Anastasia Karlovich: Please welcome Gulikhsan Nakhbayeva from Kazakhstan. In her first game she made a draw with Tan Zhongyi from China, but we’ll start with a different topic. Gulikhsan, how did you qualify for the championship?
Gulikhsan Nakhbayeva: Hello, dear chess fans! I qualified through a zonal championship that took place in 2013. I won it and received an opportunity to participate in this grandiose competition, This is my first World Championship.
– How did you prepare for it?
– There are several coaches working for our federation. Last year a professional chess club was established in Astana, and it invited international grandmasters Yuri Yakovich from Russia and Murtas Kazhgaleyev from Kazakhstan. They both helped me. As you know, the dates for this championship were unclear for quite a long time. Initially I was preparing to play in 2014, and then did all preparation for the second time, when the current schedule of the championship was confirmed.
– What are your first impressions from the tournament?
– I am very happy that the championship takes place in such a wonderful city as Sochi. I like everything here – a luxurious hotel, an excellent tournament hall! I want to thank the organizers for creating excellent conditions. I think none of the players have anything to complain about.
– Is the championship covered well in Kazakhstan?
– There is a broadcasting on all our chess websites. I know I have many supporters and I want to meet their hopes.
– Tell us about your today’s game.
– I followed my home preparation for a long time. Then I realized I should not have traded the light-squared bishop in order to grab a pawn. I overestimated my winning chances, and soon had to make a draw by perpetual. Instead of the forcing 17.Bxd5 I could play, for instance, 17.Qb4 and keep fighting for an advantage.
– What is your strategy for the coming game as Black?
– I will just play chess.
– Who were your main rivals at the zonal championship, when you qualified for this event?
– I won the championship of the 3.4 zone, which can be called the Central Asia championship. There are seven countries in this zone, and the strongest players come from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
– Your Russian is excellent. Is that because of chess, or your studied Russian at school?
– Kazakh is the first official language in our country, and Russian is the second one, because we were a part of the USSR…
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