“Who plays better, Ivanchuk in good form or Carlsen?”
Boris Gelfand’s view, in an interview with Chess-News after winning the Candidates Matches in Kazan, was that an in-form Ivanchuk is still the best player in the world. As well as the topic of age in chess, he also talked about preparation, computers, Sofia Rules and the World Championship format.
Gata Kamsky: I can’t play like Grischuk and Kramnik
As the press conference after the semifinals was only attended by the winners we didn’t get to hear from Gata Kamsky, but he later talked to a local newspaper. As well as discussing the games he described his approach to chess, the previous match he played against Topalov, and when he intends to retire.
Vassily Ivanchuk: “I’m a very ambitious person”
Few would identify emotional outbursts as the quality to borrow from Garry Kasparov, but then Vassily Ivanchuk has always stood out from the crowd. In a long and fascinating interview he again displays the self-awareness and deliberate strategy that often lie behind his apparent eccentricities.
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.
Birth of a Supernova: Vasiliev reports from Wijk aan Zee
Hikaru Nakamura’s tournament victory was described as “the birth of a supernova” by Yury Vasiliev in two final reports from the Tata Steel 2011 Tournament. The Russian journalist was on the ground in Wijk aan Zee to provide photo reports and comments from players and observers throughout the event.
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.
Carlsen and the Candidates – a retrospective
Although Magnus Carlsen’s decision to pull out of next year’s Candidates Matches came as a great shock, perhaps we should have seen it coming. It’s worth revisiting this summer’s press, where Veselin Topalov was making the headlines, but Carlsen’s name kept cropping up.
Shirov interviewed at Crestbook
A full English translation of Alexei Shirov’s answers to reader questions at Crestbook has just been published. The Latvian firebrand is asked about chess tactics and openings but also, for instance, about “the most important thing in a woman”.
Grischuk interviewed at Crestbook
Alexander Grischuk, one of the most interesting characters at the top of world chess, responded to reader questions at Crestbook. Topics included his preference for blitz and rapid chess, his other career as a poker player… and almost everything else under the sun.
Kramnik: For now Magnus is my “client”
Fresh from his smooth win in Bilbao, Vladimir Kramnik gave an interview where he talked about the situation at the top in world chess, Magnus Carlsen’s recent loss of form, and his own hopes of regaining the top spot on the rating list.
