New In Chess Podcast

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American grandmaster Joel Benjamin.Joel is a three-time US Champion, who can look back on a long and successful career. At the age of 13 he made headlines for the first time as he became an International Master, breaking Bobby Fischer’s record, who had been the youngest US master up till that moment. Joel is also a successful and prolific chess writer. Today's interview discusses his latest book, "Bobby Fischer’s Best Games, The Lasting Legacy of the American World Champion." On the New In Chess website the book is described as ‘A modern reappraisal of Bobby Fischer’s greatest games. With engine-aided insight and personal perspective, this book highlights the clarity, technique, and huge impact of Fischer’s chess.’Interviewed by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, you will get a taste of the way Joel Benjamin approached his subject by listening to this podcast, full of great stories and fond memories. Don’t miss it!0:00 – Intro 2:20 – How Joel started writing his Bobby Fischer book5:58 – Getting into chess because of Fischer  9:28 – What was Joel most surprised to learn about Fischer while writing the book?11:40 – Why the US never produced “the next Bobby Fischer”14:29 – How was Joel influenced by Fischer as a player?17:30 – What Joel thinks would have happened in a Fischer – Karpov match20:55 – Fischer’s endgame skills22:35 – Fischer’s love of bishops24:53 – AD BREAK25:25 – Joel’s background as a historian27:43 – Joel’s “must read” Fischer books30:39 – Fischer’s need for clarity32:25 – Growing up without chess technology35:30 – Kids don’t read books39:25 – Fischer’s personality and personal life outside of chess41:05 – Why Americans are reluctant to write about Fischer’s flaws43:50 – AD BREAK46:35 – Joel’s take on the eternal GOAT debate50:50 – Joel current playing career52:44 – Did Joel enjoy writing the book?55:38 – What is Fischer’s current standing in American chess?58:02 – Outro 

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri.Anish barely needs an introduction. He is one of the world’s strongest and most popular chess grandmasters, he’s the top board of the national team of the Netherlands and he is a contributing editor to New In Chess Magazine (and, of course, he is much more, such as a great chess influencer and instructor with his own YouTube channel and his own instructional platform ChessMonitor.com). Anish has just returned from the Olympiad, where 206 teams competed in the Open Section, and an amazing 189 teams in the Women’s section. As you may have seen or heard the Women’s section was won by China and the Open section ended in a triumph for Uzbekistan. Besides the chess on the board, there was also a huge chess political contest, as FIDE, the international chess federation, elected a new President. Timur Turlov, a billionaire businessman from Kazakhstan will be FIDE’s president for the coming four years.Speaking to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam from his home in The Hague, Anish answered my questions about the impressive winners from Uzbekistan, the special character of the Olympiad, the performances of the most prominent stars (What was Gukesh doing on Board 4 of the Indian team? What should we think of yet another exceptional result of Yagiz Erdogmus?), and much more. Such as his meetings with all three candidates in the presidential elections and his take on the new president Timur Turlov.If you know Anish, you know that you should not miss this episode!0:00 – Intro2:35 – Anish explains what makes the Chess Olympiad a unique event 6:10 – The varying degrees to which different chess federations support their players10:44 – The Global Chess League15:35 – The Dutch team’s performance at the Olympiad20:25 – Jorden losing out on winning a board gold medal22:14 – AD BREAK23:12 – The winners of the Olympiad: Uzbekistan28:52 – Gukesh playing fourth board for India32:45 – Ding’s performance for China34:40 – The US team’s performance37:20 – Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus’s performance43:40 – AD BREAK44:12 – The FIDE presidential elections1:03:02 - Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Paul van der Sterren. Paul is a two-time Dutch Champion and between 1982 and 2000, he represented the Netherlands at eight Olympiads. Arguably his most memorable feat on the chess board was his second place in the impressively strong 1993 Biel Interzonal that earned him a spot in the Candidates matches of the World Championship cycle. The match he lost to Gata Kamsky could hardly be called a failure, as Kamsky was at the peak of his powers at the time and defeated none other than Vishy Anand in the next stage of the Candidates.When Paul ended his professional career in 2001, he became even more active as a writer than he had already been. Besides books on chess openings, he wrote a stunning autobiography that was first published in Dutch in 2011 and was translated into English in 2023. That book, entitled In Black and White, won the ECF Book of the Year Award, and is in my opinion easily the most deep-digging autobiography in chess literature. For its frankness and deep soul-searching the book might also have been entitled Open, if that title had not already been taken by Andre Agassi.Paul also wrote, together with fellow Dutch