Rauf Mammadov shared his thoughts on the change of opponent in the "Clash of Champions" tournament

Azerbaijani Grandmaster Rauf Mammadov commented on the change of opponent in the "Clash of Champions" tournament to be held in Baku.

The chess player gave an interview to "Report" about this.

He stated that he will have an interesting game with Rustam Kasimdzhanov from Uzbekistan, who he will face instead of Indian world champion Viswanathan Anand, who was determined not to participate in the tournament due to health reasons:

"To be honest, I had started preparing for the fight with Anand. But Rustam is also a great chess player and a world champion. He became world champion by defeating my favorite grandmaster Michael Adams. I will try to fight. I'm expecting an interesting game."

R. Mammadov emphasized that his opponent has recently been considered the best teacher in the world:

"Once we drew with Rustam in classical chess. We also had meetings in blitz and rapid types. I defeated him in Shusha. It is a bit difficult to compare Anand with Rustam. I can say that Rustam's openings are very strong. He is considered the best teacher in the world lately. In general, both Kasimdzhanov and Anand worked with Fabiano Caruana. They are very strong. But after Magnus Carlsen. It is possible to fight with everyone. But it is very difficult to play with Magnus. He's just amazing."

It should be noted that the "Clash of Champions" tournament will be held from April 27 to 30 at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. In another match, the champion of Azerbaijan, Gunay Mammadzada, will clarify relations with the world and European champion Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria).