Here is an interview from a Paris newspaper conducted by Pierre Barthélémy
of the newspaper Le Monde, Paris.
You can see the whole
interview on chessbase.
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This is your first classical match for the world championship
title; so how are you organizing your preparation?
Leko: I have still not finished my preparation but I
am almost there. I hope I will achieve the optimum. This event is the
highlight of my career
irrespective of all my achievements in the past. I have been preparing
specifically for about six months. For more or less two months we have
been working intensively and I have done all I could. I will be ready in
Brissago.
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Hangin's take:
I was
surprised to hear that Leko, a week before the start of the match, has not
finished his preparation. I think he should have take a week or two off before
the match starts to rest up. 6 months of training with two months of
intense training is great, but you need time to recharge before the start
of the match. Leko faces another two months of intense chess. In boxing you can over train and leave the fight in the
gym.
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How do you prepare physically and psychologically?
Leko: I am mentally and physically strong anyway.
These are important traits of my character and my nature and I do not need
any special preparation in these fields. It is part of my philosophy that
body and soul should be in a certain balance. I do not think that I will
lose this balance during the match. Of course, at the moment I am
exercising physically just to get relaxed and as a compensation for the
very demanding chess training
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Hangin's take:
Leko is going to find out just how different a world championship
match is. Kasparov found out the hard way in 1984. He said he
did not appreciate the world championship match. That cost him 4 losses in
the first 9 games. Every move is pressure packed. There is so much on the
line. Leko is just one step away from chess immortality. It's a giant
step. If Leko wins, he will become the 15th Chess World Champion. I
wonder if Leko has devised a way to tear down Kramnik's Berlin
Wall.
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Leko : In my opinion Kramnik is the player with the deepest
understanding of the game in the world,
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Hangin's take:
This could be a dangerous concession. After 6 months of match
preparation with two months of intense preparation. I hope Leko can see
just as deeply. He will need to.
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