Lawrence Trent, also known as “the Voice of Chess”, is an English International Master, chess commentator, and coach.
As a young player, Trent went from strength to strength, topping the British Championship three years running in the U-11, U-12, and U-13 categories, rapidly achieving his IM title by the age of 19, and swiftly following this up with back-to-back victories scored at the Italian Porto San Giorgio Open in 2005 and 2006. With two Grandmaster norms and a peak FIDE rating of 2487 under his belt, Trent is well placed to chase that elusive GM title.
But for all his prowess on the board, perhaps the greatest impact Trent has had on the chess community has been behind the mic. As a commentator, he has called the shots on some of the biggest games in the world, including the FIDE World Championship Candidates Tournament and FIDE World Cup, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, and the Anand-Carlsen World Championship match in 2014 to name but a few. While kicking it with greats such as GM Nigel Short and GM Susan Polgar (and in his subsequent work as a broadcaster for chess24), Trent has gained a reputation for delivering anecdotal, accessible, and insightful analysis of high-level chess to a general audience — earning the handy moniker of “the Voice of Chess”.
Add the fact that he was one of the hosts on the popular Full English Breakfast chess podcast and that he managed GM Fabiano Caruana and you’ve got a pretty impressive Chess CV.
Now, with his debut Chessable course, Play 1...b6 Against Everything, Trent is bringing his signature instructional style straight to your doorstep, converting his years of experience both on the board and in the booth into a straight-shooting and highly enjoyable repertoire for the adventurous Black player. Check out the course below and stay tuned for more killer content from IM Lawrence Trent!