Monika Socko winner in Tromso

Who says that women play chess worse then men? Show me one man on the planet of Earth who will be capable of taking care of 3 children, of a spouse, of the house and at the same time will be able to become a GM, to play strong and exciting chess and sometimes win chess tournaments. If you will find such man, please let me know, but I doubt there is one. At the same time, I can name you one woman who is not only doing all the things that I wrote above, but who also is a great and very kind person who is always ready to help.

I'm very glad to introduce to you today the women's chess star - Monika Socko!

A.K.: Dear Monika! Congratulations on your impressive victory in Tromso! What are your impressions of Tromso and the tournament?

Monika Socko: Tromso is a lovely city surrounded by mountains and sea. It is located near the Arctic circle, but the weather was really nice during the tournament!
I have really nice memories from Tromso. Not only because of my result but also because of many nice activities I had, like excursions, fishing trips etc.

A.K.: What is the best game of yours in the tournament? Can you comment a small fragment of any of your games of Tromso?

Monika: I would say the game against GM Turner was the best. I played Sicilian as black, sacrificed a pawn and got a strong initiative.

A.K.: You came to Tromso with your husband and your son, how did you manage to prepare, play and take care of your family?

Monika: My son is a very quiet child (as opposed to my daughters), so he was not a problem during my preparation.

A.K.: I noticed that your son was also playing in Tromso, do you want to see your children as professional chess players in the future?

Monika: We'd like them to play chess of course, but the choice of being professionals is theirs.

A.K.: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your date of birth?

Monika: March 24, 1978

A.K.: Where were you born?

Monika: Warsaw (Poland)

A.K.: Where do you live now?

Monika: During my childhood I lived in Rybnik - a town on the south of Poland, but now we all live in a small village near Warsaw.

A.K: How did you start playing chess?

Monika: My father wanted to teach his son football, but he has 2 daughters so he teached them to play chess.

A.K.: Who was your first coach and with whom you are working right now?

Monika: It was my father, of course. Then I worked with IM Matlak, and now mostly I'm working together with my husband.

A.K.: What are your main achievements in chess?

Monika: Gold medal in the European Team Championship in 2005, bronze medal in the Olympiad in Bled in 2002. I also won the European Club Cup twice with the Monaco team. Individually I was 3 times champion of Poland. I won a strong closed tournament in Baku 2007. My win in Tromso is also a great success.

A.K.: What is your peak rating?

Monika: My best rating was 2505 a year ago, and I hope to have a better one soon.

A.K.: Do you consider yourself a professional chess player?

Monika: Yes. I'm not doing anything else, but I must say that taking care of my family and home is really a full time job also.

A.K.: I've always admired you and your energy. You have a big family and still play chess very successfully. Can you tell us a little bit about your family and share the secret about how do you manage to be a mom, a wife and a strong chess player?

Monika: We have 3 lovely children (Weronika 9, Szymon 7 and Julia 3). There is really a lot to do with them, so we don't have much time to work on chess at home, but we try to spend every free moment on chess. I treat tournaments like a holiday from the work in the house, so maybe this is the reason of my recent success... :)

A.K.: Do you believe in the future of women’s chess? And what do you think we need to do in order to make chess more popular?

Monika: Yes, I think women's chess has a future. My daughter plays in junior tournaments and I can see many young girls playing chess. This is good. The only problem is the insufficient number of good women tournaments, but I think it is changing slowly.

A.K.: What is the best chess country in the world?

Monika: Russia. But there is a strong opponent - China.

A.K.: What is the best organized women’s tournament you took part in?

Monika: This was closed tournament in Baku in 2007. I wish I could play there again!

A.K.: What is your dream in chess?

Monika: To win the last game in the World Championship.

A.K.: What is your favorite chess piece?

Monika: The pawn. It has a future!

A.K.: What is your favorite place in the world?

Monika: Rio de Janeiro

A.K.: What is your favorite kind of food?

Monika: I really like soups. The best is Polish "Zurek"

A.K.: What are your plans for this year? In what tournaments are you planning to play?

Monika: I will play the Polish club championship, and then the European Club Cup and the European Team Championship.

