8/09/2012

The 2010 Turkish Correspondence Chess Championship has ended. Nejdet Esen makes it two in a row.

The 2010 Turkish Correspondence Chess Championship has ended. Nejdet Esen has defended his title which he obtained in 2009. Here we have an interwiev with the champion.


1) You have won the Turkish Correspondence Chess Championship consecutively now.
Can you share your success secret with us?

I think things done in the road to success are no longer considered a secret; they can be expressed as basic requirements for the aforementioned labor. In short, in the language of chess we can say; patient, long and intensive anlyses, correct opening choices and a little bit of luck maybe.

2) You are also the 8th Asia-Africa Zonal Champion; what kind of preparations have you made for the World Championship and other notable championships?

To put it frankly I never set long term goals for myself; but in every tournament that I entered I tried to obtain the best posssible result. At the moment I am playing the preliminaries of the 34th and the 35th World Championships. My first goal is to advance to the next round; and in both of the tournaments I have mentioned, I am very close to this goal; of course the next milestone is to get to the Finals. In the case of reaching the Finals; I want to go as far as possible.

3) At the moment you don't have a title or a norm; however I would like to direct you the following question: when do you think you will attain the GM title?

Correct, at this stage I don't even have a norm but I am very close to SIM norms in two tournamnets that I am playing. When I become a SIM, I will try to get a GM title in two years time.

4) Can you analize a few of your games for our readers.

To choose among games that you put your effort for one or two years is difficult. I personally like games which I have expended my greatest efforts.

2010 Turkish CC Champion Nejdet Esen

N. Esen vs. A. Kazoks


R. Opperman vs. N. Esen




5) Do you think that the monetary prizes the Federation ( TSF - TCF) allocates for the Turkish Correspondence Chess Championships are adequate?

Correspondence Chess is not well known yet in our country and it hasn't acquired the necessary deference. At this juncture the adoption of correspondence chess by the Federation( TSF - TCF ) and its allocation of prizes for the campionships is a very important advance. In this process when correspondence chess is better understood among our people, the prizes will also improve. However we cannot criticize the amount of prizes at this conjecture.

6) Which player inspired you the most?

I have no singular answer for this question. In different times I was inspired by different players. In the stages when I frist began playing chess, due to my first chess book, Capablanca has a separate place for me; but I was inspired by different world champions at different times. I was also influenced by non-World Champions like Carlos Torre, Paul Keres, and Paul Murphy who was well ahead of his time.

7) What are your favorite openings and what is your favorite stage in achess game? 

I like the Sicilian defence both with White and with Black. I also like the Indian systems and openings with distinct attack plans like Greco- Möller Attack, Marshal Attack and Torre Attack... etc.  To answer your second question I'll have to say that in some games I like the opening, in others the middle game and in others the end game. To give a more general answer I can say that I like sections of the game where there are more options and rich possibilities.


Nejdet Esen before an OTB game.


8)What are yor short and long term goals.

My goal in the long term is to play in the Final of a World Championship; and  in the short term is to complete my SIM norms.

9) Do you use PCs during your anlyses. Which engines are you using? Can you share your thoughts on the usage of computers in correspondence chess?

Of course I am using computers for anlysis; and unless you  have a GM friend with whom you can discuss chess matters, I think that computer assistance is a must for every player. I don't think correspondence games are like OTB and other games where you exhibit what you have prepared. In correspondence chess preparations are continuing throughout the game and the environment is more like a place where the player is trained. Therefore since contemporary masters are using computers in home preparation I don't see anything more natural then correspondence players doing the same thing. Of course relying on computer analysis is not sufficient, during the game one must search for ideas from books and try to obtain the opinions of different people, otherwise one will be stuck at a certain level in correspondence chess. Here I have to note that, there are many instances where the computers were easily deceived in correspondence chess. To know positional ideas, to be in command of strategical concepts, openings and middle game pricipals are all important; besides these, a computer will be a good workout partner. In my analyses I use  Rybka and Houdini engines very often; when I have difficulty in creating an original idea or a plan I consult  other engines also.

10) Do you have a message that you would like convey?

I wish all correspondence players much success. To people who have joined correspondence play recently or are planning to join in, I advice patience . To acquire benefits from correspondence chess and to be able to use it in normal tournaments, they have to know that there is a long way to go. Like all other sports branches, in correspondence chess there is no way for fast success.


2010 Turkish CC Championship Final Standings
EventCrossTable.aspx?id=21830


2009 Turkish CC Championship Final Standings

http://www.iccf-webchess.com/

EventCrossTable.aspx?id=17558
8th AA Zonal Final Standings

http://www.iccf-webchess.com/