Interview of Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov to Idman.biz website
- After the successful performance in the World Cup, can we say that self-confidence has increased a little?
- Undoubtedly, my self-confidence has increased. The main reason for this was that I played at an equal level against strong opponents. After that I played in the Polish league. I also achieved good results there. I was pleased with the open struggle and challenging games.
- You are going to the "Grand Swiss" Tournament. How did the preparations for the competition go?
- Preparation for this tournament is no different from others. I hope I can perform well. Because this is a good experience for me, in the first place, and the main goal is undoubtedly the European Team Chess Championship in Budva in November. We want to return home with medals as a team in that competition.
- The rating favorite of the "Grand Swiss" Tournament is Fabiano Caruana. Who do you think is the main candidate to win the race?
- It is difficult to determine the favorite in advance in this tournament. Magnus Carlsen also participated in that race and could not win. At that time, Wang Hao, who was not the favorite, won the title. It is difficult to predict in advance in "Gran Swiss". But without a doubt, Caruana is in very good shape and is the sole leader in the current American Championship. I believe that he will perform well in Grand Swiss.
- What will be your goal in said tournament?
- As in every tournament, I want a successful participation in "Grand Swiss". I will work for that. My main goal is to fight against strong opponents in this tournament and gain good experience for future tournaments.
- Govhar Beydullayeva and Mohammad Muradli recently won the gold medal at the U-20 World Championship. Did you expect this?
- It is a very prestigious event for our country that Govhar and Mohammad are World Champions among 20-year-olds. We regularly win medals from European and World Championships not only in lower age groups, but also in older age groups. This is an indicator that the chess movement in the country is going right. They have achieved better results than this before. They should see these victories as just the next title and aim for even higher.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
