GM Humpy Koneru, Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

Photos Courtesy of the WWCC Official Website 

In Conversation with GM Humpy Koneru by Beatriz Marinello

The 2011 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship Match between the current World Champion GM Hou Yifan of China and her challenger, GM Koneru Humpy of India, was held at the Tirana International Hotel in Albania from November 14 to 30.

This match was scheduled as a ten-game match. The first player to reach 5.5 points or more takes the title. GM Hou Yifan was declared the winner of the match after eight games and was crowned as the Women’s World Champion yet again. Congratulations to Hou Yifan!

The prize fund was 200,000 Euro, with 60% going to the winner and 40% to the loser. This match was surprisingly one-sided, in favor of GM Hou Yifan, although the challenger GM Humpy Koneru is currently the second highest rated woman chess player in the world, after GM Judith Polgar, who is considered the best woman player who ever lived.

GM Hou Yifan and GM Humpy Koneru, Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

US Chess Trust Trustee and FIDE Vice President, Beatriz Marinello was on site at the 2011 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, as she was appointed by FIDE as a member of the Appeals Committee.

WWCC 2012 Beatriz Marinello (Far Left), Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

Beatriz Marinello sits for a chat with the challenger GM Humpy Korenu who gives us a look into what it is like to play in the Women’s World Chess Championship Match, the challenges and the tensions faced by players at this level of competition.

Beatriz Marinello: Hello Humpy, how are you? Can I call you Humpy?

Humpy Koneru: Yeah, Humpy is my first name. Koneru is my family name in India.

BM: Tell us what it was like for you playing in the Women’s World Chess Championship.

HK: It was quite an interesting event, I never played such a match before. It was also very tense playing with the same player for the World Title. But, overall it was a great experience.

BM: This was an exciting event, one which I was honored to be a part of as a member of the appeals committee. I do have to say though, that it was surprisingly one-sided. Considering the fact that you are the 2nd highest rated woman chess player in the world, I don’t believe anyone would’ve expected the match to end after only 8 games, with a surprising end result of 5.5 points for Hou Yifan and 2.5 for you. What is your take on how this all unfolded?

HK: Ok, I think that after the third round loss, I wanted to come back. In games 4 and 5, I had two blacks in a row and I tried some openings that I never played before and those games ended in draws. In game 6, with White pieces I was successful in most of the game. I got a very good position in the opening. I was also doing well with the time, but then the advantage slowly started to dilute. At that moment, maybe I should have taken a draw. Instead, I thought I should do more there, and it went wrong.

After losing game 6, there was not much that I could do with two loses in a 10 games match. So, I was forced to try to win with Black pieces in game 7. It was not to easy to try to win with Black and end it fast.

If it was a regular tournament game, the result would have been different. Let’s say that I play these 10 games with different players, obviously I would not try these risky positions. In this match, I felt forced to take some risks. Also, because I did not have the experience in playing these matches, I did not have the patience to wait.

GM Humpy Koneru, Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

BM: You took too many risks…

HK: Yes, too many risks and I think game wise for me the past year has been a bit shaky. I was also not doing my best in the Women’s Grand Prix and normal tournaments.

BM: Well actually, with regard to the Women’s Grand Prix you worked really hard to qualify to play with Hou Yifan. So much so that it came to the point that your qualification (for the Women’s World Chess Championship) was decided in the last game that you played in the Women’s Grand Prix in Doha.

HK: Yeah, it was very tough for me losing this way, because I struggled for two years in the Grand Prix to qualify for this match. It’s painful to lose this way, but I think it’s part of the game.

GM Humpy Koneru, Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

BM: Well you’re very young only 24 years old and you have a bright future ahead of you. This could be a big learning experience for you.

HK: I learned a lot of things from this match, I made so many mistakes which I should not have done. This will definitely help me for the future.

BM: So, you think that the main reasons why you lost this match were because of lack of experience playing in these type of matches and that you took too many risks?

HK: Yeah, too many risks and I have been struggling for the past year. I have not been doing very well.

BM: Why has the last year been so hard for you? Can you tell us about that? I read an interview with Vishy Anand in which he said that you have a lot of talent and he thinks you will do very well in this match. Obviously he has a very high opinion of you. So, what do you think happened?

HK: Well, after qualifying for this event, I played only in a few tournaments, and I spent most of my time doing preparations for this match. I started training with new players and until recently, I only trained with my father. Maybe I was to nervous in this match, and that made me make so many mistakes in the games.