A.K.: Thank you very much, Monika! I'm very grateful to you for this wonderful interview! Good luck in your future tournaments and all the best to you and your family!


Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk
Women's World Chess Champion
www.chessblog.com

Women's Chess Star Interview: Yelena Dembo

I'm glad to introduce today a very strong chess player and a very gifted young lady: Yelena Dembo. Yelena has a very interesting story, she was born in Russia, later on moved to Israel, then lived in Hungary and eventually moved to Greece where she lives today. Yelena started to play chess as early as the age of 3 and competed in her first tournament when she was only 3 year and 9 months. When one say that there is not enough time in life for many things Yelena is proving otherwise. She's not only playing chess but also writing successful chess books. She has her own web-site - www.yelenadembo.com and she wrote and published several chess books.

What is your place and date of birth?

I was born in Penza (USSR) on the 8th of December 1983.

How did you start playing chess?

I started playing at the age of 3 years and 3 months. I played in my first tournament among boys aged 8-12 when I was 3 years and 9 months old.

What are your main achievements in chess?

I have 8 medals from the World and European championships, including the gold medal in the 2002 European Rapid Championship for girls under 20 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia and, most significantly, the bronze medal in the European Women’s Championship 2005!

1st place in Hungarian women’s championship 2003 with 7,5 points out of 9 games.

I shared 1st place in the 2003 Acropolis WGM Tournament in Athens, Greece with a result of 6,5 out of 9!

My team won the silver medal in the 2003 European Women’s Team Championship in Plovdiv, Bulgaria where I played on the first board. My result was 6 out of 9!

I won the Bykova Memorial Tournament in Vladimir, Russia, in December 2004!

I won the bronze medal in the 2005 European Women’s Championship in Moldova!

I finished tied for 6th place in the very strong Hamburger Schachfestival, making a GM norm in the process with a performance of over 2600!

I tied for 3rd place in the 2006 European Women’s Championship in Turkey!

I tied for 3rd place in the 2007 Mediterranean Championships and won the Women’s title!

I tied for 2nd place in the 2008 European women’s Championship in Bulgaria.

I have more than 140 games published in the famous Yugoslav publication “Chess Informant” with my analysis and novelties. One can also find several of my games in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.

What is your peak rating?

2470 in 2007 (now it's 2469 :-) ).

How did you start writing chess books?

It all started in 1992 when my parents who had their private chess & music academy in Tel-Aviv, Israel, started gathering middlegame examples for their collection :-) Around this time they also thought of the special “Dembo rules” which would help me and their students to develop better general chess understanding. Thanks to these rules and methods their students have won 30 gold medals in Israeli youth championships during eight years only! The level of juniors has risen incredibly quickly (so quickly that one of the students won the gold medal in the rapid world championship under 14). During a short time the children became more clever and more gifted. So, since I started teaching officially at the age of 13, this system was naturally very interesting for me. And already when I was 17 I had the idea to write a serious book about it. Therefore, when I became men’s IM (an objectively strong player) I started writing this book. The book was published in 2005. Then, so many people bought the book (including very strong GMs) that I started thinking about a new book! :-)

How many books have you already written?

Five books have already been published and now I am finishing working on the sixth.

How long does it take to write a chess book for you?

It depends on the subject of the book, on if I need to gather material, select it, analyse it. Usually it takes from 6 months to a year.

Why do you think there are not so many women who are writing chess books?

I think it is more correct to say that there are only few women who write books :-) The reason is very simple – it is very difficult to write. It is necessary to understand the material very well, not to be afraid to let the world know about your opinion, to be able to prove this opinion, it is necessary to be a good writer, to explain the material very well, to know the language well, it is necessary to also be a quite high level player, etc.

Can you tell us more about your books?

My first chess book, “The Very Unusual Book About Chess”, is about the middlegame and contains several interesting methods of playing this part of the game, complemented by many instructive examples by the world’s leading players (Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Shirov, Sutovsky etc.) on each method. The book is available in English and Russian. It is 136 pages long and includes detailed verbal comments, special “Dembo-rules” and a very interesting and useful large chapter on gifted moves! I am sure that someone who studied this material will be able to find these gifted moves in his games as well!

My second book is titled “Conversation with a Professional Trainer - Methods of Positional Play”. The book is 136 pages long. In my opinion, it is a very good manual of positional play. There are 232 examples in the book and I think they are all very interesting :-)

Here are the contents:

About The Author 5
Symbols & Abbreviations 6
The Purpose of this Book 7
Preface 8
Chapter One - Opening Problems 9
Chapter Two - How to Improve Part One 13
Chapter Three - How to Improve Part Two: Evaluation 25
Chapter Four - How to Improve Part Three: Choosing a Plan 82
Chapter Five - How to Improve Part Four: Recommendations - 104
Chapter Six - How to Improve Part Five 124
Index of Players 133

In late 2006 I have received an e-mail from Everyman Chess, the most significant chess publishing house of our times with compliments about my first two books and an offer to write for them. I gladly accepted!

The products of our cooperation so far:
Play The Gruenfeld was my first opening book, released in mid-2007! It provides a complete repertoire in the Gruenfeld Defence for the player with Black.
Next came Fighting the Anti-King’s Indians: How to Handle White’s tricky ways of avoiding the main lines , which covers all of White’s possibilities after 1 d4 Nf6, with the exception of 2 c4, as well as advice and King’s Indian solutions to 1 Nf3 and 1 c4. The book was published in the second half of 2008.


My latest effort is a contribution of a few chapters in Dangerous Weapons: The King’s Indian. Other contributing authors are GM Glenn Flear and IM Richard Palliser. This book was published in early 2009.

Now I am finishing to write a guide book on the Scotch Game.

Do you consider yourself a professional chess player, chess trainer or chess journalist?

I consider myself a professional chess-player, professional trainer, professional writer and professional chess-journalist!

How often do you study chess? How many hours a day?

I try to study 4-6 hours every day but it depends on many things such as my tournaments, students, books, family.

Do you have a chess trainer or you study chess by yourself?

My dad works with me since I was little. Many years ago he taught me and now I only use his advices. During some periods in my life I took lessons from others trainers but it didn’t influence me much.

What do you study most: openings, middle game or endgames?

Naturally I try to divide my time in such proportions that I would study all chess :-) Especially, to study what I think I need at this time.

Do you prefer to play chess with men or with women?

There are so few strong women’s events where I can play that I have no choice but to play in men’s events, especially since I want to fulfil the men’s GM title (I already have one norm).

Why do you think men are stronger than women in chess?

You know, this question always surprises me, although I hear it all my life. It is possible to look at it from two sides.
First, in one reality most men (including chess-players) live for their careers. They usually deal only with their job. They do it for years, many hours each day and usually they don’t have any more problems :-) So how is it possible not to be a good specialist after such work :-)? They work all their life to have best results. Women have a totally different situation – they have to take care of the family, of the kids, food, laundry, ironing, cleaning of their apartment or a house (usually the wife does all the work in the house) and to be a professional player. So how can she have the same result as the man?

Secondly, I think that nature generally gifted men with more possibilities and I don’t see anything unusual or bad in it for women. Of course, there are many very good women violinists, pianists, etc. But generally it is not serious to compare men and women. It is better not to fight with nature! :-) And in chess it’s the same: you, me and many other players have many wins over GMs (and very strong GMs!) but I don’t think that women will be able to play like Kasparov, Fischer, Tal, etc.

When did you feel happiest about being a chess player? Why?

It’s difficult to name just one. I can be very happy when I manage to play a very interesting game, win against a strong player, win a strong tournament, when people tell me that after reading my books they like chess much more. But maybe my happiest moment was 6 years ago when Sotiris Logothetis as an organizer invited me to play in the Acropolis tournament and in 6 months we got married :-).

If you had not become a chess player what career would you have chosen?

I have never imagined anything else :-).

You were born in Russia, then moved to Israel, then played for Hungary and now you live in Greece. How many languages do you speak, and what country do you consider your home?

I speak Russian, Hebrew, English fluently and understand and speak some Greek, Hungarian & Serbian. Naturally, I consider Greece as my home :-).

What is your favorite chess book?

Fischer’s 60 memorable games.

What is your favorite non-chess book?

“Master & Margarita” by Bulgakov.

What is the best game you have ever played?

