Ilya Krasik – Chris tell us a bit about yourself, where were your born, who introduced you to chess and how, what are your favorite books? When did you play your first tournament and how well did you do?

Chris Williams – Well I was born actually not to far from where we play our matches, Cambridge Hospital. I was taught the rules of chess by my 3rd grade teacher with those fat plastic pieces that say the way the pieces move on the fronts. I didn’t play much after that until I turned 10-11 then I played my first tournament, some little scholastic at the Metrowest Club, I went 3-1.

Chess players are a superstitious bunch; do you have any weird superstitions?

I’m the most psychologically soft person I know when it comes to chess and am affected by everything at the board, which is why I use music before and during play to keep my self in sync.

Do you believe in extraterrestrial life (aliens)? Do you believe in God?

I won’t go much into detail about it, I am Jewish, and I also have kind of joked/preached about a philosophy of mine called the “Bonus Question” to some friends, lol.

You are currently a senior in high school, what are your plans for next year?

I plan to go to college next year.

What is your number one college choice? Do you plan to continue playing actively when in college?

Chess messed up my life, school especially, my performance in school and energy, I do not recommend to anyone who wants to live a happy life as it totally destroys your spirit. My #1 choice is U Mass Boston as I can go for free and it’s not far from where I live, about a 40 minute train ride.

How did the nickname “Bear” come about? And what’s the story behind your ICC handle “Exiledbear?”

A very, very close friend of mine, Vanessa Diaz, (an incredibly gifted, vivacious, beautiful chess girl) gave me the nick name chrissybear. It quickly spread and I’m now known by that name not only in chess but everywhere. I gave my self the handle Exiledbear because at the time I bought it I was feeling exiled by chess and life in general.

Who are favorite chess players?

Fischer is my favorite legend while Christiansen is my favorite player of all time; his style and commitment to chess are most inspiring to me. I agree whole heartedly with Fischer’s view and theories about corrupt chess at the highest level and I agree it is quite possible that they fixed all those games. I think Fischer has a lot of interesting points actually; he’s really quite sane if you look past his stupid rants such as the Jewish-hate nonsense, which is totally ridiculous so I don’t even acknowledge it.

Have you heard about new FIDE regulations requiring certain top players to undergo a drug test, is this the stupidest thing ever or does it make sense in the context of chess competition?

Well I wouldn’t be surprised if they started doing drug testing. I myself admit to taking drugs that by sheer luck have also contributed to my chess improvement. Adderal really heightens all of the senses, extra senses needed while playing, and it should not be allowed as I think it gives me an unfair advantage, lol. There was only one game this season I wasn’t on it for, that game against the little kid where I mated him in like 12 moves, yeah so I didn’t need it for that, lol.

Any plans to play in Russia, say in Aeroflot, and maybe meet some real Russian Bears?

Hmmm, my good friend, Ilya Krasik, did introduce me to that opportunity and I will have to give it some thought, logistically speaking, but of course I’d love to if I’m able and available.

Recently there has been much discussion about women’s chess in the US: some people feel that women get undue privileges, i.e. special tournaments, special prizes and unwarranted publicity, others feel that we need to do what it takes to attract more women to chess, what is your take on this issue and who in your opinion is the most talented Junior female player in the U.S. today?

Well I agree that this sexist stuff is totally not needed, but because of past history, we will have to just look the other way. Women were treated so unfairly in the past, thought to not be as smart or capable as men in any area except the house and childcare, that they deserve special accommodations and privileges for having the courage to come out into a field dominated with men and prove they are just as capable.

I have met many young talented chess girls throughout my chess life, I mean I can’t really say special things about their chess skills in relation to their gender as I am a firm believer in one’s intelligence not being linked with whether they are male or female, but I will say that chess girls are much, much, better at separating their ferocious chess feelings from their sweet personalities than dudes are. You would never be able to tell from being around chess girls in public places that they were capable of such cut throat determination.

Let’s talk about the US Chess League, did you know about the existence of USCL before this season? What are your impressions from your rookie season in the league, tell us about your team, teammates and the general atmosphere? How do you prepare for USCL matches? Do you play differently in USCL than in OTB tournaments because it is an online team event and because you know many folks are watching?

I became aware of the USCL’s existence in the middle of last season and fell in love with it right away. It’s a great concept, brilliant, and I think it’s great for chess and is very entertaining both chess wise and socially, and I take my hat off to Greg Shahade and company for putting it all together. We have an amazing team this year, I think Eugene, Larry and Jorge are monster top boards to have in our arsenal, and Denys is a pimp. Denys and I getting a discount, rating wise, to play is pretty good. I think Bill Kelleher has displayed some huge chess this season too and I was very impressed with his games even though his results weren’t all that good, and as for Ilya, people need to stop hating as I know from personal experience that Ilya is a very strong master, and that he is just going through an unlucky/bad slump that we all go through. I did for like 2 years straight and we should all just chill.

Last week the Blitz defeated the NY Knights, which you came through with a big win over Iryna Zenyuk. Tell us about that game, what was Bd2 all about?

LOL, yeah, New York is a very strong team although I think they would be much stronger without Nakamura. He doesn’t seem to much care for his team’s performance and has sort of just been like an ornament for them this whole season. I will say again, Iryna is a phenomenal player, a very sweet person who was very kind to me in between games and everyone just says how nice she is as a person. I really enjoyed playing with her, she is a very good sport and we need more people like her in chess. As for Bd2, I did that for Charbonneau, when I played him in Miami I was having some weird reactions from my Adderal and while I was playing him I was kind of thinking differently and had the urge to play this move. I actually got a winning position and messed it up, but yeah I thought I would spice up the match with some good memories for him to think about while he played Jorge, lol.

As the NY-Boston match was winding down, Nakamura started coming out with excuses about how unimportant he views the whole enterprise, yet I have heard from several sources that at the same time, Knight’s manager/player, Irina Krush, was upset realizing NY was knocked out. How important is team chemistry in your opinion, what is your take on Blitz’s togetherness?

Oh yeah I mean you have to be with your team through thick and thin, be there to celebrate and also to console when you lose, but most important, above all, always give your best for your team, always. Admitting you don’t care, or using it as an excuse is totally ridiculous and I think Nakamura should be cut from the team. Who wants an arrogant ball hog on their team? Not me. The Blitz have fun and are fierce as a team and that is why we win.

Your next opponent is Dallas; it’s the USCL Finals so the stakes couldn’t be higher. What do you know about your finals opponent, she has a complicated last name that I dare not spell, have you seen her games? Dallas players claim they will win the match, and that they believed they would win it all from the very beginning, what do you think about their cockiness, who will prevail in the upcoming match?

I am going to use my best judgment for this game. I am still not sure how I am going to approach this, preparation wise, but I think the Blitz are going to win the title for sure.

At the start of this USCL season you have said on many occasions that you feel you aren’t getting the respect, after finishing the season with a remarkable 6/8 score, do you feel you are finally getting that respect?

I mean people can say what they want, I have talked a lot of trash, yeah, but I have closed it all off for each and every one of my games and tried to play the best chess I can with all the seriousness I have, that’s what you do when you’re on a team, Nakamura should pay attention to that.

Thanks for your time Chris, and best of luck against Dallas.