Muzychuk: “Finally my efforts were rewarded”

The Slovenian player Anna Muzychuk held a press-conference after winning the World Blitz Championship.

– Anna, how important is this victory for you? How prestigious is winning the Blitz Championship?

– I am very happy about this achievement.

– You visited the press-center two days ago. You were in the lead, but there were many interesting events since that time. Tell us about the next two days of the tournament.

– As you remember, the first day was quite successful for me – I led with a decent margin. Yesterday was a tough day, I didn’t score many points, but the opponents were very strong. I tried to do my best and was a bit disappointed yesterday, but today things went much better.

– Do you mean the first game of the second day, when you blundered badly against Stefanova? How did you recover after such stress?

– Yes, it was horrible. I handled the game well, but blew it by blundering a mate in one. Fortunately, it didn’t knock me off, quite contrary: I was very aggressive in the second game and managed to even the score.

– What was your mood today?

– As I said, I was disappointed about the second day, but today I looked forward to winning after playing 10 more games.

– Anna, you were very close to the first place many times, but often finished second or tied for the first. As far as I know, this is your first clear big win. Is this a rewarding feeling?

– Indeed, I was close to the top many times, but didn’t win many titles. Finally my efforts were rewarded!

– Who supported you during the tournament and how will you celebrate?

– First of all, my sister – she was here, as well as my parents. I dedicate this victory to my father, tomorrow is his birthday. Hopefully the weather will be fine, and tomorrow we’ll celebrate it together. I also received support from my friends and English stream commentator Evgeny Miroshnichenko.

– Did you receive any congratulations from Slovenian authorities?

– When I tied for the third place at the European championship, I received congratulations from the Slovenian Prime Minister. So far there was nothing, because the tournament just ended, but one thing is for certain: there will be no celebratory meeting in Slovenia, because I’ll travel to Ukraine.