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Antoni Yordanov, Trud Daily

You won the Amber tournament – are you satisfied with the success in such tournaments that do not get reflected on the World Rating?
A victory is a victory. As a chess player it is your duty to give 100% when you play. I am happy winning the Amber .

A completely different competition is to come – the M-Tel Masters. It is well known that you always aim for the first place, what is your realistic expectation about this year’s edition of the tournament?
Like you said to aim for top spot

Will Veselin Topalov be your biggest competitor once again?
It is an event with 10 rounds so in such a short event, anything can happen. All six people can have a good event and are tough rivals. So I will not be concentrating on one person only.
Topalov will be extra motivated because of home advantage.

In fact do you think there are any other grand masters that you can put at the same level with Topalov?
All players in the top ten have a very high understanding of chess and are very difficult to beat. At a certain point some players may have a better result but as you can see on a given day the better prepared chess player wins.
It is like a 100m race everyone starts from the starting point and the fastest person wins. Same in chess in each game you have to show your strength .

Your opinion about Gata Kamsky, who is seen as the surprise and the enigma of the tournament?
In 1996 he was clearly the top 1% of the chess world. It is to be seen if he can claw back to that form.

What do you think about the quality of M-Tel Masters itself?
It is a good event. I like visiting Sofia and am happy that the event has become an annual fixture.

How do you evaluate the idea of founding a “Grand Slam” in chess resembling the tennis one?
Clearly it is a positive sign.

Do you approve of the rule of no draws agreed by the players invented for M-Tel Masters?
It is a novel idea. I think players at the top level have a responsibility to their spectator.

Do you think that this rule can be totally imposed?
This is difficult to answer. As I said most players in the top ten play with an intention to exhibit our preparation and talent and strive hard to please spectators

Do you have ideas for other novelties that could make your sport even more dynamic and interesting for the audience?
I think Chess has a good potential and there are a lot of initiatives to make chess more interesting. I think playing your sport with 100% commitment is the best way to promote it

One year has passed without Gary Kasparov. How does chess look like now through your eyes?
I don’t really think about it. Chess as a game is greater than it’s players. We will always have legends and new players and this is how the sport lives on

It is easier for you personally or did you lose the challenge of playing against the strongest chess player in the recent years?
I have my own ambitions both as a person and a chess player and this defines my philosophy.

Actually who is the strongest chess player in the present moment?
Depends on each tournament. At Corus Topalov and me showed that we were stronger. In Linares Aronian showed he had the upper hand.

Do you think there will be a game between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik for the title World Champion?
You will have to ask the two players involved.

Does Kramnik have the moral right to be the pretender for a game with Topalov after he did not take part in the World Championship in Argentina?
This is not for me to answer.

Is the format of the championship in Saint Luis the best for determining the World Champion?
This has been an oft-debated question. In my opinion if a format interests a sponsor and the public and is just it is valid

How do you see the new wave of new players like Timur Radjabov, Sergey Kariakin and Magnus Carlsen?
Clearly they are all very strong with a deep understanding of chess. It is tough to think of them as youngsters as they are all well integrated in the chess circuit.

Who will the new World Champion be?
A very hypothetical question. Again any player in the top ten could be world champion