Tatiana Kosintseva Interview

The 5th round of women’s Grand Prix leg in Nalchik has also turned out quite prolific in scoring results, although, unlike the previous round of chess battles, it has seen one victory fewer. It was literally with bated breath that both experts and chess-lovers watched the duel of the two leaders: Tatiana Kosintseva and Nana Dzagnidze.

Small wonder that journalists were eager to know about what had happened on the chessboard at first hand. Pia Cramling, having scored an unremarkable draw with Munguntuul Batkhuyag, kept Kosintseva good company. Pia was also the last to finish her game, which seems to have become a usual thing with her here.

– In the opening my opponent chose a rare scheme by shifting her knight to g6. Then an intense situation sharped up. Nana made a mistake by playing 23…Rd5. After that I gained clear advantage, but I somehow let it go – I should have played with more precision. However, I carried on steadily and won, after all.

– Tatyana, tell us about what impressed you the most here in Nalchik?
I spend a lot of time preparing for games, and unfortunately I haven’t yet been able to find a little time to take a walk around the town. I’d like to thank all the people that take care of us here. I don’t feel uncomfortable in any way, and it’s nice to see such a loving attitude displayed toward chess and all the competitors.

– Tomorrow is a day off for you. Have you got any plans?
I’m looking forward to going to Prielbrusye which I’ve been told a great deal about.

– You became European champion two years ago. Did it motivate you to pursue further accomplishments?
– That was my second title of that scale. Surely, I was happy to make it once again because it’s really hard to win such a title twice. It’s been a year now, though, we’ve got a new champion, and I’ve got many more tournaments before me.

– Would you like to try on the world champion’s crown?
I’m going to do my best and try to play well in each game, but you just can’t tell what’s going to happen. I’ll keep training and doing my theory. Of course, I‘d love to be champion of the world.

– You’re going to play against your compatriot, Baira Kovanova, in the next round…
– The fact that Baira and I both represent Russia makes no difference at all. It’s going to be just another game with another opponent, and the preparations will be as serious as usual.

http://nalchik2010.fide.com/5th-round-press-conference.html