This week’s New In Chess Podcast episode features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko.
This is the second part of Sosonko's chapter “I Knew Capablanca…” Capablanca is one of the World Champions Sosonko never met, as Sosonko was born a year after Capablanca’s death. However, Sosonko did meet Capablanca’s widow, Olga Clark, in 1984. Through his talks with Olga, Sosonko indirectly met Capablanca through her memories of him.
Capablanca and Olga were together for eight years, during which time Olga met several of Capablanca’s contemporary rivals and friends, including but not limited to good friends such as Savielly Tartakower and George Thomas, and on the other hand some that they loathed such as Alexander Alekhine.
Born Olga Evgenevna Choubarova, she lived until the old age of 95. She was married four times, three of which ended in the death of her husband. After her death, she bequeathed Capa’s archives to the Manhattan Chess Club, and she managed to sell the notation sheet of a private and hitherto unpublished game between Capa and Tartakower for the sum of $10.000.
Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! Remember, you can find us on popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, making it convenient for you to browse the chapters and listen to your favorite parts.
