RENÉ GRALLA spoke with the WM-candidate Levon Aronian

RG: At the chess Olympiad in 2006 you won the selection of Armenia gold. Do you want to crown this success in 2007 with the World Championship title?
Levon Aronian: I will give my best, hopefully with much success.

Recently the candidate tournament in Elista, has ended favourably for you, you created the WM-qualification in convincing way. A good sign for the WM?
I never think abut it no. I train, in order to still increase my form for the WM. Then I will see how the tournament runs.

You won the matches with the world champion Vladimir Kramnik from Russia scarcely two months ago in Armenia capital, in Jerewan with 4:2 points. This make you feel good for the WM?
That was in high-speed chess, 25 minutes per player and portion. I lost before already many times against Kramnik. Therefore from it hardly a prognosis for the WM can be derived.

After the failure of Jerewan the world champion V. Kramnik should actually have fear of you or what?
You must ask that comment to him, in addition I do not know at all whether fear is the correct word. Kramnik knows that I can quite bring him great difficulties.

The other large WM-favorite is momentary the Indian Viswanathan Anand, the title carrier of 2000 and the No.1 of the world ranking list. How do you estimate your chances against him?
What I said about Kramnik, can also be transferred to Anand. I look forward to our meeting, it will be most interesting.

There was a surprised public that mentioned how you created great complex games to get to the world historic chess event, although you call your style at the board "chaotic“. Would you like to comment on this statement?
Yes, I love unclear positions, in which nobody can say exactly, how the situation is. There I mean for wonderful creativity to unfold.
It has been said that 800 million humans play chess world-wide: Is there necessary attention given to chess?
Naturally I wish myself that chess would become even more popular. The sport of chess should be strengthened in the school teaching curriculum, because it trains children to understand much more about their life. Studies from the USA and Russia clearly state this.

In your homeland, Armenia you are a superstar. From where does this enthusiasm for chess come?
It applies less for chess than our successes with the national team. The country has heavy times behind itself. Our country has longed for something great. All the enthusiasm was larger, when we returned from the chess Olympiad in Turin with the gold.

Tigran Petrosjan, the world champion from 1963 to 1969, originates from Armenia. Do you see yourselves with the forthcoming WM in the follow-up of Petrosjan?
Some people in Armenia confound our first names and call me Tigran. But in Ernst: The question comes prematurely, We have to wait for the WM to take place then we shall see.

If you should win the WM-title, the dethroned world champion Kramnik gets a second chance: The world chess federation FIDE was entitled to Kramnik for the right to rematch the WM-winner. Is this privilege fair?
The WM 2007 in Mexico city is a round tournament. But according to my own personal opinion, the world championship should actually be in a match between the title defender and the challenger. That corresponds to the traditional delivering mode. If there is a new winner, then of course the WM-tournament must begin afterwards against the ex champion.

With the reunification WM in such a way specified in Elista during 2006 that both world champions Vladimir Kramnik and the Bulgarian Vesselin Topalov were fixed that the loser is excluded from the WM of this year. This clause had both sides agreeing well before the match started. Now the Bulgarian side tries to have the loser Topalov move into the WM-cycle in 2007. What do you say to it?
Both sides knew, under which conditions the WM in Elista was delivered in 2006 and a defeat for one of them would mean elimination. They accepted that, therefore this does not please me how the camp of Topalov is behaving right now. I would like to know what the public think about this?
Translated from Neues Deutschland Friday 13th 2007(in German)