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 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 

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. The subject of this week's episode is Latvian chess master and trainer Alexander Koblenz. A four-time Latvian national champion, Alexander Koblenz (1916-1993) is best known as the coach of another, more famous Latvian: the eighth World Chess Champion, Mikhail Tal. Born into a prosperous Jewish family, Koblenz discovered at an early age that his profession would deviate from the well-trodden path laid out for him by his parents. At the age of nineteen, he began writing his first chess book, a hobby he would maintain for the rest of his life. There was also tremendous hardship: his mother and sister perished in World War II, and the annexation of Latvia by the Soviet Union brought its own set of challenges. Enjoy this week's episode of the 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 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 chess20:40 – Lasker’s chess philosophy and style25:43 – 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 ratings44:00 – 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 openings1:03:35 – 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 tournament40:00 – Joop van Oosterom, the billionaire sponsor of the Amber tournaments 42:30 – Why Kasparov didn’t play in the Amber tournaments47:30 – Vishy describes finding a sort of refuge at the Amber tournaments49:20 – AD BREAK 50:19 – “We have to talk about Lubo and John Nunn” 56:43 – Jeroen Piket58:40 – 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 career39:30 – 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 tournaments1:04:27 – Tania’s incredible commentating chemistry with Peter Leko1:07:25 – 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 talent58:11 – 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 Asperger's? 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 Kramnik46:56 – 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 FIDE1:10:15 – 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. Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam in his own chess library, old chess books and paraphernilia scattered around the area, Jan fondly rememers the lives and careers of his two late friends. 0:00 – Intro1:20 – Jan’s first meeting with Boris Spassky 4:05 – Jan’s assessment of Spassky as a person5:55 – Spassky’s interest in Russian politics and history8:30 – Spassky’s relationship with Fischer14:40 – When Spassky was the best player in the world19:28 – When Spassky fell ill during a match 22:50 – AD BREAK 23:47 – The rivalry with Korchnoi27:33 – Spassky’s life in the aftermath of the Fischer match30:52 – 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 Europe4:00 – The philosophy behind the Chess Dojo9:58 – How did Kostya transition from playing to teaching? 11:25 – Drawing inspiration from Mark Dvorestky 12:55 – The Dojo’s online training plan16:20 – 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 material23:00 – Why Kostya does not necessarily think new books are better than the older ones 28:10 – Meeting Vasil Ivanchuk in Reykjavik37:08 – AD BREAK 38:05 – The value of post-mortem analysis 41:00 – What eleven hours of analysis with Vasil Ivanchuk feels like49:00 – Grenke50:50 – The future of freestyle chess54:40 – Did Kostya analyse the freestyle games from Grenke? 57:00 – Kostya’s trip to Spain to train with Jacob Aagaard58:20 – AD BREAK 59:00 – Kostya’s quest to become a grandmaster1:01:50 – Has teaching made Kostya a better player? 1:05:10 – Kostya’s bet with Dirk Jan

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 Ukrainian grandmaster Efim Geller.Efim Petrovich Geller (1925-1998) 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 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. 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 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 – Intro2:44 – 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 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!