In the end, rating is just numbers. If you keep playing in tournaments the numbers go up and down. You can’t try and hold on to them. It is nice to go over 2800 again, but it is more important to win tournaments...
...I think my first game (with black pieces) against Alexei Shirov was good. The funny thing was I saw the rook-sacrifice five minutes before the game. I had finished my preparation but was not completely satisfied so I just checked this variation and then went straight for the game and was able to use it. The white win against Shirov was also good as I was able to guess exactly where he would go in the Sveshnikov.
The other black wins against Peter Leko and Carlsen were also exciting. The game against Leko was a complete turnaround. White was much better, but a few imprecise moves at the time control turned the game completely and my pawns were all very close to the enemy king. Against Carlsen, I was able to find this move (Rook h6). Magnus had somehow missed that and he said that it occurred to him during the game. The position was in black’s favour and some accurate play in the end turned the game in my favour...
...Magnus has had an excellent year and we are only in March. He belongs to the young brigade but has been able to break away. He will be in the top-5 and his rating should be close to 2766 (on April 1, 2008). This, by any yardstick, is just fabulous. For a 17-year-old to achieve that it is really extraordinary. He not only plays amongst the top players but has started winning tournaments. In both Corus and Linares, he showed his tactical skills. In many games he was able to turn the situation around 180 degrees. He keeps his calm in tough situations and strikes back effortlessly. In Corus, he was just unstoppable and in Linares he always came back after a loss much stronger. If you see in Linares, he beat Topalov 2-0...
Read the entire interview with Rakesh Rao (for SportStar)
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