Archive for November 19th, 2009

“I fell ill,” the winner of the super-strong 2009 Tal Memorial tournament reveals. “But for some reason I achieved my best results when I had to take tablets to control my temperature.” Vladimir Kramnik speaks about his chances in the Candidates tournament, the cooperation Carlsen-Kasparov, and Anand’s chances in Sofia. We have added a brief Aronian statement to this Sport Express interview.

“Until recently I was a schoolboy,” says a candid Magnus Carlsen, “I am not very accustomed to rigid, hard and painstaking work. Only by working with Garry Kasparov have I become aware of just how important it is.” The 18-year-old winner of the 2009 World Blitz Championship, and the inofficial world number one player, gives credit where it’s due in this Vremya (Time) interview.

It was a spectacular event, a three-day frenzy of blitz chess, with World Champion Anand finishing three full points ahead of the field – and one Magnus Carlsen, 18-year-old youth from Norway, three points ahead of him. Oh the excitement! We brought you the results and games of the third and final day. Here now is a photo report by Misha Savinov.