Gelfand: 'Nobody's invincible, nobody's immune to mistakes'

Press conference with Boris Gelfand

The World Chess Championship 2012 between defending World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the challenger from the Candidates Matches Boris Gelfand, will take place in May 2012 in Moscow, Russia. the following video is from a press conference with Boris Gelfand took place at the Chess Academy, Tel-Aviv on April 8th, 2012. It was filmed and edited by Aleksander Nesterovsky, who sent us transcriptions of the Hebrew sections.

"Boris, we all hope that you will be a new World Chess Champion!" Aleksander writes in his Youtube channel.

Reporter question: Do you feel that this is the peak of your career?

• Boris Gelfand: We will see, but for sure the world Chess Championship match is most important event that exist. And I am very glad that I have posibility to play the match, and right now I am very seriously preparing for it. Sure, that's important to me, that in May I will succeed in playing the chess that I know.

• Ilia Smirin: In reality I think he has good chances. His big motivation is very important. From the point of view of pure chess Anand has a very small advantage, but from the point of view of charecter and motivation I prefer Gelfand.

In the English section of the interview Boris says:

• [Anand's] speed of thinking and chess qualities are incredibly high. But nobody is invincible, nobody is immune to mistakes. I will play my best chess and force him to make mistakes – that is what I hope.

• Now-a-days if you want to be at the top you have to be good at everything.

• With a player like Carlsen you can see that he is less influenced by computers than other players who are less successful. I think it is one of the advantages of our generation – one of the reasons our generation is still doing well – is that we learnt to play on a good basis, and then learnt how to use computers in our favour, while a lot of young players only know how to use computers and don't have a good basis. Instead of thinking they are used to press a button and see what the computer says. So like any invention it can be used in a good or a bad way. One of the secrets of success now-a-days it to use computers in your favour and not let computers rule your thinking ability.

Starting from 2:23 min the video reverts to Hebrew and Gelfand says:

• This match will be one of the greatest in history, in Museum with and audience, with people of art, with best players. I hope it will give me a good motivation. Anand is great playern, he has been World Champion and a top player for many years, and has won many tournaments. But I know him well. I have played him many times – from 1989 onwards we played more than 30 game of clasic chess, and about 100 if you include rapid, blindfold, blitz. I hope that I can find his weak spot, and will success in playing the best chess I know.

Links

Official web site of the World Championship match 27.03.2012 – In one month and 13 days the opening ceremony of the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and his challenger Boris Gelfand will be opened, in the world famous Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The event now has its official web site, where you can find out all about the players, the venue, sponsors, rules and the schedule. Take a look.

A journey to the world of chess in Rishon Lezion 18.03.2012 – The Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand is almost totally occupied these days with his preparations for the match of his life against World Champion Vishy Anand in May. Nevertheless even in such a busy and tense period he still finds some time to support the intensive chess life of his hometown of Rishon-Lezion. Report by IM Yochanan Afek with a inspiring video chess in the kindergarten.

The homecoming: Boris Gelfand is back (Part III) 07.07.2011 – The Challenger for the World Championship match next year is Boris Gelfand. The Israeli GM won the Candidates' Matches – to the surprise of many – in May, defeating Mamedyarov, Kamsky and Grischuk in the process. The last battle and his chances now against reigning champion Vishy Anand are are the subject of discourse in this final installment of his interview with Shay Bushinsky.

The homecoming: Boris Gelfand is back (Part II) 27.06.2011 – Israeli GM Boris Gelfand won the recent Candidates Matches in Kazan, making him the challenger of Vishy Anand in next year's World Championship match. Boris was given a hero's welcome on his return, and was interviewed by our colleague Shay Bushinsky, author of the Junior chess program. Here is part two on Gelfand's matches against Mamedyarov and Kamsky. Fascinating insights.

The homecoming: Boris Gelfand is back (Part I) 19.06.2011 – Winning the World Cup and now the Candidates Matches has made Gelfand a household name in Israel, and on his return from Kazan he was greeted at Ben-Gurion Airport by his family, fans and old friends – amongst them our colleague Shay Bushinsky, who later visited Boris at his home in Rishon Le-Zion. The two had a long discussion, which resulted in this must-read interview for ChessBase.