Dina Belenkaya: "It's a great opportunity to play in New York"

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: "I think Rapid and Blitz are more fun to play and also more fun to watch!

Atousa Pourkashiyan: "First rounds of the Rapid and Blitz are always tricky"

Anish Giri: "Fischer would be good for this edition and would been really welcomed by the crowd"

Irene Sukandar: "Spending New Year's in New York was always a dream for me"

Volodar Murzin: "For me it's easier to play stronger players"

Alice Lee: "I did get lucky in a couple of games, but overall I'm very happy!"

Awonder Liang: "I didn't feel I was a big underdog in the game against Magnus!"

Levon Aronian: "It's incredible to play in such an enviroment, the playing hall is so beautiful!"

Eric Rosen: "It's kind of surreal - I've never played a tournament this strong in person!"

Valentina Gunina: "I want to inspire a lot of people"