Lost and Found: Lichess4545 Champions Interviews We Forgot to Publish

No recap this week, but keep your eyes peeled for the league finish recap in the future weeks. But rest assured, we have you covered.

For those who have been following the ledger, you might have noticed an absence of championship interviews. After the season 44 champions took their interview, all had fallen silent. However, the season 45 and 46 champions have been interviewed, and months later, we dug into the interview archives to uncover these long-lost documents, plus an interview with the league's newest moderator. All interviews below were conducted and mismanaged by @fork2020.

It is only right that the first interview is the earliest of the three: our celebration of the champions of the legendary season 45! Can you remember who they are?

If you guessed “Working on our 46-pack” then I fear that you might have read ahead. No, the season 45 champions were “Mate-Tricks” and will forever be remembered as the champions of season 45. We interviewed three of their players: @Not_Any_More, @EvilNalu, and @Dadievid.

First, congratulations on your victory. How does it feel to be the season 45 champions?

Not_Any_More: “Quite good, I wouldn't have guessed that it would happen in my first season but I am thrilled that we won it especially in such a special and competitive season like this 45th season.”

Dadievid: “I am very happy with it. The best thing was the team, whenever I was playing a game there was always some support, and even more so towards the end. Any questions I had about a certain opening were happily answered by my higer-rated teammates.”

EvilNalu: “Feels great but also a big relief. The pressure to perform built throughout the season as we continued to do well and stuck to the top of the standings. To be totally honest the other season I played where my team wasn't doing well was much less stressful but it does feel very good to end up on top at the end.”

What matchup do you believe was the most critical during your run to the championship?

Not_Any_More: “Oh round 5 against "A knight, a bishop, and a rook walk into a pawn shop..." for 2 reasons, The first is that essentially they were our direct competition so defeatting them made us the sole leaders and favorite to win and second reason is the fact we won 7-1 and that made any tiebreakers between the teams in our favor so even putting less pressure on us which sure helped.”

Dadievid: “This is round 5 for sure. We went 7-1 and gained a crucial tiebreak advantage. Everything went our way that round.”

EvilNalu: “I think it was the final week. We needed at least a match tie which is never guaranteed. The match stayed close throughout the week and it came down to the final game of the match, which was my game. I had to secure at least a draw with black to get the win for the team.”

Do you have a game that you'd like to share from season 45?

Not_Any_More: “I think this game:

it was our Round 8 match against "Knights in White Plastic" and this was my match against "whenrooksfly" where some amazing ideas were played and others weren't and an even better post game analysis but an overall very accurate game and an extremely amazing and high level performance and resilience by my opponent that lead him to the win.”

Dadievid:

“In the round after our 7-1 victory, there was some pressure starting to form (for me at least). I was often one of the first players from our team to play due to not being available in the weekends. On move 35 till 37, black pins whites knight to the king, and the pin is unbreakable so black can walk over to win the knight. I got this idea from Marshall - Capablanca (1909 5th match) where on move 34 there is a sideline where a similar pattern occurs. Being able to execute it in a real game felt like a great reward to studying capablanca's endgames.”

EvilNalu: “I don't think I had any really amazing games but probably my fourth round game,

was one of my best. My opponent opened with a move I did not anticipate at all (1.Nc3) and I played a fairly unambitious defense but was able to take over with black and launch a successful kingside attack.”

When did you first believe that you had a shot at winning it all?

Not_Any_More: “After the first game of our round 4, it was a board 8 game and we suspected after the game finished that our opponent wasn't playing fairly so it fired up the whole team to prepare so much and that reaction was to me what sparked the win, we won the round 6-2 and the player we suspected got banned so thanks to the fairplay team.”

Dadievid: “At the end of the 4th round I started to realize that we were in good shape and had won everything. The team spirit started to rise as we went into the crucial round 5.”

EvilNalu: “For me it was somewhere around the end of week 3 when the top of the standings started to thin out. It just felt like random wins for the first couple of weeks but then we kept winning and it started to feel possible to stay on top.”

Outside of your championship, what will you remember season 45 for?

