New In Chess Podcast New In Chess

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