New In Chess Podcast New In Chess

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with British grandmaster Matthew Sadler. Often called “the strongest amateur in the world”, Matthew, a two-time British chess champion, has retired from playing full-time with a more-than-respectable FIDE rating of 2694.

Despite his inactivity as a player, Matthew is far from done with chess. In addition to his own writings (the most notable of which is Game Changer, a game analysis of Google’s AI-powered AlphaZero engine), Matthew also actively reviews the work of other chess authors, from highly technical endgame books to biographies and more personal chess stories. His review column in the New In Chess Magazine is amongst the publication’s most popular rubrics. Interviewed by Dirk-Jan ten Geuzendam, Matthew talks about chess literature, his own personal favorites, and his process for reviewing the work of other authors, among other things.

0:00 – Intro

2:05 – Matthew’s work in IT

5:08 – Why Matthew hasn’t played since COVID

6:47 – The role of (chess and non-chess) literature in Matthew’s upbringing

12:20 – Matthew’s music taste, his brother’s career in music

15:55 – The chess books that molded a young Matthew

21:13 – Why the quality of chess literature has drastically improved

26:20 – How should a chess author explain playing styles of less accessible players?

28:06 – How much time does Matthew spend reading chess books?

32:02 – Top players creating their own material, the effects of the computer age

34:54 – Does reading chess biographies help a player become stronger?

40:13 – AD BREAK

40:45 – Why young players should be wary of old literature

46:01 – Should we replace the “one-to-five-star” system with a rating system?

48:15 – Matthew’s favorite chess book of all time

56:19 – Matthew’s other favorites

59:19 – Where does Matthew think chess literature is headed?

1:00:01 – Writing Game Changer

1:05:03 – Which book still urgently needs to be written?

1:07:32 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Atle Grønn, the author of Games and Goals, The Fascinating Chess and Football Careers of Simen Agdestein.

Atle Grønn is Professor of Slavic linguistics at the University of Oslo, but he is also a strong chess player - an International Master - and has written several books on chess. In Norway, he is a familiar face on television as chess expert in the live broadcasts of big chess events by NRK.

Games and Goals is the biography of Simen Agdestein, who not only was the greatest Norwegian chess player before Magnus Carlsen appeared on the scene, but who also - and this can safely be called spectacular - had a successful football career. Agdestein won the Norwegian Chess Championship nine times, while as a footballer he played for the Norwegian national team eight times.

Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Atle Grønn talks about his new book, the most remarkable double career of Simen Agdestein, the unique approach of ‘the Norwegian school of chess’, Magnus Carlsen, chess biographies in general and much more.
Games and Goals is available for purchase on the New In Chess website: https://www.newinchess.com/games-and-goals 
0:00 – Intro

2:18 – Why did Atle decide to write the book?

3:51 – How involved was Simen in the writing process?

5:42 – Finding out new things about Simen’s life and childhood

12:50 – How would Atle characterise Simen’s influence on Norwegian chess?

15:46 – Simen’s father

17:11 – Simen’s insistence on privacy as a young player

20:20 – The pressures of combining professional chess and football

26:35 – Could Simen have gone further in chess?

27:56 – Simen’s influence on Magnus

32:26 – AD BREAK

32:58 – What is Simen’s legacy in Norwegian football?

37:02 – How did Simen deal with his career-ending football injury?

38:32 – Discovering Magnus and the “Norwegian school of chess”

43:02 – Simen’s competitive nature

45:24 – Which other chess biographies inspired Atle to write this one?

51:21 – Which other biographies would Atle recommend?

57:12 – Will Atle write Magnus’s biography?

1:00:42 – Outro

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Georgian-Dutch grandmaster Robby Kevlishvili. Born in 2001, Robby has represented the varsity chess team of St. Louis University since 2019, winning numerous national prizes with his teammates.

Interviewed by Alex Polak, Robby talks about his life as a chess player on the American collegiate circuit, his strong performances in blitz play, and his impression of St. Louis, deemed by many to be the chess capital of the world.

0:00 – Intro

1:01 – What it means to be a student athlete in the world of chess

1:54 – How Robby ended up in St. Louis

3:30 – Chess and academics

7:00 – The collegiate tournament schedule

9:43 – Robby’s strong coaches at SLU

11:03 – St. Louis, the city of chess

13:11 – Robby’s incredibly strong online play

17:53 – Other strong chess universities

23:13 – Robby’s training schedule

24:49 – Experiencing the chess boom while a part of SLU

28:48 – Outro

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