Well, first of all, please, introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Kuznetsov Dmitry, more known to readers of CyberFight as d1monn. I’ve led the project already for 4 years from the very beginning. I’m 32 years old and actually CyberFight takes all my spare time. I’m both strategic planner and editor-in-chief here. Nevertheless principal objectives of mine are still working along with authors and readers.

What bounds you up with the world of gaming and eSport except CyberFight? A few know, that before starting up the project, you tried your luck as a gamer, playing UT. Tell us about your life up to the time you decided to devote yourself to CyberFight.

No doubt I’ve a lot of acquaintances in the field of gaming. It can’t be someway otherwise. However everything you see at present have started long ago with a hobby. You might ask how? The story is rather common – I worked in a telecommunicational company Telephone.Ru, and received an offer to set up a project of that kind. Games were nothing more, but a hobby for me a while back – I was at the head of Unreal.Ru and began looking into the world of eSport. Tournaments, players… everything was completely new for new at that time. Though I first started discovering gaming for myself with DOOM, Quake, nevertheless Unreal became my favourite gaming universe ever. The truth is, I was quite bad player – attended a few tournaments without a success, never played hard, only for fun. Since then I’ve many acquaintances, some of them have become the friends of mine.

You are the ideological inspirer and permanent editor-in-chief of CyberFight, which has successfully existed for nearly 4 years.When did the idea of starting up such project come into your head?

Well, the first man to think of it was bull3t (who was at the head of WCG Russia 2004), which I had relations with in the years of 2000-2001. The very idea occurred in the train Dnepropetrovsk-Moscow… We were coming back from a UT championship and discussing this notion. All our thoughts somehow assembled into the single idea, and we decided to start working on the project. On the whole, he (bull3t) suggested me the idea itself and I managed to put it into practice. A certain result of our efforts you can see in the form of CyberFight.Ru.

However I must make a note, that a lot of people did their bit in the project of CyberFight. Certainly, not all of them have managed to endure the whole way of our development, so now you won’t see anybody from the base core of CyberFight – we’ve fully renewed our creative forces.

What can you say about the portal, if you look over the past 3 years? Have your dreams of the project come true? Are you satisfied with the work you’ve done?

I could have milled the wind, but it seems completely clear for everybody – after almost 4 years of existence we have become the biggest e-Sport portal not only in Russia, but in CIS as well. My expectations and predictions have been justified at something about 70%. Since it was rather new affair, we had done a lot of mistakes at the beginning. But what other choice did we have? Surely, I’m satisfied with the progress we’ve made, though there are some moments, when I want to change everything radically. The only things, that prevent me from that are my contacts, contracts and engagements.

We’ve clarified the past and the present of CyberFight, and what about the future of the project? Are you planning to develop not only the content of the portal, but professional teams under c58 tag as well? What are the main priorities in this issue?

I can clearly imagine the further evolution of CyberFight and efficient methods, which will let us achieve the set tasks. The project is going to develop, and it is very important. First and foremost we’d like to firmly establish the project as a competent commercial organization with sharply defined goals and structure. Naturally quantity and quality of content at CyberFight is going to increase in the future.

As regards to gathering professional teams under our tag, it is much harder, that it seems at first glance. It’s rather serious step, and occasionally gathering a team should be consider as a long-term investment. I’m more likely to see the further way of the project development in organizing and holding tournaments. I consider this way as a priority one. Once we have more sponsors and investors, we could think of creating a professional team. At least I see all the prerequisite for this.

What gaming disciplines are the most perspective in your opinion? And what is the greatest difficulty in gathering a professional team?

I won’t be original in this respect. The market dictates its will, and the most perspective teams are the ones, gathered to attend relevant e-Sport tournaments. No doubt, these disciplines are Counter-Strike and Warcraft 3 TFT. It’s not unlikely, that soon this list may be supplemented with various simulators. As to Starcraft: Brood War, and slipping away Quake 3, I don’t have any exact attitude in this regard.

In my opinion the cardinal problem of gathering a pro team is not even lack of money. The matter is motivation of players as personalities. For too many gamers e-Sport is a kind of transition, a toy for a couple of years. In the majority potential professional players want to achieve everything in a single moment, and can’t even imagine the responsibility, that comes along with all bonuses and benefits, which e-Sport gives to a pro. A little people incline to consider e-Sport as a hard, interesting and promising kind of activity.

