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This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with chess grandmaster Jonathan Tisdall. Jon is a grandmaster and a prolific journalist, who has worked for Reuters as a chess correspondent, and has written many stories for New In Chess. He has been active in the chess world for decades, wearing a multitude of hats; n fact, if you want to know who is who in a chess press room, then the gentleman with the hat is usually Jon Tisdall. Jon is also the author of the widely acclaimed book Improve Your Chess Now, and he is working on a new book in collaboration with stand-up comedian (and chess fanatic) Nick Doody. Jon was present in Wijk aan Zee to witne respective players' performances. ss Uzbeki Nodirbek Abdusattorov win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, he recaps the event and its Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! 0:00 – Intro 3:02 – Nodirbek and Sindarov 6:15 – Jonathan reviews some strange moves and decisions from Wijk aan Zee 9:35 – Hans’s mentality 11:15 – Abdusattorov’s strong performance 12:40 – Jonathan’s personal relationship with Arjun Erigaisi 16:25 – Why does Erigaisi perform so poorly in Wijk aan Zee? 19:56 – Jorden van Foreest’s performance 23:45 – Controversy around the time control in Wijk aan Zee 27:42 – Matthias Bluebaum’s strong development 29:20 – AD BREAK 29:52 – How strong is Gukesh right now? 35:28 – The role of psychology in chess 40:10 – Dirk Jan tells a story about the Spassky-Korchnoi match 44:51 – AD BREAK 45:43 – The Uzbeki revolution: why hasn’t Norway followed suit? 58:00 – Jon’s previous and upcoming books 1:07:41 - Outro 

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an emergency interview with Wijk aan Zee veteran Loek van Wely! This podcast was recorded in the early afternoon of Thursday, January 29, 2026, on the third and final rest day of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Loek has spent the past two weeks in Wijk aan Zee, coaching Dutch GM Max Warmerdam in the Challengers group while keeping an eye on the Masters. With three rounds to go, Uzbekistan’s top player Nodirbek Abdusattorov is leading the Tata Steel Masters, half a point ahead of three pursuers: his countryman Javokhir Sindarov, Jorden van Foreest (winner in 2021) and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum. The New In Chess Podcast is coming at you with unprecedented urgency this week! Enjoy. 0:00 – Intro 1:40 – Welcome back once again, Loek! 4:47 – Loek criticises the tournament’s time control 11:58 – Is the FIDE tournament calendar too busy these days? 22:44 – Do players really care about Freestyle? 25:08 – AD BREAK 26:01 – Anish’s bad tournament 28:40 – Bluebaum’s strong performance thus far 31:23 – Jorden’s strong play so far 33:40 – The Uzbeki stars: Abdusattorov and Sindarov 36:35 – Erdogmus, the young superstar: how serious should we take him? 46:40 – Vasyl Ivanchuk’s performance in the Challengers 50:33 – AD BREAK 51:34 – The rest of the Challengers group 54:25 – Abdusattorov: a safe bet with three rounds to go? 56:30 – Hans 59:43 – Loek’s master plan to overtake Erwin l’Ami in the Dutch rating list 1:04:50 – Fedoseev’s beautiful Rc3 against Erigaisi! 1:06:30 – Outro

