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 podcast@newinchess.com.

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