 A nice smooth win today with the white pieces, of course the result you were looking forward to after yesterday's draw? Yeah, very much so because you know I was a little bit better yesterday but I couldn't win, my opponent played very well and yeah, I needed this win to get the tournament going. It's always hard in an open tournament in the first few rounds when you're playing against players you haven't heard that much about and you don't know them well. What happened yesterday was that something that affected you? Yes, well yesterday I played a very young player from India, 13-year-old and it's when you play this young player it's always very dangerous because you don't really know their strength exactly so they could be like improving maybe 24-25 on his strength and I was black and I was a little bit better but he played very well and there were a couple of important moments in that game that he had to find the only moves in a king and pawn end game which he did and I couldn't really do much so the game ended in a draw. Right now normally with the black pieces at your level if you've got a draw it's a solid good result but you can't be too happy about it in the first round of an open tournament? Absolutely yes, if it was a close round drop in tournament draw with another 2600, 2550 it's fine but in the first round especially it's better to start with a win because now I have to win a couple of games to just you know to get the rating that I lost in that first game so to speak but still happy with a win on a second game. Right and then it's also important to come back really quickly like you did in today's game. Absolutely, it's nice to win quickly so you don't spend too much energy and kind of rest because tomorrow the game is going to be tougher. Yeah you're going to start playing against tougher opponents from tomorrow. What's your plan for today evening? For today well probably we're going to go to have a nice meal on the Spanish side so you know we're going to have a little bit of rest and maybe sleep a little early and get ready for tomorrow. You quite like it here in Gibraltar you're a bit of a regular here with us so what do you like about it? Well I really like playing in Gibraltar because I'm going to be playing in a US championship and it's coming up and it's a good tournament to start the year with you know hopefully get some games against some very top players like last year I had a good tournament I finished 7 out of 10 and I played some very top players I played Nigel Short, Matlakoff, Naidic, Karwana, Fressine so I had you know I drew all these top players it was it was a good tournament overall. Sounds like an elite tournament. Yeah well yeah I also gained 12 rating points which helped so yeah I very much so like to play this tournament first and then I'll play maybe another very strong ground drop in tournament in St. Louis in preparation to the US championship which will be in the middle of April this year. In fact I remember when we had you in the press room last time as well you were talking about the importance of the US championship and how this tournament is actually a great preparatory tournament for you. Yes yes absolutely last year was actually a great result in Gibraltar and then I followed up with a very very good result in US championship and I don't know if you follow the tournament that in the last game going into the last round I was tie for first with Hikaru, no not with Hikaru sorry with Wesley and Alex Sonichuk and myself so and they both drew and I was playing Hikaru and if I had won that game I would be actually the US champion clear first so it was a tough game maybe I was a little bit better but then it was equal and I ended up losing that game so it was very tough loss I finished third that year but still it was a good warm-up I think here playing the top five players that I mentioned. Right well it's going to start getting tough from tomorrow so go get some rest and we wish you all the very best. Thank you very much. Thanks.