also gives his take on two news stories that got worldwide attention during the World Rapid & Blitz Championship in New York that he recently played in: ‘Jeansgate’, the scandal that erupted when Magnus Carlsen was fined for wearing jeans, and the controversial end of the Blitz championship, when Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi decided to share the title and the world chess federation FIDE went along in this breaking of the rules.
Jorden was born into a family with a rich chess tradition. At the end of the 19th century, his great-great-grandfather Arnold van Foreest was Dutch champion, and so was the brother of his great-great grandfather, Dirk van Foreest.
Interestingly, Jorden’s younger brother Lucas has been Dutch champion as well. And yes, Jorden himself has also been Dutch champion as he won the title when he was only 17 years old, one year after he had become a grandmaster.
Jorden, who is 25 now, has been U-10 Open Dutch Youth Champion in 2010, U-14 European Youth Champion in 2013, and only a month ago he won the European Blitz Championship in Skopje.
As said, Jorden’s biggest triumph so far was his win in the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, where he defeated Anish Giri in a hectic blitz tiebreak.
Jorden is not only a former winner of this epic tournament, it’s also one of his favourite tournaments. He truly knows the village of Wijk aan Zee inside out, as he has been playing there from a very early age.
If you are looking forward to the Tata Steel Chess Tournament as much as we are, you should not miss this highly entertaining conversation with Jorden van Foreest. If you are slowly but surely getting into the mood for two weeks of great chess, you will definitely enjoy this episode of the New In Chess podcast!
0:00 – Intro
2:50 – What is Jorden’s state of mind with Tata Steel right around the corner?
7:37 – When Jorden won the tournament in 2021, how did he prepare?
10:21 – Cold showers
13:15 – Jorden being one of the older players in his group at 25
14:05 – How Jorden’s life and career changed after his 2021 win
15:18 – Working for Magnus in the runup to his World Championship match with Nepo
21:46 – How does Jorden prepare for his thirteen opponents in Wijk aan Zee?
24:27 – Does Jorden follow the same “modern” approach to opening preparation?
26:44 – Does Jorden get affected by his opponents’ presence?
29:13 – AD BREAK
29:45 – Does Jorden prepare differently in such an exceptionally strong field?
33:10 – Why did Jorden participate in the rapid and blitz World Championship in New York?
36:00 – Jorden’s history of good performances in Wijk aan Zee
38:29 – Jorden tells a funny Daniil Dubov story
39:48 – “Jeansgate” and how other top players responded to it
47:18 – How does Jorden feel about the prize-sharing situation between Magnus and Nepo?
49:55 – How does Jorden plan to work with his brother Lucas in Wijk aan Zee?
52:48 – AD BREAK
53:50 – The special atmosphere in Wijk aan Zee during Tata Steel
57:50 – How is Jorden preparing for the upcoming qualification cycle for the Candidates’ Tournament?
1:00:23 – Jorden’s view on freestyle chess
1:03:45 – Are there any opponents in Wijk aan Zee that Jorden is especially excited to play against?
1:08:13 – Outro
This week’s guest on the New In Chess Podcast is Jacob Aagaard.
Jacob returns to the podcast after his last interview last year, in which he was interviewed about legendary Russian trainer Mark Dvoretsky, in his words ‘the biggest authority in my adult life’.
This time host Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam invited him to talk about what 2025 will bring us (yes, Wijk aan Zee coming soon!) and to look back on two major events at the end of 2024: the World Championship match won by Gukesh in Singapore, and the Rapid & Blitz World Championship in New York (in other words, Magnus Carlsen’s jeans and the uproar after Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi decided to share the world blitz title).
When Jacob Aagaard appeared on the podcast for the first time, he was introduced as ‘a grandmaster, a prolific and successful writer, a publisher of chess books at Quality Chess, and a top coach who has worked with many big names that we know and no doubt various that have remained a secret.’
Not long after that talk, it became publicly known that Jacob Aagaard had acquired the publishing houses New In Chess and Everyman Chess. Together with Quality Chess, they are now the New In Chess Group.
And so, before they go on to discuss the issues above, Dirk Jan and Jacob talk about this remarkable merger; how it came about and what the plans are.
0:00 – Intro
2:00 – Jacob’s acquisition of New In Chess and Everyman Chess
20:56 – Are we in a “golden age” of chess publishing?
23:25 – Jacob’s training camp in Singapore during the beginning of the Ding-Gukesh match
26:00 – Does Jacob agree with the overall criticism that the match was not played at a high enough level?
30:57 – Jacob’s Twitter/X opinions are his views, not his publishers’!
32:12 – Dirk Jan’s countless fights with Kasparov over content published under the New In Chess banner
32:41 – AD BREAK
33:20 – Jacob’s “no losers” approach to his acquisition of New In Chess and Everyman
35:25 – Why this match was not “unworthy” of the World Championship, according to Jacob
37:55 – Was the criticism expressed by Magnus on his Take Take Take platform too harsh?
41:10 – Magnus’s greatness is a “package deal”
42:53 – Gukesh’s team, Gajewski’s influence
44:50 – How important is mental coaching during a chess match?
55:43 – The jeans situation
1:01:20 – The underlying conflict between classical and freestyle chess
1:04:53 – The title sharing situation between Magnus and Nepo
1:06:39 – AD BREAK
1:08:28 – Is a shared world title acceptable?
1:14:07 – Jacob’s predictions for Tata Steel
1:20:59 – Outro
