Interview with Senior Master Faik Aleskerov

Interview with Senior Master Faik Aleskerov from Baku, Azerbaijan. He's a member of the Texas Tech Knight Raider Chess Team. He is pursuing is MBA at Texas Tech University.

Interview with Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou

Interview with Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou
ECU Board Member and chief organizer of the European Seniors Teams Championship

The excursion to the mount Olympus on 8th May was a good opportunity to perform an interview with Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, head of the Organizing Committee and ECU Board Member.

Q: Mr. Tsorbatzoglou, what are your impressions from the European Seniors Teams Championship?

A: It is a very nice event, ongoing in a friendly and sporty atmosphere. We are really impressed with the seniors' chess and this is one of the best tournaments we have ever organized. Our guests from 20 countries are very satisfied, they enjoy the place, the nature and the games.

We combined the event with two historical tours in Thessaloniki and Olympus and this was something exceptional for the participants. Another innovation is that we have converted the hotel's main lobby bar into a chess café, placing 20 boards in the area. In this way, the participants can play chess whole day, analyze and have fun with their colleagues.

Q: What are the news from the European Chess Union?

A: ECU has to move and act in the general crisis environment that affects Europe. The crisis in Europe is not only a financial crisis, it is also a political and social crisis. Silvio Danailov and his team is a new administration that needs time to apply the program and give a new profile to the European Chess Federation.

Q: And what are your thoughts and actions as a Board member?

A: I was elected for the Board as an individual candidate. My role is to propose, ask, vote on proposals and contribute to the organization management when I am asked for. The two Board meetings that we had until now were constructive and compositive.

My personal wish now is to travel to all European countries and speak with the chess family, write down the existing situation and make a study about European chess and how we can connect all pieces into a creative sports' plan. I have already visited some countries and I scheduled more visits, which I might also combine with participation in the tournaments.

Q: What are the news from the FIDE Committees?

A: After the changes applied in the structure of FIDE Committees, the operation became much better and efficient. Trainers' Committee and Arbiters' Committee are excellent examples for a long time already. In the recent period we see a real booming of action in the FIDE School Committee.

Now, in an area where I am also involved, FIDE Events' Committee, we have progressive proposals in order to justify the events, the bidding procedures and regulations with the modern needs and sports' guidelines. As I have already said, we are now acting in a difficult political and financial environment, the resources are limited, so we need to work and bring the results. We don't need theories, we can't waste time.

Q: What is the next event in Thessaloniki?

A: The only certain event is the traditional Open "Alexander the Great", held annually, but as we now have a new elected Mayor and a new administration in Thessaloniki, there will be a new tourist strategical plan for the promotion of the City for the coming years. Our vision is to see some of the biggest world chess events in this city in the future.

Interview of Cmilyte and Stoisavljevic

Special video provided by Europe Echecs

Chess compromise

Kazan chosen as a compromise between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Arkady Dvorkovich about the Candidates Matches

Arkady Dvorkovich, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Chess Federation, revealed some details about the Candidates Matches, which will be held from 3 to 27 May 2011 in Kazan, Russia.

Q: Why did you propose Kazan as venue for the Candidates Matches?

A: When FIDE understood that having Armenian chess player competing on the Azerbaijan soil became impossible, we decided to act as peacemakers. We stated that we are open for proposals from all countries, but if nobody should stand up, we are prepared to resolve the situation. Tatarstan is capable of hosting such event and we know that they won't have organizational problems, that everything will function perfectly. And we will share the financial costs.

Q: According to the FIDE regulations, the host of the Candidates Matches is entitled to nominate one player. GM Mamedyarov, a nominee of Azerbaijan, will compete in Kazan. Why did Russian Chess Federation agree to this?

A: It was part of the compromise.

Q: Compromise at our expense?

A: Yes, for the peace efforts of Russia. Sometimes it is necessary to reaffirm our position of the leaders in the chess world and that we have influence in the decision-making. Yes, there is the cost, but more important is what we do for our country's reputation.

Q: But Sergey Karjakin could have played ...

A: Of course, we would have liked to include another of our players, but we also want to have all the world's strongest players competing, and without the Armenian Grandmaster, the chess world would be at huge loss.

Q: You said that we are the leaders in the chess world. Perhaps we are, in moral terms, but the leadership is in fact already lost ...

A: We lost the crowns of World Champions, it is sad, of course. But if you look at the rating list of top 100 players, Russia is still dominating. However, the competition is constantly growing stronger, that is true.

