The World Chess Championship Seconds
In
a press release from September 17, 2004, one week before it is due to start,
the organisers of the Classical World Chess Championship at Centro Dannemann,
Brissago, Switzerland, between title holder Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Peter
Leko (Hungary) have revealed the seconds of the two participants. The seconds
are chess coaches with whom the players have been working to prepare for the
match, and who will be present in Brissago to give them every possible support
during the world championship.
Kramnik's seconds
- Grandmaster Evgeny Bareev (Russia), born 21 November 1966
- Grandmaster Miguel Illescas (Spain) born 13 December 1965
- Grandmaster Peter Svidler (Russia) born 17 June 1976
Leko's seconds
- Grandmaster Vladimir Akopian (Armenia) born 17 December 1971
- Grandmaster Arshak Petrosian (Armenia) born 16 December 1953
- Grandmaster Vladislav Tkachiev (Russia) born 9 November 1973
Let's take a look at these seconds.
Evgeny Bareev was part of the Kramnik team that defeated Kasparov
at the end of 2000 in London. In a memorable
interview (ChessBase Magazine 82) he said the following – in his typical
tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecatory style:
Question: Tell me what was it like, why did you become [Kramnik's] second?
Bareev: I'm a material guy. I thought Kramnik will win this match and I'll
get much money. That was my main motivation.
Q: How did you help him, what was your role in the team?
Bareev: Huge. I tried to defend this Berlin Defence. I suffered. Because
I tried to find any possible positive ideas in this disgusting variation.
That is deep suffering. I stopped sleeping at all, the last week.
Q: How did Vladimir win the match?
Bareev: He was extremely lucky, because everything worked for him. I don't
mean variations, every detail worked for him. I think this is the only point
in which Kasparov was right, when he described the match and the result of
the match, and said that he had been unlucky. But let me keep it a secret,
because Vlady may be playing another match, and I don't want to help anybody.
Q: Will you be there the next time?
Bareev: I hope not. After the match for the next two, three months I was
completely exhausted, emotionally, physically. If I'm dying of hunger then
I'll come to Vlady and say "Vlady, give me this job." But if I'm not, then
I'll go to the organisers and tell them to allow me to spend a day next to
Julian Hodgeson commenting the match, Anand-Kramnik or Kramnik-Kasparov.
Miguel Illescas: Spain's top GM for many years, until Paco
Vallejo came along. Miguel has seconded Kramnik and the IBM computer Deep Blue,
both against Garry Kasparov.
Peter Svidler: He won the Russian
Championship a number of times before he was in long pants. Apart from
numerous regular tournaments he also won the ACP
Inaugural Tournament on Playchess.com. Extremely well-read, very smooth
and sophisticated, loves cricket. Hope we get to spend time with him in Brissago.
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Vladimir Akopian: In
the first round of the Corus
Wijk aan Zee tournament this January he beat none other than Vladimir
Kramnik with a spectacular rook sacrifice. Which may be the reason why
Peter Leko has taken him on ("Okay, Vladimir, now show us exactly how
it is done!").
The 32-year-old Armenian is best known for having won
many junior titles and for finishing second to Khalifman in the 1999
FIDE world championship in Las Vegas. |
Arshak Petrosian (left in the picture) is part of the Leko
clan, since Peter married his daughter Sophia (right). A very humorous, animated
narrator with whom we would go for dinner anytime. How about after game two
in Brissago, Arshak?
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Vladislav Tkachiev:
He hails from the Republic of Kazakhstan and lives in Cannes, France.
His Elo rating is 2634, which makes him a member of the elite group of
Super-Grandmasters. He is known as a flamboyant
personality, popular amongst his colleagues, with a large following
of female admirers.
His ChessBase
Magazine interview was at least as memorable as that of Bareev. Also
someone we should go out to dinner with. |
Interviews with the Finalists
These interviews were conducted by Pierre Barthélémy of the newspaper
Le Monde, Paris. We reproduce both interviews here with the kind permission
of Mr Barthélémy and Le Monde.
Vladimir Kramnik
How are you organizing your preparation for the match, and is it different
from the 2000 preparation?