BM: My personal assessment is that Hou Yifan took advantage of your mistakes. It was not that she outplayed. Most mistakes were made when you were short on time.

HK: Seeing the games ——-In some positions I was putting pressure on her, but when I faced the time trouble situation, there I went wrong. The practical experience also matters a lot. I played a few tournaments a year and also my training is totally different. In this area, Hou Yifan has more advantages. She has a complete team with players on hand to train, it was more of a practical practice.

GM Humpy Koneru and GM Hou Yifan, Photo Courtesy WWCC 2012

BM: It was quite obvious during the match, although it’s uncomfortable for me to say, that Hou Yifan had a lot of people supporting her. She traveled with a delegation of 5 people, local people came to see her games and the Chinese Embassy did a reception for her. I don’t think there is an Indian Embassy in Tirana (capital of Albania). Also, Hou Yifan has strong support from the Chinese Chess Association. The two of you represented a large number of the population in this world. China has the largest population and India has the 2nd largest so a lot of people were watching you and yet it seems that she had a lot more support going for her. You came here with your father and a trainer. It seems that Hou Yifan had a lot more support. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

HK: In the past, I had some differences with the federation and we could not get the proper support. In India we are more like individuals. People don’t get the proper support. But ok, now I think that has changed a bit, and will be better in the future.

BM: So things are getting better?

HK: Yes, things are getting better

BM: That’s very good. I am glad to hear that.Going to the beginning…When did you learn how to play chess?

HK: I started when I was six years old. Basically my father plays chess, and I saw him playing chess in the house and he would go over games with the chess informant. I started learning from him. I played my first National championship when I was 7 yrs old and won my first National Championship when I was 9 yrs old. From then on he was my only trainer. He used to come with me to the tournaments and we used to work together at my games. For both of us it worked out, personally because, since we are father and daughter, he knows my psychology.

BM: I perfectly understand.

HK: He is not a very great player, he’s just a normal player with a 2250 rating, but his experience made me learn a lot of things. For this event I have Chanda Sandipan with me, he’s a Grandmaster from Calcutta. I have learned some new things from him.

BM: Well you have achieved being the 2nd highest rated woman player in chess history after Judit Polgar and you broke the 2600 Fide rating barrier, which is quite an accomplishment. What a great potential. What are your ambitions for chess, what do you want to do?

HK: If I have to speak rating wise, two years back I was peaking 2624. Since then I have been losing a lot of rating. I know my rating is now 2580. It’s a bit painful to lose so many rating points. But, I think the potential strength in the long term, it will come back.
Next year, I am planning to play in some international open tournaments. In the last two years, I could not make it to play in the main events because of the Grand Prix series. This coming year, I will play the Gibraltar Chess Festival and I will participate in three of the Grand Prix series. Once I start playing in the main tournaments, hopefully I can get to my real strength.

BM: Fantastic. Who is your inspiration? Does Anand inspire you?

HK: Basically, I was more inspired by Judit Polgar.

BM: Really?

HK: When I started playing, when I started learning…my father used to tell me about the Polgar sisters. The most important thing I learned from Judith was that she was never afraid to play with anybody, and more than that, the way she plays, she doesn’t fear her opponent. I think that only a few can have such confidence to play at a very strong level.

BM: Judith Polgar and her sisters had a strong relationship with the father and the mother and the family support was very good.

HK: That is also the main reason. Many chess players have the support of great trainers. I believe Judith Polgar is different than everyone, she has her own strength, because of her sisters and her father’s support, that support growing up within the family. I was very inspired by her results, and I always wanted to be like her. I know she is a far better player, the biggest women’s chess player that the world has produced so far.

BM: Well, you never know…you are only 24 years old, you may get there yourself. So, besides chess, what other interests do you have?

HK: I like to go out with my friends for shopping. Once in a while, I go to watch movies in theaters with the family.

BM: So your just a regular person who loves chess and is really good at it.

HK: I had a somewhat different life compared with other Indian chess players. When I am not playing in chess tournaments, I don’t spend time around chess circles. I like to keep my private life, where I can spend time even without chess. I see that many people , they don’t have a life other than chess. Chess is my profession. Losing this match was painful, but I will be able to continue.

BM: Regrouping like in a chess position.

HK: Yeah.

BM: You became a challenger for the Women’s World Champion, this is something that you can do again. You have the talent and now you have more experience.

HK: Talking about the Grand Prix the only thing I need is to focus and do my best.

BM: What do you think the challenges for women in chess at your level are?

