Best Eric Christiansen Podcasts (2025)

1
S3 E9 J. Schulten v Johannes Zukertort (1869) 18:56

4d ago18:56

18:56

Today, we are looking at a sometimes overlooked player in chess history. An individual is rumored to have learned 14 languages, he founded a chess magazine, has an opening named after him, and someone who played in the first World Championship - Johannes Zukertort. In London, members of the St George’s Chess Club heard of Zukertort’s victory and of…

1
Episode 68: #ASRASPRING25 Meeting Preview 41:37

4d ago41:37

41:37

We're only 2 weeks away from celebrating ASRA Pain Medicine's 50th anniversary! Raj Gupta (@dr_rajgupta) brings us a sneak peek into the meeting by sitting down with meeting chair Vishal Uppal and fellow faculty members Sara Amaral, Ryan D'Souza, and Hari Kalagara to discuss the inspiring program and exciting networking events. See how far #regiona…

1
S3 E8 Maurice Ashley v M. Berman (1991) 20:15

18d ago20:15

20:15

Nowadays, we may see this gentleman as a commentator on large scale events such as the US Championship and the World Championship, but he has had a groundbreaking career including participating in the US Chess Championship and becoming the first Black chess Grandmaster. We are of course talking about -the Tiger Woods of Chess - Maurice Ashley. He j…

1
S3 E7 Tatev Abrahamyan v N. Christiansen (2006) 18:17

1M ago18:17

18:17

This week, we are looking at a 5-time US Women’s Olympiad participant, a 2-time Women’s World Chess Championship participant, a 21-time US Women’s Championship participant, and a lover of all things penguins - Women’s Grandmaster Tatev Abrahamyan. Born in Armenia, Tatev learned to play chess at the age of 8 when her father took her to the Chess Oly…

1
S3 E6 Eric Hansen v. A. Kim (2019) 19:22

2M ago19:22

19:22

Hello everyone, this week we are looking at the youngest Alberta champion, at one point the highest rated bullet player on Chess.com, the highest rated active Canadian player, and a founder of the Youtube and Twitch channel the “Chessbrahs” - Eric Hansen. A couple of years after he started playing chess, in 2003, he participated in the Alberta Prov…

1
S3 E5 C. Incutto v. Boris Spassky (1960) 24:14

2M ago24:14

24:14

This week, we are looking at the long career of the 10th World Champion, the youngest person to become Grandmaster in history (at the time), the youngest Candidate to the World Championship (at the time), and the famed opponent of the 1972 World Championship against Bobby Fischer - Boris Spassky. Spassky learned to play chess at the age of 5 on a t…

1
S3 E4 Maia Chiburdanidze v. O. Andreieva (1973) 18:42

2M ago18:42

18:42

This week, we are looking (at the time) the youngest Women’s World Champion, a 13-time Olympiad Gold Medal Winner, the second Woman in history to be awarded the Grandmaster title, and a Women’s World Champion for 13 years - Maia Chiburdanidze. She was born in Kutaisi of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR in 1961 where she learned to…

1
S3 E3 Levon Aronian v P. Bortoli (1994) 20:36

3M ago20:36

20:36

This week, we are taking a look at who CNN has called the “David Beckham of Chess” - the former World Rapid Champion, World Blitz Champion, World Chess960 Champion, former 2nd highest rating in the world, and 5-time Candidate for the World Championship - Levon Aronian. In 2004, he played in his first FIDE World Chess Championship - a 128 player kno…

1
S3 E2 Judit Polgar v. S. Mamedyarov (2002) 24:46

3M ago24:46

24:46

In Season 1, we looked at one of the Polgar sisters - Susan. Today, we are looking at the youngest sister - Judit Polgar. Prepare yourself for a large list of records and milestones. Judit was born in 1976 in Hungary as the youngest of her two other siblings - Susan and Sofia. They grew up as part of an educational experiment carried out by their d…

1
S3 E1 Howard Staunton v. D. Harrwitz (1846) 20:07

4M ago20:07

20:07

Hello everyone, welcome back to the third season of the Blindfold Chess Podcast. This week, we will be looking at a name synonymous with the chess community - Howard Staunton. If you have been around the game for any length of time, you may have heard of him as an unofficial World Champion in the mid-1800s, or you’ve heard of his opening - the Stau…