More about the Candidates Matches:

Pairings / Schedule / Live coverage

Topalov - Kamsky preview / Kramnik - Radjabov preview / Levon Aronian preparing

Perfect Match

The Perfect Match
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM

What it means to be a star sportsman's wife – especially during a nail-biting contest? Kausalya Santhanam talks to Arti Sehwag, Rhea Pillai and Aruna Anand

The World Cup 2011 final is on. Flags waving, crowds cheering — the excitement rides sky high. But in just the first few overs two of the star batsmen are out. There is pin drop silence as thousands of spectators react with stunned disbelief. The aspirations of a billion Indians seem to go for a fall as the batsmen walk back to the pavilion. The tension is palpable. For the onlookers, the identification with the player and the game is enormous. But what about the ones closest to the players emotionally – their wives who are with them through good times and bad? What do they go through when their partner is engaged in the big fight? What does life with the champion mean?

A chat with the star wives of three leading players, in cricket, chess and tennis – the spouses who score with their support:

Aruna Anand (wife of Viswanathan Anand): I have been with him for 90 percent of the matches he has played during the past 12 years. You can't help being nervous as the stakes are high for the World Championship in Chess and it means training for 10 to 12 hours every day for one year. It gets very personal for me. The 2010 World Championship in Bulgaria was very conflictive. Playing in their own country is an advantage for home players, but sometimes those from outside have to face hostility. Just as we were leaving for Sofia, the volcano erupted in Iceland and flights were canceled. We reached Sofia, exhausted after a 40-hour bus journey. It was a 12 match event – Anand and his opponent were even till the last game. Both of us went for a walk on the evening before the decisive 12th game and we could almost hear our hearts beating. When he won, it took some time for it to sink in. For me, the feeling was one of extreme relief more than anything else. Anand is very pragmatic and even when things don't go well, he will to the gym and then start to work on his chess. When a player loses, it is worse for the wife than for him. When he is in a bad position, journalists and other players try to rub it in and you have to face it coolly and calmly. As for feedback, one keeps one's eyes and ears open, and then there is the woman's intuition. Most people think it is very glamorous to be the wife of a well-known sportsperson. But the other face of sport is the constant struggle. Every result matters. Anand has had every achievement; he does not compare chess or himself to any other sport or sportsman.

More here.

Special Final Four Interview

The golden coaches of the Knight Raiders about the Final Four success
Susan Polgar and Paul Truong in a large interview
Chessdom.com

The Knight Riders were successful at this year's Final Four. The team led by Susan Polgar and Paul Truong managed to win a title in what can be viewed as the Final Four with largest mass media coverage.

After the success, coaches Polgar and Truong gave an extensive interview to Dr. Hal Karlsson, Associate Professor of GeoSciences at Texas Tech University.

Dr. Hal Karlsson: Susan and Paul, first of all, congratulations! This Final Four victory is simply fantastic and quite unexpected. How did it happen?

Susan Polgar: Thank you. I think the team did great, and even though we were the lowest seed, as a team, we believed that we could win. I also think we were more unified and working together more as a team than our competitors. I’m very proud of our guys that they gave their all.

Paul Truong: It is a good feeling for the entire team because they’ve worked very, very hard to be able to accomplish this. As Susan said, they gave it their all and they deserve it.

SP: They were also fearless. They were not intimidated facing much stronger opponents, even ones they had bad records against in the past. In the first round, Grandmaster Timur Gareev of UTB, the highest rated player in Texas, offered our top board, Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky, a draw in a very complicated position. Bykhovsky just lost to Gareev in an earlier encounter in Berkeley. Even with that in mind, Bykhovksy refused the draw offer against a much higher rated opponent and went all out for the win.

In the critical final round, a similar thing happened. Grandmaster Leonid Kritz of the defending champion UMBC, the highest rated player of the entire Final Four, offered our team captain Grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic a draw with the white pieces. In the same matchup last year's Final Four, Kuljasevic lost to Kritz. Just as Bykhovsky, Kuljasevic refused the draw offer and went all out for the win. Both of them succeeded and they gave our team two vital points toward the national title. As their coach, I could not be more proud of this.

HK: Clearly all the teams must prepared very hard for the Final Four given what was at stake here. But what accounted for Texas Tech's success. What was the secret?

PT: I believe the secret is quite easy. We simply worked harder. We not only studied the games of our opponents just as everyone else, but we also study our opponents' demeanor, body language, movement, facial expression, pattern of thinking and decision making, etc. We dissected every inch of every possible aspect of the game. We put countless hours into the preparation. Even after our players were asleep, Susan spent hours double checking all the analysis to make sure there was no error. We were lucky to even get a few hours of sleep.

It does not mean that we will succeed every time. It just means that we will put our team in the best possible position to win. We had a similar approach when Susan and I ran the 2004 U.S. Women's Olympiad program which brought home the first four ever Chess Olympiad medals (2 gold and 2 silver) for the United States. If you want to win, you have to be willing to work harder than everyone else. No one will just hand the title to you. If you want it, you have to get it.

Another thing we did different than other teams is our approach before the start of the Final Four. The team arrived in Washington, D.C. very late Thursday night. We had Friday free until about 6 p.m. Other teams stayed in the hotel to do some last minute preparation. Being a world class competitor herself, Susan realized that the players were under tremendous pressure. So she decided to give them two choices:

1. To stay in the hotel like other teams to cramp in last minute preparation. 2. Go for a tour in Washington, D.C. to relax, stay fresh, and build further team chemistry.

The players voted to go to D.C. So we spent the day on the famous Double Decker bus tour to visit the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, and other landmarks. The players had plenty of good times and good laughs. It worked out great. But if it did not work as planned, I am sure others would be quick to criticize her decision. But as a coach, you need to make tough decisions.

HK: That is impressive. But Susan also accomplished something else in this Final Four.

PT: Yes. Last year, Susan became the first female head coach to take a men’s division I team to the Final Four. This year, she is the first female to take a men's division I team all the way. You cannot even imagine, let’s say, a female coaching a men’s basketball team or men’s football team to the national title, but in chess, she showed that it can happen.

And the success was not only in division I. In just in the past two years, the Knight Raiders also won the national division II, III, and IV titles, in additional to many other individual honors. This is simply another gender barrier that she was able to break. What is even more amazing is this is only our second year competing in division I.

UTD and UMBC have been ruling the collegiate chess world for the past decade. For us to catch up with them on this level, this fast, was pretty amazing. I am sure the competition will be a lot tougher next year as all the schools will try to improve their rosters.

Susan now has done it all. She won Olympiad gold, five of them. She won the Women's World Championship Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz, and Classical). Her students have won National Scholastic Championships and now Collegiate Championships. But don't worry, she'll find more barriers to break, I am sure.

HK: Was there any particular player who stood out for Texas Tech in this Final Four?

SP: No. It was total team work. They fought hard as a unit and a different player came through for us in each round. It was Bykhovsky in the first round, Sipos in the second, Kuljasevic in the final round. Diamant was solid all the way through. And Aleskerov, as a reserve player, was the biggest cheerleader for his teammates the whole time. Just like the famous song by Sister Sledge, "We Are Family", the Texas Tech Knight Raider family.

HK: I saw the Final Four chess boards the Knight Raiders were holding up. Those look unique. Did you make those and how can one get one of them?

SP: Those are very special Final Four commemorative boards. They are not for sale. Only twenty of them were done and they were made by our friends at GLOSgames.com. This is an American company out of Kansas City, Missouri. They have done a lot of good things to promote chess and bring kids into the game. When I told them about Final Four, they immediately designed and produced these twenty special boards to give out to each of the four teams and the sponsor, Booz Allen Hamilton. They also sponsored other scholastic events of mine in the past. It is a good company and good people and I am proud that they support chess and the Knight Raiders. You cannot buy these boards but you can design your own chess board with them or use one of their over 110,000 designs.

HK: That is pretty neat. So what is the next step? A long celebration or vacation? I understand the team is going to Vegas (not Disney World like football players). What was that all about?

SP: There is no time to rest. Winning it is hard. But defending it is even harder. We already started to prepare for next year with recruiting. We have a tradition of excellence at Texas Tech and we hope to win many more championship titles.

We are lucky to have strong support from Chancellor Hance, President Bailey, Provost Smith, our supervisor Vice President and Vice Provost Dr. Juan Munoz, our donors, and so many other people at Texas Tech and in Lubbock. To have people waiting to cheer the chess team on at the airport when they returned at midnight was pretty incredible. The media also prominently covered the team success. Everyone believes in us and we want to continue making all of them and this university proud. We will do everything in our power to help Texas Tech become a Tier One university. Through chess, we will attract some of the greatest minds to this university.

HK: What other goals does SPICE have in mind?

SP: As the chairwoman for the FIDE (World Chess Federation) Commission for Women's Chess, I am working with SPICE to promote women's chess and help raise the playing level of the next generation through various important initiatives. SPICE is also actively working to get chess in more schools. This is a very important part of our goal.

University Interscholastic League (UIL) of Texas, the largest inter-school organization of its kind in the world, has approved the proposal from SPICE to include chess puzzle solving as a statewide competition. This can potentially be the biggest scholastic chess initiatives in the United States as more than 2,000 schools in Texas are competing in a number of UIL competitions each year.

I am also hoping to work closer with FIDE to enhance various chess in the schools and chess in education projects in the United States. The future of chess is very bright.

HK: Thank you, Susan and Paul, for your time. Once again, congratulations and Go Tech! Check'em Knight Raiders!

SP and PT: Thank you, Hal.

Dr. Hal Karlsson is original from the chess loving country Iceland. He is an Associate Professor of GeoSciences at Texas Tech University. He is also the founder of SPICE as well as a student advisor for the Knight Raiders.

Reina y maestra

Susan Polgar, reina y maestra
En su cuarta visita a la Argentina, la ajedrecista húngara, que reside en texas, resaltó la importancia de la inclusión del juego en las escuelas
Jueves 14 de abril de 2011 | Publicado en edición impresa

Por Carlos A. Llardo
LA NACION

Esa dama que amalgama experiencia y juventud pone en jaque al calendario, con el cabello suelto, lacio y rubio, y un rictus permanente que enciende miradas en su paso por la coqueta zona de Puerto Madero. A los 40 años, Susan Polgar, ex campeona mundial de ajedrez y una de las mejores ajedrecistas de la historia del milenario juego, habló con La Nacion en su cuarta visita a la Argentina, invitada por la Universidad de La Punta de San Luis; a partir de hoy, y durante cuatro jornadas, la mayor de las tres hermanas Polgar -el trío se completa con Sofía y Judit brindará charlas, exhibiciones y enseñanzas a más de los 40 mil chicos, de 250 escuelas de esa provincia, que integran el plan de ajedrez escolar (AEI) dirigido por la rectora Alicia Bañuelos, junto a los maestros Claudia Amura, Gilberto Hernández, Mauro Di Franco y medio centenar de instructores.

"Es algo maravilloso que la Universidad de La Punta este ayudando y sosteniendo tanto a una actividad como el ajedrez; se trata de una medida educativa y es también valioso que el gobierno provincial apoye este tipo de acciones. No he visto en otros lugares del mundo -recorrió más de 50 países- en los que se haga tan manifiesto el apoyo hacia el ajedrez como se hace acá en San Luis", contó Susan, campeona mundial en las especialidades, Clásico, Blitz (partidas a 5 minutos) y rápido (a 10).

-¿Por qué cree que es importante incorporar el ajedrez en las escuelas?

-Pienso que el ajedrez debería estar en todas las escuelas del mundo durante los tres primeros grados, cuando formamos nuestras costumbres de pensar y estudiar. Porque ayudaría a los chicos a forjar el pensamiento lógico, con responsabilidad y paciencia, a trabajar en los detalles para que de manera crítica y analítica alcancen el correcto proceso de tomas de decisiones. Sin dudas el ajedrez ayuda a formar un mejor pensamiento y a desarrollar todas esas cualidades en los niños.

Susan Polgar, que trabaja en la Universidad de Texas Tech, donde dirige el Instituto SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence), un centro en el que asistió a miles de alumnos, relegó su participación en la alta competencia por el trabajo en la formación y educación.

"Es importante encauzar a los chicos hacia la educación a través del ajedrez. Tengo a mi cargo 4 o 5 áreas del Instituto, cumpliendo tareas de entrenadora del equipo universitario, organizadora de certámenes locales, regionales, nacionales e internacionales y de los planes de cursos de ajedrez. Nuestro próximo objetivo es la creación de una carrera de ajedrez para que nuestros alumnos alcancen el título de profesor", dijo la primera mujer en obtener el título de gran maestro en competencias masculinas, en 1991, tiempos en los que desafiaba a la marginación y discriminación.