HK: When I play in open tournaments, my ambitions are different. I just try to play the games and win some rating points. When it comes to a Women’s Grand Prix you have to focus, because unless you win you don’t get the qualification to play in the Women’s World Championship Match. When you are playing in women’s chess tournaments, the level of preparation matters a lot. When it’s a normal round robin tournament there is not so much pressure. The World Championship cycle is an entirely different task.

BM: Is there anything else that you would like to say about this match? What do you think about Hou Yifan?

HK: She is in the peak of her career. In the past years she has won many tournaments and I think it’s due to the training and support she is getting from the Chinese government and her federation. I hope that in the coming future we have a lot more women players. In the recent years women’s ratings have been rising. Before, only a few players were over 2500, and now you see that more women are catching up very quickly. I think women in chess are improving very fast.

BM: Is the Indian government supporting you?

HK: Well, in India the situation is entirely different. For me personally, when I win something, I get an incentive from the government. Apart from that, we don’t have special training systems. But, they congratulated me when I became a Grand Master, and supported me with incentives.

BM: What do you think about the qualifying cycle for the Women’s World championship? Specifically, the fact that the Grand Prixs are the qualifiers..

HK: I think it’s a good format. It also gives good chances to everyone. It’s a great opportunity.

BM: I agree, I think its a good system too. It has been wonderful talking with you. You are an extremely talented player. Good luck in all you do. I wish you the very best.

Interview by FIDE Vice President, Beatriz Marinello ©

GM Boris Gulko; Photos Courtsey of GM Gulko

The following interview was prepared by U.S. Chess Trust Trustee, FIDE Vice President and Former US Chess Federation President, WIM Beatriz Marinello.  We thank GM Boris Gulko for the opportunity to interview him.

WIM Beatriz Marinello: How do you feel about being chosen as one of the 2011 US Hall of Fame Inductees?

GM Boris Gulko: Of course, I am proud.

BM: What did you think about the induction ceremony and the new Chess Museum?

BG: Both (the induction ceremony and the chess museum) were very impressive.

BM: How did you learn how to play chess?

BG: I was introduced to chess by a boy at a children’s camp. But, the only thing I remember about the boy is that he wore a red cap.

BM: What chess players had the greatest influence on your style?

BG: Different players impressed me at different times. I started to play actively in the years of Mikhail Tal, which was very important for my formation.

BM: You are known as a strong middlegame positional player and for your solid style. What advice would you give for those chess aficionados who would like to become good positional players?

BG: It is useful to study positional games of grandmasters with good annotations. I can recommend a book I wrote with GM Sneed titled, “Lessons with a Grandmaster.”

BM: You have a plus score against former World Champion Garry Kasparov.  How did you achieve this result? Was it preparation or do you think that your style allows for good defensive play against aggressive players?

BG: I simply played those games well.

BM: What do you consider the highlights of your chess playing career?

BG: Probably my winnings in the USSR and USA Championships.

BM: What do you think is the best game you ever played?

BG: I’ll name the most beautiful. My game with David Bronstein in 1968.

Bronstein vs Gulko (1968), final position

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Nc6 6. Ne2 Qb6 7. a4 Nf6 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. c3 cxd4 11. g4 Bg6 12. Nxd4 O-O-O 13. a5 Qc7 14. a6 Nxd4 15. axb7+ Kb8 16. cxd4 Bc2 17. Qe2 h5 18. g5 Ng4 19. f4 f6 20. hxg4 hxg4 21. Ba4 Bf5
22. Qa6 Bc5 23. dxc5 Qxc5+ 24. Kg2 Qe3 25. Ra3 Be4+ 26. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 27. Kg3 Rh3+ 28. Kxg4 Qg2+ 29. Kf5 fxg5 30. Rxh3 Rf8+ 31. Kg6 gxf4+ 32. Kh7 Qxh3+ 33. Kxg7 Qh8+ 34. Kg6 Rg8+ 35. Kf5 Qh7+ 36. Ke5 Qe4+ 37. Kd6 Rg6+ 38. Kc5 Rxa6 39. Bxf4+ Kxb7 40. Bb5 Ra5 0-1 

Note:  A selection of GM Boris Gulko’s games will be published in the next volume of “Lessons with a Grandmaster”.

BM: What do you think is the ideal format for a national championship?

BG: I think a Round Robin with 10-12 players.

BM: You are the only chessplayer who became both USSR and USA National Champion.  What were the differences between Soviet Chess and American Chess back in the 1980s?

