Anish Giri

Dutch GM

“Before a tournament, they usually say that unless someone breaks away, the fight will be very close. You usually assume that’s the case. But this time it was different — one player really pulled ahead, and in that sense, it would have been difficult anyway. I also started with a loss, which isn’t ideal.

Yes, I had chances that I could have converted better, but I think Sindarov had more of them. Overall, it’s hard to say for sure. But I’m happy that I fought almost to the very end.

To be serious, of course, it would have been great to keep the intrigue alive until the last round, but the opponent played very well. I’ve had my ups and downs. Yes, I could have won some games, but on the other hand, I won others too — I didn’t draw all 14 games, and that’s a reason to celebrate.

There is no universal recipe for winning tournaments. Even Magnus Carlsen decided to exit the championship cycle. It is not easy. But it seems Javokhir now knows how to win — I will try to learn from him…

I saw this tournament as an investment in my career — not just financially, but also in terms of time. I put in a lot of work that I usually don’t have time for. And it’s already partially paid off.”