Es que Susan, nacida el 19 de abril de 1969 en Budapest, fruto del amor de Klara -maestra- y Laszlo Polgar -pedagogo- fue educada junto a sus hermanas con un peculiar método familiar: no cursaron el colegio -dieron exámenes libres cada año- y recibieron instrucción ajedrecística, como materia adicional, jugando exclusivamente con maestros varones.

El resultado arrojó que Susan alcanzó el campeonato mundial femenino, en 1996, Sofía se impuso en el abierto de Roma (1989), superando a Karpov y Kasparov, y Judit se ubicó entre los 10 mejores varones en el ranking de la FIDE.

"Fueron tiempos muy difíciles aquellos, el gobierno comunista de Hungría me impedía jugar en el exterior porque no participaba en pruebas femeninas en mi país. Ellos decían que mis padres estaban locos; pensaban que querer vencer a los varones era como intentar un viaje a la Luna (risas)", dijo Susan, ganadora de 5 medallas doradas en las olimpíadas de ajedrez. y agregó: "La FIDE tampoco estaba de acuerdo que ingresáramos al mundo dominante de los varones y cuando pudieron me castigaron. En 1999 perdí mi título mundial porque no me autorizaron una postergación del match de seis meses después de dar a luz a mi primer hijo, Tommy".

Acaso por todo ello, con el paso de los años, Susan descubrió que las dificultades fueron su mejor motivación para seguir adelante; aferrada al viejo axioma del filósofo alemán Friedrich Nietzche, aprendió que: "Lo que no mata, fortalece". Y sigue vigente.

326

son los jugadores que enfrentó en 2005, en Florida (EE.UU), cuando marcó el record Guinness en una exhibición simultánea; ganó 309, empató 14 y perdió 3. Ese mismo año, en otro record, disputó de manera consecutiva 1131 partidas ante 551 rivales; ganó 1112, empató 16 y perdió 3.

Charlas y exhibiciones

Susan Polgar llegó, ayer a las 16, a la provincia de San Luis. A partir de hoy comenzará su tarea de promoción y difusión del ajedrez.

Hoy, a las 9, participará de una megasimultánea ante 500 alumnos de la escuela Rosenda Quiroga, en la ciudad de La Punta.

Mañana, a las 10, en la Universidad de La Punta brindará una conferencia digital, vía Internet, que llegará a más de 2000 alumnos de las escuelas de toda la provincia. A las 18 jugará en el Shopping Center una simultánea ante 10 ajedrecistas ciegos y 10 instructoras del plan Ajedrez Escolar Inicial (AEI). El sábado, a las 16, jugará con los 20 mejores alumnos de la Escuela de Talentos que dirige el gran maestro mexicano Gilberto Hernández.

FICHA PERSONAL

Nació el 19/4/69, en Budapest. Juega desde los 4 años; a los 12 ganó el Mundial Sub-16. En 1988 y 1990, ganó la medalla dorada en las olimpíadas de Salónica y Novi Sad con el equipo húngaro femenino junto a sus hermanas Sofía y Judit. En 1996 ganó el Mundial femenino; venció a Xie Jun (China), 8,5 a 4,5.

Source: http://www.lanacion.com.ar

Interview with Hou Yifan

“I will play the final as any other round”.

Anastasiya Karlovich- Can you please tell about the match with Humpy Koneru?

Hou Yifan- In the first game we entered the ending which was almost equal. Later Koneru played not very good and in the bishop ending I won a pawn and the position became almost won. In the second game we came to the Sicilian defense. I sacrificed two pawns, maybe there was some compensation, but I am not sure if it was enough or not. I had a pair of bishops, so maybe it was a compensation for me. There was also danger for her king…

A.K- What was your goal before the championship? Did you think only about first place before the tournament?

H.Y- No, no…I just wanted to try my best and play good every game. Nobody put any goal.

A.K- Who is helping you here? Do you have a coach?

H.Y- Our team has some coaches so they help all of us and me, too. This time we have coaches that help all of my team. I have no personal coach during this event.

A.K- What is your mood before the final?

H.Y- I have just normal mood, I will play the final as any other round.

A.K- I can see your mother in the playing hall… She always takes photos of you. Does she work for any newspaper or publish those pictures anywhere?

H.Y- No (smiles), my mother takes pictures for the home archive only.

A.K- What is your next tournament after the World Championship?

H.Y- Maybe Gibraltar. I think so, but not for sure. Maybe I will go there.

A.K- There are 2 Chinese players in the final and also your compatriots played very good during the event. How can you explain such a great result? Did you have any special preparation?

