Offsideplus.az presents this interview.

- First of all, let's talk about the victory in the Airthings Masters online tournament. Probably the final match was more difficult?

- Of course. Usually, the participants who have the best form, confident fight and the best result in the tournament qualify for the finals.

- In this tournament you looked a bit emotional. Usually we wouldn't watch Teymur Rajabov like that ...

- We are getting older (laughs). In fact, I experienced great physical and emotional stress. In total, I played 35 games in 9 days. Despite the different rules, sometimes a lot of force is used to play a classic game. During the day, four games were played, excluding tie-breaks. And all the tension you have felt for days after winning the final of such a difficult race leaves you. It is difficult to hide tears of joy. I used to control my emotions. But it was not taken here.

- Immediately after the victory, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva congratulated you…

- If your speech is appreciated by the first people in your homeland, it is incredibly pleasant and honorable. This is the second congratulation (for the first time since winning the World Cup in 2019). At this time, I experienced a high morale and the desire to be useful for my country.

- What competitions will you take part in in the future?

- In February, March and May, I am expected to take part in the next stages of the Champions Tour organized by world champion Magnus Carlsen. Then there are competitions until the end of the year. Depending on the epidemiological situation in Europe and the world, some tournaments may be postponed or canceled.

- Due to the pandemic, you refused to participate in the Bidders' Tournament in Yekaterinburg. The race was stopped after the first lap. Are you expected to be reinstated in the Bidders' Tournament?

- The point is that I did not refuse to participate in the Bidders' Tournament. I just sent a letter to FIDE with a request to postpone this tournament, because during the pandemic I thought that the participants would not be able to play at full capacity due to restrictions. Tests before the tour, temperature measurements, and a ban on leaving the hotel are not ineffective. It was not clear what to do if one of the chess players fell ill, and so on. The bidders had to hold the tournament for 22 days during the growing pandemic. Wearing a mask, I thought it would be psychologically difficult to play chess in a hospital setting. By the way, this tournament started on March 15 and did not end. I hope that FIDE will find an acceptable solution to keep me out of the Bidders' Tournament, which is an important competition in the fight for the title of world champion.