FM Michiel Abeln is a chess author, best known for his critically acclaimed book "The Anand Files" which details the games and stories surrounding Viswanathan Anand's three World Championship titles. Michiel has recently published a Chessable course on the Leningrad Dutch, a dynamic response to 1.d4 which is aimed towards adult improvers.

Long-time listeners know that I adore "The Anand Files". It is a unique book; part game collection, part journalism, part narrative storytelling, painting a vibrant picture of the 15th World Champion and the team that supported him through his World Championship run. With the Carlsen-Nepo match coming up in a few weeks, I also thought it might put the podcast in a World Championship atmosphere. In any case, it was great to pick FM Abeln's brain about chess culture.

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