10 July 2015

Marina Guseva: "My immediate plans are to buy a car and go to the seaside"

Higher League's winner gets interviewed by Eteri Kublashvili.

– Marina, congratulations on the victory! How did you manage to win such a strong tournament with such an impressive score?

– Thank you for your congratulations! I played very practically and I was also lucky in the final round.

– Which game are you particularly pleased with?

– Of course, the last game with Anastasia Bodnaruk! I was fine with a draw, but she wanted to play for a win.

The preparation was an epic one: even before the European Championship, I was worried about a problem in the Caro-Kann. I lost a lot of games in the variation 3.e5, including to Bodnaruk at the Higher League in Vladivostok. But my husband and I found another possibility, prepared it, and I brought it to the European Championship. Before the Higher League we came back to that variation, played it, and this time I didn't like the position.

I didn't know at the tournament what line to play with Bodnaruk as Black. After the quick draw with Alina Kashlinskaya, I tried to address this issue. I found another possibility and calmed down a little. Ironically, the drawing made me face this issue after round 8. On the day of the final round, I woke up at 6 a.m. and, still half asleep, thought for an hour what to play. Before breakfast I decided that I didn't want to play the line I had found... Only three hours remained for preparation, and I chopped and changed for one of them. First I decided to play an old scheme, then another old scheme, although a newer one. Then I told myself: "Marina, there are only two hours left, you need to revise everything across the board. Enough chopping and changing!"

As a result, I prepared properly, I decided where to go and revised quickly all the rest. I was lucky in the opening: it became clear at some point that Anastasia wasn't familiar with the position. I played well enough and didn't spoil the tournament with a loss in the final game.

– Men play quick draws more often, but you ended a game peacefully with Alina Kashlinskaya pretty quickly. How did it happen?

– The main goal at the Higher League is to qualify for the Superfinal. My estimate before the tournament was that 6.5 points guaranteed this; that's four wins and five draws. I played well at the start gaining 3 points, and out of the six remaining games I needed to win another one. When Alina played out the opening in round 5, I saw which outcome was possible. I decided that I wouldn't settle for a draw with her, and the color isn't of great importance for me because there are other factors that affect the result.

– What can you say about the Higher League's organization? You usually have some feedback for the organizers.

– I liked the organization, there is nothing to complain about. There were some minor issues with the area for walking around, but a route was finally found.

– Did you manage to see the city?

– I went on a tour on my day off, so I was able to see some things.

– Are you still working at the women's commission of the Russian Chess Federation?

– I am still a member of the commission, but as far as I know, we haven't held any meetings for a year and a half. So I have no business to do there.

– You've recently moved to Stavropol, do you do any volunteer work there? And how do you like your new home?

– I moved to Stavropol last August for personal reasons. For now, I just play chess, so it's not so important for me where to live. I like it here and I can see the prospects. The volunteer work has petered out because I have many other things to attend.

– Do you have the goal to get back on the national team?

– Of course, I am in a good situation now: I've done everything I wanted and I have the capability and desire for sports achievements. And what will be, will be...

– Everyone notices your smart and original style when it comes to clothes. Would you agree that style is very important for female chess players?

– When I divorced in 2010 and moved back to my mother's place, she told me, among other things, that I dressed badly and behaved like an angular teenager. A woman must be a woman. Over the last five years, I bought a lot of things and taught myself to wear them. I hope that now I look properly. Looking good is important for any person, not just for a chess player.

– You are an active person, and still you are inconspicuous on Twitter and you hardly ever publish anything on Facebook. Why?

– I don't want to share my everyday life on Twitter. But I am thinking about reviving the WomanInChess website and keep it as a blog. Because I do have an itch for journalism, and sometimes I feel the need to write about some trips and share my thoughts.

– What are your future plans? How are you going to prepare for the Superfinal?

– My immediate plans are to buy a car and go to the seaside. I will prepare as usual: analyze games, solve problems, work on the openings. I will involve my husband in these activities. I hope there will be no scandals (laughs).