An interview with the English-speaking commentators.

– Victoria, do you enjoy doing live commentary here?

– Yes, it is very interesting! I don’t have a lot of experience, though, so I have to learn certain things in process.

– Does Peter help?

– Yes. We are very quick to understand each other. It can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it definitely makes working together easier.

I enjoy this kind of work, but I don’t think I’ll be doing it on a regular basis. Still I was very happy to accept this offer and do not regret anything.

– Do you know, how many viewers you have? From how many countries?

– I heard there were about 12,000 viewers yesterday, but this number grows every day. I think a record will be set by the end of the tournament. As for the countries, most of our viewers are from Germany. I don’t know how many countries total, but the interest is quite wide.

– Which game impressed you most as a professional player?

Victoria: I was very impressed by Svidler-Kramnik. Svidler played very well, outplayed his opponent, but then Kramnik found that fantastic defense that we could spot only with the computer. Finding it at the board is almost unreal, and I could hardly believe Vladimir finds the solution. Very impressive! All in all, there were many exciting games in the first six rounds. Each round produces at least one outstanding game, which is kind of strange for such an important tournament. The players don’t spare energy and give 100 percent.

Peter-Heine: I think Svidler-Kramnik and Kramnik-Aronian stand off, these games were very exciting, and not only for chess professionals.

– Peter, you are a friend (and a second!) of Magnus Carlsen, and you probably stay in touch with each other. Does he follow the tournament closely? What does he tell you about it?

– Yes, of course, we talk a lot on Skype, discuss things… He watches it very closely – not doing it would be just irresponsible. If you want to know his impressions, better ask him personally, but I think he is impressed. In an interview for a Norwegian newspaper he said he liked Anand’s first game – a victory against Aronian.

I am sure everybody enjoys this tournament, because of fighting chess and good winning percentage. I think Magnus analyzes all the games carefully, or at least he should.

– Victoria, what is your next tournament?

– It starts rather soon, actually. I am planning to go to Loo for the Russian Club Championship. Then I’ll take a break, because my two sons are waiting at home, and I shouldn’t be on the road all the time. These are my short-term plans, and I haven’t planned beyond that.

– Where does your family live, bearing in mind that you and your husband represent different countries?

– We live in Lithuania, in a small town of Siauliai, where I was born. My sons go to school there. My husband and I travel most of the time anyway, so comfort of our children is the main priority. There should also be a nice and quiet place for us to relax after chess travels. And we like our solution so far.

Original at www.ruchess.ru