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 many years.

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 also been the captain of the Norwegian team, with Magnus Carlsen as his top player. Jonathan has been active in the chess world for decades, wearing a multitude of hats. In 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 standup comedian (and chess fanatic) Nick Doody.

In our talk we look back on the achievements and under-achievements of the main actors in Wijk aan Zee, but we also return to the days when Jon was reporting on the legendary Karpov-Kasparov matches, and we touch on his books and their original ideas.

I hope, and trust, that you will enjoy this new 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