It’s difficult to name just one. I can name Castaneda-Dembo, 2003, Dembo-Driamin, 2000, Erenburg-Dembo, 2006, Kritz-Dembo, 2006.

What do you like doing besides playing chess?

Sports – I like to jog, play table-tennis, sometimes I go to the gym. I love to read. I like different kinds of movies, from action to romantic and we often go with with my husband to the cinema to see the new ones! I also love to listen to music! Because my father is a professional pianist, I was listening to classical music, Italian, French, Russian, and many more songs from a very little age! Of course I also like Jazz, R&B, Soul, Pop, etc. I like to work in our gardens, we have plenty of flowers and trees!

Do you believe in the future of women’s chess?

Not really :-) See question about why men are stronger than women in chess :-).

What is the best chess country in the world?

I think it is very difficult to name the leader. Many years ago it was USSR, now there are some such countries, for example, India, China, Russia, France, Germany & Hungary.

What is the best organized women’s tournament you took part in?

Acropolis 2003 and all the years after :-)

What is your dream in chess?

To raise my chess-level, my elo and to try to become a men’s GM.

What is your favorite chess piece?

The Queen.

What is your favorite place in the world?

The top of the Eiffel tower.

What is your favorite kind of food?

Pancakes with caviar :-).

What are your future plans for this year?

Rethymnon open in Crete, Acropolis Open, Mediterranian championship in Rijeka, Women’s Romanian league, Women’s European team championship in Novi-Sad.

Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk
Women's World Chess Champion
www.chessblog.com

STAR INTERVIEW: Natalia Zhukova

I'm glad to introduce to you another woman chess star - Natalia Zhukova.

Natalia has been the leader of Ukraine's Women Chess Team for many years, thank to her wonderful perfomance on the first board at the Turin Chess Olympiad, Ukraine got its Gold Chess Olympiad Medal in 2006.

I remember the first time I met Natalia over the board, it was in 1998, I was only 14 years old and even though Natalia was only 5 years older than me, I was so impressed by Natalia's self-confidence and power that even though I tried to resist I lost that game. We met with Natalia several times over the board after that and every time we created very exciting and spectacular games. It's a double pleasure for me to speak about Natalia today because our daugthers were born just a few months apart. Natalia's daughter - Maria (or Masha for short) was born in February 2007, while my daugther was born in April 2007, so now apart from being chess competitors we both are mothers and enjoy this very much.

What is your place and date of birth?

I was born in Dresden, Germany, on May 5, 1979.

How did you start playing chess?

When I was 7 years old my dad went with me to a chess club, he thought that at this age a child should be occupied by something and chess was a good hobby to try.

What are your main achievements in chess?

I became the European champion among girls under 14 and under 16, then vice-champion of the world among girls under 16. I won the European championship among women in 2000. I was the runner-up of the World Cup in Shenyang in 2000. I twice won the European Club Cup,
I was an Olympiad champion playing for the National team of Ukraine in Turin in 2006. With my team I took silver in the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden. I also won various prestigious women's tournaments.

What has been your peak rating?

2490 on January 1st, 2009.

Do you consider yourself a professional chess player?

I wish I could call myself a professional chess player, but I'm afraid after the birth of my daugther (she's a little over 2 years old) I don't spend enough time studying chess.

With daugther Masha, Odessa, May 2009

How often do you study chess? How many hours a day?

Normally I study chess when I play tournaments and prepare for the games. At home, I don't have a regular schedule because I have to devote a lot of time to my daughter.

Do you have a chess trainer or you study chess by yourself?

I don't have a trainer but I have my beloved husband who will never refuse to give me a "professional recommendation".

Natalia, her husband Alexander Grischuk and their daugther Masha

You have a 2-year old daughter Masha, will you teach her to play chess?

My husband and I don't want to tell Masha to play chess professionally, although she already knows the names of the chess pieces. We prefer other kind of sports such as, for example, tennis.

What is your favorite chess book?

"My system" by Aaron Nimtzovich.

Whom do you consider the best chess player in history?

I think it's Garry Kasparov.

What is the best game you have ever played?

I'm not sure about "the best game" but I really like my game against V. Arbakov that I played in 1994. I was only 15 years old and despite this young age I created a very high quality game.