grandmaster Erwin l’Ami, "Max Euwe, World Champion!", a reappraisal of the fifth World Champion. It’s a marvellous book that argues convincingly, both in Paul’s compelling story and in Erwin’s annotated games, that the Dutchman fully deserves his place in the gallery of World Champions.Another reason is, that rumour has it that the same authors are preparing a book on another Dutch great, Hein Donner. A book in which they hope to give an honest answer to the question how strong the legendary Donner, who we mainly know from his brilliant writings, really was.So, if you want to hear great stories about these two giants of Dutch chess, don’t miss this episode of the New In Chess Podcast. You could not hope for a better expert to guide you than Paul van der Sterren.0:00 – Intro 2:25 – Paul’s life as retired chess professional8:50 – Dealing with the highs and lows of being a full-time chess player12:30 – Paul’s autobiography, “In Black and White”16:22 – Paul’s Max Euwe biography, co-authored with GM Erwin l’Ami20:05 – Why Paul considers himself too old to analyse games21:23 – Paul’s interest in the “human behind the player”23:10 – What did Paul find out about Max Euwe, the human being?25:10 – Why Alekhine was a dishonest man27:25 – AD BREAK28:00 – Has Euwe’s legacy been impacted by his own modesty and humility?31:25 – Max Euwe’s double life as a teacher and chess player35:55 – When Paul personally met Max Euwe as a young player41:45 – Hein Donner51:11 – AD BREAK52:10 – Paul’s personal experience with Donner59:20 – Being asked by Euwe to revise his earlier works1:05:03 - Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Icelandic grandmaster Margeir Petursson.Margeir first became a national celebrity in Iceland as a chess player. He won the Icelandic championship twice, in 1986 and 1987, and had further successes at home and abroad, winning classics such as the Hastings Premier in 1986 and dozens of strong Opens around the world. He was also a member of the legendary Icelandic national team that finished 5th at the Dubai Olympiad in 1986 and 6th at the Manila Olympiad in 1992. The ‘Golden Team’ that he played on together with Johann Hjartarson, Helgi Olafsson and Jon Arnason.While many still saw him first and foremost as a chess player, Margeir also embarked on a banking career and founded his own bank, MP Bank (indeed, Margeir Petursson bank!). He became internationally known as the owner of the only Icelandic bank that did not collapse in the big Icelandic banking crisis in 2008. Those turbulent days were far from the last time that he had to operate in chaos and crisis. In the following years, Margeir switched his activities to Ukraine where he acquired Bank Lviv, and faced entirely new challenges, particularly when the country was invaded by Russia and became a nation at war.  Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!0:00 – Intro2:14 – Margeir’s memory of Reykjavik 1972 9:06 – How Margeir developed his passion for chess21:46 – AD BREAK23:27 – Margeir’s decision to pursue chess while working as a banker28:30 – How did Margeir work on his chess?35:04 – Why Fischer “pushed” Margeir out of chess38:50 – Margeir’s banking career 42:40 – How Margeir ended up in Ukraine49:55 – AD BREAK50:54 – Did Margeir’s skill in chess translate to his banking career?1:05:37 – Outro 

This week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an inverview with Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely.A friend of the podcast, for this edition Loek invited Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam to his home in the south of the Netherlands. Loek is currently in preparations for the Dutch Chess Champiopnship, which starts on Saturday, July 4, in Aalsmeer (for more information check out the website of the Dutch Chess Federation).Over the years, Loek has won the Dutch Chess Championship 8 times. His first win, in 2000, was the beginning of a unique series of six consecutive victories. Now, 26 years after that first title, he is going to try to win it a 9th time. If he succeeds, that would mean that in the list of all-time greats, he’d catch up with 9-time winner Jan Timman, while moving a little closer to the father of Dutch chess, Max Euwe, who won the title twelve times in a time span of 34 years.Besides the Dutch Championship, Loek also wanted to talk about Jan Timman, a dear colleague of his and an inspiration for many years, who passed away earlier this year, on February 18, at the age of 74. Jan meant a lot to Loek and he wanted to pay homage to a great player whose books he devoured as a kid and with whom he fought many fierce battles after he had become a grandmaster himself. Loek also reflects on his ambitions as a chess pro, speaks about the stellar career and lasting legacy of Jan Timman, and explains why he has political ambitions in the upcoming presidential elections of the European Chess Union. 2:23 – The Global Chess League10:30 – Loeks “worldwide” chess activities in the past month14:05 – Loek’s preparations for the upcoming Dutch national championship22:57 – The late Jan Timman’s role in Loek’s chess life25:08 – Loek’s first games against Timman in the 90’s32:00 – People’s tendency to overlook Timman’s greatness33:36 – AD BREAK34:28 – Timman’s never-ending passion for chess37:48 – Loek’s favourite Timman memories39:16 – Loek’s brutal 1998 match against Timman45:28 – Chess politics and Wadim Rosenstein’s bid for FIDE president 55:40 – AD BREAK56:14 – Loek’s view for the future of the chess world1:03:03 – Loek’s love of winning