Not_Any_More: “For me it's the fun we had in chat spectating games not just for our team but even games that have nothing to do with us and other players telling you something that you didn't consider so you see the game from a whole different prospective so to me it's always going to be these moments that define the league.”

Dadievid: “I will remember it for the teammates that were always there to watch games and help with opening prep. They made the season very enjoyable, and motivated me to do my absolute best. My five game win-streak won't leave my head soon as well.”

EvilNalu: “I've got to echo my teammates here and say it was the camaraderie of the team and the spectating experience that will stand out to me. Since our team was in at least shared first the whole time, it felt like every game was consequential. I had a lot of fun just spectating and kibitzing on the games we all played.”

What would you do if chesster turned into a pumpkin? (Interviewers note: chesster is our league bot that does all of the simple administration work such as linking league games to the league website for the moderators. It’s safe to say that chesster makes the league run much more efficiently!)

Not_Any_More: “I would think it's inspirational that an ant can work hard till it becomes a huge pumpkin.
Buuuuut then I would carve and eat him up, sorry chesster.”

EvilNalu: “I believe that chesster does turn into a pumpkin periodically and that explains why he often doesn't show up to post matches/results in our team channel.”

Dadievid: “Sorry league, but I would enjoy a nice pumpkin pie that evening”

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After season 46 concluded, we interviewed the new champions. Can you remember who they were?

If you guessed anything but “Working on our 46-pack” you are wrong, and might need to reread the introduction of the previous champions above. The entire team accepted the interview request: @rio2018, @guitarspider, @Pope123, @berndwind, @cinemashow, @chesssedin, @pezzo17, and @Marco_chess13! They also wanted to give a shoutout to their alternates @aloo_bhaloo, @gratus907, @Jelle1, @Serog1sPerog1s, and @Tellerwascher.

First, congratulations on your victory. How does it feel to be the season 46 champions?

berndwind: Thanks for the congrats! Feels rather good, really. I mean I had a very up and down tournament personally, but the team spirit was fantastic, and some of the denizens lurking within our ranks were just about winning every game, which put a little less pressure on the individual.

rio2018: Feels fantastic! Team spirit was always high, and after our captain guitarspider got promoted to a league moderator, I knew we have to win the season for him. Is this the first time someone won the season they got promoted to a mod?

cinemashow: Feels good, but also a little surreal, as probably many things have to come together to achieve a league win. It was great to do it with such a great bunch of teammates, many of whom I had played with before. I'm also pleased to report that no hedgehogs were harmed in the making of this victory.

It's also a little sad as, now, what else is there left to achieve? Well, I've been thinking of learning the guitar - perhaps my captain will be able to give me some lessons!

Marco_chess13: There's some relief that comes with winning the championship. The more we won, the more I wanted us to keep winning. It's silly to take a low stakes chess-league so seriously, but my competitive nature took over. Thankfully, friends and family were there over Christmas dinner to be unimpressed with our team's victory. A sobering reminder that this league, above all, is for fun. At least I could tell my kid that what we had won was actually the Olympiad, and to tell his friends at school the same.

chesssedin: Feels great! keep 'em coming, I got more room on my shelf. Btw, I might be the lowest scoring season winner ever standing at a proud 25% lifetime score.

Pope123: I didn’t see this coming at all, given the odds. This is the first time I’ve won anything chess-related. It feels as much like a blessing as a curse: I won my first title after ten seasons in the league, and I might spend the next hundred chasing another.

guitarspider: I'm very happy with it, it was an exceptional season in so many ways.
At the end I almost felt more relieved I have to say. I didn't get to play the last two rounds (one forfeit and one scheduling draw), so I had to keep watching my teammates. Some of those rollercoaster games in the second half of the season really made me nervous!

pezzo17: Pretty damn good. I was told we won't get a free ride on the mod yacht, as promised. And no parade either.
Its interesting because I play chess for me. Each game is a chance for me to do better than last time. The team aspect doesn't come into play. But.... the camaraderie, the spectating, the opening prep .... it is above and beyond what I was expecting to get out of a chess league. All of that team stuff is what keeps me coming back for more. Getting a championship for our efforts is truly icing on the cake.

