In Episode 248, I have the pleasure of conversing with Jon Edwards, the 32nd World Correspondence Chess Champion. Jon started playing correspondence chess via the International Correspondence Chess Federation in 1995, and became an ICCF Grandmaster in 2022. In over-the-board play, he is a National Expert.
Outside of the chess board, Jon has an exentsive background in academia and Information Technology. He has an AB in History from Princeton University and a PhD in African Economic History from Michigan State University. He worked for many years, assisting in the management of a $25M budget and a staff of 260 as the Coordinator of Institutional Communication and Outreach at Princeton University. He also served as the Mayor of Hopewell Township, NJ in 2002.
We speak about a comparison of correspondence chess and over-the board play, inspiration for more women to play chess, the Niemann-Carlsen drama, solving chess, opening preparation, reverse engineering and more.