Alexander Nosovsky interviewing Nikolai Mikhailov.
1. Let me congratulate you with Champion of Russia-95 title! What are your feelings?
Thank you for congratulation. The tournament was easy for me. Un-like the Russians I didn't have to fight for in-coming places so I had no psychological pressure. I bravely used "new tricks" and before the last 3 tour I was 2 points ahead. Though I also was tired I managet to score another point to get Champion title at last. It's by best achievement.
2. Say a few words about yourself. What are you doing nowadays?
The last 1.5 years I live in Moscow, tried many jobs but now I'm selling CD-ROMs.
3. What do you know about renju in Uzbekistan?
It so happened that the best Uzbek players are now taking part in Russian competitions. I play in Moscow, and Khramov often visits Tomsk on business and mostly plays in Tomsk competitions.
4. You played many matches in Moscow, winning nearly all of them.Is this a key success of your training?
Yes, I'm using them for basic training and contrive to win most of them. I only lost to Kozhin 9:3. But it helped me to get better prepared for this tournament.
5. Do you think such a system when a delegate to WC from Russia is picked basing on only one result a fair one?
I agree, the system is imperfect. I think that there should be a qualification Swiss tournament and then the best 8 players should fight for a place in a quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
6. You played in the First League as well as Russia finals. What are your views on generation change in Russian renju?
Peskov is the best example of the new generation. He has a "renju" character - making jokes all the time and not taking everything too much to heart! By the way, Kozhin lost this championship just because he started taking the result too seriously to heart - "will do -won't do". When we were playing our match with him drinking beer and he won 9:3 he didn't care at all for the result. Had he taken the same attitude at the championship he would have won it.
7. You will have to play in the "Qualification" tournament. What can you say about your potential opponents? At the last QT you managed "to catch the train" when it was already out of the station, so to say.
This QT will be easier - there will be five instead of three. I think Tuvikene chances are high, as well as those of Veidemanis, Peskov, armenian and swedish players.. But I also think that my chances are good enough. In any case I'll do my best to enter the WC
8. What will you with to our readers?
To play renju more.