BG: The list of players. In the USSR Championships my opponents were Tal, Petrosian, Smyslov, Polugaevsky, and Geller.

BM: Obviously around that time (1970s) the level of the Soviet players was much higher than the players from the rest of the world with some exceptions such as Bobby Fischer, Larsen, etc.  Now adays, the chess demographics for the strong players is different compared to those times.  What do you think was the reason for this change?

BG: Political changes in the USSR is the first of all.

BM: You and your family immigrated to the United States back in 1986 from the Soviet Union.  25 years later the world is completely different.  What do you think is the biggest difference in chess during this time span?

BG: I think the biggest difference is the role of computers. How to study and analyze openings is completely different.

BM: In June 1990 Russia declared it’s right to rule itself. That same summer the other republics also declared their right to self-rule. This later resulted on Gorbachev’s resignation which ended the Soviet Union. In your view, how did these historical events impact the chess world?

BG: The biggest change was that players from the former USSR obtained opportunities to freely travel abroad and settle in others countries.

BM: Do you think that chess in the USA has benefited from the immigration of chess players and trainers from other countries?

GM Boris Gulko

BG: Of course. It is the American way. The culture and science of the USA has always benefited from the immigration of people from other countries.

BM: Scholastic chess is booming, we have more children than ever learning and playing chess. However, most young talented American Grand Masters are not staying in chess. Why do you think?

BG: Obviously there is not enough money in chess to attract young people to the profession of a chess player.

BM: Last year, I read the book “The KGB Plays Chess”, for which you are one of the co-authors. Your contributions to this book touched my heart, and helped me understand you and many other people in similar situations on a much deeper level.

What can you tell us about your experience in writing this book that is not known to the public?

BG: I finished my book, “The KGB Plays Chess”, the moment of our immigration to the USA from the USSR. Many interesting events happened after that.

BM: The FIDE President has created the Commission for the Modernization of Chess in response to proposals from different players, and changes in chess mostly associated to opening theories and computer assistance.   What are your thoughts about this?

BG: I would be very careful about the changing of chess rules.

BM: What is your opinion about GM Kasimdzhanov: Open letter to FIDE – with a proposal to address “short draws” The article can be found at the Chessbase website at: http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7387?

BG: Some formats, like short matches with elimination, provoke short draws. I would recommend formats, which stimulate good chess. Of course players like to play chess. But conditions for this are sometimes bad, like the lack of rest days.

BM: If you were given the power to make regulations to stop people from cheating,  what measurements would you take?

BG: I don’t see it as a serious problem. But if somebody is caught cheating, he or she has to be excluded from tournaments.

BM: Due to technology, chessplayers can now acquire information very quickly to aide in their chess studies.  What in the past could be learned in 10 days, can now be learned in two.  Do you agree with this statement?

BG: I agree – computers made a great change in studying chess.

BM: Do you think studying chess with the aide of a computer and chess software can result in gaps in the knowledge of the game? Any advantage to studying the old fashion way?

BG: I would recommend that both methods be combined.

BM: Are you one of those people that believe that if you could live your life all over again would do the same things?

BG: Positively not. There are a lot of interesting things in our World.

BM: I am have always been intrigued by this last question. I know you are an experienced coach and your answer can really help others.

How does one know when a chessplayer has reached his or her maximum potential?

BG: When he or she becomes a World Champion.

BM: That definitely gives our young players something to aspire to. Congratulations again! I have great respect for you as a player. I would like to also thank you for being my second at the 1991 Women’s Interzonal which took place in former Yugoslavia.  I definitely learned a lot from you as I am sure many more have. Best wishes to you and your family.

Thank you on behalf of the U.S. Chess Trust!

Larry C Morris/NYTimes at the Manhattan Chess Club in 1971, a crowd gathered around a speed match between Bobby Fischer (left) and Andrew Soltis

“I don’t know when I was hooked, or why for that matter. Maybe it was for the reason Botvinnik gave: Some people like to think and chess is the best way to satisfy the urge.” – GM Andy Soltis

Jim Eade: You were born in Hazelton, PA. in 1947. How did you learn to play chess?

GM Andrew (Andy) Soltis: I learned the moves from a book. I’ve forgotten the name but I had taken it out of the children’s section of the public library in the Astoria, Queens section of New York, where my family was living. I didn’t know anyone who played, much less anyone who could teach me, so for about four years chess remained one of many games I knew how to play but didn’t take seriously.

