10. The most exciting game I saw was the Shabalov/Seriawan game won by Yaz in a tight time scramble. I don't know how the players handled the pressure as a loss by either one would have eliminated that player and a draw would have given each a chance to qualify for the semi-finals in a playoff. Apparently neither player even considered a draw. Even in the analysis that followed, however unclear the position, Shabalov wouldn't allow himself to play a drawing line. This game was one of the three straight games won by Yasser that enabled him to qualify for the semi-finals.

Shabalov is a brilliant player in the Mikhail Tal mold. He comes from same town as [former World Champion] Tal and they lived within a couple of blocks of each other. Gregory Kaidanov told me that Shabalov seems to see moves that no one else considers.