1
Episode 67: Getting Involved in Advocacy and Pain Medicine 24:54

6M ago24:54

24:54

Guest host Pankti Acharya (@PanktiAcharya3) from the Resident & Fellow Committee (#ASRARFC) joins Christy Hunt in a special episode on getting involved in advocacy and pain medicine. Stay tuned for more advocacy episodes brought to you by the #ASRARFC. Guests: - Christine Hunt, DO ________________ Thanks to The Preps from Philadelphia, PA for the m…

1
Episode 66: #ASRAFALL24 Meeting Preview 38:14

6M ago38:14

38:14

Raj Gupta (@dr_rajgupta) joins Christy Hunt, Ryan D'Souza, and Crystal Joseph to discuss the exciting 23rd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting (#ASRAFALL24), coming up this November 21-23, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV. Register for the meeting at asra.com/pain. Streamed 9/20/2024. Guests: - Christine Hunt, DO - Ryan D'Souza, MD (@Ryan_S_DSouzaMD) - Crystal Jose…

1
S2 E28 Cassidy Noble (show host) v J. Fuller (2019) 13:31

10M ago13:31

13:31

Hi there, its me Cassidy, I’ve been the writer and voice of this podcast for a couple of years now. I have enjoyed doing the podcast, but life is starting to creep up so this will be my last episode before taking a hiatus. I appreciate each and every one of you who download and listen to me. The listenership has been so far beyond what I could imag…

1
S2 E27 Deep Blue 22:04

10M ago22:04

22:04

This week, I wanted to look at a relatively new branch of chess - chess computers. The first ‘chess machine’ built in 1770 was called the Mechanical Turk. The supposed machine would play challengers with various indications that it was a functional machine. In reality, a human operated the machine using ‘The Turk’ as a sophisticated marionette. You…

1
S2 E26 Francois Philidor v. Cotter (1789) 13:48

10M ago13:48

13:48

This week, we are looking at the opera writer and musician who documented chess books and endgames so well we are still using them today. Francois-Andre Danican (Dan-ee-con) Philidor came from a well known musical family. His grandfather was given nickname of Philidor by King Louis XIII of France because his oboe playing reminded him of the Italian…

1
S2 E25 Yasser Seirawan v. B. Spassky (1990) 13:20

11M ago13:20

13:20

This week, we are looking at one of the most influential names in chess - Yasser Sierawan. Yasser was born in Damascus, Syria to his Syrian father and English mother. At the age of 7, his family immigrated to Seattle, Washington. He didn’t start playing chess until the age of 12 - this was in 1972, right in the thick of the Fischer Boom that was ha…

1
S2 E24 Dommaraju Gukesh v. M. Vachier-Lagrave (2023) 13:26

11M ago13:26

13:26

This week, we are looking at the Indian prodigy - Dommaraju Gukesh commonly known as Gukesh D. Born in 2006, Gukesh D learned how to play chess at the age of 7. Two years after he started to play chess, he won the Under 9 Asian School Championships in 2015 with a 1770 rating. He did not stop there, with his rating rapidly climbing - his father gave…

1
S2 E23 Anna Cramling v. T. Simon Lindgaard (2019) 12:05

12M ago12:05

12:05

With a birthday less than a week ago, this week, we are looking at Spanish-Swedish star Anna Cramling. Anna has a very strong chess background - her father is Grandmaster Juan Manuel Bellon Lopez - the 5 time Spanish Chess Champion and 11 time Spanish Olympiad player. Her mother is - Pia Cramling - the 5th woman to ever to have earned her Grandmast…

1
S2 E22 Jeremy Silman v J. MacFarland (1991) 14:03

1y ago14:03

14:03

Passing away in late 2023, International Master Jeremy Silman made a lasting impact on our game through his playing, his consulting, his writing, and his coaching. Born in 1954, Silman didn’t start playing chess until he was 12 where he went to his first tournament, ending with a rating of 1068. In high school, Silman expressed to his guidance coun…