In this year’s first episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam interviews Peter Svidler. It’s a special moment, as two years ago, Peter was the first guest in the inaugural episode of the podcast. We are delighted that he’s returning. Peter Svidler can look back on an incredible career as a player and he is one of the most knowledgeable and versatile experts in the world of chess. He is a three-time Candidate for the World Championship, an eight-time champion of Russia, and a World Cup winner. Among his many further successes are five gold team medals at the Olympiad. Over the past years, as he began to play less, Peter has become one of the most popular chess commentators in the world. In fact, it’s fair to say that he was one of the commentators that took chess broadcasts to a new level. For all these reasons, Peter is a perfect guest at the start of 2026, as we look ahead to a well-filled chess year that no doubt will bring us many highlights. First, Peter looks back on the Rapid & Blitz World Championships in Doha, where Magnus Carlsen won the title in both time controls for the fifth time in his career. Next, he talks about the Tata Steel tournament that starts tomorrow in Wijk aan Zee, the world-famous village on the Dutch coast. And, of course, he also touches on the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus in the first half of April. Peter is an easy talker, who happily shares his stories and insights about many leading and upcoming great chess players. How does he see Magnus’s new victory? What is his take on rising stars Yazig Erdogmus and Faustino Oro? Or on Vincent Keymer, Anish Giri, Javokhir Sindarov, Leinier Dominguez, World Champion Gukesh and the other Indian stars? You’ll hear about all of them and many more. If you’d like to warm up for the Tata Steel Masters and Challengers and get into the mood for more highlights in 2026, this episode of the New In Chess Podcast is a good place to begin. Don’t miss it! The New In Chess Podcast is brought to you by DGT, the chess innovators. DGT is the only brand that provides everything you need to broadcast the games of a chess event - from chess clocks to sensory chess boards. 2:05 – Peter’s recap of the World Rapid and Blitz 3:50 – Which “new kids on the block” did Peter follow with particular interest? 10:36 – Peter’s match against Erdogmus 20:49 – Magnus’s outrageous Messi comparison 23:16 – AD BREAK 23:55 – Is it unwise for Oro to play in the Masters group in Wijk aan Zee? 27:20 – Keymer’s great form going into Wijk aan Zee 28:17 – Anish Giri 30:53 – Gukesh 33:36 – Why Peter thinks this World Championship cycle will be more exciting than before 40:15 – Jakovhir Sindarov’s dark horse status 42:56 – Fabiano Caruana’s chances 47:35 – Pragg 47:57 – AD BREAK 51:34 – What can we expect from Ivanchuk in Wijk aan Zee? 54:30 – Does Peter miss playing competitive chess? 59:03 – How has Uzbekistan become such a strong chess country? 1:02:53 – Will the “India conveyor belt” ever stop? 1:04:14 – What is the current state of chess overall according to Peter?

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to English grandmaster Matthew Sadler. Matthew returns to the New In Chess Podcast to look back on the year that’s almost behind us and cautiously look ahead to the year we’re about to enter. Matthew Sadler is a two-time British Champion, a streamer, a YouTuber, an expert in chess engines, and a prolific writer. The best-selling Game Changer, co-authored with Natasha Regan, on AlphaZero’s groundbreaking chess strategies and the promise of AI, was one of the most successful and talked about books of the past years. These days Matthew is an IT Consultant, but he makes no secret of the fact that he fills his spare time with as much chess as possible. And although the FIDE rating list no longer has him as an active player, his FIDE rating still hovers eerily close to 2700. In fact, Matthew might very well be the strongest amateur chess player in the world. Last but not least, Matthew is the highly popular book reviewer of New In Chess Magazine. For all these reasons, Matthew was invited to return to the New In Chess Podcast - to talk about the best books that came out and to discuss general tendencies and developments in the chess world. Matthew is a great conversationalist and storyteller. You’ll enjoy his stories about 19th century Scottish-American Master Captain Mackenzie, Yugoslav legends Albin Planinc and Dragoljub Velimirovic, the benefits and dangers of AI, and much more. Don’t miss it! 0:00 – Intro 2:55 – Matthew’s tells the story of Captain Mackenzie 12:14 – AD BREAK 12:52 – Matthew’s favourite books of 2025 15:30 – The forgotten genius of Albin Planinc 17:50 – Velimirovic 21:40 – Chess history’s tendency to forget non-world champion players 23:50 – David Bronstein 26:40 – Sergio Mariotti 33:42 – AD BREAK 34:45 – Matthew previews the Candidates Tournament  37:55 - Vincent Keymer    38:58 - Javokhir Sindarov 40:38 - Who are Matthew's favourites to win the Candidates? 43:50 – Why 2026 will look very different in terms of top level chess 49:21 – Has Freestyle been a success in 2025? 53:05 – AD BREAK 53:47 – Matthew’s field of expertise: computer chess! 55:48 – Why humans are moving towards a more engine-like style of play 1:03:45 – Is the Benoni still alive? 1:05:10 – Is English chess entering a new Golden age? 1:09:00 – Outro

