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Lilit Mkrtchian Interviews GM Sergey Karjakin |
-Sergey, we have already heard from your wife regarding your new married status, so now why don't we turn our attention to matters related to chess. As you know this tournament is dedicated to the 9th World Champion Tigran Petrosian’s 80th anniversary and I would like to know your opinion about our legendary compatriot. What kind of useful things have you learnt from his games?
-Thank you Lilit. Of course I have deeply studied Tigran Petrosian’s games as I have done with other World Champions’ games. He was very intriguing player with a signature counter-attacking style. Of course, he is deservedly famous for his exchange sacrifices and for his implementation of the concept of blockading, which resonate with me strongly.
-What do you think about FischerRandom chess?
-I am very interested in participating and watching FischerRandom chess. Two times I have had the great pleasure of participating in the tournament in Mainz. It is not so good that there is only one such tournament per year. I would like to be able to take part in such tournaments very often.
-Do you trust computer’s estimation or do you disagree with it sometimes?
- Surely you shouldn’t trust a computer’s estimation blindly. You should investigate all the possible variations and then choose the best one. For example, in the game against Bacrot, in the opening Etienne followed computer’s estimation where the computer gave the OK, despite the fact that white’s position was preferable. One should follow the axiom “trust but check”.
-What do you think about the upcoming Anand - Topalov match? What would you identify as their weak points?
-It is going to be an interesting and hard-fought match. I can’t guess who will be the winner because they are both very strong players. I think it is impossible to consider any aspects of thier game weak. If there are, then I am sure they will try to correct them.
-How do you think, what should be done for popularizing chess.
-I guess it has to do most with organizational skill. I don’t want to say anything bad about FIDE or other organizational bodies but I think FIDE hasn't been able to solve all its problems as of yet.
-How do you play when you wife is near you?
This is my first experience (laughing) and I think I have started the tournament not so poorly. I sense my wife’s encouragement. We are already planning to go to tournaments together in the future.
-Tell me about your impressions in Jermuk.
-Every day we walk together in the nature, drinking the famous mineral water of Jermuk. It is wonderful to be here: the nature is beautiful and the air is clear and crisp.
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