Dronavalli Harika vows to win world title
Apr 14, 2015 – Vijay Anand | Hyderabad
She may have done India proud by claiming a bronze medal at the recently-concluded World Women’s Chess Championships, but Dronavalli Harika will only be satisfied when she wins the world title.
On Tuesday, Harika was felicitated for her achievement in Sochi, Russia, and she vowed to do all she can to become the first ever women’s world champion from India.
“I’m very happy with my bronze medal. It’s not easy to win back-to-back bronze medals at the World Championships,” said Harika, who had bagged third place at the 2012 edition in Russia.
“If you look at my career in isolation, I have won almost everything. But taken in the context of Indian performances, other players have won all those titles earlier. I will only be completely satisfied with a world title. And I will not rest until I do so,” she promised.
Recounting her campaign in Sochi, Harika said the knockout format of the tournament kept her on her toes, constantly. “I knew that one mistake would ruin everything. With one mis-step, all my hard work over the previous two years would have gone to waste. There were plenty of nights when I couldn’t sleep as I had a match the next day,” she recalled.
“And it was only one mistake that cost me the semifinal,” she added, ruefully.
From a winning position in the tie-breaker against eventual champion Mariya Muzychuk, Harika squandered her advantage, and lost the match.
“It all comes down to how you handle pressure. I lost a game from a winning position. And that affected me psychologically. I couldn’t stage a comeback. But I’ve learnt my lesson and if I find myself in a similar position in the future, I’m sure I can handle it better,” she added, her million-dollar smile lighting up her face again.
Harika is now gearing up for the World Women’s Team Championship which begins on April 18 at Chengdu in China.
Apart from Harika, the Indian team comprises Koneru Humpy, Soumya Swaminathan, Padmini Rout and Mary Ann Gomes.
Source: http://www.asianage.com