JE: How old were you, and who were your biggest influences?

AS: I must have been about 10 when I learned. Today that would put me about four years behind the curve for aspiring players. I never had a chess lesson, a teacher, coach or trainer. I remember when I read a Paul Keres column in Chess Life, in 1972, in which he said the way to become a strong player is to work with a strong instructor. He added that this must have been the way young masters of the day got strong. He named Karpov, Tukmakov, Huebner and several others _ including Soltis. I just smiled.

JE:  When you first started, where could you play?

AS: I finally got to play around 1961 when there was a meeting, at the same Astoria library, of amateurs who wanted to start a chess club. They eventually rented quarters at a local church but the club only lasted a year or so. I also discovered that chess moves could be recorded and they appeared regularly in the New York Times, thanks to Hermann (cq) Helms. But I didn’t know what to make of, say, the opening moves of the Botvinnik-Tal world championship rematch. After all, why would anyone play 1 c4 to start a game? And what would possess his opponent to reply 1…g6 ?

JE:  What was the organized chess scene like back when you first got involved?

AS: There wasn’t much of anything that could be called “organized.” The biggest events, by far, were the annual U.S. Championship, usually held around Christmastime at a midtown hotel, and the final Met League match, which was almost always a showdown between the Marshall and Manhattan clubs. I was a wallboard boy for a few games of one U.S. Championship and played regularly in the Met League, starting in the B division. My first big thrill was announcing a mate in eight moves, beginning with a rook sacrifice, against Bill Fredericks on first board in a Jamaica Chess Club-Marshall B team match. A few weeks later when Fischer spoke at the Marshall club, Carrie Marshall introduced me to Bobby and mentioned that game. “Eight moves?” he said.  How could I give up chess after that?

JE:  Where there multiple chess clubs or hang-outs?

AS: There were a lot more clubs, at least in New York, than there are now. Almost all of them are gone because they couldn’t solve the number one problem facing chess clubs. Not membership, real estate.
This was still the era when a “serious chess player” meant someone who (a) belonged to a chess club, (b) played postal chess or (c) owned more than one chess book. Tournament chess was just taking off. That’s why the USCF, which had little to offer the (a), (b) and (c) people, had so much trouble expanding its base in the 1940s and 1950s.  It was able to flourish in the 1960s when a “serious chess player” began to mean someone who had a rating.
I eventually outgrew the Astoria Chess Club and joined the Marshall, after I played there in a simul given by Larry Evans. I’m one of the few people left who can say they were recruited by Carrie, because Frank’s widow made sure I had a membership application as I left the Marshall’s townhouse at 23 West 10th Street.
I also played in Dr. Milton Hanauer’s interscholastic tournaments. They were held on a string of Saturdays at the infamous “Flea House,” a West 42nd Street firetrap built above what was once a real flea circus. During my high school years I would spend Saturday morning at the Hanauer league then take a subway downtown with friends like Marc Yoffice and Morgan Ellin to the Marshall. Occasionally we’d stop at the Four Continents bookstore on Fifth Avenue, north of the Marshall, because they were the authorized distributor of Soviet literature _ that is, the only place where you could buy a copy of Shakhmatny Bulletin and read what Leond Shamkovich or Alexey Suetin had to say this month about the Najdorf. We might also drop by 80 East 11th Street because that housed both Albrecht Buschke’s chess bookstore and the offices of the USCF.

JE:  When did you begin to suspect a life long love for the game was in the works, and what was it that attracted you to chess?

AS: I don’t know when I was hooked, or why for that matter. Maybe it was for the reason Botvinnik gave:  Some people like to think and chess is the best way to satisfy the urge. I also liked the way you could discover new ideas, particularly in the openings, even though the game had been played for hundreds of years.

JE:  What were the highlights of your chess playing career?

AS: Hmm. Highlights?  The ones that come to mind: Beating Walter Browne, as Black in an Exchange French, in the last round of the 1964 New York City Junior Championship, the first tournament I won; Winning gold medals (Can I claim to be a world champion?!) at the 1970 World Student Olympiad, where I had the best individual score; Earning my first IM norm in the last round of my first individual international, Reggio Emilia 1970-1 by beating a GM with the …h5 variation of the Sicilian Dragon (Don’t call it the “Soltis Variation”! ; Winning games from Svetozar Gligoric and Bent Larsen over the years, and making GM at a New York international in 1980. Strange as it seems, I was the first to become a GM based solely on US tournaments.

