21.11.2016

Ilyumzhinov: "Karjakin must believe he can win"

The World Chess Championship Match between Sergey Karjakin and Magnus Carlsen is being held in New York. Currently, they played seven of the 12 games, all of them ended in a draw.

"Magnus has always been number one, he is an experienced fighter. But no matter how he tries to break through the defense, it is impossible for him. That means that Sergey is well trained and is in good physical and psychological shape. But he has not played such matches yet. He needs to overcome the inferiority complex," said Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

"The fight is very intense. Before the match, analysts’ forecast was 80 to 20 in favour of Carlsen. They said that Magnus will crush the opponent. My assessment is different. In terms of theoretical and opening training Sergey is equal to Magnus. The decisive factor is the mood to fight, the desire to become a champion. Magnus is not a machine. He is faltering and making inaccurate moves. After all, he is a man and can make mistakes," noted the President of FIDE.