What matchup do you believe was the most critical during your run to the championship?

berndwind: For me, round 5 against Pawn Crackers felt like that. We were on 4/4 and there were some strong opponents on that team. I was ready for a big fight against jdannan, which I certainly got!

rio2018: It has to be round 5 or 6. During round 5 We where both on 4/4, and generally it felt like an even match. Sadly i could not play that week, as I was traveling, but still tried by best in the form of helping others prepare.

cinemashow: Hard to choose between rounds 5, 6 and 7 - all seemed critical. I'll go for round 6, against Berge's Bishops, the strongest team in the season by rating. I went to bed on the Saturday evening with the score 3-1 in our favour, but when I looked again the following morning, it was back to 3-3, with me to play next against an opponent rated some 130 points higher. "Eek", I exclaimed in the team channel before going onto play some of my best chess. Our victory was secured by a memorable hold by pezzo17 on board 7.

chesssedin: The first four rounds went rather smoothly and round 8 could not impact our final standing. So matches 5-7 were the most impactful. After round 4 I expected the 5th one to be the most critical. The thought was that if we lose we face easier teams and if we win we are the strongest team out there measured by match points. Our round 6 matchup against Berge's Bishops challenged that theory. We felt like the underdogs because of the Elo difference, but prevailed after some nice upset victories.

Pope123: I agree, rounds 5-7 were all very close. It only got progressively harder, and I felt like we were the underdogs in each of them.

guitarspider: Round 6 I think. Berge's Bishops were extremely strong opponents and we could easily have lost. After that we also played great teams of course, but due to the standings it was less tense.

Marco_chess13: I agree with the consensus here. I will add that winning the first round(s) can also be critical to a team's momentum and morale. I have been on teams that lost immediately and the Slack can end up feeling like a funeral.

pezzo17: round 6 because 6 of 8 of us were outranked and yet we won 4.5-3.5. I assumed that round would be our humbling moment of truth, but our momentum proved strong and we stayed with the upward climb In the team chat we joked that they were overrated (doubtful), but it certainly helped set the stage that winning the round was at least possible.

Do you have a game that you'd like to share from season 46?

berndwind:

My game against jdannan was a complete mess. Like an idiot, I missed mate in 3. I was in full prep, including sacking the knight on move 12, but then failed to find the best continuation. After a big old king hunt, I did finally find a way through and still got a lovely mate, but this game was ridiculous in so many ways.

And I was traveling with my wife through Jawa for a delayed honeymoon (thankfully she supports my chess fixation), so played it in a hotel room on one of my first nights away. Only game I played that week, so I’m not as terrible a husband as it sounds.

My wife was telling me to slow down and stop making fast moves as I was pacing and sweating with far too high a heart rate. And she doesn't even know the rules! So this game was memorable not just for the actual chess but the circumstances. Was certainly an interesting one for me!

cinemashow: We gave berndwind quite some stick for missing the mate in 3 in his round 5 game, and the captain sentenced him to an eternity of Polgar mates. For myself, both my round 6 and 7 games were critical, and I've decided to choose the round 7 game against manuP73. It was my longest game (3h 8m), a real rollercoaster, plenty of mistakes all around, and a tense and exciting watch for my teammates.

chesssedin:

First time I saw the classic QG trap out of a different opening.

Pope123: For me personally, it was my Round 3 draw against Kingcatchess. The game was routine until we landed in an endgame where the kings were exposed, the queens remained on the board, and time was running out. After inflicting prolonged misery on each other for twenty-three blunders, the perpetual with which the game concluded felt like a rescue float. I remember messaging my opponent directly afterward with something along the lines of, “boy, that was stressful,” and the reply, “no kidding”, was the entirety of the exchange. I had never shared such a mix of resentment and solidarity with someone before.

rio2018:

this game was really fun for me. Final round, strong opponent, and no pressure (as we already won the season, even if we would lose.) Someone from the league has been asking me to play the french defense in one game (not to be named, but he is a strong B1 player, plays the french, and also his slack name is coincidentally the same as his lichess name is susiedent) so I thought why not. I looked at some lines, and hoped that my opponent will actually play one of them. Than the day of this game, I woke up in a weird mood, and I didnt want to calculate anything. So I didnt. Grabbed the pawns, and prayed that I wont lose in 10 moves. Somehow I played one of my best game of the season!

