Hans Moke Niemann

American GM

“My first goal at the Freestyle World Championship in Weissenhaus is to reach the Top-4 over seven rounds, which will be super intense. In Cape Town, a similar preliminary stage didn’t really matter much because no one was eliminated — you just chose your opponent. Here, everything will be very stressful, just seven rounds.

So, I’ll just try to stay calm and relaxed. I’m still recovering from Wijk aan Zee and from six months on the road in general. The most important thing is to have enough energy and arrive inspired.

Levon Aronian once told me that before a Freestyle event, he didn’t do anything. And I was like: “What? I prepare six hours a day!”. I played many training games, but when I started feeling tired, I thought that I just need to rest.

I’m feeling tired now after Wijk aan Zee, but I feel like I’m immersing myself in the world of top chess again. Overall, I’m very-very happy with the invitation!”