What do you like doing besides playing chess?

The last two years I've been very happy to be a mother. Before the birth of my daugther I really liked travelling. In the winter I liked to go mountain skiing, in the summer I liked swimming in the sea.

Do you believe in the future of women’s chess?

If I didn't believe in it I would stop playing.

What is the best chess country in the world?

I'm not sure exactly, but it's a country where the goverment supports chess and our game is popular among people. A few years ago I would have said without any doubt that it is Yugoslavia (even the biggest playing halls weren't able to accomodate all the chess fans). Even now, as far as I know, Serbia one of the few countries in the world where chess is supported on the same level with the olympic sports and for their past achievements GM's get very decent grants.

What is the best organized women’s tournament you took part in?

The tournaments of Krasnoturinsk (the North Ural Cup tournaments) had very nice organization, unfortunately the prize fund was not as good as the organization.

What is your dream in chess?

I would like to see chess as popular as let's say tennis.

What is your favorite chess piece?

The Queen. My daugther cannot yet say this word perfectly so she call this piece - "mama" (mommy) and the king is "papa" (daddy) for her :-))

What is your favorite place in the world?

The city by the Black sea where I live - Odessa.

What is your favorite kind of food?

Any fish except red ones.


What do you think we should do in order to make women’s chess more attractive to the media?

We have to have a professional marketing and PR, without it all our suggestions would be meaningless.

Your husband – Alexander Grischuk, is one of the strongest chess players in the world. What is the main difference that you see between top women studying and playing chess and top men chess players?

They work deeper and more regulary on chess and often they exchange different information and ideas between each other, even when they don't work together. While female chess players would never say a thing nor help in any way another woman. Also women , contrary to men, for some reason don't analyze games together, despite the fact that it's very useful.

You’ve been representing quite successfully the national team of Ukraine. You are also married to a Russian, have you ever thought about changing federation and playing for Russia? Do you think changes of federations should be allowed by FIDE or the rules should be stricter?

I did not change federation when I was young and talented and, believe me, I've had many tempting offers, so my marriage now is not a reason to change federations for me. Of course we have very poor financial support in Ukraine: the national championships have been organized very poorly; the federation didn't pay us for the silver medals in Dresden. But is that a reason to betray your own country?:-) I think, that FIDE should have stricter rules for changing federations. For example in soccer one club pays a big transfer fee to another club if a player decides to change clubs. The same thing here, if one federation put all its efforts, its soul and money in raising a strong player, it's not correct if after all these efforts another federation gets this player for free. I think it's not fair.

Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk
Women's World Chess Champion
www.chessblog.com

STAR Interview: Antoaneta Stefanova

With a great pleasure I'm introducing another woman chess star - Antoaneta Stefanova. Winning the Women's World Chess Championship in Elista, Russia in 2004, Antoaneta became the 10th women's world chess champion. She's been one of the leaders of the women's chess for many years and she's also been very succesful in men's tournament, beating many strong GM's.

What is your place and date of birth?

Sofia, Bulgaria, 19.04.1979

How did you start playing chess?

When I was 5 years old my father Andon Stefanova showed me and my sister Ani how to play. We loved it instantly.

What are your main achievements in chess?

I was several times World and European champion in diferent age groups as a child, European Women Champion 2002, Women World Champion 2004-2006, Winner in the first World Mind Sports Games-Rapid 2008. I have also won many tournaments for both Men and Women.

What is your peak rating?

2560

Do you consider yourself a professional chess player?

Yes, although I am also finishing my Master degree in Finance this year.

How often do you study chess? How many hours a day?

I play many tournaments, so I take some days off between them. But when preparing for important event, I work up to 8 hours per day.

Do you have a chess trainer or you study chess by yourself?

My trainer from 5 to 16 years old was my father. We were mainly working with books and computer programs when they appeared. Later on I have worked occasionally with several Grandmaster - I would like to mention GM Vladimir Georgiev - who has helped me a lot during the World Championship 2004, GM Kiril Georgiev - one of the strongest ever Bulgarian chess players, and GM Atanas Kolev who has also been the coach of the Bulgarian Women National team as well. I do not have a permanent trainer though,it costs a lot,and without the help of the federation or a personal sponsor it is imposible.

What do you study most: openings, middle game or endgames?

I try to study all stages of the game.

Do you prefer to play chess with men or with women?

Both

Why do you think men are stronger than women in chess?

It is very complex - historicly women have not been encouraged to play chess from early age. We see now more female players getting stronger, but still there is very litle attention paid by federations, sponsors or organisers. There are also objective reasons - I believe in order to perform well in long term a chess player needs to be in a very good physical shape and in that of course men have advantage.That is why I think is correct to have separate WomenChampionships.

When did you feel happiest about being a chess player? Why?

I feel happy every time I play a good game.

If you had not become a chess player what career would you have chosen?

Artist

How many brothers and sisters are there in your family?

I have one elder sister.

You became chess history's 10th women's world chess champion, how did you feel at the moment you won that title?

To be honest in the first moments I was too tired to understand what it means.Only later,when I returned home in Bulgaria and saw haw happy and proud are my family,friends and complete strangers,it hit me-I was the first ever Bulgarian Chess World Champion.

Did you life change significantly after your world title?

It did in several ways. It meant more invitations to strong tournaments, but also lots of responsabilities representing my country and Women Chess around the world.

What's your home?

I have a nice appartment near the biggest park in downtown - Sofia.

What is your favorite chess book?

I like all of Dvoretsky and Nunn's books.

What is your favorite non-chess book?

It is dificult to name one. I love reading and read absolutely everything. Right now I am reading Giacomo Casanova-Histoare de ma vie, and Michael Newton - Life between lives.
Whom do you consider the best chess player in history?

Kasparov and Fischer

What is the best game you have ever played?

I enjoy most of the games I win, but I am also aware of the many mistakes in them. If I have to name one perhaps it should be the game I won against GM M.Gurevich at Gibtelecom Masters 2008 in Gibraltar.

What do you like doing besides playing chess?

Reading, dancing and drawing pictures. My father is an artist, so probably I got my love for art from him.

Do you believe in the future of women’s chess?

If FIDE, the players and organisers start working together to make more interesting events - then yes.

What is the best chess country in the world?

Probably Russia and Spain, but if it is about organising team events then it should be Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.

What is the best organized women’s tournament you took part in?

Krasnoturinsk (Russia), but the best mixed tournament for Women players is without a doubt Gibraltar

What is your dream in chess?

To see the day when Women Chess will be as popular as Men's.

What is your favorite chess piece?

All of them

What is your favorite place in the world?

Any place with warm climate and palm trees:)

What is your favorite kind of food?

sea food and any fruit
What are your future plans for this year?

Several Open Tournaments, a strong Mixed Round Robin in Antwerpen in September, European Club Cup and European Team championship.

What is the main difference between women’s chess nowadays and women’s chess when you were just starting playing chess?

I believe Women Chess has developed very much in the last 20 years-we see now many more strong players. Also the whole system of Women events is developing. It was good to witness the begining of the European Individual Women Championship, the knockout World Championship, Fide Women Gran Prix and more. Of course, I hope we'll see many more to come - for example regular World and European Rapid and Blitz championship as well as tournaments for all level Women Chess players around the world.

Lately we are seeing many things happening in chess in Bulgaria, is chess very popular in your country? Do you have special support from the government for playing chess? Do people recognize your in the streets?

In Bulgaria Chess was always well respected,and almost everyone knows at least the basic rules of the game. Unfortunately in the last years there are many economical problems in the country and many traditional events has been canceled. Also the budget of the federation is very small,with a litle help from the goverment. It is dificult to attract sponsors in this moment, but the fact that World top level events like Mtel Masters are organised every year gives me hope that it will be better with time. Otherwise the top players are quite well known for the public, so, yes people recognise me in the streets.

What do you think we should do in order to make women’s chess more attractive to the media?

If we want chess to be televised then probably we should have more top level Rapid and Blitz events. I also like the idea of the "Glass Cube'" which was used in Bilbao and Mtel Masters-playng in open air gives a better way to the audience and media to follow the tournaments.In general I believe in every country and every event the organisers should try to work better with the media. The chess players should also follow some dress code regulations and be more media friendly.

Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk
Women's World Chess Champion
www.chessblog.com

STAR Interview: Natalia POGONINA

New www.chessblog.com Series: Women Star Interviews!

I admire many women chess players. Some of them are very serious, some are funny, some are simply exceptional. In this regular series of my blog I will introduce you to exceptional women who love to play chess. They are all successful women for whom a game of chess means something special.

The first chess star that I have the pleasure to introduce to you in more detail is Natalia Pogonina from Russia. Natalia is currently rated no 3 in Russia and no 14 in the world. She just lanched her new web-site - www.pogonina.com and in her busy schedule had time to answer my questions:

1. What is your place and date of birth?

I was born on March 9, 1985, in Vladivostok, Russia.

2. How did you start playing chess?

My grandfather taught me how to play chess when I was about 5-6 years old.

3. What are your main achievements in chess?

Adult chess: Bronze medal at the European Women Chess Championship (2009) and North Urals Cup (2007), Winner of the Moscow Open (2009), Gold Medal at the the First International Mind Sports Games (2008), Rudenko Memorial (2007), Bykova Memorial (2006)

Junior chess: Three-times European champion (U16, twice U18), Bronze medal at the World Championship (U18)

4. What is your peak rating?

2501 as of April 2009

5. Do you consider yourself a professional chess player?

Yes, chess is my primary occupation.

6. How often do you study chess? How many hours a day?

I am a very active tournament player, so there is not much time left for studies. About 4 hours during free days, a bit more during training sessions.

7. Do you have a chess trainer or you study chess by yourself?

My chess coach is IM Pavel Lobach, plus two seconds GM Vladimir Georgiev and IM Vladislav Akselrod.

8. What do you study most: openings, middle game or endgames?
I pay attention to all stages of the game. In general, it's impossible to gain an understanding of an opening without analyzing the emerging middlegame positions.

9. Do you prefer to play chess with men or with women?
It's equally pleasant.

10. When did you feel happiest about being a chess player? Why?

It's hard to pick one moment, there are so many of them. The European Chess Championship U16 was probably the most memorable since then I became European Champion for the first time in my life.

11. If you had not become a chess player what career would you have chosen?

I would probably have been a sportsman since I love all kinds of sports.

12. How many brothers and sisters are there in your family?

Unfortunately, I don't have any brothers or sisters.

13. What's your home?

I live at Saratov, but don't spend too much time there since I'm constantly traveling from one tournament to another.

14. What is your favorite chess book?

I like many chess books, so it's hard to name just one. Among the ones that I've recently read I liked Sergei Rublevsky's selection of his best games.

15. What is your favorite non-chess book?

I love reading, my favorite writer is Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

16. Whom do you consider the best chess player in history?

Once again, it's so hard to name the greatest. Let me try. Kasparov.

17. What is the best game you have ever played?
I'm not sure that the notion "best game" exists at all. Each game is remarkable and instructive in one way or the other.

18. What do you like doing besides playing chess?

I like taking pictures, traveling, singing and lots of other activities.

19. Do you believe in the future of women's chess?
I strongly believe that women's chess is going to progress since women are very attractive and interesting.

20. What is the best chess country in the world?

Russia.

21. What is the best organized women's tournament you took part in?

Annual North Urals Cup, I guess.

22. What is your dream in chess?

It's a secret. Dreams tend not to come true when revealed to everyone.

23. What is your favorite chess piece?

I love all of them.

24. What is your favorite place in the world?

Kamchatka, since I spent my childhood there.

25. What is your favorite kind of food?

Okroshka. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okroshka for details.

26. How do you manage to combine playing chess with studying in the University?
Luckily enough, the University's authorities support me a lot.

27. What are your future plans for this year?
I'm in such a crazy period right now that it's very hard to make plans, but I will decide on them soon.

28. What do you think we should do in order to make women's chess more attractive to the media?
Chess players should be more active. Promote chess and themselves on the Internet, participate in advertisements. Play exciting exhibition matches. It's vital not to confine yourself to the game only. Apart from playing in tournaments and studying one should remember about the interests of chess fans and do his/her best to make chess more popular.

Interview made by Alexandra Kosteniuk

Women's World Champion

www.chessblog.com