This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits and stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. The subject of this week’s episode is Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal.
This week's narration, which is the third in a six-part series, delves into Mikhail Tal in relation to the Soviet political regime that he was a part of. Tal travelled far and wide for chess, but never considered becoming a dissident like some of his fellow professionals, including Genna himself. When rumors arose of his supposedly imminent defection, he publicly put these stories to bed, stating that he would never travel abroad without a return ticket.
Narrated by professional voice actor Nick Murphy, this series is distinct from the two-part “My Misha” series from May of last year. Instead of an active participant, Genna is more of a background figure this time. However, this does not make his retelling of Tal’s stories any less vivid.
Enjoy this week's episode of the New In Chess Podcast!