The Queen of Spades

What happens when a teenager goes missing in the world’s smallest, and supposedly safest, country? Emanuela Orlandi’s sudden disappearance remains the only missing person’s case in Vatican City, yet more than 40 years later we still have no idea what really happened behind the pa ...  Show more

An American couple buys a house in England that locals warn is haunted. But instead of feeling fearful, Ned and Mary are excited by the prospect of ghostly company. That is, until a mystery begins to unravel their marriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c ...  Show more

One of Russia’s most prolific serial killers was an avid chess player. First introduced to the pastime by his grandfather, the young Alexander Pichushkin finally found something he could excel at. But in 1992, his competitive urges were drawn to a different kind of game… Learn mo ...  Show more

For many Russian writers and readers, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) holds a special place: his position in Russian literature is often compared to Shakespeare's in English, Dante's in Italian, and Goethe's in German. In this episode, Jacke talks to Pushkin translator Robert Chand ...  Show more

Ah the checkered board of mental masterfulness... a place where your heart can lead you to a queen or was it a trap... a Queen's Gambit!!! That's right, this week your ever illustrious hosts, Tyler and Markiplier, dive pawn first into Chess! Was it invented by the Roman Empire? W ...  Show more

Afraid his mother, Catherine the Great, would have him assassinated, Russian Emperor Paul I built a fortress to protect himself. But after a shocking betrayal, death entered the castle… and with it, spectral soldiers, swirling fog, and a blue-eyed man with a grimace. Learn more a ...  Show more