HObbit: "This was my dream"

26-11-2016 21:23

To commemorate Abay "HObbit" Khasenov's MVP award, we talked to the young Kazakhstani player to find out how he feels about what Gambit achieved at Jönköping and what is next for the CIS squad.

Gambit justified their title of a dark horse for DreamHack ZOWIE Open Winter 2016, winning the tournament by defeating teams such as Cloud9, GODSENT and finally Renegades in the grand final.

In the end, the MVP title went to the youngest player of the team, Abay "⁠HObbit⁠" Khassenov, who edged out the team's AWPer Rustem "⁠mou⁠" Telepov.

HObbit's great performances in the grand finals helped him get the MVP

In a short post-match interview, we heard his thoughts on the grand final, the team, and what the award means to him.

Let's just run through the finals shortly, it started on Nuke, Renegades pick. We didn't see you on the map yet. Did you feel confident in your Nuke?

Actually, we were practicing Nuke. I myself feel very nice on Nuke, I was ready on Nuke but I don't know about my team. We were thinking it was going to be 50-50, but we won it.

You moved on Cobble, that seems like your strongest map, do you feel that yourself?

In my opinion Cobble is our strongest map because we practice it a lot, and have a lot of strategies. Also, Zeus feels really good on Cobble, that's why it's our best map right now. He has good calls and that's why we won versus Renegades.

You won the MVP award for DreamHack ZOWIE Open Winter 2016 - how does it feel like since this is your first big tournament?

I'm in shock right now, I have no words. I was thinking it was going to be mou. He did a lot of important frags. Actually, this was my dream, to be an MVP of a big tournament. I don't know what to say, I have no words.

Going forward, what are your expectations from the upcoming period?

We have to prepare for the Major, we are now be going to a bootcamp and we will practice, train and keep working.

Professeur writes for HLTV.org and can be found on Twitter.

n1 player, gratz

2016-11-26 21:23

nice

well deserved

to win a tier 3 tourny? wow

13 replies

You're from a tier 4 country LAN was higher quality LUL

2016-11-26 21:24

3 replies

well this comment makes 0 sense

2016-11-26 21:25

shut up loser

2016-11-26 22:26

Comment doesn't make any sense and you don't get any credit for making jokes about countries when you're a pussy hiding behind default flag.

2016-11-27 01:51

at least there were cloud9 and dignitas, godsent

2016-11-26 21:36

lul better tournament then you'll probably ever win

2016-11-26 21:53

Take a look at the other positive comments here and try to learn from them instead of being negative, retard. You wish you could play in a tournament like this one, he is thousands times better than you and I think you should shut up because you're probably stuck in DMG.

2016-11-27 03:43

5 replies

no playing in this tournament means your a failed cs pro, i wouldnt want to play in it

2016-11-27 12:20

So flusha and JW are faild cs pros? You're the most retarded idiot I've ever seen on this site.

2016-11-27 14:37

C9 are failed pros?

2016-11-28 09:57

Every player in this tournament is salaried and can compete individually at the top level so go back to your mge and minimum wage job and don't shit on people living their dream

2016-11-28 21:08

(x) rekt ( ) not rekt

2016-11-27 13:46

U wot? The participating teams were pretty much tier 1

2016-11-27 08:26

easy for mongol

WEW

MVP

"I have now words." LUL

next dream is major champion!!! Kazakhstan AJIFA!

Nice hobbit!

one typo in there (now instead of no) but gj Prof ;)

what a god

no one cares asian mongol

still better than 99,999% of NA players

1 reply

True

2016-11-26 23:11

Haha, 2 best players of your best team are ASIANS... anyway, stop being racist.

2016-11-27 00:04

2 replies

Other 3 player this team are gays, thats why he angry))

2016-11-27 02:33

and still achieve moer than any russian team that's why you angry :D

2016-11-27 14:15

Well, Hobbit deserved it :)

Grats to HObbs, played great and it's awesome to see people live out their dreams like he did. GJ WP~

major legends

2016-11-26 21:26

I have now words.

good player

2016-11-26 21:27

good 4 u!

nice englando

ZEUS WAS THE PROBLEM 4Head

2016-11-26 21:31

He deserves it cause he made some insane smart and effective plays during the tournament. Also as gambit earns the win as a whole.

2016-11-26 21:32

4aimers + brain > 5aimers nice one zeus!

2016-11-26 21:34

younginz gonna rule the world

Well Deserved!

2016-11-26 21:41

Gambit Top 1 now, thanks for HTLV ranking sense.

