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I have met Ruslan Ponomariov, the new world chess champion, at Hotel Moscow on 24 January, the next day after he won the champion's title. First of all I congratulated Ruslan Olegovich and informed him that «Ruslan Ponomariov's Page» in the Internet attracted a record number of visitors. At that stage Ruslan guessed that he had to answer the questions again. Certainly, I had them ready - I knew that he was extremely tired of grandmasters, journalists and all the rest, so I prepared not too many of them. Before I managed to surprise Ruslan Ponomariov with my questions, he amazed me having told that the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma called him on his mobile phone on 24 January and congratulated on winning the world champion's title. Ruslan could not even believe that the President of Ukraine was talking to him! However, let us pass to my questions and the answers to them by the 18-year-old champion...
Have you analysed the last game from where it ended?
No! Generally speaking I was quite ready for Alekhine's Defence. We analysed it during our preparations.
Did you analyse the played games in the course of the match?
There was just no time for that.
Do you know about Kramnik's address on Russian TV on 23 January when he congratulated you on winning the world championship?
No, I didn't...
Besides other things, Kramnik said how he felt in a sort of psychological pit after winning the Brain Games title and wished you, above all, to decide upon your aims... Have you thought now, after victory, about new goals or do you still have some unachieved aims of the past?
What could my goals be? Play, win tournaments and defend the title in two years' time.
And what are your rating goals?
I'm now seventh in the rating list, aren't I?
It looks like seventh - or, including Fischer, eighth...
So first I must become the sixth.
Good answer! Did your team watch the Wijk aan Zee games during the match?
Yes, we did.
Did you go on the internet during the match, were you reading anything at all about the match?
The coaches did but not me, I read absolutely nothing about the match.
What is your opinion: Can you and Vassily Ivanchuk reach a consensus on who is to play top board for the Ukrainian team now, after your victory?
It seems it depends on him more than on me. Still, the world champion is entitled to play at the first board...
To my mind, the crucial moves of the match were 47...Kg7? 48 Qd2! in the fifth game. Have you already seen Qd2! when playing 47 Kg3?.
Not quite... I made the move Kg3 and Ivanchuk started to think, then I noticed that, against ...Kg7, there is an answer - Qd2!.
I also noticed 48 Qd2 in advance; by that moment I and Vladimir Barsky, the Chess Today correspondent, were not in the press-center but in the playing hall...
I exhausted my questions, it was nearly midnight by the time - high time for children and champions. I attempted to ask Ruslan when he was going to come back home but he couldn't answer for sure. It seems the only definite thing in his nearest plans was the meeting of the match participants with the President of Ukraine on 29 January. I told Ruslan something like that having seen his after-match schedule I would not wish to become a world champion. Ruslan's answer was: «I also thought that everything would be easier after becoming a champion.» Jokes are jokes but Ruslan Ponomariov deserved his rest from chess.
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