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 Ghenna Sosonko. The subject of this week's story is Russian grandmaster Anatoly Lutikov (1933-1989).   "Luka" is another lesser-known name in the Essential catalogue, but his story is no less interesting. Coming from a working-class background, Genna describes how "with his independent character, recklessness, and his entire manner of behaviour, he somehow did not fit in with the academic regime of tournaments on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and theoretical lessons on Fridays. His sole trainer became play itself."   Lutikov's recklessness translated to the chessboard, where he was an attacking player feared by everyone in the Soviet chess elite, and beyond. When a fifteen-year old American boy named Bobby Fischer visited Moscow for a series of blitz matches, he crushed several masters in a row before the "big guns" were called in. Luka showed up and beat the youngster 20/30. Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast!

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman. Jan returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Timman’s Studies, an impressive volume of 455 pages in which he presents his collected endgame studies and explains how they originated. Of course, Jan Timman is primarily known as the most successful Dutch chess player of the past fifty years; a world-class player who won countless elite tournaments and rose to second place in the world rankings in 1982. However, in recent years, after Covid, Jan’s appearances as a player had become less frequent, and a few weeks ago he announced in an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, that he has ended his active career as a player. As Honorary Editor, Jan continues to write for New In Chess Magazine, but he will no longer seek the tension and excitement of the chess arena. And one thing Jan will definitely not forego is the pleasure of endgame studies! As he puts it in our talk, during the last 10 years endgame studies have actually been the most important part of his chess life. In 2011, Jan wrote his first book on endgame studies: The Art of the Endgame, My Journeys in the Magical World of Endgame Studies. And last year he paid tribute to all the great composers who have inspired him, and wrote 100 Endgame Studies You Must Know. And now Jan has written Timman’s Studies, My Collected Endgame Studies and their Origins. As said, it’s a thick book of more than 450 pages and it contains 186 of his endgame studies composed in a period of more than half a century, between 1971 and 2025. What’s more, the final chapter, with 31 studies in total, consists entirely of new work. If you’re interested in studies and what they mean to Jan Timman, this is certainly a podcast for you. Don’t miss this talk with one of the modern legends of our game. The New In Chess Podcast is brought to you by DGT, the chess innovators. DGT is the only brand that provides everything you need to broadcast the games of a chess event - from chess clocks to sensory chess boards. 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 [email protected]. 0:00 – Intro 4:10 – Jan’s lifelong passion for endgame studies 5:57 – Jan tells stories about his father, Max Euwe and Paul Keres 12:40 – Jan’s great admiration for fellow endgame composers like Troitsky, Kubbel and Kasparyan 17:40 – How Jan started composing endgame studies himself 23:09 – AD BREAK 23:41 – How much do we know about famous chess composers? 30:39 – Chess composers who were also strong players 35:12 – Composing chess studies without a board 37:27 – Why grandmasters are often appreciative of chess studies 42:49 – AD BREAK 44:50 – What can composers do to increase general interest in chess studies? 46:15 – Why studies are the most important part of Jan’s chess life these days 49:00 – Will endgame studies inevitably become more complicated? 51:40 – Will solving studies make you a better player? 53:41 – Outro

