The Chess Drum captures interviews at Turin Olympiad

IM Ali Farahat (Egypt) - Farahat (also spelled "Frhat") is a rising Egyptian player and in this interview talks a bit about his tournament experience in the U.S. He also talks about Egyptian chess and the team's performance at the Olympiad. (4:49 minutes)

GM Lev Aronian (Armenia) - This affable player is Armenia's #1 player and the world's #3 player. This interview took place just prior to the big match with Russia (which was drawn 2-2). He talks about the Olympiad, Armenia's chances and his sudden rise. (length: 2:52 minutes).

Rosemary Amadasun (Nigeria) The soft-spoken chess ace talks about her third trip to the Olympiad tournament and the challenges for the Nigerian teams. This includes lukewarm support and the problems with getting visas for players. She perks up when talking about her parents at the end. (length: 4:31 minutes)

Ian Wilkinson (Jamaica) The "chess don" of Jamaica gives a very interesting interview about his impressions of the Olympiad, the women's team and the controversy in round three involving Finland. He also lays out his plans to move Jamaican chess forward including an amazing 300,000 children playing chess and the exciting chess league. (12:11 minutes)

Ontiretse Sabure (Botswana) This energetic young lady talks passionately about chess. She discusses her rise and also the influence and advice of her older sister, Tuduetso Sabure who recently earned her Women's Grandmaster title. "Don't play their titles, just play chess!" When giving her closing comments she says, "Watch out for Africa this time!"  (length: 5:30 minutes)

Shane Matthews (Jamaica) A true chess sportsman discusses the Jamaican chess league, his ninth Olympiad experience and the controversy against Finland in which he lodged a complaint. Hearing his testimony was compelling… amazing! He also discusses the future of Jamaican chess. (length: 13:36 minutes)

GM Giovanni Vescovi (Brazil) The top player for Brazil discusses the Brazilian team, the arch rivalries in Latin America and his opinion of the conditions. He also discusses martial arts in Brazil, his tournament activity and the importance of physical conditioning. He briefly talks about World Cup football and prospects for the Brazilian national team. He invited the audience to visit his website… www.gmvescovi.com.br. (length: 18:59 minutes)

Jackie Ngubeni, IM Watu Kobese, IM Kenny Solomon  (South Africa)  Interesting interview with three South Africans. Kobese  and Solomon discuss their impressions of the tournament and possible prospects to play in the USA once again. Both participated in the Wilbert Paige Memorial tournament and were well-received. Ngubeni talked about African unity and some of his visions for the Diaspora. (length: 8:49 minutes)

GM Krishnan Sasikiran (India) India's board discusses the Olympiad, Viswanathan Anand's influence, sponsorship and this goals to reach 2700. The young Indian star discusses the problems with American chess and the Indian Championships. (length: 7:26 minutes)

GM Alexander Baburin (Ireland) Creator of Chess Today newsletter discusses his motivation for his project and his challenges. He gives a candid opinion about the current FIDE election and his views on the upcoming Veselin Topalov-Vladimir Kramnik match. His site is www.chesstoday.net. (length: 12:24 minutes)

Conversation in Turin Downtown Square with Allan Herbert (Barbados), Enrique Zaragoza Martinez  (Mexico) and Alejandro Preve Castro (Mexico) An interesting conversation at an outdoor café concerning various chess concerns including the Carlos Torre Memorial tournament in Mexico. Alejandro Preve Castro is the organizer of the event. In Spanish and English. (length: 9:13 minutes)

Posted by The Chess Drum: 29 May 2006