1
S2 E21 Fabiano Caruana vs B. Gelfand (2010) 14:10

1y ago14:10

14:10

Fabiano Luigi Caruana, the chess phenom who was the youngest American to earn his Grandmaster title, the youngest to win the Italian Champion, the current top US player, and the number 2 player in the world… - his accomplishments go on for a while, but currently - he is playing in his 5th Candidates tournament aiming for the World Championship. Bor…

1
S2 E20 Puzzles 10:35

1y ago10:35

10:35

Welcome back to another episode! In today’s episode, I will be providing you with the locations of the different pieces on the board. It is your job to figure out the solution by pausing the podcast before moving on. Today, we will be looking at 3 puzzles each around a different endgame theme starting from Easy and working our way to Hard. Here is …

1
S2 E19 Tigran Petrosian v. L. Pachman (1961) 13:56

1y ago13:56

13:56

The Iron Tigran was Tigran Petrosian’s nickname for his solid defensive style. Born in 1929, he started learning chess when he was 8. During WWII - Petrosian was orphaned and needed to sweep streets to earn a living. During this time, he got sick and developed a hearing problem that would affect him for the remainder of his life. Using his ration m…

1
S2 E18 Sam Shankland v. V. Romanenko (2010) 13:58

1y ago13:58

13:58

I have been a fan of Sam Shankland for several years. I love that he plays the Caro Kann, his books are good, but mostly - I appreciate his blunt and brutal honesty when talking to people. Born in 1991, Sam started playing chess at 6, but only really started playing in tournaments at the age of 11. When he was 17, he started making a splash nationa…

1
Episode 65: Preview of the ASRA Pain Medicine Spring Annual Meeting #ASRASpring24 34:53

1y ago34:53

34:53

Host Dr. Raj Gupta previews the amazing program and events of the upcoming ASRA Pain Medicine Spring Meeting in San Diego, CA on March 21-23 with Dr. Ki Jinn Chin, Dr. Ed Mariano, Dr. Jeni Noerenberg, Dr. Steve Porter, and Dr. Melody Herman. Go to https://asra.com/raapm for more details. Support the show Twitter: @ASRA_Society, @dr_rajgupta…

1
S2 E17 Nona Gaprindashvili v E. Guseva (1963) 13:03

1y ago13:03

13:03

Born in 1941, Nona Gaprindashvili was the youngest of 6 kids and the only girl. She began playing chess at 5 from watching her brother play. Her first major break came when her brother had to back out of a local Team Championship. Nona stepped in to fill his place and performed very well scoring 5th overall. There is a really nice interview she gav…

1
S2 E16 L. Aronian v Viswanathan Anand (2013) 14:24

1y ago14:24

14:24

This episode was a struggle to cram all of Viswanathan Anand’s accomplishments into a highlight script! The Indian Grandmaster has been one of the most dominant and successful players in the game for over almost 4 decades. He was born on December 11, 1969, and moved to Chennai, India, and began playing chess at the age of six from his mother who wa…

1
S2 E15 Anna Rudolf v M. Nestorow (2001) 11:53

1+ y ago11:53

11:53

This week, we are looking at the Hungarian chess player, commentator, and streamer - Anna Rudolf. She began playing chess at the age of 4 with her sister, Kata. The two of them had Laszlo Rudolf as a father who played competitive chess as well, reaching a peak rating of 2185 FIDE. Laszlo was also a world champion of Hexagonal Chess. At the age of 9…

1
S2 E14 Andrey Esipenko v D. Saduakassova (2019) 13:22

1+ y ago13:22

13:22

This week we are looking at the young and rising Russian star - Andrey Esipenko. Born on March 22, 2002, Esipenko started playing chess at the age of five, and he quickly showed great promise. Esipenko's early chess accomplishments include winning the European U10 Championship in 2012 the next year, he earned his FIDE title. 2017 was a busy year fo…

1
S2 E13 Miguel Najdorf v R. Shocron (1955) 12:34

1+ y ago12:34

12:34

Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-Argentine chess grandmaster who was one of the strongest players who never won a world championship. He was born on April 15, 1910, in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland. He was introduced to chess by a friend at the age of 14. His chess career began to take off around 1929 when he was almost 20 with the game now called ‘The Po…

