Question:

– Are you satisfied with the result?

Wang Yue:

– I am satisfied, despite making a draw as White. I had a strong opponent and the result could be worse.

Leko:

– I try to be objective. It was an interesting and sound game, so the final result is fair.

Question:

– What are your impressions from Astrakhan?

Wang Yue:

– It is a very nice city. I hope to see more of it on a free day.

Leko:

– I always like coming to Russia, where I can practice my Russian. Astrakhan as we saw it from the car makes a good impression. I like the fact that our playing venue is located in the center – this means I can have a good walk if the game ends early. However, the weather is kind of hot, and I have to acclimatize yet.

Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan) vs. Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine)

Vugar Gashimov:

– I think I got a better position out of the opening. The opponent misplayed the scheme with Re8 and Bf8, and after I played f4, Black’s position was already unpromising. Vassily Mikhailovich could defend better, but in any case White had a very comfortable game. I am very glad about starting the tournament with a victory against such a strong player as Ivanchuk.

Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia) vs. Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine)

Ernesto Inarkiev:

– Ruslan surprised me with his opening choice. I decided to play safely, “for two results”, as the saying goes. However, Ruslan reacted very accurately, and I realized that my position is by no means better. In the second part of the game I had to play carefully to maintain the balance. Perhaps Ruslan could play more energetically and create more problems for me. However, objectively the game remained equal or almost equal. I hoped for a large-scale battle in this game, but half a point is also a positive result – at least you’ve got something to bring home...

Ruslan Ponomariov:

– It was an easy game. All I needed to do is to place my pieces on comfortable squares. Maybe I could play for more, but objectively White’s position was quite solid and didn’t contain any pawn weaknesses. My 20^th move was possibly second-best, but I wanted to clarify the situation, and I couldn’t offer a draw according to the rules. It is not easy to point out any key moments, as the game was very balanced. To sum it up: we had a nice warm up with Ernesto!

Vladimir Akopian (Armenia) vs. Boris Gelfand (Israel)

Vladimir Akopian:

– This was a standard Petroff game. I thought White obtained an advantage at some point, but it wasn’t big enough to claim for something more. The critical moment occurred when Boris played 28...Kf8. I wasn’t satisfied about my reply, as I had a feeling I could play better, but how? And after my move White had to play accurately to maintain the equality. In addition, I was rather short on time, so it was difficult for me to show any serious ambition.

Boris Gelfand:

– As usual at the start, you have to warm up, turn your mind into a tournament mode... Thus I selected a very solid and well-known opening line. Black stands slightly worse, but White doesn’t have anything real. I played quite accurately and gradually neutralized the opponent’s pressure.

Question:

– What are your impressions from Astrakhan?

Akopian:

– This is my first time in Astrakhan and I didn’t have time to walk in the city center yet. Generally Astrakhan makes a good impression.

Gelfand:

– I never been to Astrakhan as well. However, my father traveled on a ship from Moscow to Astrakhan, and I remember his stories. I know that a famous painter Kustodiev born here and Astrakhan is considered to be fish and water-melon capital of Russia. I hope I’ll have time to see the city, so the next time you ask this question, I could give a more detailed reply.

Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine) vs. Peter Svidler (Russia)

Pavel Eljanov:

– After the opening I had a slight plus. Peter thinks that his 15...с5 is a mistake, and I tend to agree. White managed to get to an endgame with good winning chances. In the endgame we both played logically until the 30^th move, where I have to choose between 30.Ng5 and 30. Be7. The latter was apparently better, but I decided that 30.Ng5 is sufficient, too. However, Peter’s reply showed that Black’s counterplay allows him to make a draw.

Peter Svidler:

– It was a strange game for me. I made a new move – 12...Bd3. Can’t call it sensational, but somehow nobody played it before. However, later I made several mysterious moves, which made my position very difficult. Surprisingly, the only White’s inaccuracy was enough for me to equalize. I agree with Pavel: he could win with 30.Be7. I just got lucky.

Question:

– Are you satisfied with the result?

Eljanov:

– There could be only two outcomes today, and a draw is not the one I prefer.

Svidler:

– I am satisfied with the result, but not my play.

Question:

– What are your impressions from Astrakhan?

Svidler:

– Generally I had a pleasant experience, but we didn’t see much of a city. As for the tournament organization, everything is perfect.

Eljanov:

– In Astrakhan I only saw two theaters, which I quite liked.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) vs. Dmitry Jakovenko (Russia) 

Dmitry Jakovenko:
– We repeated a well-known game from the Kramnik-Anand match until the move 21, when I made a novelty – 21...Bd3. It created small-scale complications, and the position was simplified soon. Generally I am satisfied about the result.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov:
– 21...d3 is a strong novelty. Of course, I wanted to play a sharper game as White, but this move basically closes the variation.

Question:

– What are your impressions from Astrakhan?