Author: David Dory
Date: 01:02:08 02/08/02
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Q: What prevented you from proving it by winning the match? A: There were a number of reasons. First, Ponomariov turned out to be the most uncomfortable opponent for me. He was some sort of a dark horse, a mysterious imp darted out from a snuffbox. The second reason is geographical. We are both Ukrainians. It means that subconsciously I had not only to fight for the title, but also to defend my unofficial status as the best Ukrainian chess player. My opponent felt no discomfort about the latter – even defeat in the match would not have jeopardized his reknown as the second GM in Ukraine. On the other hand, I had something to lose; it put some extra pressure on me. Q: Many from the outside had the impression that you stopped fighting after the fifth game, in which you lost in a winning position. (Do you Agree?) No, I did not accept defeat in the match at this point. I struggled as hard as I could, but unfortunately I relied more on luck rather then on my chess strengths. Clearly I was wrong. Q: What happened in game five? A: Mysticism. I think this is * has * to be the stupidest reasoning I've ever heard from an allegedly intelligent human!! He should be extremely embarrassed about it, but alas, probably not. Saying you lost your chess match because your opponent was "a mysterious imp darting out from a snuffbox" (what the hell?), just doesn't impress me a damn! Good fuel for jokes, though. :-) Somebody should make little dolls with R.P.'s likeness on them, that darted in and out of a snuffbox, and sell them to chess fans. Dave
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