FM Andrey Terekhov is an award-winning author, dad, and software engineer. For the last decade or so, Andrey has been consumed with writing a detailed biography of the underappreciated World Champion, GM Vasily Smyslov. This week he joins me to discuss The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov, Volume 2: The Challenger. The first volume won the 2020 FIDE Book of the Year award, and the long-awaited second volume is equally impressive. The book goes far beyond Smyslov's life and games, offering a fascinating look at Soviet chess history, including what may be the most famous chess tournament of all time. We discuss:
The enduring legacy of Zurich 1953. What makes this tournament so famous? What did Andrey discover about allegations of Soviet collusion and political interference?
How close did Smyslov get to giving up chess to pursue a career as an opera singer? What characterized his style as a chess player?
Andrey's incredibly detailed research process, including primary sources in multiple languages and a visit to Smyslov's former home in Moscow.
Lastly, we discuss Andrey's own chess adventures and the chess scene in Paris and France, where Andrey now resides. I am so grateful to people like Andrey for devoting so much time to preserving chess history, and I greatly enjoyed his latest book and our conversation.
Timestamps
03:00 Meet FM Andrey Terekhov and his new Smyslov biography
04:00 Why is Zurich 1953 so legendary?
12:30 Soviet politics and the controversy surrounding Zurich 1953
24:30 What Andrey discovered comparing editions of Bronstein's famous book
27:00 How Stalin's final years affected Soviet chess
31:00 What made Smyslov's chess style special?
35:00 Exploring Smyslov's personal archives
38:00 Smyslov's surprising ambitions as an opera singer
44:30 The challenges of researching and writing chess history
49:30 Andrey's experiences playing competitive chess in France
55:30 What's next for Andrey's Smyslov biography?
Books and resources mentioned
Zurich 1953 by GM David Bronstein
Center Stage and Behind the Scenes by GM Yuri Averbakh
Achieving the Aim by GM Mikhail Botvinnik