2016-11-26 21:45

Lol so true

2016-11-27 07:30

GO GO KZ!

2016-11-26 21:47

Deserved HObbit :)

IMPRESSIVE GO GAMBIT

2016-11-26 21:50

love you hobbit

2016-11-26 21:52

this is nice but i hate him for stealing znajder's glory

Hobbit will be great player but He need some experience.

2016-11-26 21:54

congratulations!

2016-11-26 21:55

mvp for sure

WEll done also Hobbit seems like a really good guy

cheers

2016-11-26 21:57

я вот это,полуфинал видел,разъебали бомжей,потом пошел в баньку,пришел домой,зашел на hltv и опять разъебали бомжей.....короче все как надо,очень рад за вас,всех вам благ и успехов в дальнейшем,кстати даст у вас вообще в поряде

2016-11-26 22:11

Mr Chow Junior

great work hobbit u have a potential to be a top10 player 4sure

2016-11-26 22:13

amazing HObbit, deserved congrats!

Good boi! Gg

2016-11-26 22:20

KZ version Sasha S1mple ;)

gj congratulations

2016-11-26 22:23

Played really well!

2016-11-26 22:24

ez4ence

2016-11-26 22:27

gj Bilbo Baggins!

2016-11-26 22:28

lucky zeus is on gambit and not on navi

2016-11-26 22:47

nice, grats x)

2016-11-26 22:49

BEST!

2016-11-26 23:03

Grats to Hobbit, and well deserved! I also think Zeus proved his worth this tournament, with Valve's new coaching rule the IGL's are more important than ever.

2016-11-26 23:06

Great run by Gambit, glad to see a different team win a big tourny

2016-11-26 23:15

not so big

2016-11-27 14:25

glad they got rid of hooch and spaze hobbitt and zeus are both amazing adds and boosted the teams performance so much

2016-11-26 23:18

I've played against his old team when he was still with them, he's a real talent. He' great.

2016-11-26 23:30

why would he let other teams know that they're practicing Train?

2016-11-26 23:42

So they ban train and play another map Gambit prepared instead, kek

2016-11-26 23:49

4-16 by space soldiers on train basically describes their level of practice

2016-11-27 00:18

He meant "train" as training, not the map.

2016-11-27 04:04

Learn to understand jokes lol

2016-11-27 10:50

He didn't mean the map. He wanted to say that they are TRAINing

2016-11-27 11:29

hobbit im gunna need ur cs settings

2016-11-26 23:48

NEW COLDZERA

2016-11-27 00:19

wp bilbo

2016-11-27 00:24

They're taking the HObbits to Isengard

2016-11-27 00:39

wp Bilbo Fraggins

2016-11-27 01:02

have my babies hobbit!!!

2016-11-27 02:48

Well done indeed

2016-11-27 03:28

Gj hobbit, i teached you well

2016-11-27 04:05

amazing gaming hobbit. I don't know how you can do that in your first big lan. deserved eventhough mou was up there, too!

2016-11-27 07:19

He even looks like a fuckin hobbit LOL

2016-11-27 08:34

heh

2016-11-27 10:05

KAZAKHSTAN AND YOU KNOW!

2016-11-27 09:16

Congratz boy! Well deserved! good luck in more tournaments!

2016-11-27 09:27

always nice to see underdogs win, but I cant help but feel sad they dont have hooch anymore

2016-11-27 09:52

Same for NaVi with no Zeus(

2016-11-27 10:51

yup, as much as s1mple is a great player he doesn't really seem like a fit for navi in order bo be a beast he needs to be on a team thats built around supporting him

2016-11-27 10:53

we are now be going to a bootcamp

2016-11-27 11:15

I love US and A! WAWAWIWA VERY NICE!

2016-11-27 11:55

inb4 vac-banned

2016-11-27 12:38

GG what a team respect welll played moe adren :D

2016-11-27 14:34

2016-11-27 18:51

what a shitty dream then lol But congrats for winning, Gambit and specially hobbit played amazing!

2016-11-27 21:16

congratz, deserved.

2016-11-27 23:15

congrats, hope you keep up the good performance

2016-11-28 16:40

They'll not even get out of group at the major.

2016-11-29 16:29

yeah... this time DO preapare propertly for the major. Don't just prepare against the team you "think" will win. You are professionals, you have a fkin lot of time to prepare your game. Not knowing how all your possible opponents IN YOUR GROUP play is just fucking lazy and retarded.

2016-11-30 19:30