This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen.Today’s interview reaches you once again from Oslo, where the 14th edition of Norway Chess ended in a stunning victory for Indian grandmaster Praggnanandhaa. ‘Pragg’ sensationally won his last four games and on the final day he leapfrogged Wesley So to pip the American at the post.In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, first place had already been secured in the penultimate round by the new star of women’s chess, Bibisara Assaubayeva from Kazakhstan.   This year Norway Chess moved from Stavanger, its home for thirteen years, to the Norwegian capital Oslo. There, in the heart of the city, the spectacular Deichman library was the venue.  In this second episode from Oslo, New In Chess editor-in-chief Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam talks to an old friend of the podcast, international grandmaster and five-time Danish champion Peter Heine Nielsen. Of course, these days we know Peter best as the trainer of the world’s number one player, Magnus Carlsen.As Dirk Jan interviews Peter, he looks back on a wonderfully successful Norway Chess that for two weeks got enormous international exposure and created tremendous interest in Oslo. The entire tournament was once again broadcast live on Norwegian television and also had two separate live broadcasts from the venue by Norway Chess and Chess.com.  Of course, a good part of the conversation focuses on Magnus Carlsen, who lost an unusual number of games – he had to resign both his games against Pragg after compelling fights -and only finished in fourth place, having one of the worst results in his career. Peter also talks about the special format of Norway Chess, the unforgiving time control, and try to come up with an explanation for Magnus’s poor performance.And, not unimportantly, about golf, a passion of both Magnus and Peter. During the tournament they played a lot of golf to clear their minds amid the tension of the chess. Peter loves to talk and philosophize about chess and you will not get bored listening to his lively stories and insights. Enjoy!0:00 – Intro2:10 – How did Peter experience the tournament in Oslo?10:05 – The unique format and time control of Norway Chess15:20 – Pragg’s performance20:42 – AD BREAK21:22 – Pragg beating Magnus twice26:20 – Magnus’s Armageddon games27:58 – Wesley So’s performance29:40 – Firouzja’s injury35:18 – Magnus’s win against Gukesh in the last round37:01 – What is Peter’s explanation for Magnus’s disappointing performance?47:29 – Golf 55:56 – AD BREAK56:28 – The Total Chess World Championship Tour1:01:12 – Will Magnus continue playing classical chess?1:04:25 – How long will Magnus stay world #1 for?1:09:35 – Outro 

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features in interview with Norwegian grandmaster Simen Agdestein. Today’s podcast reaches you from Oslo, where the 14th edition of Norway Chess started earlier this week and is in full swing now. Yesterday, while walking around at the venue, the spectacular Deichman library in the heart of the city, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam ran into Simen Agdestein, Norway’s strongest grandmaster before Magnus Carlsen and Magnus’s first trainer. Simen is famous for his remarkable double career. He was not only the country's best chess player for many years, he was also a gifted footballer who played on the national team of Norway on eight occasions. Simen first appeared on the New In Chess podcast almost exactly two years ago, and talked about the book that Atle Grønn had written about his remarkable double career, Games and Goals. And chess and football, as of late these two have been more connected it seems than ever. Many famous footballers claim that there passion for chess helps them on the pitch, and Norway’s biggest star, Erling Haaland, is one of the main investors in Norway Chess’s new venture, Total Chess, a new cycle of tournaments that will start with a pilot edition coming November and then see a first Total Chess World Championship consisting of four tournaments worldwide next year. Simen is a natural storyteller, who always speaks his mind. About chess and about football. And much more. Don’t miss it! 0:00 – Intro 2:33 – How the growth of chess in Norway has affected Simen 4:10 – Discovering Magnus Carlsen 9:33 – Why do strong players prefer not to play important matches in their own country? 13:40 – Simen’s school 24:34 – AD BREAK 25:33 – This year’s edition of Norway Chess 31:03 – Magnus’s performance 35:20 – Time controls at the tournament 40:20 – Erling Haaland 47:23 – AD BREAK 47:56 – Simen’s personal ambitions at the moment 52:57 – Who’s going to win Norway Chess? 