pezzo17: Round 6 against kygreek (1799) my highest rated opponent. They had never broken 1800 classical so my secret agenda was to block them. The game was 3 hours (my longest) and had 15 spectators at one point (the most for me). I messed up more than once and found myself in a lost endgame. This one was a luck "win" because I drew after unforced 3-move rep.

guitarspider: I already get to name a game in the mod interview, so I was actually going to say sterpfi - rio2018 rather than pick another one of mine, an impressive game. But now rio's already mentioned that, so I'm back to my own.

I guess I'll pick my game against VicPez, a former team mate.

I messed up the opening a bit, but it was a very complex position and I was able to use a moment my opponent gave me to turn it around. After that it was still very sharp, with a piece sac for counterplay and a nice sequence to trade queens at the end. A game with many interesting moments and decisions.

rio2018: Another game that could be mentioned is staincastle - chesssedin in round 5. Chesssedin's first league victory, and the final game of the match, where we needed point from that game to win the round.

Marco_chess13:

I'll go with my final game of the season against nightsub. Previous to this season I had been playing the same system with both colors. @berndwind encouraged me to branch out a bit, and it was a good idea.

I like this game because it's an example of being "better" in the opening despite your opponent having a big pawn centre. My team seemed to enjoy spectating this one so maybe you'll get something out of it, too.

When did you first believe that you had a shot at winning it all?

berndwind: Probably around round 5 or 6 when we still had a perfect score!

rio2018: I was never in doubt. We had a wonderful team, and even the pope gave us his blessings! I always knew if his blessings work, we can certainly win the season, and as the season progressed, I got more and more certain that the blessings are indeed real!

In all seriousness, after round 4 or 5, I knew we had a shot, as we where a little bit ahead of the other teams, with no sign of slowing down.

cinemashow: If you've reached the halfway mark with a score of 4/4, you definitely have a great shot of winning it. However, that is when things started to get harder, as from then on, we were naturally paired against the other top teams.

I knew the round 5 and 6 matches looked very tough on paper, but fortunately, the spirit and support in our channel helped to motivate us all.

chesssedin: My confidence grew after every match. We were never not first in match points.

guitarspider: I've been in teams before that had a shot but ultimately didn't make it to the podium, so I was aware of how difficult it would be to win. I started believing in it when critical rollercoaster games started to go our way. A lot. That was about halfway through the season. It seemed like we got all the lucky breaks we needed in addition to having a great team spirit and a strong team and so on. In a league this balanced and strong, you need the lucky breaks as well as the rest.

Pope123: Contrary to Rio, my natural pessimism only started to fade somewhere between Rounds 5 and 6. I had the chance to clinch the team win in both, and of course failed to deliver each time. Somehow, the last person to play was always clutch. Having lost yet again in Round 7 and seeing us still on top, I realized it was never about me, but about God’s will.

Marco_chess13: I never thought we could win the championship until my team crunched the numbers after round 6 and found that if we won round 7 we couldn't be overtaken.

Outside of your championship, what will you remember season 46 for?

berndwind: The honeymoon season. Was my second ever season here, and having had a bunch of my teammates around for the second team was awesome. Really loved the team spirit! Outside the chess, here in Bali where I've lived for 11 years now I was having busy times on the work front, and generally running around like a crazy ape the entire time. Perhaps makes sense of some my choices over the board too...

rio2018: It has to be the fact, that I crossed 2200 fide for the first time!

cinemashow: Nothing in particular stands out - but the great thing about the Lichess4545 Team League is that as long as you are in a fun team, you can have a great season wherever you are in the table.
So, I say to all league players - support your teammates, especially newcomers, by being active in the team channel and by spectating games. Indeed, you can do this for non-teammates too! The learning and the fun are the most important parts.

chesssedin: It was a great team to be a member of.

guitarspider: I'll remember it for the team spirit. We had so much fun together, so many wonderful moments of support and learning and joking around. I watch a ton of league games anyway, but it's also really cool to have at least three or four team members show up regularly to watch the games of other team members. That kind of mutual support feels special to me.

chesssedin: I'll add to that, I think we won every single game we played on the spectator score (at some point the majority of spectators were of our team). And occasionally the games of other teams too.

