On the 19th of May the 1st World Women’s Team Chess Championship begins. On the eve of this unique event we talked to the person who exactly knows what women chess is and what perspective it has in Russia. Andrey Selivanov, Vice-president of FIDE, Honorary President of Russian Chess Federation, repeated world champion in chess composition answered our questions.
- Mr. Selivanov, in FIDE you are responsible for the development of women chess in the whole world. How did the idea to hold such a significant event in Russia (Urals) occur?
- This championship is held according to the decision of FIDE but first there was a suggestion of Russian Chess Federation. The idea came last year during the World Women’s Individual Championship in Yekaterinburg. Why do men have team championship and women do not? And then we took the initiative to put such championship into the calendar. Already in January in Turkey it was decided to hold the championship in Russia. Turkey and Georgia also pretended to hold this championship but Russia won or better to say Yekaterinburg won. Today we have a very active Chess federation in Yekaterinburg, the Head of which is Anatoliy Sysoev who is also the initiator of the tournament in Krasnoturinsk and it was he who created women’s club “AVS” – twice champion of Russia.
- Who will take part in the 1st championship and how often will it be held?
- 10 countries will participate in the championship: Russia, Georgia, China, Poland, Ukraine, Botswana (representing Africa), Vietnam, Armenia, Czech Republic and Germany. The championship will be held with four-year intervals. Participants are the best teams of the world: Women’s Continental Team Champions, five teams which took the top 5 places in the Women’s Chess Olympiad, held before the World Women’s Team Championship and team representing the hosting Federation.
- Participants are interesting.
- Yes, participants are very interesting. The competition must be very tense. Teams present the strongest members. For example the head of Georgian delegation will be legendary Maya Chiburdanidze.
- And who will represent Russia in the championship in Yekaterinburg?
- Elena Tairova - a very talented young chess player, Tatiana Kosintseva – champion of Europe, Nadezhda Kosintseva – 3rd place in the European Championship, Ekaterina Korbut – a young girl from St. Petersburg and Ekaterina Kovalevskaya – the most experienced representative of Russia. The trainer is a very experienced Yuriy Dakhoyan. The task of Russian team is of course to take the 1st place, to win!
- Now the Russian championship of Club Teams is being held. What can you say about the participants?
- Club Championship in Dagomys has the best members in the world. Some people compare it with the Olympiad or World Championship taking into consideration its tension. This year already 14 clubs compete for the best Russian club title. Now they are stronger with the help of foreign players. For the first time this year several players from China play, Antoaneta Stefanova - the best player of Bulgaria, ex-champion of the world plays in “AVS” as usual. The women’s championship is not less tense than the men’s one. And that` s why I as a Vice-president of FIDE being responsible for the development of women chess in the world would like to hold so many women’s competitions as possible and I do not want women’s chess be behind the men’s chess in prize proportions and in level of organization.
- You and Mr. Anatoliy Sysoev initiated the super tournament “North Urals Cup” in Krasnoturinsk which made women chess very popular not only in Sverdlovsk region but also in Russia and the whole world. What prospects does this tournament have?
- This year there will be the 5th jubilee tournament. “North Urals Cup” occurred just because there was not any good round tournament for women. It was decided to hold such a tournament in my motherland North Urals. Maya Chiburdanidze, Antoaneta Stefanova, Humpy Koneru (India) and Syu Xu Yuhua (current world champion) played there. This year the tournament will be held in July, 21-30.
- And the last question will be about you, if you allow me. You actively work for FIDE, in your other job and still managed to pay a lot of attention to chess, you are a current world champion in chess composition. Why did you choose such a hobby?
- Yes, you are right, I am still a player, member of the Russian combined team in chess composition. Every year as a member of a Russian team I participate in world championships. I grew up in the north of Sverdlovsk region in a small village Marsyata (Serov district). Exactly at that time I took a great interest in chess. I wanted to develop my skills and to get a grade. But it was necessary to participate in tournaments. Unfortunately only those people who had a grade were invited to take part in competitions. At that time the competitions in chess problems solving were very popular. I think a lot of people remember that in newspapers small diagrams “Two-move mate”, “Win”, “Draw” were published. There were also some competitions. So I made the 4th grade in the magazine “Smena”, 3rd - in the magazine “Krestyanka”, 2nd – in the magazine “Koster”. When I made the 2nd grade rate I realized that it was impossible to develop myself more. Later there were Army, job, family. The participation in the tournament takes a lot of time. The chess composition does not take so much time in comparison with a traditional game. That is why I devoted myself to a composition and still pay much attention to it: to composition and solving of chess problems in Russian and world championships. I am also invited to other countries. I managed to be a champion of Ukraine and Slovakia. Almost every year I participate in championships of Germany and Poland.
- Thank you very much for the interview. On behalf of our readers I would like to wish you success in job and to win more and more!
- Thank you very much. And in my turn I would like to invite you to the international shopping centre “Atrium Palace” from the 20th till the 29th of May where the 1st World Women’s Team Championship will be held. I am sure we will witness an incredibly beautiful and elegant chess battles of the best women players of the world.