56:28 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with Dutch grandmaster Erwin l'Ami.Erwin is an old friend of the New In Chess Podcast. The Dutch Champion in 2022, among his other notable results are his victories in the 2015 Reykjavik Open and in the Rabat Blitz that same year, where he was even too quick for specialists like Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexey Shirov. While Erwin continues to love playing competitive chess in tournaments and club leagues, he has expanded his chess activities in various chess directions over the past years. He’s been working as a trainer for stars such as Veselin Topalov and Anish Giri, and he’s been producing training courses and writing books. It was in his capacity as a writer that Erwin was invited this time, as together with Dutch GM Paul van der Sterren, he has just authored a new book on Max Euwe, who sensationally robbed Alexander Alekhine of his world title back in 1935. The title of the book is Max Euwe World Champion!, with an exclam, and it looks in detail at the brief reign of Euwe, who lost the chess crown again to the same Alekhine in 1937.The book is a heartfelt reappraisal of Euwe, who has often been described as a lesser champion. A champion who won the title by some sort of luck. In their fine book, the authors demonstrate convincingly that in spite of such reservations, Euwe truly was the best chess player in the world, or among the very best, in those years. Erwin talks to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam about his special interest in Max Euwe, how the book came about, and the remarkable qualities of the fifth World Champion; about the sensation he caused when, as the underdog, he defeated the great Alexander Alekhine in 1935; about his achievements in his years as champion, and why he lost the title again in 1937.In the second half of the podcast, we talk about Max Euwe’s celebrated successor in the Netherlands, Jan Timman, who died three months ago, on February 18.Link to the Antwerp interview with Timman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WTfRRzVsU 0:00 – Intro 2:35 – Has Erwin’s appreciation of Max Euwe as a player changed throughout the years? 9:21 – Why is Euwe so underappreciated by chess history? 15:45 – How strong was Euwe actually? 19:55 – The Lasker feud 23:05 – Euwe’s “modern” emphasis on opening preparation and physical preparation 27:06 – AD BREAK 28:05 – The historic 1936 Nottingham tournament 32:33 – Euwe as FIDE president 34:49 – While doing his analyses for this book, did Erwin discover any new things about Euwe? 42:50 – Euwe’s loss in the Alekhine rematch 49:21 – Dirk Jan tells his own personal Euwe story 50:32 – AD BREAK 51:08 – Erwin’s friendship with Jan Timman 56:30 – Jan Timman’s incredible memory 1:00:08 – Timman’s incredible career 1:03:49 – Erwin recalls an old interview with Jan (Link in description!)1:11:23 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with American international master John Donaldson.The first time John appeared on the podcast, he was invited as the captain of the American team, on the eve of the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. This time, he talks about his latest book on what may safely be called his hero, Bobby Fischer. John has written a lot about Fischer and in 2022 he published his magnum opus "Bobby Fischer And His World", a thick book of 644 pages bringing together an enormous amount of material about the 11th World Champion. His latest work is called "Inside The Mind of Bobby Fischer". In a voluminous book of 400 pages, John revisits everything he could find that Fischer has written as a chess analyst. Which means that he not only presents annotated games from Fischer’s very first book, Bobby Fischer’s Games of Chess, but also all the columns he wrote for Boys’ Life, a magazine for the boy scouts of American, and his columns in Chess Life. And there is much more that anyone interested in Fischer would like to see or revisit.So, if you are looking for a sneak peek or a few teasers of John Donaldson’s fascinating new book, then this podcast is a good place to start!0:00 – Intro 2:20 – What inspired John to write a new Fischer book?14:26 – Fischer’s incredible dedication and discipline as a teenager 18:02 – Fischer’s mother Regina 26:25 – Fischer’s lost games 40:50 – AD BREAK 41:23 – The value of Fischer memorabilia 1:01:03 – AD BREAK 1:02:05 – How did John go about analysing Bobby’s old annotations?1:08:10 - Dimitrije Bjelica 1:11:05 – Is John contemplating a next book about Fischer? 1:17:38 – Outro

This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features an interview with grandmaster Anish Giri.Today’s podcast once again reaches you from Paphos, in Cyprus, where at the luxurious Cap Saint Georges hotel the Candidates tournament has come to an end after two weeks of excitement and captivating chess. Anish was one of the pretournament favourites and one of the absolute stars of the 2026 Candidates, but in the end he, too, had to bow to the exceptional performance of the winner, twenty-year-old Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan.Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Anish talks about his mixed feelings and looks back on the Candidates tournament from his perspective. 0:00 – Intro 1:32 – Does Anish have mixed feelings at the end of this tournament? 5:35 – Not beating Wei Yi in the twelfth round 8:40 – Is Anish “not dangerous enough”? 14:35 – Fabiano Caruana’s performance 20:11 – AD BREAK 20:44 – The switch from increment to non-increment play 29:18 – Javokhir Sindarov 33:27 – Erdogmus 37:00 – The hidden coach: Roman Vidonyak 39:25 – Anish’s theory about Javokhir’s rise 45:33 – Modern chess training and coaching 58:30 – AD BREAK 59:50 – Untold: Chess Mates 1:02:20 – Anish’s venture with ChessMonitor 1:08:08 – Outro