Living life the Jobi way (1/2)

Living life the Jobi way (1/2)

Interview with Baadur Jobava by Sagar Shah

I waited in anticipation outside the ballroom of Sofitel Hotel, where the closing ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Open was about to begin. I wanted to get in a word with Baadur Jobava before that. I saw him walking towards me from a distance – a tall and lean figure. I went up to him and said, “Hi Baadur, I am Sagar Shah and I would like to interview you for the ChessBase news page.” “Why not!” he replied instantaneously. “But I am going to be busy tonight partying with my friends. Why don’t we do it tomorrow?” I explained to Baadur that I had to leave tomorrow afternoon to Dubai to catch my flight to Mumbai. The organizers were providing us with a bus for this 150 kilometer journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, which would last around two hours. “I also have to go to Dubai. So why don’t we make good use of our time and do the interview in the bus itself!” he said. I was more than happy with this opportunity and promised to reserve a seat for him on the bus next day.

That bus turned out to be a mini-van that could accommodate just 20 people. But there were nearly 30 chess players who wanted to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. We all somehow managed to cram ourselves inside. While many sat on the floor, I did my best to reserve a seat for Baadur. But where was he? Just when we were about to leave, he came running out of the hotel doors, got into the bus, took his seat and, as if nothing had happened, greeted everyone with customary enthusiasm. I heaved a huge sigh of relief. The settings were the just the kind you would expect when dealing with him – unconventional and completely original. As I began with my first question all the people in the bus turned their attention to the interview. It was a live show with one of the greatest creative geniuses the game has ever seen.

Lively and enthusiastic, on and off the board – that’s Baadur for you

Sagar Shah: Ok Baadur, before we go into history mode, how was your experience at the Abu Dhabi Masters 2015?

Baadur Jobava: [speaking like a radio jockey into my recording device] Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Hello from Abu Dhabi, we are on our way to Dubai and we are going to listen to some fantastic music! [Everyone laughs] Well what can I say, the conditions were excellent. It was a very serious and prestigious open. You had to work for every half point here. I would like to congratulate Nils for his victory. He fully deserves it. He lost the penultimate game against Areshchenko, but found his strength and won the last round facing Akopian. The tiebreaks favoured him and Martyn Kravtsiv, so they finished first and second respectively. Kravtsiv was a little lucky, he was able to checkmate Abhijeet Gupta in a roughly equal position in the eighth round, but then Gupta is also lucky sometimes! [Laughs- referring to the Al Ain Open 2013 where Baadur didn’t turn up for his last round game and Gupta won the first place.]

SS: Are you happy with how things went here?

BJ: Yes, I am gaining some rating points [12.4] and my quality of play was quite good. Although I was not in the best form, a shared first place is not something you need to complain about.

SS: So let’s start from the beginning. How did you start playing chess?

BJ: I was five years old and my brother four. Our father taught us the game of chess which is like a tradition in our family. My father knew chess, my mother played, and even my uncle did. It was hard not to be a chess player. I am thankful to my father – it was only because he taught me the game that today I can travel and enjoy and not have a job and a boss who will always tell me what to do!

Baadur Jobava (right) with his brother Beglar and mother Liana
in Tbilsi in 2009 [picture by Lela Javakashivili and Evgeny Surov]

So I learnt chess at the age of five. I played my first tournament in which, I still remember, I turned seven on the last day of that event. My father was my first and last coach. I have never had an official coach. Not until now.

SS: How did you work on chess when you were young?

BJ: I have always worked with classical books. They are so deep that at any age when you come back to these books you learn something new. For example: when you are forty and you read a Dostoevsky book you understand one side of it, and when you are sixty and you go through it again you discover the other side - always something new. My first chess book was on Alexander Alekhine by Kotov. Then there was one by Karl Schlechter – one of my favourite players and the uncrowned champion. You know what happened, right? He was plus one going into the last game of his match with Emanuel Lasker in 1910, but the rules dictated that he needed to be plus two. He overstretched and lost and thus never became the World Champion – quite a tragic story. Another book that I loved was by Botvinnik on his career which I would thoroughly recommend to young and dedicated players of the game. As for Yuri Averbakh’s books on the endgame, there is absolutely no doubt as to how good these really are. I do read modern books, but classical ones are much better I think.

Botvinnik’ book on his best games is what Baadur recommends to all improving players

SS: Apart from chess what were you studying when you were young?

BJ: I was a normal kid. I went to school with my brother and we were in the same class. I studied in the first class in Georgia, and then moved to Ukraine where I finished school up to tenth grade. After that we came back to Georgia. From 1992-1999 I was in Ukraine. After my schooling I went to university and studied journalism.

SS: When did you decide to pursue chess professionally?

BJ: All I knew was that I never wanted to be a professional journalist. Actually I don’t like journalism at all!

SS: Then why study journalism at all?

BJ: I studied journalism because of the stupid Soviet mentality that you need a diploma. I studied journalism for my parents, not for myself. If I was given a chance I would have devoted more time to chess than going to university.

SS: When you were young and upcoming you were very theoretical, like your 34-move win against Bareev. And in the present day you are the one of the most creative players, just trying to avoid theory. What happened in the intervening years?

BJ: The game against Bareev was in 2003. At that time I was working very hard on chess and on my openings. Later I changed to another style – less emphasis on the first phase of the game and more to creative style of play. I don’t like this trend of blitzing out 25 to 30 moves of theory. When you are young and you have energy you are able to do it. But now this no longer interests me.

SS: So this game with Bareev, is this the best one that you have ever played?

