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Natalia Pogonina managed to come back for the third time at the World Championship, defeating Pia Cramling with a swift attack. After the game Natalia came to the press center for an interview.
Anastasia Karlovich: Natalia, this is the third time you win on demand at this championship! How did you do it today?
Natalia Pogonina: My opponent went into a variation that is considered dangerous for Black – a strange choice in a situation when you need a draw to advance. We arrived at a complicated position with good attacking chances for White. My maneuvering was probably not ideal, but her 17…Qc5 gave me a tempo for 18.Nb3 and 19.Nd2, after which White should have a very comfortable edge.
After that I had so many tempting continuations that it was difficult to choose between them, that’s why I took so much time for my moves.
– Yet Pia was spending more time than you, and in the end you had some extra time on the clock, which allowed you to calculate the nice finale! Or did you see it instantly?
– No, I discovered 38.Nd7+ only after some thought. I had 10 minutes left, so I could afford using some of this time.
– It must be very pleasing to end the game in such fashion…
– I would take any win, to be honest.
– On the move 28, did you consider other ideas apart from 28.f4?
– I calculated some knight leaps, but eventually decided to strengthen my base on e5, and then push the h-pawn. It looked a solid plan to me.
– What about 28.Rxc4?
– I looked into it, but not very deeply. Now I see that I don’t have to regain an exchange after 28…Qxc4 29.Nd6, but can simply continue the attack. Looks good for White, too.
– Which of the three matches you saved on demand was the most difficult?
– All of them were difficult – there were tough opponents, and I needed to win… I don’t want to single out any of them.
– What is your mood before the tie-break? What color do you have in the first game?
– My mood is good as usual. I will play Black in the first game.