Interview with Harikrishna & Vidit

Indian Grandmasters Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi won their games on boards 1 & 3 in the key match against Azerbaijan, both with the black pieces. Susan Polgar seized the opportunity for a few words with two very happy guys!

• Congratulations to both of you! How did it happen, winning both games with Black? It’s not so common…

PH: My game was very complex. I think he missed my last move, rook to d1, but also maybe he overestimated his chances and played very riskily; I seized my chances and won the game.

• Vidit, you’re one of the heroes of this Olympiad so far; 5-0! (ed: 5 wins out of 5 games) What’s your secret for winning all your games?

VSG: I don’t know! But OK, somehow in team tournaments I play well… As for this particular game, it was just equal for a while and then, at one point, he allowed me to play my knight to g4, after which he was left with a bad bishop and all his pawns on light squares. At that point he could perhaps have played better, but he had very little time and made a few mistakes; after that it was over.

• The other two games of the match are still going; how do you feel the match will end?

PH: Well, I think Sethuraman has an excellent position, I expect him to win. I wasn’t able to follow Adhiban’s game though; it looks approximately equal, but I am not sure, I couldn’t really follow it. In any case, we should be winning.

• Good luck for the rest of today’s round and of the Olympiad!