All the games on the first boards of the seventh round of the RSSU Women’s Cup of Russia tournament within the frames of the Moscow Open have finished with a certain result. The permanent leader of this tournament is Oksana Gritsayeva, who managed to win seven times in a row. Alina Kashlinskaya and Olga Babiy are occupying the next lines in the table. We have decided to talk to Olga Babiy right after her victory over Polina Shuvalova in the seventh round.
- Hello, Olga! How is the tournament going on personally for you?
- In principle, everything is going on pretty well for me in this tournament. I played quite successfully in some games, in others I managed to score points in already lost positions. Last round I played against a very serious opponent (Oksana Gritsayeva – editorial remark), but my strengths have been coming to the end by the start of the fifth round, at some point I was very nervous and lost. Yesterday I decided to play more safely, not to go too far, but my opponent made a mistake at the beginning of the game, missed a tactical attack and I brought the game to the victorious end.
- Is it your first Moscow Open?
- Yes, I’m playing for the first time in this tournament. I’ve been to Russia only once before that, when I was playing in the Summer Universiade (Kazan, 2013 – editorial remark). I really like the facility where the Moscow Open is held: the hotel is not far from the playing facility, the meals are good, in general, the conditions are very nice.
- Tell us about yourself. How did your chess road start? What successes did you manage to achieve?
- I was born in Ternopol (Ukraine) in the family of chess players – my mom and dad are international masters. My most significant successes so far are the silver medal of the Summer Universiade in China with the Ukrainian team, and the second place in the Championship of Ukraine in 2015. That year I also became the Champion of the country in fast chess.
- Do you do something else or have you fully devoted yourself to chess?
- Previously I was teaching chess in the university at the sports chair. I was also giving lectures to students in the course of almost five years. Now I’m just playing chess, trying to play in all the official competitions. Sometimes I am going abroad to play for the team or just to participate in some interesting tournament.
- Do you have a goal to become a member of the Ukrainian national team?
- I believe that it’s quite real to become a member of the national team, but it’s not a goal number one at the moment, as the roster of our national team is really very strong. Now I’m just playing chess, because I love it. I’ve been studying much lately, do my homework to correct errors, try to improve my skill.
- And finally, how to you spend your spare time?
- Before my trip here I had lots of plans, I wanted to visit the sights of Moscow, but when I came here I was so much tired that I was just sleeping all the time. I thought I would be able to see the city during the tournament, but the preparation process to a certain game takes much time, and I don’t have possibility to go somewhere. I just managed to walk hereabouts, in the park and the VDNKh. I hope to find time to walk more before my trip back home.
- Thank you for the conversation! Best of luck to you!
Alina Bivol asked questions