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NIC Podcast #90: GM Boris Gelfand

NIC Podcast #90: GM Boris Gelfand

Today’s podcast reaches you from Paphos, in Cyprus, on a rest day of the Candidates tournament, after ten of the fourteen rounds have been played. My guest is Boris Gelfand.  For many years, Boris was one of the best players in the world and even if he plays less today, he remains a formidable opponent. Boris is here in Cyprus as an honorary guest and I am glad that he accepted my invitation to talk not only about this Candidates tournament, but also about his own rich experience in the world championship cycle. Boris has successfully played in the Candidates, won Interzonals and a World Cup and was the Challenger of Vishy Anand in the World Championship match in Moscow in 2012. We sat down for our talk at the venue of the Candidates, the luxurious five-star Cap St. Georges Hotel in Paphos on the west coast of Cyprus. The big question here is whether the tournament is still exciting or whether we already know the winner. With four rounds to go it looks like Uzbek star Javokhir Sindarov175

Under The Surface: Second Edition On PowerPlayChess!

Under The Surface: Second Edition On PowerPlayChess!

GM Daniel King publishes a variety of interesting chess materials on his YouTube channel PowerPlayChess, ranging from puzzles to book reviews. A few months ago, he interviewed our author, Slovakian grandmaster Jan Markos, about the sequel to his first book, Under The Surface. Like its predecessor, the Second Edition seeks to lay a finger on what differentiates chess professionals from club players. Jan's conclusion is that it does not just come down to faster and more accurate calculation. Grandmaster can see deeper. In his words: they can see a deep sea full of colourful fish and coral, where we can only see the glistening surface.  The second edition of the book explores a few topics that weren't covered in the first installment. Everyone knows that the bishop pair is "good", but how does one utilise them effectively? When are piece trades favourable and when are they to be avoided? How does one deal with pawn avalanches? Together with Daniel, Jan discusses these topics and elucidates175

Converting An Extra Pawn In Chess On PowerPlayChess!

Converting An Extra Pawn In Chess On PowerPlayChess!

GM Daniel King publishes a variety of interesting chess materials on his YouTube channel PowerPlayChess, ranging from puzzles to book reviews. On February 10th, he interviewed American grandmaster Sam Shankland about his work "Converting An Extra Pawn In Chess". According to Shankland himself, 80% of the writing process consisted of self-study, and this shines through. He gives a number of highly instructive examples, including about piece exchanges, creating weaknesses, and the position of the king in the endgame.  Watch the interview below, or click here to watch it on YouTube! 

Learn From The Legends 2 on PowerPlayChess!

Learn From The Legends 2 on PowerPlayChess!

GM Daniel King publishes a variety of interesting chess materials on his YouTube channel PowerPlayChess, ranging from puzzles to book reviews. Recently, he interviewed our author Mihail Marin about a sequel to a successful first installment, Learn From The Legends 2! Watch the interview below, or click here to watch it on YouTube! 

NIC Podcast #89: GM Jacob Aagaard

NIC Podcast #89: GM Jacob Aagaard

My guest in this week’s episode is an old friend of the New In Chess Podcast, Jacob Aagaard. Jacob is a man of many trades and it’s not easy to fully describe all his activities in the chess world without running the risk that you’re forgetting something. So, let’s try. Jacob is a grandmaster who occasionally still feels the lure of competitive chess, and he is a prolific and successful writer, who has authored more than twenty books.Besides a writer, Jacob is also a publisher of chess books, and a top coach who has worked with big names such as Boris Gelfand, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Sam Shankland and many other prominent names that we know or names that are supposed to remain a secret.You may also know Jacob from the online Killer Chess Training courses and the Killer Chess Training camps he organizes in Spain.And as if this is not enough - and as this is the New In Chess Podcast - we should not forget to mention that Jacob is the owner and head of the New In Chess publishing group. A group175

NIC Podcast #88: GM Judit Polgár

NIC Podcast #88: GM Judit Polgár

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess podcast, I talk to none other than Judit Polgar.  Of course, the 'Queen of Chess’ needs no introduction, but then that’s something I have said about many guests - before proceeding to introduce them anyway. Let’s stick to that routine, even if there is every reason to say that this guest really does not need an introduction.Judit Polgar is rightly seen as the greatest female chess player of all time. She not only topped the women’s world rankings for a quarter of a century – I repeat, a quarter of a century, that is 25 years - but she also is the only woman ever to make it to the overall world top 10. Think about it: over the course of her career, Judit defeated no fewer than 11 current or former World Champions in rapid or classical chess.Judit became a grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, breaking Bobby Fischer’s old record and becoming the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time. Her life has been filled with records, firsts175

GM Jan Timman

In memoriam Jan Timman (14 December 1951 – 18 February 2026)

It’s with great sadness that all of us at New In Chess are trying to cope with the passing away of Jan Timman, a wonderful colleague and dear friend. Jan’s importance to New In Chess cannot be overstated. He was the magazine’s first editor in chief and always kept playing a pivotal role, contributing articles and annotated games, and giving advice on editorial matters till the very end. Besides his work for the magazine, Jan was one of our most beloved book authors. He wrote countless classics in an endless outpour of creativity. His most recent titles include his best games collection Timman’s Triumphs (2020), The Unstoppable American (2021), Max Euwe’s Best Games (2023), 100 Endgame Studies You Must Know (2024) and Timman’s Studies (2025).The latter titles focus on one of his great passions in his later years, the beauty of the endgame study.New In Chess has been blessed that the magazine started out when Jan was one of the best and most successful players in the world and that his love175