Everybody knows, that lots of e-Sport projects are being started up and closed down every year. What about CyberFight? How long do you think the project will keep leading postitions in Russia in this field?

As far as I remember myself working in the field of e-Sport, projects of this kind appeared and vanished too often to mention all portals like CyberFight. In my opinion this affair is quite troublesome and laborious one, and people, who want to try their luck in this sphere frequently don’t have even rough ideas of development of project, PR, monotonous day-to-day work, required to achieve a certain level of portal. From my point of view, nobody can advance further than amateurish attempts without possession of reliable funding source, personal server base, clear and plain development strategy, staff, which consists of talented designers, authors. I don’t want to scary anybody, however it’s really a complicated affair. Walking in my shoes =)

E-Sport is rather new and still developing appearence in the modern world and only a little people would like to deal with this sphere of entertainment. Nevertheless some people, like yourself, find themselves in starting up and developing projects like CyberFight. Can you reveal some specificity of your affair? It’d be interesting for our readers to learn more about life “behind the scenes”.

The specificity is very simple. First of all my occupation requires being online permanently. Solving lots of questions regarding functioning of the site round-the-clock. Being in constant contact with readers, authors, reading tons of letters every day, working with own and other's articles – all these things are vitally essential to keep CyberFight alive. Often I work very long hours, till late night, or in some cases till morning. Also you shouldn’t forget about relations with partners, advertisers, settling financial matters, holding live reports from championships and a lot of other aspects.

On the occasion of tournaments, being held by CyberFight. If we’re talking about ASUS Open series, then to all intents and purposes for me each tournament is done for nearly 95% after it starts, as preparation begins a month before the tourney, so at the event I’m actually a passive observer, with authority of “man-who-answers-any-question”. The lion's share of work falls on period of preparation, of course, which guarantees the highest level of event organization. Every tournament, organized by CyberFight is, as the rule, is a festival of gaming. The people, who work in with championship’s staff, are professionals in spheres they deal with, and I’m glad I have relations with them.

Trite and hackneyed question, however a little people can hear the answer from an owner of large e-Sport resource. So, as to you, what future ranges along computer sport? Will this appearance be able to evolve into something bigger, that will come up with real sport?

As far as I can see, great future awaits us. Why? Just look at the latest international competitions – they’ve developed since the last year into so much! Certainly, I’m not fully convenient with the evolution of e-Sport – some thing could have developed faster, but we all should realize, that nothing can be grown without making efforts. I’m completely certain, that the development of e-Sport is up to the people, who are involved in the stream.

For some people CyberFight is a place, where they can find news on e-Sport themes, and for other the project is a common everyday job. How can a man become a part of the site? Of course, all newsmakers, programmers, designers have their own stories about joining up with the project of CyberFight, which will be told in the next interviews of “CyberFight in faces” series. But I’d like to hear your position, what states a person should possess to be accepted for a job at CyberFight?

Well, you should be an extraordinary person at least. We are glad to welcome people, who can and want to write good news, make interviews and so on. However the major aspects in the sphere are both stability and prolificacy. Almost all authors at CyberFight have their personal plans and goals to achieve. By the way it is the point, where 90% of applicants cut down. CyberFight always needs creative people as well, people who come and put into practice their ideas, but not those who think in this way: “give me this and this, and I’ll something, what will blow everyone away". We let people try their notions in the face of the audience of many thousands, and after this the most successful author may receive an offer to work at CyberFight. On the whole the prior guidelines are talent, competence and diligence. Not everybody has these states, but everybody has a chance to prove themselves.

We are also glad to establish any partner relations, in light of we’have proved ourselves trustworthy. Whether you are a prospective author or a businessman – you are welcome at CyberFight!

Do you have something to add to the interview? Any thoughts, final shoutouts?

I’d like to thank all our readers for loyalty and feedback. It is the most important thing in the life of CyberFight, believe me. Besides I want to consider the numerous collective of CyberFight. Without you CyberFight could have never been so successful. And, naturally, I send my best regards and respect to all our sponsors and business partners, including e-Sport organizations, professional teams, trading firms, hi-tech companies, mass-media services and many more!