Shortly after the 2024/1 issue of New In Chess Magazine had arrived in his mailbox, Genna Sosonko gave me a call. He had read the first installment of my new column ‘The Scoresheet’ and drew my attention to an article he had published some ten years ago on a Russian website about exactly that same scoresheet (Alekhine-Lasker, Zurich 1934). Genna rightly thought I’d be interested in what he had written, particularly because of a couple of details I had left out or missed.
In my column, I focus on the importance of Alekhine’s only win ever against the great Emanuel Lasker, in Zurich 1934, and have a look at the winner’s scoresheet to see what indirect background information it provides to this historical game. As for Genna, at the time he had seen an image of Alekhine’s scoresheet online in an article on the library of chess collector David DeLucia, and had used it as the starting point for a broader portrait of Alekhine that covered a lot more than just his encounter with Lasker in Zurich175
The most important part of opening preparation is understanding the middlegame that follows. In this new column, opening expert Christof Sielecki will explain the strategic ideas and characteristic pawn structures of a particular opening. He begins with a Benoni structure in a ‘grandmaster versus master’ game.
by Christof Sielecki
*** This column appeared in New In Chess magazine 2024#1. Please let us know what you think of this new column. ***
Welcome to the new column ‘The Model Game’. It will feature instructive games that demonstrate key ideas in common pawn structures, often associated with a particular opening line. Knowing these structures and being able to assess the pros and cons is a key skill of stronger players.
You’ll often hear statements like ‘Now I have an excellent Sicilian Dragon!’, when the game started completely differently, but still a Sicilian formation ensued. The first game I have a look at was played between grandmaster Ori Kobo and international master Rokas Klabis175
This week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration of a chapter from The Essential Sosonko, a collection of chess portraits written by legendary grandmaster and chess author Genna Sosonko.
Today's reading centres around Alexander Alekhine. Alekhine became the fourth World Chess Champion in 1927 - a title that, save for a two-year hiatus, he held until his death in 1946. Alekhine has had a lasting influence on the game of chess, but his life is certainly no less interesting.
Timestamps:00:00 Introduction 01:15 The new World Chess Champion returns to Paris02:34 "The world chess champion is a Russian"03:57 Monsieur Alekhine was a French National05:06 "My life's dream is far from the limitations of the 64 squares on the chessboard."06:02 Praise for Alekhine07:03 Nadezhda Semenova Vasilieva08:24 The couple in Paris09:03 "A man such as myself"09:45 In the Paris garden of the Palais-Royal10:25 A real chess player10:52 The Astrea Masonic lodge13:08 Before the revolution14:02 Burdened175
Today's episode of the New In Chess Podcast features in an interview with Grandmaster Nigel Short. Nigel Short is one of the greatest British chess players of all time and was became the first British player ever to challenge for a world championship title in 1993. He is also an avid traveller who has played many tournaments abroad, especially in India.
Together with Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Nigel talks about his appreciation for Indian chess, Vishy Anand, and India's current status as a chess superpower.Â
Timestamps:00:00-02:10 Intro02:11-03:40 Nigel's participation in the Bangalore Open03:41-07:11 Nigel's appreciation for Indian Chess culture07:12-10:28 Nigel's first experiences as a chess player in India10:29-13:36 Indian chess tournaments with too many rounds13:37-16:59 His dealings with Ummar Koya17:00-22:01 The history of chess in India and the British Commonwealth22:02-26:04 His British Championship victories26:05-28:04 Vishy as the patriarch of Indian chess28:05-29:24 Vishy175
Today’s episode of the New In Chess podcast features an interview with Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov.
Ivan is a former Dutch and Yugoslav chess champion who holds victories over several former World Champions, including Kramnik, Anand and Kasparov. He has also been highly successful as a chess trainer, currently coaching the Romanian national team and having previously worked with the Iranian, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbek teams, the latter winning the 2022 Chennai Olympiad under his guidance. He is also a prolific author of chess books on a variety of technical topics. His most recent release, "Winning Chess Middlegames: An Essential Guide to 1.e4 Pawn Structures", is a sequel to the 2009 original, with stronger computer analysis and a heavier focus on open and half-open games.
Together with Remmelt Otten, Ivan discusses his playing and coaching career, his greatest victory, the careers of Alireza and Pragg, and much more.Â
Timestamps:00:00 - 02:30 Intro02:30 - 05:14 His coaching career175
The 86th edition of the Tata Steel Masters that ended on 28 January, welcomed three Indian grandmasters: Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and Vidit. Three players from the same country in a 14-player field may invoke criticism, but if there were any objections, I never heard them. And rightly so. All three of them – who will also represent their country in the upcoming Candidates tournament in Toronto - played truly exciting chess and everyone was happy that they had come to Wijk aan Zee. Perhaps the only grumble that was heard was the regret that their countryman Arjun Erigaisi, another guarantee for creativity, was lacking.
Despite the prominent role that the three Indians played, there’s no certainty for any of them that they will return to Wijk aan Zee next year.  But there is one Indian player who already knows that he will! With a fantastic final sprint 17-year-old Leon Luke Mendonca snatched first place in the Tata Steel Challengers, earning the right to play in the 2025 Masters. After six175
Today’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration of a chapter from The Essential Sosonko, written by grandmaster Genna Sosonko. Sosonko, in addition to being a two-time Dutch Chess Champion, is a prolific author of chess books. His works are non-technical, instead chronicling his personal experiences and the lives of famous players he competed with. The Essential Sosonko is a collection of these player portraits.
Today's reading centres around Tony Miles. Miles, the first Englishman to achieve the grandmaster title, reached the pinnacle of the chess world in the 1970's and 1980's, scoring victories over several current and former world champions. He was a controversial figure; his legendary on- and off-board antics, like beating then-World Champion Karpov with the move 1...a6 or winning a tournament while lying horizontally on a massage table, angered and amused the chess world in equal measure. Sosonko personally faced the late Miles in many tournament games, and his account175
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