JE:  What was your most memorable game?

AS: I always thought “My 60 Memorable Games” was a weak title because of “memorable.” (Were those the games he remembered most? Clearly not because he didn’t include the “Game of the Century.” Were they the only 60 games he remembered?)  Only three words  needed to be on the cover of Bobby’s book and they were “My,” “Bobby” and Fischer.”
As for my most memorable game, it was probably my second game with Browne, from a Marshall Championship preliminaries around 1965.  I won with a relatively new idea, 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5. 0-0!? in the Ruy Lopez. What made this stand out was what happened after the game. Walter, in his usual time pressure, made a natural response to a late middlegame check, …Ka8, and allowed a cute finish. As soon as he resigned he wanted to know what I had on …Kc8. I didn’t have an answer, and that seemed to damage the game irreparably.
After Al Horowitz published the game in his NYT column, Marc Yoffie’s brother, Joel, found that …Kc8 is refuted by one of the rarest kinds of queen sacrifice. Joel, who was no more than a 1500 player at the time, pointed it out to Marc, who showed it to me. When Horowitz came to the Marshall one Tuesday night for the weekly bridge games, I showed him the queen sack. He ran the game in Chess Review, with Hans Kmoch’s analysis, praising my brilliant (but unplayed) Qg4+!! sacrifrice. The game ended up being reprinted all over the world.

JE:   You are one of the most prolific writers in chess.  If you had to choose one of your chess books as your favorite, which would it be?

AS: My favorite book is “Soviet Chess.” I had decided around 1993 that I should be taking more risks in my writing. I wanted to write books on subjects that had never been tackled before or in formats that were original. (I wrote an endgame book in the form of a Socratic dialogue between a grandmaster and a young amateur.)
Soviet chess was such a vast, ridiculously so, subject that it seemed right for me. I spent the first year just researching and translating (my high school Russian came in handy). Just correcting the page proofs and adding a “notes on sources” took me about 40 hours. That’s about four times what it took me to do entire pamphlets on openings when I was working for Ken Smith and Chess Digest.

JE:  Which is your favorite by another author?

AS: You never enjoy chess as much as when you were just starting out and everything about the game is new and magical. That’s why my favorite books were those I read when I was a three-digit player. Probably, Reinfeld’s “Hypermodern Chess,” a collection of Nimzovich games, was number one. In retrospect, it’s not a very good book. But it made a big impression on me at the time.

JE:  Your “Chess to Enjoy” column in Chess Life is long running and endlessly entertaining.  How do you come up with new ideas month after month?

AS: At any given moment, I’ll have 20 to 30 ideas, each on its own file, in my computer. Most of them come from reading. When I get done with a book project, I go through all my printouts and reread them. Or I’ll flip through the pages of the more than 400 books (and countless magazines)  I store in my overstuffed apartment, at the sufferance of Marcy, my wife. Or I’ll get an idea from a non-chess book. I came across one called “Brain Candy,” read a footnote about something called the ‘Einstellung Effect,” and realized I had a column there. A few months before that I read David Shenk’s “The Genius in All of Us” and realized that I’d never done a column on the myth of chess talent.
Those two columns were the rare ones in which I get inspired, do the research and start writing. Most of the time my ideas for columns remain dormant in the computer. They wait until I stumble across some fact, position or anecdote that helps illustrate it. The first third of a column I did on blindfold chess in 2011 was actually written in 2009. Some of my columns remained in limbo for more than five years.
I have only a few rules. Number one, never repeat yourself. Number two, have enough in each column so that there’s something to please everyone. Some readers may like a story, others may enjoy a game, others will like an insight, and so on.

JE:  You are also the long time chess columnist for the New York Post.  The newspaper business has undergone a radical transformation in recent years.  How have you managed to survive all the cost cutting measures?

AS: I started as a copyboy at the Post in 1967, the days of “hot type” and typewriters and carbon paper, and became a reporter two years later. One of the editors suggested doing a column in October 1972, right after the Fischer-Spassky match, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Actually, a chess column is a solid, cost-effective feature. Unless you can play over an entire game in your head, a reader who buys a copy will take it home with him, to play the game over on a board. That’s an ideal situation for a newspaper: Getting the paper into a home because it means more people will read it.

JE:  How does it feel to be elected into the Hall of Fame?

AS: I’m thrilled to be in the Hall of Fame. When I think of the chess recognition I’ve gotten away from a chessboard, only a few things stand out. One example: I remember going to see the musical “Chess” on Broadway and seeing an imitation copy of one of my books, 10 feet tall, in the background, when they did “The Merchandisers’ Song.”  Being in the Hall is a lot better.

Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk: Woman World Champion, Mother and Wife…Aspiring Fashion Model and a Role Model for our chess community.

Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk lives part of the year in Miami, USA and is planning to help promote chess in the USA in a positive way. I would like to thank her for allowing me to interview her.

We would also like to take this opportunity to announce a U.S. Chess Trust Fundraising Event in New York City with Alexandra Kosteniuk!

Alexandra has been very generous to offer to donate her time to the U.S. Chess Trust by giving a 20-Board Simultaneous Exhibition.

This event will be held in NYC on March 21, 2009 at the British International School of New York.  We would like to thank the British International School of New York for allowing us to host the event in their school campus!  For more information about British International School of New York – please visit their website at www.BritishInternationalSchoolNY.org.

This Invitational Event will exclusively benefit the U.S. Chess Trust. Stay tuned for more details!

An Interview with Alexandra Kosteniuk by WIM Beatriz Marinello

BEATRIZ: Hello Alexandra, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to do this interview with you!  You were crowned the 12th Women’s World Champion in chess history a little over four months ago. How does it feel to achieve such an accomplishment? This is chess history in the making, one that comes with a lot of responsibility. How has this affected your outlook? Do you feel a need to give back to the community and live up to a certain legacy, so to speak?

ALEXANDRA: Victory in the World Championship made me very happy and I felt so proud. It was definitely the happiest moment in my chess career.  But, at the same time I had a hard time realizing that I had become the World Champion and entered all chess history books. But then little by little it sank in and I understood that life needs to go on. Even though it was the goal of my life, I needed to find more goals and more motivation for the game I love so much. I now feel very strongly that I have to do much more to promote and popularize chess in the world and attract both the media and as many kids as possible to our wonderful game.

BEATRIZ: Considering that you already achieved the World Championship title, how do you re-focus your goals as a chess player and in which direction do you see yourself going?  Have you had an opportunity to reflect and determine which course to take next?

ALEXANDRA: After winning the World Championship I had a very tough schedule, I was playing non-stop almost all of the second part of 2008 and only now, after settling down in Miami, I have some time to rest and to think about my plans and goals for the future.  I still enjoy playing in tournaments and, especially, studying chess with my coaches, since there is no limit to progress in chess and I love the constant search of perfection that chess allows. I’ll also definitely try to do a lot of promotional events for chess, such as giving lectures, simuls, interviews and also promote chess as an educator.  I also want to spend more time with my family and especially with my daughter, since I was away from her for quite a long time while I was preparing and playing in the World Championship and being so far away from her, I missed her very much.

BEATRIZ: What are your thoughts about the future of women in chess?  How do you feel we could attract more girls to the game?

ALEXANDRA: More and more girls are starting to play chess. I think in the last decade we’ve seen a constant increase in the number of girls playing chess. That’s why it’s important to speak not only about men Grandmasters and Male Champions but also about women who play chess successfully. Girls who are just starting to play chess have to have female role models they can relate to in order to see that they might also one day become a champion.

BEATRIZ: As you gain a broader audience and fan club, do you feel that being a fashion model, in a sense breaks the misconception that beauty and brains aren’t always the norm?  Do you think this message has a positive impact in promoting chess to a much broader audience?

ALEXANDRA: Chess is a very ancient game and I believe it deserves much more attention than it has right now.  Unfortunately, the modern world is more interested in nice-looking faces than in intellectual values. Role-models of today’s kids are mostly TV and movie stars, they follow their lives and try to look like them. Chess has now, unfairly in my opinion, a rather dull image that makes it hard to attract media and spectators and therefore sponsors. That’s why I feel I have to try to find ways to show the world that chess is a very cool game, it’s very useful for kids and what’s more if girls will play chess they will still be normal girls and at the same time they will have better chances to succeed in life.

BEATRIZ: You started playing chess at the age of 5.  Tell us about your experience as a young chess player. Are there any specific events that led up to your passion for chess?

ALEXANDRA: My father was a hero to me. I valued his words very much and when he said that he would teach me how to play chess I was very excited and happy to start studying chess with him.  After a while my father’s passion passed on to me and from that moment I started to study chess even more assiduously and with true passion.

BEATRIZ: Your father was an army officer who gave up his career to support you as a young chess player. Now, that you are a mother yourself what are your thoughts about parenting young, gifted and talented children?

