Dubov: The triumph of cold calculation

Champion of Russia Daniil Dubov gave a long interview to the correspondent of the RCF website Eteri Kublashvili.

It is difficult to single out any particular party. There was no particular strategy, but it seemed to me that there were two scenarios. When I saw the draw and movement through the rounds, as an experienced participant in the Superfinals, I immediately noticed that at the end I had two very promising games with white – with Murzin and Iljushenok. In fact, in the end they both played great. Volodar almost missed the top three, and Ilia, even under certain scenarios, could have won the tournament until the last day. But, nevertheless, it was clear that the tournament was still difficult for them.

My take on conflict is simple. I don’t know Niemann at all, while I know Magnus well. For me, it looks like a person, from my point of view, with an impeccable reputation and without a tendency to paranoia, for the first time in his life, accuses someone of cheating. Moreover, I emphasize: precisely without a tendency to paranoia. I have never in my life heard him accuse anyone. I don’t know the details, but I believe Magnus. He never impressed me as someone who develops paranoia about being beaten by someone. At the same time, there is a theory that Niemann beat him, and he got upset because of this. Yes, he was beaten by half of our tournament, including me, and he did not accuse any of us of cheating.

Full text of the interview