Pope123: Midway through the season, Rio had to take two weeks off for what he claimed was a busy travel schedule. When he returned, he told us how he had (allegedly by mistake) hacked into a museum’s computer. Make of that what you will, but I’d keep a close eye on that one

rio2018: Could we skip over that? it was an accident!

Pope123: Right, right.. you thought I would forget? Im sorry, but its my duty as the Pope to report any suspicious activity.

pezzo17: season 46.... one draw and six wins (and my alt won so B7 remains undefeated). I know that kind of successful season won't happen again for me. I will be plateaud at some point. I was part of a mass layoff during round 1. I think the freedom/lightness of being that brings - along with doubling down on my struggles with focus - really helped my climb.

chessedin and marco were the only players new to the team. The rest of us have managed to stick together (off and on) through the four seasons of 2025. With that comes a lot of support, camradarie, and overall desire to continue to be part of something positive. Playing chess with a strong team (even if its a losing season) really sets the 4545 league apart. I don't know anyone at my local OTB club, which is not the case here.

Marco_chess13: The team made it a very memorable season. Everyone was active in the Slack, and made an effort to spectate each other's games. It was a great experience to play with such talented and helpful players. Every dumb question I had about a position was answered with patience and grace. An invaluable experience for anyone wanting to improve at chess.

What impact do you think it would have if half your team turned into pumpkins?

rio2018: It really depends which half turns into pumpkins. Every round I wasnt available, my teammates crushed the round. So if I turn into a pumpkin permanently, I'm expecting them to do 8/8 every round.

pezzo17: Smashing Pumpkins would be a great team name, thats for sure.
I don't think it would have any impact. Like they always say: the pumpkins that play chess together, stay together.

guitarspider: Pumpkins aren't known for being very communicative, so I assume the team channel would be a lot more quiet and I'd have a lot more late contact issues as captain. I'm not sure what lichess thinks of pumpkin accounts either. I think this would have scuttled our championship bid and I will watch any future teammates carefully for any signs that they're turning orange and round.

cinemashow: In anticipation of this question, I did in fact play Season 47 as a pumpkin, and you can check my games there for the answer.

Marco_chess13: It would totally derail the entire season. Probably the world health organisation would get involved, maybe secret services? It would be a big deal. The remaining players might never know what happened to their team mates either. I imagine the alts would be busy.

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Finally, we interviewed the newest league moderator, @guitarspider!

Did you suspect that you might someday be invited onto the league moderator team?
Not even a little bit. I was happy just being a player and contributing to the community for fun (trying to revive #endgames, starting #CalculationNation, working on reviving the blindfold league at #blindfold,...) But when I was asked it was just another way to contribute, so it made sense to me to give it a go.

Would you like to make a speech about your promotion?
No. I don't think it's speech-worthy.

How is life on the Mod Yacht?
It's great! I've been spending a lot of time lying on the sun deck with a drink.

Do you have some advice on how to not cross the moderator team?
It's not that difficult, just try to be a decent human being.

Make a prediction about season 47.
There are going to be more funny team names than last season. Season 46 was quite weak in that regard.

Can you please share your favorite game of season 46?
I watch a lot of games, picking one is very difficult. I'll go with butterpecan vs cinemashow. I like it a lot because Black gets an advantage by playing typical moves against White's atypical ones. It also has a tactical melee and a dramatic ending. It also was just the result we needed to at least draw the round.

Finally, for the most important question: How would you react if the league website turned into a pumpkin, leaving more manual work for the mods?
I'd be hoping to make some pumpkin soup while the rest of the mods toils away.

Tell us a bit about yourself and/or your chess play.

I play chess because it offers me infinite possibilities to learn and I like learning. So I've stuck with it since learning the game at a local chess club's summer event as a kid. There have been breaks of course, but I've always come back.