GM Boris Gelfand

Combinations with Boris Gelfand

Starting with issue 2025#8, Boris Gelfand, the 2012 World Champion finalist, will keep track of what’s happening on the chessboard. He will highlight the most interesting games and endgames that are not featured in our tournament reports. As we have limited space in our magazine, there was some very interesting and entertaining material left that we would love to share with you. Below are some nice combinations selected by and commented on by Boris. Sasa Martinovic – Mads Andersen25th European Teams, Batumi GEO 2025White missed a nice combination.19. Bh7+ Kf8 20. Nxf7 Kxf7 21. Qh5+ Basically winning.21…g6 (21... Kf8 22. Re3) 22. Bxg6+ Qxg6 23. Re7+ wins the queen. Eytan Rozen – Volkan Sevgi40th ECC Open, Rhodes GRE 2025Another nice combination. OK, he did not find it in the game.32. Nh4!In the game, he took 32.Qxf5 and if Bxf6, it is already unclear. The engine says something like plus one, but you still have to win.32... Ne732... Bxg4 33.Ng6#33. Nxf5 Bxf6 34. Nh6 Rg7 35. Qf4 and White175

GM Boris Gelfand

Endgames with Boris Gelfand

Starting with issue 2025#8, Boris Gelfand, the 2012 World Champion finalist, will keep track of what’s happening on the chessboard. He will highlight the most interesting games and endgames that are not featured in our tournament reports. As we have limited space in our magazine, there was some very interesting and entertaining material left that we would love to share with you. Below are some instructive endgames with Boris Gelfand’s comments. Ukraine won the 2025 European Team Chess Championship in Batumi, which was somewhat of a surprise, as they were the 9th seed in the starting lineup. In the match England - Turkey, the young English prodigy Shreyas Royal had to defend a tricky rook ending against Vahap Sanal. In the end, he managed to secure the draw, but not without mistakes from both sides. Watch and learn! Shreyas Royal – Vahap Sanal25th European Teams, Batumi 2025White gave a check, which seems to be a mistake.64. Rf8+?Here, White had to include 64. g4! f4 and then check. 65175

NIC Podcast #87: GM Jonathan Tisdall

NIC Podcast #87: GM Jonathan Tisdall

In this episode of the New In Chess podcast, I talk to Norwegian grandmaster Jonathan Tisdall. We look back on the Tata Steel Chess Tournament that ended last Sunday after more than two weeks of captivating chess. Both Jonathan and I were in Wijk aan Zee for the final rounds and witnessed how the Tata Steel Masters ended in a great victory for Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Finally, after several failed attempts, the 21-year-old star from Uzbekistan ended the ‘Wijk aan Zee’ curse that had plagued him in the past years. On more than one occasion, he had seen victory elude him on the final days. This time he remained in control till the very end and at long last won the tournament that he had dreamed of from when he was a kid. Finally, his photo will be included in the winners’ gallery of ‘the Wimbledon of Chess’. Jonathan Tisdall was born in the US from a Japanese mother and Irish father, and then - long story short - he emigrated to London and next to Norway, where he has been living for many175

NIC Podcast #86: GM Loek van Wely

NIC Podcast #86: GM Loek van Wely

On the final free day of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, I invited Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely to talk about the ten rounds of ‘the Wimbledon of Chess’ that have been played so far. Much to my delight, Loek - who is in Wijk aan Zee as the coach of Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam - accepted the invitation.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. In the Challengers, Azerbaijan’s biggest promise, Aydin Suleymanli is in the lead. He is being chased by Andy Woodward, MarcAndria Maurizzi and good old Vasyl Ivanchuk (56).The final three rounds promise an abundance of tension and excitement. Especially, as so far this year’s edition has seen a remarkable mix of gross errors, oversights and brilliant chess.We had a lot to discuss. Why have we seen so many mistakes? Should175

NIC Podcast #85: GM Peter Svidler

NIC Podcast #85: GM Peter Svidler

My guest in the first New In Chess Podcast of 2026 is Peter Svidler. It’s a special moment. Two years ago, Peter was my very first guest in the inaugural episode of the podcast and I am delighted that he’s returning. Peter 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 and loved 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 and did a lot for the professionalization of our game.  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.First175

GM Matthew Sadler

Forgotten Genius

Velimirovic is a player whose name will always remain immortal in the collective chess memory. But he had a career that was characterized by strange hiccups and odd twists of fate, robbing him of many opportunities. These book reviews by Matthew Sadler were published in New In Chess magazine 2025#8 I left you on a cliffhanger in the last issue with my finger poised over the ‘order’ button for both volumes of Forgotten Genius – The Life and Games of Grandmaster Dragoljub Velimirovic by Georg Mohr and Ana Velimirovic-Zorica. Well, the story continues happily, as I did order them and loved them both!The book is co-written by the Slovenian player and journalist Georg Mohr and Velimirovic’s daughter Ana. Mohr also co-wrote a volume on Velimirovic’s contemporary Albin Planinc, reviewed in a previous issue. Ana’s involvement adds a special touch to these two volumes. She not only had a large collection of photos and cartoons of her father (many of which appear in both volumes) but also Velimirovic’s175

NIC Podcast #84: GM Matthew Sadler

NIC Podcast #84: GM Matthew Sadler

In this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast, my guest is English grandmaster Matthew Sadler. Matthew is a two-time British Champion, a streamer, a YouTuber, an expert in chess engines, and a very successful author.  From his books, I only have to mention Game Changer, co-authored with Natasha Regan, on AlphaZero’s groundbreaking chess strategies and the promise of AI, which was one of the most successful and talked about books of the past years. But I might also mention its sequel, The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement, and the book he wrote together with Steve Giddins, Re-engineering the Chess Classics.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.And last but not least, Matthew is the175

NIC Podcast: GM Anatoly Lutikov

NIC Podcast: GM Anatoly Lutikov

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 "big175