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.
Born in Leningrad on March 21, 1931, Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi became one of the strongest players of his time. Over a three-decade span, he participated in ten Candidates tournaments and challenged world champion Karpov three times.
Anyone could sense Korchnoi’s fanaticism in chess. Only one thing counted for him, and that was to discover the truth. Chess was his life. He was brutally honest with himself in his analyses, and in his judgments about his opponents, he was equally uncompromising. Although he had strained or even hostile relationships with some of his colleagues, his spirit remained motivated to keep playing chess, which he did until a very old age.
Having helped Korchnoi on several occasions, including multiple World Championship Candidates tournaments, Sosonko can provide a first-hand account of what Korchnoi was like as a chess player. But even though Korchnoi left the Soviet Union to play chess and was regarded as a dissident, ultimately, he did get his redemption: in Saint Petersburg, a tournament had been organized in celebration of Korchnoi’s seventieth anniversary.
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 favourite parts.