1
S2 E12 Natalia Pares Vives v S. Dedijer (2009) 18:38

1+ y ago18:38

18:38

Chess has historically been commented on as black and white, that extends beyond the board too. There are female and ‘open’ tournaments (which are traditionally male), ‘open’ and female titles, and if they are integrated in the same tournament, there are sometimes ‘open’ and female prizes. This freedom of expression has been challenged by FIDE in A…

1
S2 E11 Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa v M. Cornette (2022) 12:55

1+ y ago12:55

12:55

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, sometimes nicknamed as Pragg, is a young Indian chess player who has made waves in the international chess scene with his impressive performances. Born on August 10, 2005, in Chennai (Chin-eye), India, he began playing chess at the age of three. Praggnanandhaa's talent was immediately apparent, and he quickly rose through…

1
Episode 64: Live from #ASRAFALL23 19:20

1+ y ago19:20

19:20

Raj Gupta recaps the first day of the ASRA-PM Fall Chronic Pain Meeting with some colleagues and trainees. Live from the Exhibit Hall. Support the show Twitter: @ASRA_Society, @dr_rajguptaBy American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

1
S2 E10 Puzzles 11:12

1+ y ago11:12

11:12

Hello and welcome back for another episode! This month, we will be looking at King and Pawn puzzles! In today’s episode, I will be providing you with the locations of the different pieces on the board. It is your job to figure out the solution by pausing the podcast before moving on. Today, we will be looking at 3 puzzles each around a different en…

1
Episode 63: LGBTQIA+ SIG 47:37

1+ y ago47:37

47:37

Raj Gupta talks with Dr. Kiki Nin, Dr. Paul Su, and Dr. Adam Fischler about the ASRA Society LGBTQIA+ Special Interest Group. Today's topic focuses on the care of transgender patients during gender affirmation surgery and other operations. Support the show Twitter: @ASRA_Society, @dr_rajguptaBy American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

1
S2 E9 R. Byrne v Bobby Fischer (1963) 16:28

1+ y ago16:28

16:28

Robert James Fischer, also known as Bobby Fischer, was an American chess player who is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Born in Chicago on March 9, 1943, he learned how to play chess at the age of six, and quickly demonstrated exceptional talent for the game. Fischer began playing in competitive chess tournaments at …

1
S2 E8 Beth Harmon (Queen's Gambit) 14:53

1+ y ago14:53

14:53

During the 2020 Pandemic, chess caught fire due to the access of streaming and the Netflix show - Queen’s Gambit. In the show, we saw the main character, Beth Harmon, go from discovering the game to taking down the World Champion in one game. While the show takes a couple liberties to dramatize the chess scene - it is still one of the best chess pi…

1
S2 E7 Alexandra Botez v M. Paula De May (2012) 11:55

1+ y ago11:55

11:55

With a birthday tomorrow, this week we will be focusing on Alexandra Botez, the Canadian- American chess player and content creator who has made a significant impact on the online chess community. She was born on September 24, 1995, in Dallas, Texas to Romanian immigrant parents, then grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Botez started playing chess at the…

1
Episode 62: #ASRAFALL23 Meeting Preview 35:16

1+ y ago35:16

35:16

Dr. Raj Gupta talks with Dr. Alexios Carayannopoulos about the upcoming 2023 Fall Meeting that will be Nov 10-11, 2023 in New Orleans, LA. Go to https://asra.com/pain for more details. Early registration deadline is September 28. Support the show Twitter: @ASRA_Society, @dr_rajguptaBy American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

1
S2 E6 Richard Rapport v S. Shankland (2019) 12:21

1+ y ago12:21

12:21

Born to a family of economists in 1996, Hungarian native Richard Rapport got into chess when his father was concerned about his lack of concentration in primary school. Shortly after an introduction to the game, Richard was hooked so much that his father became concerned that he was concentrating too much on chess. Rather than pulling him away, his…

