Ilya Krasik – Denys, Where were you born, grew up, what was your childhood like?

Denys Shmelov – I was born in Kharkov, Ukraine (then Soviet Union) and spent there 19 years of my life. Growing up in a country with stagnating economy, exorbitant crime rate, rampage unemployment and desperate people was a lot of fun. Good thing I was too young to understand what’s going on.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Hmm… Russian classical literature. I remember myself obediently reading all huge novels we had on reading list. I am one of those few maniacs who read the whole “War and Peace”. I am so proud of this fact that I always mention it even if no one asks

How were you introduced to chess, did anyone in your family play the game? Was there a particular player(s) that you idolized?

Both my parent knew how to play, my father had pretty decent strength back in the days. There was no one I really idolized, I always tried to learn a little bit from everyone.

Who will win the current Fide Knockout in Khanty-Mansisk, Anand-Kramnik match, next US Ch.? Who will win the US presidency in 2008?

Fide-Knockout… I will be rooting for Shirov even though he will not win. I think Anand will beat Kramnik, even though it’s a close battle. Hillary wins 2008 that’s a no-brainer.

What are your hobbies besides chess? (Pollination does not count )

I really like reading (duh… someone crazy enough to read Tolstoy), listening to music, watching baseball. Nothing much really, life doesn’t leave much time for hobbies.

A few years ago your native Ukraine went through so-called Orange Revolution, the opposition sported Blue, are you “Orange or “Blue” at heart?

Now that’s a question no living American could ever ask me Definitely orange, I even smuggled a CD of Orange Revolution music when I came to US. Still sometimes listen to it when I feel a bit nostalgic

When and did you immigrate to the US, how hard was the transition process, i.e. adaptation to new language and new culture? Do you have any family here? What was most surprising to you upon arrive to U.S.?

I came here in November 2005. Transition process… yeah wasn’t really easy, took me quite a bit of time. I live with my mom, stepfather and two sisters from the second marriage, so I can’t complain about lack of family support. Most surprising thing… probably Nashua mall, one of the very first things I saw

Why are you nicknamed the “Bee”, do you mind it or love it?

Yeah, they called me that since high-school. Bumble-bee to be precise   I don’t mind it at all, feel like it kind of suits me.

You must be eating your Wheaties because your rating jumped from around 2230 last year to almost 2400 today, what is the real for this jump, do you have a secret improvement method?

I think I am just recapturing what I’ve lost. I don’t feel like I really improved since I moved here, just started playing more frequently, that’s all. And I hate cereal by the way, ugly creation of American culinary.

Are you currently offering chess lessons in person or online?

I tried it some time ago but demand was so overwhelming that I gave up on this idea

You are a pretty active tournament player, is there a particular tournament you enjoy, do you have a favorite chess club?

My favorite is Metrowest Chess Club in Natick, MA, which offers slow time control, competitive crowd and convenient location. That’s the only place where I play consistently.

Jorge introduced the term “customers”, guys whom you have played many times and with a lopsided result in your favor, do you have any such customers?

I guess this doubtful honor goes out to Chris Chase, who seems to have no luck playing me.

Let’s talk about the US Chess League, did you know about its existence before this season, did you follow your current team? How did you land on the Blitz?

Yeah, I was following Boston’s progress last year. I remember being quite upset after Blitz was eliminated by Knights in semi-finals. Even back then I though it would be nice to be a part of Boston squad. Be careful what you wish for… In July, when my rating was 150 points up from what it was year ago Matt contacted me and officially invited to the team. Needless to say I didn’t hesitate a second.

You’ve had a remarkable rookie season, your were the most active regular season player and you went undefeated. Did you expect to as well as you did, how do you prepare of your games?

I expected to be competitive, but I didn’t think I will do that well. I mean, in many games I was out-rated, outclassed, had black most of the games, always would get in some doubtful positions. And yet I managed to score few points here and there…

It seems that you are very tenacious as a player, you can be in a bad position but you don’t collapse, where others would… Do you agree with that statement (modesty sucks in America)? Do you think this quality of hanging in there is coachable, is it mental control or something else?

Yes, I guess you can call me tenacious player. It would be nice to have some other chess qualities to go with it, but that’s about all I have This quality is coachable, like anything else in chess, even though I can’t think of a way to actually do it. I never was good with openings so I would always get into bad positions and try to hold for my dear life. And, most importantly, I didn’t quit chess after playing like this and having 7 consecutive tournaments with rating loss

Did you enjoy your mini-match (3 games) against Jay Bonin, and how did beating the “Knights” feel?

I can’t really say I enjoyed playing Bonin that much. I felt really intimidated facing the guy who plays more tournament games in one year that I played in my entire life. And his openings were also so boring… I remember preparing for semi-final and going through all his white games trying to find more or less off-beat line he might play. I spent several hours looking at all kinds of lines, even those I never played before. Fortunately he took care of that problem starting game with 1.b3. That was really rare move, I bet he started his games like this only few hundred times.

Beating the Knights sure felt good, even though I spoiled a celebration for myself. But still, for true New Englanders (which I am not yet, even though I am trying my hardest) beating New York is an experience to die for.

Boston is through to the Finals, in a few days you will be facing one of the only guys on Dallas whose last name I dare spell, IM Jacek Stopa, what do you think of him as a player?

The day I found out I will be facing Stopa was one of the worst days in my entire life. Lineups were posted on Thursday night, right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. I remember when the terrible news arrived I choked on my gravy and spilled my wine all over white tablecloth. The rest of my night was spoiled. What am I going to do? How am I going to face this monster, this ultimate killing machine? Since Thursday I’ve been restless and anxious, I stopped eating, sleeping, doing my homework and even making ironic jokes… it is really that bad.

I have read several interviews with Dallas players: they all clamor how great Stopa is and are drunk with optimism that he is going to beat you. Do you think their celebration is premature, how do you approach your game vs IM Stopa ? What city will the parade go through?

As I mentioned before I haven’t slept since Thursday and the gravy I choked on was the last meal I had… Considering this the game should be a totally easy walk for Stopa. All he needs is to show up and make the first ten moves not blundering his queen. I don’t think I will be able to do the same… but there are other three boards which I am sure will do better than me. Therefore we are expecting a parade in Boston.

Things won’t be that clear incase Dallas wins though. They will probably hold their parade in Belgrade… or maybe Zagreb, Warsaw or Ulaan-Bator? I am sure they will work it out…