Bits and Pieces #1
Boris Spassky on his recovery, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on Carlsen, Veselin Topalov on his fear of Santa Claus, and Darek Świercz makes Wijk-aan-Zee, with a little help from his trainer. Chess stories from Russia (and “Eastern Europe”) in brief.
Topalov, Didier Drogba and romanticism in chess
In what some might consider cruel and unusual punishment, Bulgarian schoolchildren recently played chess with an IBM supercomputer. Fortunately, they had a little help from Veselin Topalov, who after the match gave an interview to Danail Kisov of Klassa.bg.
Topalov on Kramnik and the Russians
Topalov gave a long and often interesting interview to the Bulgarian “Capital” newspaper, but one remarkable section stands out. The interviewer’s mention of Kramnik was like waving a red rag at a bull.
Topalov: “if someone’s looking to create a provocation they’ll always find something”
Seldom have truer words been spoken than these by Topalov in an interview with the Bulgarian Topsport newspaper.