1
Episode 61: Resident Section Committee 44:58

1+ y ago44:58

44:58

Check out this conversation with host Raj Gupta and 4 members of the ASRA Pain Medicine Resident Section Committee. We discuss the opportunity that the committee offers to medical students, residents, and fellows interested in getting involved in the society and advancing their careers within regional anesthesia, acute pain, and chronic pain. Guest…

1
S2 E5 Jose Raul Capablanca v J. Baca Arus (1912) 13:15

1+ y ago13:15

13:15

José Raúl Capablanca was a Cuban chess player widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Capablanca is best known for his exceptional endgame skills and his ability to simplify complex positions into winning endgames. Capablanca’s chess career began at a young age. He learned to play chess at the age of four by watching his father.…

1
S2 E4 GingerGM v P. Sowray (2017) 13:43

1+ y ago13:43

13:43

Simon Kim Williams, also known as GingerGM, is a British Grandmaster who has made significant contributions to the chess world as a player, commentator, and author. He is known for his innovative and aggressive playing style, and his books and videos often focus on unorthodox opening ideas and attacking strategies. Born in 1979, Williams started pl…

1
S2 E3 O. Dolzhikova v Nazi Paikidze (2016) 11:44

1+ y ago11:44

11:44

Nazi Paikidze is a Georgian-American chess player who was born on January 27, 1994, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Paikidze's career as a chess player began at 4 and started working with her first coach at 6, quickly establishing herself as one of the most promising young players in Georgia. Chess was a part of the curriculum and she has said it was her favo…

1
Episode 60: Cancer and Supportive Care 50:04

2y ago50:04

50:04

Dr. Raj Gupta from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN talks with the Cancer and Supportive Care Special Interest Group of ASRA Pain Medicine about the importance reducing barriers to care for cancer pain patients, expanding access to all forms of pain management, and the value of patients become educated about pain management and…

1
S2 E2 Anatoly Karpov v M. Tseitlin (1971) 11:48

2y ago11:48

11:48

Anatoly Karpov is a Russian grandmaster and former world champion who dominated the game in the 1970s and 1980s. He was born on May 23, 1951, in Zlatoust, Russia, and began playing chess at 4, earning his Candidate Master title at 11. At 12, he was admitted into Mikhail Botvinnik’s chess school. Botvinnik remarked - “The boy does not have a clue ab…

1
Episode 59: Pediatric Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management 34:55

2y ago34:55

34:55

Dr. Raj Gupta from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN discusses the importance of regional anesthesia and pain management for pediatric surgical cases. His guests are Dr. Michelle Kars from Northwell Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York and Dr. Abhijit Biswas from London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Hospital, We…

1
S2 E1 Garry Kasparov v. V. Ivanchuk (1988) 13:23

2y ago13:23

13:23

Garry Kasparov is widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1963, Kasparov began playing chess at a young age and quickly rose as a prodigy. In 1978, he participated in the Sokolsky Memorial and took home first place to become a master (at the age of 16). Later that year, he qualified for and won…

1
S1 E26 The Blindfold King Timur Gareyev (2016) 15:06

2y ago15:06

15:06

The Blindfold King, Grandmaster Timur Gareyev is the current Guiness World Record holder for the most simultaneous blindfolded chess games played at the same time. Originally from Uzbekistan, he won the U14 Asian Championship at the age of 12. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 15. His major claim to fame is becoming the Blindfold King. In Decem…

1
S1 E25 Wilhelm Steinitz vs S. Tinsley (1899) 11:07

2y ago11:07

11:07

Recognized as the first official World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, owned the title from 1886-1894. Born in 1836 as the last of 13 sons, he began playing chess at 12 and started studying it in his 20's At the end of the 1850's he became very dominant being nicknamed 'The Austrian Morphy' (after the American, Paul Morphy). After a successful match ag…

1
S1 E24 Mikhail Botvinnik v A. Koblents (1945) 12:31

2y ago12:31

12:31

A pioneer in Computer Chess and Chess Coach, Mikhail Botvinnik had an incredibly strong impact on Russian and global chess. He was the first world class player to develop in the USSR and he was the driving organizational force for chess after WWII creating the 'Russian School of Chess' teaching students like Karpov, Kasparov, and Kramnik. Not only …

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