Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş has added another milestone to his career. Playing in a super tournament for the first time, in Malmö, he was seeded second from the bottom and invited through the young-talent quota. Yet he produced a result few expected and finished second. Straight after the event, I sat down with Yağız and his coach, Grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, for their first interview. Here it is in question-and-answer form.
The Interview
Selim Gürcan: Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, Yağız! Can you tell us about the best game of the tournament?
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş: My favourite game was the one against Richárd Rapport. We both knew the opening more or less. After the castling move, I think my preparation and my opponent's came to an end, and from there we both started playing on our own. I pinned his rook on a5, and there was a weakness on the c5 pawn as well. Little by little, with good moves and a strategic game, I managed to beat him.
Selim Gürcan: Could you also talk about your tournament preparation? What did you do beforehand, especially with your coach Shakhriyar?
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş: Before the tournament we held a very good training camp with Shakhriyar. I think it was very productive, and the tournament went well too. I would also like to thank Evren Ucok, who made this camp possible and supports me in everything.
Selim Gürcan: What does finishing second mean to you? How do you assess this result?
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş: Honestly, I am very happy to have finished second. If I had not lost the game against Ivanchuk, I could even have been first. We might have been playing a tiebreak against Sindarov right now, and perhaps I could have become the champion. But I am very happy with second place, too. I think it is a very good score in a tournament like this.
Selim Gürcan: Can you tell us about your plans for the coming tournaments?
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş: I have many tournaments ahead of me this year, but the two most important ones for me are the World Cup and the Grand Swiss. If you achieve a good result in these two tournaments, you qualify for the Candidates Tournament. That is why these two are the most important for me.
Selim Gürcan: Shakhriyar, as Yağız's coach, congratulations to you as well. How do you assess this success and the win against Rapport?
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: Of course, we prepared for this tournament very well. Not only for this one, we generally prepare well for every tournament. We had always hoped that Yağız would one day reach 2700, but it came a little early in terms of age: he reached 2713 before he was even 14. That makes us very happy. Speaking for myself, I reached 2700 when I was 20, so I know how hard it is to get there. Beating a player like Rapport, with such a creative style and such a solid game, is a huge achievement, and it was a big success in the tournament. The camps and the work we did together mattered a great deal, and his games and performances show it.
Selim Gürcan: What is it like to work with Yağız, and at what level would you like to see him a year from now?
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: It is a proud moment, of course. For me Yağız is the most talented young player in the world and the biggest candidate to become world champion. I could say there are other candidates too, but for me he is the biggest one. When we started, his rating was more than 100 points lower than it is now. Back then, I watched myself as a coach, but now Yağız helps me as well. He is already a very good player and plays better every day, so working with him is also very good for my own chess. It is a pleasure and a discipline, and a meaningful one. I hope our work continues for a long time, that we achieve many more big successes, and I think Yağız gets better every day.
Selim Gürcan: Shakhriyar, our mutual friend Evren supports many young stars, but he especially admires your chess and wants you to fight for the world title with all his heart. What can you say about that, and about the children he supports?
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: Of course, I call Evren a man of the Turkic world. He supports not only Turkey but also brotherly Azerbaijan. What he does is incredible. It is not done only for Yağız but for other players too, and it is done with great love. It is not just sponsorship but also coaching and friendship, and it gives Yağız a huge advantage. I will speak about Yağız, since he is the one I work with: before and during tournaments we spend a lot of time together. He calls, we analyse games, and we talk about why Yağız succeeds and why he sometimes does not. So Evren is not only a sponsor but also a great supporter, a great coach, and a gift to Turkish chess. I hope everyone appreciates the value of what he does for the Turkic world and for chess. I thank him, and these recent successes would have been very hard without his support.
We congratulate Yağız and Shakhriyar once more and wish them success at the World Cup and the Grand Swiss. Interview: Selim Gürcan.
