L'interview en langue anglaise
Name: Laurent Fressinet
Date of birth: 30/11/1981
Place of birth: Dax (South of France)
Current Elo rating: 2708
Place of residence: PARIS
What is your favourite colour?
Blue
What kind of food makes you happy?
Japanese
And what drink?
Red wine
Who is your favourite author?
Albert Camus
What was the best or most interesting book you ever read?
“L'écume des jours” (Froth of the day dream) by Boris Vian
What is your all-time favourite movie?
Fracture with Antony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling
What is your favourite TV series?
Dexter and House of cards
Do you have a favourite actor?
Jack Nicholson,Antony Hopkins
And a favourite actress?
Meryl Streep
What music do you like to listen to?
All kind of music but my favourite interpret is the belgian Jacques Brel
Do you have a favourite painter or artist?
Amedeo Modigliani
What do you see as your best result ever?
Winning gold medal at the World Mind games in 2012.
What was the best game you ever played?
By far my victory against Kramnik in the Alekhine memorial in 2013
Who is your favourite chess player of all time and why?
Kasparov because I studied his games since I was a kid and I always liked his style
Is there a chess book that had a profound influence on you?
“Des échecs à l'infini “ by Karpov.A and Gik.E when I was starting chess and recently I enjoyed a lot reading “my great predecessors” especially the Kasparov-Karpov matches volume.
What was the most exciting chess game you ever saw?
Karpov-Kasparov (0-1) 16th game of the second match in 1985 was absolutely brilliant .
What is the best chess country in the world?
Corsica “the land of chess”
What are chess players particularly good at (except for chess)?
Logic reasoning
Do chess players have typical shortcomings?
They have difficulties adjusting to the chaos of the modern society
What is it that you appreciate most in a person?
Open mindness
What is it that you dislike in a person?
The dangerous blend of stupidity and wickedness
Do you have any superstitions concerning chess?
No I am not superstitious,it brings bad luck !
Who or what would you like to be if you weren’t yourself?
John Mc Enroe just to have the pleasure to shout at the arbiter for once.
Which three people would you like to invite for dinner?
The Dalaï Lama,Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama
What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?
When I was 20,I was working with Yuri Razuvaev who opened my eyes on the importance of the psychological dimension in chess preparation.He told me that it was way more important to understand how my opponent was perceiving me than the opposite.
This served me well also in poker !
Is there something you'd love to learn?
To drive! And to get my driving license before I turn 60 !
Where is your favourite place in the world?
Paris
What is your greatest fear?
Not to be able to see my kids grow up
What would you save from your house if it were on fire?
My wife ,my kids and probably my mother-in-law
How do you relax?
Playing tennis and poker online.
If you could change one thing in the chess world, what would it be?
Rapid and blitz tournaments should be organized more often
What is the stupidest rule in chess?
Draw offer,because the game should end by “natural means”
What will be the nationality of the 2050 chess world champion?
Norvegian of course, but probably old and grumpy !
Is a knowledge of chess useful in everyday life?
I would put it in a different way : not the knowledge itself but the learning process .This model is easily transposed to any other field which gives you better chances to succeed.
What is the best thing that was ever said about chess?
“Chess,like love,like music,has the power to make men happy” Tarrasch
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