Vladimir Kramnik on the climax of the Anand-Gelfand match
Few know more about the tension of the final stages of a World Championship match than ex-World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, so his interview on the eve of Game 12 shouldn’t be missed. He gives his impressions of the match so far and talks about what we can expect from the final game and possible tiebreak.
Ilyumzhinov on the London Candidates and Grand Prix
In an interview with Sport Express, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has explained the decision to hold the next Candidates Tournament later this year in London. He also talks about plans for a new Men’s Grand Prix and the sale of the rights to the World Championship and other major events.
Svidler on his path to the World Cup
After an utterly deserved victory at the World Cup (picking up 20 rating points and moving into the Top 10 in the process), Peter Svidler gave an interview to Yury Vasiliev of Sport Express. He discussed a number of old scores he’d had to settle along the way.
Karjakin reflects on moving up in the world
Sergey Karjakin recently finished joint top with Magnus Carlsen at the Kings Tournament in Bazna, and moved up to fourth on the July 2011 FIDE rating list. In an interview with Yury Vasiliev he talked about his ambitions, his rivalry with Carlsen, the Candidates Matches and the future of classical chess.
Ilya Levitov: “For me, classical chess is opera”
And he isn’t an opera buff. If you’re wondering why that matters, it’s because Levitov is one of the most influential men in chess: President of the Russian Chess Federation Board, a FIDE Vice President and part of the new Foundation for Modernisation. He gave his verdict on the current state of chess.
Grischuk: I was worried I’d forgotten how to play chess
Just before the closing ceremony of the Candidates Matches in Kazan, Alexander Grischuk gave a fascinating interview to Yury Vasiliev of ChessPro, where he talked about tactics, his fear he’d forgotten how to play chess, Gelfand’s play in the final, and the “burial of classical chess” due to draws.
Gelfand and Grischuk’s final press conference
Much of the final press conference of the Candidates Matches in Kazan needed no interpretation. Grischuk’s sportsmanship in defeat was there for all to see, and the rough course of the game was conveyed in the players’ English comments. There was again, however, much more in Russian…
Grischuk and Aronian’s views on their match
Although the tournament favourite was knocked out, Aronian and Grischuk’s tie-break was somewhat overshadowed by events in the other match. In fact, it turned out afterwards that the players had been disturbed by the “bam-bam-bam” of Kramnik and Radjabov playing blitz!
Vladimir Potkin on chess coaching and cheating
In an interview given after becoming European Individual Champion, Vladimir Potkin talks about how he won, what it means for his “day job” of coaching Ian Nepomniachtchi, and gives his view on the cheating scandal that was the talk of the town in Aix-les-Bains.
Danailov: “Chess should either change, or die”
In a short but fascinating interview, Silvio Danailov, Veselin Topalov’s manager and the President of the European Chess Union, shed light on the fate of a number of tournaments, his protégé’s form, and new and controversial plans for the future of chess.
