SOCAR BEGINS AND…

After winning the title of world champions at the Olympics in Khanty-Mansiysk, the players of the Ukrainian national men's chess team took a well-deserved leave. But the team's coach and captain, Vladimir Tukmakov, seems quite busy at the moment because another test lies ahead for him. As an experienced coach, he now heads a new Azerbaijani chess team - SOCAR Azerbaijan. He will have to lead the team to the European club championship which starts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on 17 October. In an interview with our magazine, Tukmakov gave us his view of the level of Azerbaijani chess players, what hopes he pinned on the Azerbaijani club and what plans he had to develop the team.

- Vladimir, to start with, please accept our congratulations on the victory of the Ukrainian national team at the Olympics. What are your impressions?

- Thank you for your congratulations. First and foremost, I have to say that the Olympics in Khanty-Mansiysk were organized at a very high level. All the conditions necessary were created for the visitors. As far as the contest itself is concerned, interest in the men's competition was held until the very last round. The Ukrainian national team and the Russia-1 team fought to the very end.

- Under your leadership, the Ukrainian national team took first place at the 2004 Olympics. What is the difference between the two victories?

- Six years ago, the Ukrainian team took the lead right from the first round, but this time the competition was tougher. The core of the national team had not undergone any changes, but our chess players were more experienced. We should highlight here the performance of team leader Vasiliy Ivanchuk.

- Ivanchuk really gave a wonderful performance. But his run of victories was broken by Sahriyar Mammadyarov from Azerbaijan.

- Although Ivanchuk is over 40, he upset his opponents in every round. Psychological preparation also made itself felt. There is the impression that he does not play chess, he lives for it. Of course, his run of victories was interrupted in the game with Sahriyar. Mammadyarov gained a worthy victory.

- What was the reason?

- At the beginning, Ivanchuk took a good position, but then he made some errors. Mammadyarov made maximum use of his mistakes. Of course, no-one questions Sahriyar's skills, but it was Ivanchuk's own fault.

- How do you evaluate the overall performance of the Azerbaijani team at the Olympics?

- Azerbaijani chess players are favourites at any contest. As the winners of the latest European championship, better results were expected from them at the Olympics, although your team's result can be regarded as reasonable given the absence of one of its main players. The team leaders, Sahriyar Mammadyarov and Teymur Racabov, played confidently and assuredly. Unfortunately, there were problems on other boards. Rauf Mammadov, Qadir Huseynov and Eltac Safarli missed important points.

- What can you say about other players in the SOCAR Azerbaijan club?

- Aleksandr Grishchuk played well at the Olympics. He lived up to the expectations of his ranking. Aleksey Shirov's performance can also be regarded as satisfactory. He will be tired at the European championship because he is also participating in the Grand Slam tournament. The Frenchman Vachier-Lagrave did not perform outstandingly in Khanty-Mansiysk, but he can be forgiven, given that he was playing the leaders on the first board. As for Rustam Qasimcanov, he was noted for his stable playing.

- Can Aleksey Shirov's fatigue affect the team's success?

- I intend to give Shirov a break in the first rounds. We will use Rauf Mammadov and Eltac Safarli. Shirov will be with us for games against the strongest opponents,. The main point is that the team should go to the championship with the intention of fighting to win.

- How do you rate your chances? Do you think that a month after the Olympic championship, you can also feel the joy of a European champion?

- (Smiles) I do not like making predictions. Time will tell. We should not forget that we are dealing with strong opposition at the European championship. In any case, this will be SOCAR Azerbaijan's debut. So we'll try to return to Baku with a medal.