Jobava enters Elite Hotel Open in Växjö, Sweden

Jobava plays IM Jacob Carstensen in Växjö, 2016

We are happy to confirm that Jobava is to participate in Elite Hotels Open, which is one of the Swedish Grand Prix Chess tournaments, held in Växjö, Sweden on February 7-9, 2020. Last year he also participated in another tournament of the Swedish Grand Prix, Deltalift Open, Tylösand.

On behalf of the organizers Växjö Chess Club, we just made an interview with Jobava, who currently plays the French Cup in Paris, following his decision to join Elite Hotels Open.

You are going to participate in Aeroflot Open in next month. Do you regard Elite Hotels Open as a preparation before that tournament?
– Definitely yes. My initial plan was to prepare for Aeroflot at my home in Tbilisi, Georgia, but when I received the joint invitation from Växjö Chess Club and my sponsor Mobile Labs, I thought it would be an excellent preparation and warm-up for Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

This is the second time you play a Grand Prix tournament in Sweden. What are your thoughts about this tournament and the format of playing four rapid and four classic games?
– I can just congratulate the Swedish Chess Federation for the huge success with the Grand Prix. It is a perfect format! it is just sad that there are not many other tournaments like this one around the world – a fast yet comfortable format for both the participants as well as the organizers!

You have played many times in Sweden thanks to your participation in the Super One (Superettan) and Premium League (Elitserien). Is there any particular Swedish player you think is a difficult opponent?
– No, I do not have such a feeling for any Swedish player, neither any other foreign player for that matter!

You have won several games against World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen, both in classical and rapid games. How were your feelings before the encounter with Carlsen on the top board in the King Salman World Blitz in Moscow?
I badly wanted to beat him as a revenge for the disappointing loss in King Salman World Blitz in Qatar in 2016, where I had a winning position in a key round for top seeds.

You are a big hockey fan. What do you know about Växjö Lakers?
I am following the ice-hokey leagues from all big hockey countries and from Sweden I like to follow Lakers from Växjö and Redhawks from Malmö!

You are very famous for being one of the most creative chess players in the world. Do you have some advises for young Swedish players who are trying to improve their creative way of playing?
I would advise them to continuously solve a lot of chess studies. Then they need to try to analyze the games of creative players and try to understand their way of thinking. Some of my games could be a good start… 🙂