Alexander Morozevich

Alexander Morozevich, the top-seed in the Jubilee-Open, does indeed have a special position in the world of chess. He may not be a World Champion, at least not yet. But he is one of the few players who almost has his own "brand" and position in it's own right in the chess world – due to his playing style. The many chess enthusiasts who support him from all over the world enjoy his entertaining games and hope to see him play regularly in the super tournaments. During the Jubilee-Open, we had the opportunity to talk to him. Take a look at his views on chess, his games and his reputation.

Interview conducted by Christian Rohrer

In Biel you played – and eventually lost – a sensational game against Vachier-Lagrave, which included some incredible positions. After the game, were you just completely disappointed or did you feel rewarded for having played such a great game?
Morozevich: Every defeat is a small lesson; You can take it from a philosophical point of view. During the game, I was in an all-in mood. After the game, though, I did not feel good, and I didn't have the impression that it had been a great game – lots of sparks and desire, but very poor calculations. In general I never give an additional meaning to a game. Following the defeat against Vachier-Lagrave I lost interest in my last two rounds, but after a lucky win against Ivanchuk, suddenly in round 10, I had the chance to win the tournament. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to beat Caruana. So after the last game I felt sorry for those people who wished I would win. I've received hundreds of SMS, e-mails with thanks and consolation from all over the world.

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Alexander Morozevich

World class chess players will compete at the Schachgesellschaft Zürich's Jubilee-Open from 9 to 15 August 2009 at the Kongresshaus.
New on the participant's list are Alexander Morozevich, highly regarded for his spectacular and unorthodox playing style, and Chinese prodigy Hou Yifan. The chess club's jubilee events culminate in the Champions Simultan and the Champions Rapid on 22/23 August, when World Champions like Anand and Kasparov will play at Zurich Main Station.
Alexander Morozevich, 31-year-old Muscovite chess wizard, is the top candidate at the Alois Nagler Memorial, the Master Tournament of the Jubilee-Open. He participated already twice at the FIDE World Chess Championship and heads an array of grandmasters at the Zurich event. Among them are two 15-year-olds: the Chinese Hou Yifan, 3rd on the women's world ranking list and Women's World Chess Vice Champion, and Anish Giri, the world’s youngest grandmaster. Experienced players like Alexey Dreev, Artur Yusupov and Lajos Portisch, who played at the World Championship Candidates Tournaments in the past, will also be competing. 199 players appear on the participant's list of the Alois Nagler Memorial, which is endowed with CHF 75'000 in prize money by the Alois Nagler Foundation.
The Accentus (Swiss Chess) Open, the general tournament for players with 2050 ELO or less, enjoys great popularity also. 146 players have registered already, among them many juniors and seniors. They will compete for many attractive prizes awarded to the 16 best contestants, and to the best in their age- and rating-group. Single prizes will be as high as CHF 4'000, the total summoning up to CHF 25'000, all donated by Accentus (Swiss Chess).
Tournament organiser Georg Kradolfer expects 500-600 players altogether. The Jubilee-Open will therefore be one of the big chess events of this year. To offer good playing conditions to all participants, the tournament will not take place as planned in the Garden Room, but at the bigger Convention Hall of Kongresshaus Zürich.
To register for the Jubilee-Open online and for further information concerning the Schachgesellschaft Zürich's Jubilee-Open please visit this page