Krasimir, tell us a little about the results of the first round of Top-8. Did Vitaly Laletin's victory over Dmitry Trubin surprise you?

- Yes, I did not expect this victory!

Could Alex Kurdecha win, and if so, what, in your opinion, did he have enough?

- I think he could. Alex simply did not do everything possible in that situation. He lacked a bit of technical training.

How expected were the results for you?

- Laletin surprised me, and I did not expect that Levan would so easily win against Bresnan.

Which one of the matches did you like best?

- Kurdecha - Ongarbaev was a good match, the rest were not so interesting.

What pairs would you like to see in the next stage?

- I want to see the fight of Babayev vs Trubin or Bresnan vs Trubin, and in the upper grid fights of Ongarbaev vs Prudnik and Saginashvili vs Laletin.

Has your opinion changed regarding the main contender for the title of champion?

- No, Levan is the main favorite.

Whom would you like to see in the final in a duel for the first and second place?

- I think that only Vitaly Laletin has a chance against Levan, and I would like to see their fight in the second stage, it will be more interesting :)

What do you think, who is the favorite in the bottom grid?

- I can not define the favorite in this group.

Can you write your prediction on who will take what place for all eight athletes?

- Forecasts are a thankless task, so I don’t want to guess the final placement.

Was this forecast before the first stage different?

- Yes, I thought that Trubin would win against Laletin, and Bresnan would compete with Saginashvili, but it turned out that Levan and Vitaly had become very strong! I need to overcome them again!