Sport & Chess

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

An advice Kramnik might give a player who might have peaked

After the game, Leontxo Garcia, the color commentator and conductor of the press conferences, asked Kramnik about any advice he might give a player who might have peaked, and what he should do. Vladimir started lightly by saying that it depended: if the player was rated 2200, he might suggest a change in jobs, whereas if the player was rated 2800, well, just continue doing what he was doing. It was obvious that they were alluding to Carlsen, which was confirmed by the follow-up. Kramnik explained that when he was much younger he had reached a point where he not only peaked, but even seemed to regress. This forced him to do a great deal of soul-searching and cold analysis, as this type of issue always happens for a reason. This is nothing particularly unusual for a young player, but it must be dealt with logically and vigorously. As a result, he made a number of serious changes in his life, and overcame the problem.
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6733