Neues Deutschland: At the Chess Olympiade 2006 you won Gold with the Armenian team. Do you want to crown this achievement with a world championship title in 2007?
Levon Aronian: I will do my best and hope to be successful.
You were able to beat world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia 4:2 in a match played just two months ago in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Does that make you feel optimistic about the world championship?
That was rapid chess, 25 minutes per player and game. But I also lost to Kramnik before that. So it is difficult to make any prognosis for the world championship.
Considering that around 800 million people in the world play chess, do you think that chess is receiving adaquate publicity?
Naturally I would be glad if chess was more popular. The game should be used more intensively in the school curriculum, because it trains the faculty for reasoning. Studies in the USA and in Russia have proved that conclusively.
In your home country of Armenia you are a superstar. What is the reason for this chess enthusiasm?
It is not so much chess as the success of our national team. The country has gone through a difficult phase, and people long for a taste of glory. That explains the enthusiasm we saw when our team returned for the Chess Olympiade in Turin with the Gold medal.
If you win the title then the deposed world champion Kramnik gets a second chance. The World Chess Federation FIDE has given Kramnik the right to challenge the winner of the world championship. It this a fair privilege?
The world championship 2007 in Mexico City is a round robin tournament. In my opinion the world championship should actually be decided in a match between the title holder and a challenger. That is the traditional way of deciding the world championship. We are returning to that when the winner of the world championship tournament has to play a match against the former world champion.
The full interview and links can be seen on chessbase.com.
Aronian will be the next world champion.
Yeah, Aronian will be the next world champion (Unless this prediction is Aronious)
Aronian rocks!
Aronian will indeed be the next world champion, as will Anand, Kramnik and Topalov.
Boy, we’ve got a lot of next world champions. The idea of Kramnik succeeding himself is awfully Zen, don’t you think?
Even Aronian mentions that Topa is doing the wrong thing… Time for Topalov to get a new manager and start afresh.
– Vinay
“Even Aronian mentions that Topa is doing the wrong thing… Time for Topalov to get a new manager and start afresh.
– Vinay “
Maybe Topalov should hire Susan.
They’ll be a lovely couple.