Azerbaijani chess player Misratdin Iskandarov believed he had a good chance in his third-place match at the national championship.
Speaking to Report, Idman.biz reports that the 30-year-old grandmaster shared his thoughts on the match that never took place due to Teimour Radjabov’s health issues: "I expected a good match and thought I wouldn’t lose to him in classical chess. I had never faced Radjabov before, but after my semifinal loss to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, my confidence grew because I played well. I believed our match would likely go to a tiebreak."
Iskandarov also described this year’s national championship as the strongest in Azerbaijani chess history: "There has never been a tournament with so many strong players. It was a successful event for me. I managed to defeat players ranked higher than me. Although I lost to Mamedyarov in the semifinals, I was eager to face Radjabov for third place. Unfortunately, he couldn’t play due to health issues, so I secured third place by default."
Looking ahead, Iskandarov revealed his future goals: "Thanks to this result, I qualified for the European Individual Chess Championship in Romania this March. I aim to perform well there and secure a spot in the Chess World Cup."
Idman.biz