H.Y- We are all happy about this result, my team mates and me too. Before the Championship we had the Asian Games and another tournament. And there was some special training for our team before those events. But for the World Championship we were preparing ourselves and there was no much time to prepare exactly for it.

A.K- How much do you train every day?

H.Y- 4-5 hours per day, except for the weekends when I train less.

A.K- Is there any attention from the Chinese government? What do they think about your results?

H.Y- Our Leader is following our games and results, and the government is happy with our success.

Interview With Dronavalli Harika

Interview With Dronavalli Harika

“It would have been great to have 2 Indian and 2 Chinese players in semifinals.”

Anastasia Karlovich- What did you expect from the World Championship?

Dronavalli Harika- To tell you the truth I didn’t expect anything because before the championship I had a very busy schedule. I had to play Olympiad then Asian games for India on the top board. For three months I was not at home, either I was playing in the tournaments or had training camps. So I didn’t have much time to work specially for the World Championship. I came here without any preparation, so I was just working 3-4 hours before the game and used to come and play. I was lucky not to play with the strongest opponents. It could be Alina Danielian but not Tatyana Shadrina, Pia Cramling instead of Maria Muzychuk or Aleksandra Kosteniuk instead of Ruan Lufei.

A.K- Did you have somebody who was helping you during the tournament?

D.H- I didn`t expect anything from this tournament, so there was no point to bring any second. But till the second round I had a friend with me – Meenakshi Subbaraman. She helped me a lot - I didn`t need to do any work. For example she was cooking for me here. We had a rice cooker because I don’t eat meat at all.

A.K- Was it difficult to play with your compatriot in the first round?

D.H- Yes it’s more difficult than to play with somebody unknown. Also she has 2230 elo now but two years ago she had almost 2400, so she is quite strong. In the first game I felt tired and made a draw but decided to brace myself and won the second game.

A.K- How was the second match? It seemed you had won it quite easily?

D.H- Yes I won both games. During the rest day after the first match I was preparing a new line for 7 hours. It happened in the game so it was easy for me to play and I won. The second game went good too. I was playing with white pieces for a draw. In one moment she played badly and lost again.

A.K- The third match was really nervous and was decided in Armageddon…

D.H- I was almost winning the classic game with white against Maria Muzychuk but I missed the victory. In the knockout tournaments one game decides a lot. So it’s a pity I missed a good chance in the first game. I was playing black the second one and made a draw. I won the first rapid game and it usually means better chances for me to win the match. Consequently I was very disappointed with myself because I gave the chance to equalize the score in the second game. I also lost the first blitz game, so before the second blitz game I was thinking “I can not do like this, it’s my last chance now. I should do my best here.” So I tried really hard. I had an experience in Armageddon before and decided to choose black pieces. So I’ve got the worse position because of one stupid move in the opening. I was not paying much attention to the time, I was just playing the position. Suddenly I saw there were only 2 seconds on her clock. Then I just played quickly…

A.K- I`ve noticed that before the second blitz game and Armageddon you didn`t leave your board as usually other players do. You were sitting in the same pose and looked very concentrated. What were you thinking about during that time?

D.H- I was trying to motivate myself, thinking that it’s my last chance to win and I have to do it, I should try my best. It worked out with Muzychuk but not with Ruan Lufei.

A.K- What happened with Chinese player?

D.H- In the fourth round I felt a bit tired after the tie-break. I decided to play something unknown for her, something she wasn’t expecting from me and I’ve got very comfortable position. I was clearly winning. If I have 2500 rating I should win such positions! If I would have won that game I’m sure I would be in semi-finals. It would have been great to have 2 Indian and 2 Chinese players in the semifinals. It’s a pity I didn’t finish that match in a classical time because it seems Ruan Lufei plays very strong in tie-breaks. She won all of them.

A.K- Are you satisfied with your general result here?

D.H- Yes I’m satisfied but also I’m a little bit upset. After coming so far, playing those tie-breaks it could have been a little bit better. Anyway I have many years to play and hope one day I`ll win the World Championship. I also want to become a GM and already have 2 norms.

http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/

Interview with Yelena Dembo

Interview with Yelena Dembo

“I should try to take revenge!”

Anastasia Karlovich- How did you prepare for the championship and what did you expect?