BJ: I like many of the games that I have played in the past like the one against Zoltan Almasi from the European Championship 2010. It was a very interesting pawn sacrifice that led to a good knight versus bad bishop endgame. But it was not my sort of crazy style game. In 2004 I had played a game against Mircea Parligras which was also very interesting and contained many sacrifices. [Thinks for a while] But yes, the game against Bareev is definitely the best. I found d5 on my own at home without the use of an engine – the silicon monster can never find such an idea. Later I used the engine to build on my analysis. There is an interesting story behind this game: before the tournament I told my father that in the European Club Cup I might meet Bareev, who plays this line in the Caro Kann, and I will use this sacrifice against him. To which my father said, “Come on, there is no chance of that happening.” And after I executed the sacrifice and won the game my father was simply shocked! It was preparation right until the end.

On the receiving end of some world class home preparation was Evgeny Bareev

And I have played quite a few theoretical games like this – The game against Alexander Grischuk from Calvia Olympiad 2004 comes to mind.

The way I find these new ideas is that I work on the chessboard on my own and only later consult the computer. I am currently trying to find the best style, not to be too theoretical neither too creative. Having both of them in balance is the best. It might seem I am not too theoretical right now, but I am in the process of achieving the ideal style which will happen gradually.

SS: When you play 1.b3 or 1.d4 followed by Nc3, Bf4, what is your method of preparation? Do you work on them deeply at home or do you just come to the board and play?

BJ: I have not worked a single hour on these systems at home. I play them practically during the game. My main aim is to be unpredictable. When I am White my opponents do not know what I am going to play. Sometimes even I am not sure about what my first move would be. [Laughs] I prepare one line in my room and when I reach the board, I change my mind. I try to feel my opponent’s body language before and during the game. You could say it is some sort of intuition which comes with years of experience.

SS: Suppose a student, serious about the game of chess and ready to work hard, wants to improve his tactical vision, what would you recommend?

BJ: First of all you must try to solve studies. There are many fantastic authors like Kubel, Grigoryan, three times World Solving champion David Gurgenidze from Georgia (he has some fantastic studies on rook endgames). Really, if you want to improve your calculations and understanding of the game then you must solve these studies, and also ones by other great composers like Kasparyan and Pervakov. Also solving combinations is a good way to improve. Dvoretsky’s books are very good and have many complex questions in them. I have not really studied recent books written by new authors, not because I don’t like them, but because I am an old style player. Three hours of studies and three hours of practical combinations will help you immensely. Put the time on your clock, begin with not so hard problems. If you begin with mate in five moves of course it will be tough for you, but if you start with mate in two and slowly move up, it won’t be too difficult.

Jobava’s favourite composer, Davit Gurgenidze – here is one of his brilliant compositions:

White to play and draw

SS: What about endgame? What according to you is the best way to improve one’s endgame?

BJ: It’s really a lot of hard work. First of all it seems that this is a very boring subject. But if you want to progress then it is a must to study this phase of the game. I ate all the books of Averbakh, not study, I devoured them. I would dissect one position for hours and try to understand what was going on. So first I would set up the diagram position on the board and the work for a few hours and only then check the answers from the book. After years of reading them it’s in my body now. I do not remember each and everything from the book, but when I am in a practical situation under time trouble, my hand automatically finds the correct move because of the work done at home. Once I played a blitz match against the French player Joel Lautier. First game was drawn. In the second game I was winning at first but then I missed the win, and I landed in a pawn down ending. At that moment I felt that I should sacrifice one more pawn and go into the rook ending. Something within me told that this was the right way and it was blitz, so I had very little time. I sacrificed the pawn, and I was two pawns down. He tried to win that position, even sacrificed one pawn back. But I managed to defend accurately, saved a draw with just ten seconds left. People were shocked with this defensive effort.

Baadur has not just read the Averbakh endgame books, but has eaten them!

SS: But it is said that the Averbakh books are filled with mistakes?

BJ: There are mistakes in every chess book. You must try to discover what is good in the book for you. And if you are able to find the mistakes it means that you have studied the book in great detail and accuracy. But you must not use the computer to find a mistake. Instead find it on your own. So, all in all Averbakh books, studies and combinations will ensure your quick improvement.

SS: What about working on your openings?

BJ: Opening is important, but it is more essential to be practically strong. And what I suggested previously will help you to be practically strong because not all games are going to be decided in the openings. Even if you get a minus position you can fight back and win if you are practically strong. On the other hand if you are very good in the openings and not practically strong, then you will miss many good positions. Many young players fall into this category. So it’s necessary to work on the other phases of the game rather than openings.

SS: One recurring problem for many players is time pressure. How should one overcome it?

BJ: There is a player named Zviad Izoria who is always struggling to make decisions in his games when he has a lot of time. But he is an excellent rapid and blitz player. It meant that when he had less time he could take decisions very quickly. This is similar to the condition of Alexander Grischuk. First and foremost you must work on the things that I have mentioned above. This will help you to improve your calculation and reduce the time taken for finding the best move. In short it will reduce your time pressure. And it will also give you a sense of confidence because you have worked hard.

Baadur’s great friend Alexander Grischuk, the current World Blitz Champion,
has always been a time trouble addict

But you must always remember: some people work a lot on chess yet they cannot improve because their quality of practice is not very good. It’s better to work for three to four hours with great intensity than to spend eight hours without concentration. You should work in such a way that at the end of the day you feel very tired, very tired.

SS: So you think that a player can improve only by doing what you have suggested above? Don’t you think that a coach is essential?

BJ: Books are your coach. Botvinnik is your coach. Alekhine is your coach. Having a trainer is good but not everyone can afford it. So many books are available out there, and if you are ready to use your brain then you can learn from them. Coaches will teach you from those very books and charge you money for it. Why do you want to do that?

Part II of this interview will follow shortly. In it Baadur speaks about legendary players like Alekhine, Capablanca, Carlsen, Kasparov, Topalov, Anand, and also sheds light on women chess as well as chess 960 and much more.