Svidler: “The circus is travelling to Khanty”
After Peter Svidler won the 2011 Russian Championship he gave a long interview to Vladimir Barsky for the Russian Chess Federation website. Barsky had been with Svidler at the World Team Championship in Ningbo, China, so had witnessed the dramatic change of fortune between the two events first-hand.
Morozevich and Grischuk demonstrate their wins
All games were decisive in round 4 of the Russian Championship Superfinal, and afterwards Alexander Morozevich and Alexander Grischuk demonstrated their wins for the local audience and those watching the video broadcast. Vladimir Barsky transcribed their comments for the official website, and I’ve translated them below.
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.
Nepomniachtchi back in the race
With his win on tie-breaks in the Russian Championship, Ian Nepomniachtchi, born in the same year as Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin and now 2732.8 on the live rating list, confirmed he’s back in contention for the highest honours in chess.
Aronian: I’ve never considered myself a strong blitz player
Maria Fominykh’s final report on the Tal Memorial at ChessPro included interviews with two of the winners, Sergey Karjakin and Levon Aronian. Both players talked about the main event, but also the upcoming blitz.
Shipov on the Tal Memorial Rd 9
While the final round of the Tal Memorial provided all the human drama you could hope for, the chess itself at times perhaps left something to be desired. For instance, Shipov describes Grischuk – Nakamura as “a game of woefully poor quality”.
Shipov on the Tal Memorial Rd 8
The sensation of the eighth round was Sergey Karjakin’s crushing win over Vladimir Kramnik. Shipov’s report begins, “generational change is inevitable”. Other highlights include the awakening of the “lion” Shirov, and Nakamura and Gelfand paying tribute to Capablanca and Alekhine.
Shipov on the Tal Memorial Rd 7
An indication of how much Grandmaster Shipov is enjoying himself is the number of “translator’s notes” I need to add, and this report beat all records. Wang Hao has become “Ivan”, Nakamura scored a victory over Armenian chess, and Eljanov’s play provoked the comment: “Study theory, gentlemen!”
Shipov on the Tal Memorial Rd 6
While round 6 didn’t set any records for fighting chess, Grandmaster Shipov does a good job of explaining the opening subtleties that pass the average chess fan by. Highlights include an unfortunate “butterfly effect”, and Gelfand choosing a line that’s “not going to trouble giants”.
Shipov on the Tal Memorial Rd 5
Shipov’s impressions of Round 5 included holding back some analysis for his friend Boris, dismissing the “iron lumps” of computers and describing Shirov and Nakamura as players capable of “turning even a dry endgame into a fierce and ultra-complex thriller”.