Kramnik: Rather similar in comparison with my match against
Kasparov. Of course you are always ready to optimise and to adjust a bit.
How important are the computer chess programs in the preparation and during
a match?
Kramnik: On the one hand it is very important to use the
computer in your team for getting a certain basic level in your preparation.
On the other hand it is not good to use it all the time. In a way you have
to become independent from it so as not to affect your own play. Let me put
it like this: my trainers are working with the computer permanently – I do
not.
In 2000, you told me that your victory against Garry Kasparov was psychological;
how do you prepare psychologically for this new opponent?
Kramnik: I do not think I defeated Kasparov just because
of psychological resilience. The psyche is of course an important part as in
every sport especially in a World Chess Championship match. But your general
understanding of chess, your preparation, your physical fitness, your mental
energy, your strategic and tactical abilities are very important as well. It
is complex: You have to be strong in every field to become World Champion.
Can you define your style and point out the differences between your style
and Peter Leko's?
Kramnik: Our styles are a bit different because we are different
personalities. But at the same time we are both universal players. In modern
chess you need to adjust your play to the situation even if this is not in
accordance with your style or your preferences. There is a famous saying: “It
is not important whether one plays a strategic or tactical style. Nowadays
it is just important to play a winning style.”
This match is supposed to be the first step towards a unification match;
do you think this reunification match will occur some day and do you include
this prospect in your preparation?
Kramnik: This match in the Centro Dannemann is not a step,
this match is for the World Chess Championship title in accordance with the
classical bloodline starting in 1886 with Wilhelm Steinitz. It is the main
chess event of the year. Meanwhile the chess community is more and more aware
that a possible unification will not depend on the Classical World Chess Champion
alone. But please let me stop here. I have to defend my title first of all.
If I am successful I will start to analyse the entire situation.
Peter Leko
This is your first classical match for the world championship title; so
how are you organizing your preparation?
Leko: I have still not finished my preparation but I am
almost there. I hope I will achieve the optimum. This event is the highlight
of my career irrespective of all my achievements in the past. I have been preparing
specifically for about six months. For more or less two months we have been
working intensively and I have done all I could. I will be ready in Brissago.
How important are the computer chess programs in the preparation and during
a match?
Leko: You can analyse certain positions with the computer
and you are able to develop them. In addition the machine is increasingly useful
for simplifying your training. Nowadays you need this because your opponent
is using the same technique. But all this should not be over-estimated. A computer
is just an instrument – nothing more. You have to control the technique and
not the other way round. On the highest level you still need to develop your
own ideas and you should never forget to be creative. Human decisions, by creating
moments of surprise, are still the most important factor in a World Chess Championship
fight.
How do you prepare physically and psychologically?
Leko: I am mentally and physically strong anyway. These
are important traits of my character and my nature and I do not need any special
preparation in these fields. It is part of my philosophy that body and soul
should be in a certain balance. I do not think that I will lose this balance
during the match. Of course, at the moment I am exercising physically just
to get relaxed and as a compensation for the very demanding chess training.
Could you define your style and point out the differences between your
style and Vladimir Kramnik’s?
Leko: There are certainly some similarities between Kramnik
and me because we are universal chess players. I think we both have a classical,
positional understanding of chess and we are always looking for creativity.
In my opinion Kramnik is the player with the deepest understanding of the game
in the world, but like every human being: he has weaknesses as well. It is
clear that he is a strong, a very strong champion but I think I will get my
chances because of my own strong points.
This match is supposed to be the first step towards a unification match;
do you think this unification match will occur some day and do you include
this prospect in your preparation?
Leko: You know, I am challenging Kramnik, the man who defeated
Kasparov convincingly and one of the strongest players ever. I need to concentrate
fully on this. Anything else would not be very professional. Fortunately I
have not been really involved in chess politics up to now. In general I am
positive concerning a unification but I am only ready to think about that after
the World Championship.
Contacts and further information:
Rolf Behovits
Press Officer World Chess Championship
CENTRO DANNEMANN
Via Ruggero Leoncavallo
CH-6614 Brissago
rbehovits@chessgate.de
Links
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