ALEXANDRA: Actually, now I understand what a tremendous job my parents have done in order to educate their two daugthers.  Now, being a mom, of course, I think all the time about my daughter’s education and I hope that she will be a happy child. I believe that every child is talented and the most important thing is to help these talents to develop.  Childhood years, in my opinion, are the most important ones in life so I’ll try to do my best in educating my daughter. It’s quite a difficult task and I look forward to giving it all my heart.

BEATRIZ: How has motherhood affected you’re training? Are you still able to maintain the five hours per day training?

ALEXANDRA: I was very fortunate when my husband and my mom agreed to support me fully when I told them I wanted to try to prepare and play in the Women’s World Championship, last year in Nalchik, when my baby was not even 1 year old.  Having a baby changes everything and it was very difficult for me to get back into shape and to start again after a break of close to a year. Now I’m very happy that all my efforts paid off.  I still train now, but on a different schedule.

BEATRIZ: What do you feel are the positives and negatives as you work your life around a passion for chess, family, and a sometimes hectic schedule.  Has traveling been more difficult considering the changes in your life? Is your family a part of your travel schedule?

ALEXANDRA: When you have a baby traveling is much harder. So now we try to travel not as often as we used to.  I’m not so flexible as I was before and am planning all my future tournaments and events more carefully in order not to be far from my baby for too long. I prefer to take my baby with me to regular tournaments or to most events but of course she stays with my husband or my mom if I go to very important tournaments such the World Championship.

BEATRIZ: GM Xu Yuhua of China became the Women’s World Champion while she was four months pregnant, and you became a Women’s World Champion with a young child.  It has become increasingly apparent that women can have it all – including a successful career in chess.  You are a great example of this. Do you feel that biologically speaking , given that chess is a very competitive sport, men have an advantage over women?

ALEXANDRA: Technically, I believe men and women’s minds are equal. It’s men’s physical additional strength that gives them an edge in long games.  In speed games the difference is less, as I have shown, by beating many male Grandmasters at Blitz.  Also, chess requires a lot of studying, and men have an easier time to devote all their time to studying chess, without thinking of anything else, while women have many more responsibilities, such as taking care of the home and founding a family.  I read recently a study, in which it was argued that the relatively lower results by women were due principally to the many fewer girls who start to play chess. If we had an equal number of boys and girls who started to play chess and continued til’ their 20′s, the difference in levels at the top would be almost insignificant.

BEATRIZ: What are your goals for the future?  Are your planning to spend more time in the United States?  Any plans to write more books?

ALEXANDRA: My first goal, is to give back to chess all that I can since it is chess that has given me all that I have. I will promote chess all over the world, and I will do so both on the web with my upcoming online academy, with my DVD’s, and personally in my chess academy.  I am on the way to becoming a permanent U.S. Resident and plan to make Miami my home. I feel Florida is the best place for my daughter to grow up and for me to have my base.

BEATRIZ: In Russia chess is being taught as part of the school curriculum.  I personally believe that the future of chess lies in integrating chess as part of our culture, the best way to approach this is through chess in the schools. What are your comments and thoughts about chess in the schools?  Do you plan on teaching your own children at an early age?

ALEXANDRA: You are absolutely right, chess in schools is the best way to go.  The educational value of chess is totally clear, it helps kids succeed in life.  I will definitely teach my daughter to play chess, she’s not even two yet, and she knows what pawns are, as well as knights, chess pieces are pretty much her favorite toys, she sees her mom playing with them all day, so it must be really fun!  I’m looking forward to when she’s 3 or 4 so I can start showing her the beauty of our wonderful game.

BEATRIZ: That is wonderful. It is great to see such a well-rounded, intelligent young woman with such a postive outlook, such a passion for chess and a desire to promote and do positive things with the game we all love!

Well, Alexandra, let’s wrap this interview up. It has been a great pleasure talking with you.  Thank you for taking the time. We look forward to seeing much more of you and wish you and your family the very best.

For more information about World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk – Please visit Alexandra’s website.

• Website: www.Kosteniuk.com
  
• Her podcast: www.ChessisCool.com
  
• Video podcast at www.ChessKillerTips.com
• You can also find more on her YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/chessqueen

Don’t forget to check back for more information on the U.S. Chess Trust’s Fundraising Event with Alexandra Kosteniuk!

Want to access the Spanish Version of the Interview? CLICK HERE – Entrevista con Alexandra Kosteniuk (Español)