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely. Loek is a good friend of the NIC podcast and he returns to talk about the chess event that is keeping us glued to our screens these days, the World Cup in Goa, India. The World Cup started almost two weeks ago and will end on 27 November. There’s a lot at stake in Goa, as the top three finishers will qualify for the Candidates tournament in Cyprus next year (28 March-15 April). There’s also an attractive prize-fund, with the winner taking home $120,000. Loek had just returned from Goa, where he was the coach of Dutch GM Max Warmerdam and there was a lot to talk about. For instance, about the brutality of the knock-out system. After 4 rounds no fewer than 8(!) of the top 10 seeds have been eliminated, including the top-seed, World Champion Gukesh. Was it wise for Gukesh to take part? And how regrettable is the elimination of Vincent Keymer, who has been playing such great chess this year? And what about Ian Nepomniachtchi, seeded 12th? Did he have a point when he complained that the conditions in Goa were not as they should have been? If you want to hear Loek’s thoughts, you should not miss this episode of the New In Chess Podcast. Or if you’d like to hear his views on a couple of other issues. Such as FIDE’s belated action against Vladimir Kramnik because of the pain and damage his obsessive ‘anti-cheating’ crusade has caused. Or Loek’s role in the upcoming Global Chess League in Mumbai, where he will once again captain the defending champions’ team, the Triveni Continental Kings. 0:00 - Intro 2:05 - Coaching max Warmerdam at the World Cup  7:36 - Nepo’s early knockout from the tournament and subsequent complaints about the accommodations 12:55 - Why have so many top seeds been knocked out of the World Cup already? 19:00 - Gukesh partaking in the World Cup despite not playing for a Candidates’ spot 24:54 - AD BREAK  25:26 - Anish Giri's performance  28:10 - Bluebaum, Donchenko and other German players  32:00 - Nodirbek’s performance  34:29 - Hans Niemann’s defeat against Lorenzo Lodici 40:06 - Jose Martinez  43:05 - AD BREAK 44:08 - At this point, who does Loek think is the favourite to win the tournament? 47:55 - FIDE’s much belated action against Vladimir Kramnik  50:46 - Working for Kramnik  54:48 - AD BREAK 55:28 - Loek’s involvement in the Global Chess League 

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 

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam interviews Ukrainian grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov. Born in 1983, Ruslan embarked on his chess career as one of the most astonishing prodigies in history. When he was 12, he won the U18 European Championship, when he was 14, he became the youngest grandmaster in the world, the youngest ever at that time. When he was 18, he won the FIDE World Championship by defeating his countryman Vasyl Ivanchuk in the final of the 2002 knock-out championship. There are many reasons to have Ruslan on the New In Chess podcast, but the main reason this time is the victory earlier this week of the Ukrainian national team, with Ruslan on first board, at the European Team Championships in Batumi. A victory that made his country proud in incredibly difficult times, as Ukraine continues to suffer day in day out after Russia’s brutal invasion three years ago. Ruslan spoke from his home in the vicinity of Bilbao, the Basque city in the north of Spain where he settled some thirteen years ago and where he lives with his wife Ines and their two kids. The conversation focused not only on the European Championship, but also about the situation in Ukraine, for those who remained and for those who are scattered around Europe. And you’ll get to know more about the stars of the winning team, 16-year-old former prodigy Ihor Samunenkov from Kyiv, who excelled at the bottom board with a 2714 performance, and the amazing 36-year-old Igor Kovalenko, who interrupted a stay of more than two years at the war front to divert his mind at the chess board. Igor Kovalenko contributed heavily to the team’s success with a 2827 performance and impressed and inspired his team mates with his optimism and fighting spirit before he returned to the front again to defend his country. And there’s more, such as Pono’s view on FIDE’s half-hearted attitude towards his world title and his advice to chess prodigies. Don’t miss it! 0:00 - Intro  2:36 – Ukraine’s emotional victory at the European Team Championships 5:05 – What were Ruslan’s expectations of the tournament, being that Ukraine was the 9th seed? 7:44 – How difficult was it to get the Ukrainian team together? 9:20 – Igor Kovalenko’s fantastic performance while also fighting in the war with Russia 18:13 – What role does the war play in Ruslan’s life? 21:26 – AD BREAK 22:00 – How complicated is it for Ruslan to have a Russian FIDE president? 24:30 – The composition of the Ukrainian team 30:25 – Ihor Samunenkov 35:25 – Ruslan celebrating his 42nd birthday on the rest day of the tournament 42:20 – Where was Vasyl Ivanchuk? 46:07 – AD BREAK 46:40 – How does this European victory compare to Ruslan’s two Olympiad wins? 50:50 – Becoming “best friends” with Garry Kasparov after finishing second behind him in Linnares 53:30 – The match with Kasparov that never took place 55:22 – FIDE’s weird attitude towards Ruslan’s world title reign 59:28 – What are Ruslan’s current chess ambitions? 1:04:00 – Does the life of a chess prodigy look much different than in Ruslan’s time? 1:05:34 – AD BREAK 1:06:35 – What does Ruslan do in his free time now? 1:11:08 – Ruslan calls upon the people of the world to support Ukraine

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 chess 17:48 – 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 – Music 1:11:54 - 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