BU XIANGZHI: MY FRIENDS LOST BECAUSE OF EXHAUSTION
Grandmaster Bu Xiandzhi from China defeated the French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on tie-break and answered the questions at the press-conference after the last game.
— How difficult was this match?
— Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is one of the top players in the world. I played the first rapid game really bad and was lucky to escape to a draw after my opponent made a few mistakes. In the second game I played White, the position was complicated, but I managed to enter the endgame with an extra pawn. The more fair result of this game would still be a draw, but Maxime blundered, and the game ended in my favor.
— You are the only player from China who advanced to the Round 3. What is the reason for rather mediocre results by China?
— One of the reasons is exhaustion of the players. We had lots of tournaments this year — the World Team Championship, the Universiade, etc. Fortunately I did not participate in the Universiade, so I could save some energy before the World Cup. Coming to such tournaments in a good shape is very important.
Official website: http://chess.ugrasport.com
I feel bad.
good heavens Bu! That is a poor and unsportsmanlike excuse!