EP 336- GM Jan Timman: The Legendary Author and Dutch Champion discusses his new book on Max Euwe, How his Generation Compares to the Current One, and Magnus and the Modern Chess Landscape

This week we are re-joined by a legend of the game, 9 time Dutch champion and award winning author, GM Jan Timman. GM Timman has just released his latest book, Max Euwe’s Best Games, which puts the games of his fellow Dutch legend under a modern microscope. We discuss Jan’s personal relationship with Euwe, and Jan answers some questions about the World Champion’s legacy. Is it fair to say that Euwe only beat Alekhine in 1935 due to Alekhine’s drinking problem? What were Euwe’s best games? How did he develop his tactical flair? Why did he blunder more often than other elite players? We also discuss other news from the chess world, as GM Timman shares thoughts and stories on Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann, Garry Kasparov, and the state of Dutch chess. It is always an honor to speak with GM Jan Timman! 

Please read on for timestamps of topics discussed.

Prior GM Jan Timman appearances: 

Episode 196

2021 Discussion of the Carlsen-Nepo match 

0:02- GM Jan Timman shares his personal recollections of former World Champion Max Euwe, who Jan played in a simul as an 11 year old boy. 

0:07- Jan took a trip for a chess training camp to the Soviet Union as a 19-year-old in 1970. What was that trip like?

10:00- Jan has described one of Max Euwe’s books as formative for him as a child, what does he remember about the “book with a blue cover?” 

14:00- Does Jan consider quantitative analyses of players’ ability, such as that done by Chessmetrics to be useful? 

Mentioned: Euwe-Pirc 1949, Boguljubow

15:00- Patreon mailbag question: Is the perception that Max Euwe was a weaker world champion an accurate one? 

18:00- Is it true that Euwe beat Alekhine because Alekhine was drunk the entire match?

20:00- How does Jan think Euwe developed such a creative style, as evidenced in his games against Alekhine and Geller?

Mentioned: Euwe-Alekhine 1934, Euwe-Geller 1953

21:45- GM Timman discusses the approaches to chess of Karpov, Kasparov and Tal. 

23:00- Why did Euwe blunder so often?

26:30- What are Jan’s favorite games of Euwe’s? 

Mentioned: Euwe-Geller 1953 Euwe-Pirc 1949 Euwe-Alekhine 1935 (Pearl of Zandvoort) 

29:30- Jan discusses the Max Euwe center in Amsterdam. 

Mentioned: More information on the center here:

https://maxeuwe.nl/en/home-english/

31:30- Jan shares his thoughts on the World Championship match. 

35:00- What does Jan think of Magnus Carlsen’s slump? He also shares his thoughts on the World Championship cycle format. 

Mentioned: Caruana-Nakamura Norway Chess 2023 

41:00- Patreon mailbag question: Is there any facet of chess where Timman’s generation of GMs are better than modern GMs? 

44:00- What would be the best way to study endgames today? 

Mentioned: GM John Nunn’s Secrets of Rook Endings, Levinfish and Smyslov’s Rook Endings 

48:00- Patreon mailbag question: Any chance GM Timman would do a 21st century update to The Art of Chess Analysis?

50:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Jan have a good GM Ljubomir Ljubojević story? 

51:00- Which players in the younger generation does Jan admire?

Mentioned: GM D Gukesh, GM Hans Nieman

52:00- Jan’s thoughts on the Niemann-Carlsen controversy 

Mentioned: 2023 Samford Fellowship Winners 

56:00- Jan discusses his upcoming tournament plans. 

58:00- Jan shares his memories of a television interview he did with Kasparov in 1997 as well as some of their games 

Mentioned: Timman-Kasparov 1985 , Kasparov-Timman 1992

1:00:00- Does Jan ever look at his old games with engines? 

Mentioned: Stockfish 14 

1:04:00- Jan discusses the state of Dutch chess. 

Mentioned: GM Anish Giri, IM Eline Roebers, GM Jorden van Foreest 

1:06:00- Thanks to GM Timman for sharing his wisdom and stories, you can order his new book here:

 From New in Chess:

https://www.newinchess.com/max-euwe-best-chess-games

Free Sample here: 

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9180.pdf

You can also read it on Forward Chess: 

https://forwardchess.com/product/max-euwes-best-games?section=New%20Arrival

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