Yelena Dembo- To be honest after the World Championship in 2006 in Ekaterinburg I did not expect anything because I lost in the first round there and went home. Thus, if you consider that my opponent was stronger than four years ago (in the first round Yelena Dembo played against Munguntuul Batkhuyag - AK), I was expecting a very serious struggle. It is clear that I hoped to win but I wasn’t sure in my victory. Preparation for the tournament was quite normal – I was watching what my opponents play, what do they like and not like, how to build a game and so on.

A.K- How can you describe your first match with Munguntuul Batkhuyag?

Y.D- Two games were drawn but both of them were quite interesting especially of course the first one. I’ve got a pretty big advantage but unfortunately didn’t manage to win. So I had to play tie-breaks but honestly I think I had better chances. I used to play rapid and blitz and I`m afraid my opponent doesn’t have such an extensive practice. In the first rapid game I got a worse position but made a draw. In the second one I had also worse position but sacrificed a pawn and created some complications on the board. Finally I managed to win in opponent’s time trouble.

A.K- How did you manage to win the second match against Tatiana Kosintseva?

Y.D- First of all I made myself a nice gift for my birthday (December 8 - AK). Something totally unreal happened in the first game! I was absolutely lost after the opening. I ruined a pretty good position. If she played 22.h5 then I could just give up. My move 21. ... g6 was simply terrible as well as Qa5 and Ld8. The most interesting thing is that I didin`t see the opponent’s answer h5! My father, who was watching the game in Internet, didn’t see it too but my husband saw the right move immediately. Tanya probably also did not see it because it`s hard to imagine that she found it but didn’t make. Then she started to play some strange moves. I had a feeling that under the time trouble she could not see anything any more. I can not say I realized that I could win the game. I just was trying to play till the end. When she played Rd8 I just didn`t understand that move. Maybe Tatiana thought she would take on g6 and I would not have time to take on h4 ... Perhaps it was some sort of eclipse. The position was already lost for white.
Before the second game I decided to play just normally without thinking about draw of course. I believe when you hope to make a draw it’s a usual way to lose a game. Therefore I was ready to fight and basically I got what I wanted - very sharp position with chances for both sides. I think my position was slightly better after the opening but I didn`t use my chance and got a very passive position. Then I sacrificed a pawn and thought that everything was fine but it was not the end at all. Since I had more time than my opponent my chances to yawn something were lower.

A.K- In the next round you will play with a Chinese Zhao Xue. How are your results with the chess players from China?

Y.D- To be honest my results with Chinese players are not very good. I was defeated by Hou Yifan twice. I also lost to Xu Yuhua and Zhao Xue during the Olympiad in 2006. So I should try to take revenge!

A.K- Do you have any predictions about who will win the championship?

Y.D- No, I don’t have any one right now – almost everybody can win. And I haven’t checked games yet to have an opinion who is in a good shape and who is not because I was playing without rest.

http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/

Interview with Kovanova

Interview with Baira Kovanova

"Natalia is a very good friend of mine and it was very difficult to play against her"

Anastasia Karlovich- You promoted to the second round winning against Natalia Pogonina in the first round. What do you feel about that result?

Baira Kovanova- I was really upset with the pairings. Natalia is a very good friend of mine and it was very difficult to play against her. She was even helping me and my father with tickets to Hatay. Organizers were contacting Natalia about my accommodation. When I played in the final of Russian cup she was helping me with preparation because at that moment I could not take a computer with me.

So I was really shocked when I knew we have to play against each other. It was very unpleasant but we had no choice.

A.K- The impression was that you won the match very easily…

B.K- Well the first game was very nervous. Natalia didn’t play well in the opening, then we made some mistakes and everything was decided under the time trouble. Natalia is tired after Russian super final, it’s obvious. The second game I won very quickly.

A.K- The second game was very impressive. Is it a result of the serious preparation?

B.K- The preparation finished after several moves. I didn`t prepare with a coach to the first game but before the second one I started to worry about the result and even asked GM Sanan Siugirov to help me with preparation. We were checking variations till 3 a.m. I was expecting Spanish Defense but Natalia Pogonina didn`t start with 1…e5.

A.K- When did you feel you would win that game and the match?

B.K- I think Natalia had to accept the piece sacrifice. After Kh8 the game is lost and it was not very difficult to calculate following variations.

A.K- Have you played with your next opponent Ju Wenjun before? How do you feel before the match?

B.K- I had met her at the board before – one year ago we made a draw in Grand Prix Psychologically it will be much easier to play tomorrow because I don’t have to play against my friend.

http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/