Which of your games this season is your favorite?
arbisto - guitarspider!

It wasn't my best game this season, but I sacrificed the exchange and it was all very interesting. I missed an important idea at some point and was worse, but managed to draw in the end.

Which league player do you most respect?
I have a hard time answering that, I don't really think in respect hierarchies. Anyone who spends their time making this the awesome place it is really.

Which league player would you most like to see interviewed in a future edition of the ledger?
My teammate berndwind. He's got an interesting life on and off the chessboard! We actually convinced him to rename himself berndini because he kept winning and drawing drawn or lost positions so much this season, escaping like Houdini again and again. Sadly lichess doesn't allow renaming.

Please give us a nugget of wisdom.
A page of Polgar mates a day keeps the chess doctor away.

You played your rookie season in season 36, but didn't play again until season 42. What brought you back to the league?
I was testing if the league was for me and intended to keep playing but then life happened (new position in a new city and moving together with my partner), so I really wasn't focused on chess. By season 42 I wanted to play regular classical chess again and the easiest way to do that was the league. I'm closing in on 50 games now and am quite proud of having played consistently for over a year now.

Speaking of season 36, you played that season as an alternate. Can you please tell us what that experience was like and how it differs from being a full-time player on a team, both positively and negatively?
Being an alternate is a good way to get to know the league. There are no obligations, you just play for others who don't have the time that week. And if you don't feel like it, no big deal, you just wait for an offer to play again next round. You also get to be part of a team for each week you play, so you get a lot of different impressions as every team is different.

As a full time player you're part of a team for the whole season, so you get to know people much better. You can also name players you want to be on a team with. It's a lot of fun to cheer each other on and it's easier to deal with tough losses if you've got people to talk to. You're guaranteed a game every week, but you also have to be able to commit to it. That's why players often go back and forth between full team and alternate between seasons.

Once you returned to the league in season 42, you made an immediate impact on the community, even being one of the players featured in @FunnyAnimatorJimTV ’s famous season 42 poster. How would you describe the league community?
At the time I was watching pretty much every 4545 stream I could to get to know the community a bit better and I quickly became a little famous for that. I also played FunnyAnimatorJimTV in my first season, we talked a bit and I think my name was probably memorable enough and funny enough as a drawing to make it onto the poster.

I only gradually learned how many little corners this community has, but I really appreciated that. There's basically something for everyone. #endgame, #4545-calculation-nation and #blindfold are only some of the smaller side communities I've been active in and there are so many more. It's more than a league really and it makes it a lot easier to find people who have similar chess interests. People are also quite generous, sharing their insights and experiences and helping others. I appreciate that a lot and I've been trying to carry that forward.

Are there any specific players in the league who you want to give a shout-out to for their contributions to the league's environment?
I'll have to say @jg777. He happened to stream a lot when I joined the league and got to know people and his enthusiasm and his friendly attitude really stood out to me. That sort of thing just makes the league a nicer place to be.

As we know from the season 46 championship interview above, you are a member of the reigning champions! Do you have any advice for new players about how they can contribute best to creating team success?
I strongly believe that having fun as a group is the bedrock of success. So I'd say get to know your team members and find out how you can support each other. The league is really tough and teams are balanced overall, so every match is hard and chess is already a difficult game in many ways. Having a positive, supportive group around you, that's going to make the hard moments easier and the good moments more rewarding. That sense of community is going to carry you if you manage to catch the tide at the right moment. It is also its own form of success.

As a three-time captain, what can you tell us about the role of the captain?
Being a captain is mostly about reminding your teammates of messaging their opponent. Sometimes you help them out with rules questions and mod interactions. Personally I've enjoyed creating little write ups with a little joke at each start of the round, just a simple way to make it fun for everybody.

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Lichess4545 is an online chess league for people who like playing long time control games online. Players are assigned to teams and play one game per week with a 45+45 time control. For more information visit our league home page.
LoneWolf is a side league of the Lichess4545 league. It is an 11-round Swiss tournament where players play one game per week with a 30+30 time control. For more information about the LoneWolf tournament visit the LoneWolf homepage.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA).
The interviews made by @fork2020