Family Welfare

Natalia Muzychuk: “Mariya Olehivna has an innate fighting instinct. The worst position on the chessboard only fueling her desire to fight” Olena Sadovnyk, Vysokyy Zamok online, November 20, 2015 Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk’s mom and manager describes the triumphant progress of the Women’s World Chess Champion Chess Queen Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk prepares to defend the title. The match with her challenger, three-time World Champion (2010, 2011, and 2013) 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China will start in Lviv on March 1, 2016. A match of 12 games will decide who of the two girls (Mariya Olehivna was only 23, and her opponent two years younger) will wear the Crown of Women’s Chess Champion all year long. Early in last April, at the World Championship in Krasnaya Polyana, Stryj-born Mariya Olehivna surprised a large, chess-competent audience with her sharp and uncompromising games. Natalia Muzychuk, Mariya Olehivna’s mom and manager, was not at all surprised by her youngest daughter’s triumph. In an interview for Vysokyy Zamok she remembered all the vicissitudes of Krasnaya Polyana race. She told how imagination can compensate for inexperience. And she also found that Mariya Olehivna has some traits in common with Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgár. — Every match of the World Championship staged its own drama — recalls Natalia Muzychuk — difficulties and problems already begun before the Championship. Two days before the flight to Sochi [Ed. Note: On the way to Krasnaya Polyana] Mariya Olehivna fell ill. Just returned home from training camps, her temperature was raised at 39°. She was lying, and we struggled to pull her out of bed. When the Championship started, she felt herself terribly weakened. She still had not fully recovered. In round one Mariya Olehivna faced Canadian of Chinese origin 袁元凌 (Yuán Yuánlíng). My daughter dominated the whole game — everything seemed to proceed in the best possible way. But on 39th move, while she was thinking, calculating all variations, she threw a quick look at the clock — till to reduce herself to the last second. Puzzled, she moved the Queen — it was a blunder! And a winning position that she had patiently built up for three and a half hours, suddenly turned into defeat. According to regulations if the two classic games can’t designate a winner, the match has to be decided on tie-breaks. But, before the potential tie-break, Mariya Olehivna desperately needed to win the second game. I was not particularly worried, because my daughter was a higher class than her rival, and her defeat was only due to a single, unfortunate mistake. She defeated her Canadian opponent in 20 moves and then confidently won on tie-break. In round two Mariya Olehivna played against Poland’s number one Monika Soćko. The two classic games ended in a draw. But on the tie-break the Polish player had no chance: 2 : 0 — and Mariya Olehivna jumped to the next round, where she was waiting for the former World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova from Bulgaria. My daughter was able to defeat her in the first game. That was sufficient to draw the second game. — In round four sat on opposite side of the chessboard the top seed of the Championship Humpy Koneru from India... — ... She is a very experienced and successful player who once enjoyed winning such a knockout contest and played the World Chess Championship match against 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China. The first was a very tense game and Koneru committed a mistake. Mariya Olehivna, without hesitation, won the game by a shocking tactical blow — 1 : 0. Now it seemed that the job was half done: she needed only a draw. Of course it is not easy to draw with Black against such an antagonist. That was an incredible fight: time trouble... and defeat — 1 : 1. In the first tie-break game the girls eventually agreed to a draw. In the second Koneru quickly achieved a winning position. It seemed like the end: there’s still a few moves, and Humpy will jump to the next round. Then Mariya Olehivna played for wild complications trying to upset her about making methodical progress. It worked out: Humpy went all completely wrong and Mariya Olehivna promptly turned the tables in her favour. — Where does Mariya Olehivna give her best — rapid or classic chess? — According to the rating, she feels most confident in classical games. And as for tie-breaks, particularly at this competition level, such as the World Championship, one of the key aspects is the ability to focus and tune into the fight. Mariya Olehivna is a fighter. In such moments, it doesn’t matter who is her adversary. He might even be the Men’s World Champion. There is only one goal — to win. All her energies converge uniquely on winning. In the semifinals Mariya Olehivna faced India’s numer two Dronavalli Harika. The two girls used to play each other since childhood. In Krasnaya Polyana, the first two games ended in a draw, and the fate of victory was to be decided on tie-breaks. Mariya Olehivna easily won the first tie-break game. I started calling everyone I knew to tell them the good news. While accepting congratulations, I threw a look at the computer: in a winning position, just one step away from success, weird things start happening on the chessboard. Mariya Olehivna moves, hoping to keep the upper hand, then moves again. it starts paying duty. In a matter of seconds, an advantageous position turns into a nowhere land. Another move — and defeat (1 : 1). In the following ten-minute game my daughter was so disappointed by the previous failure, which could not find consolation. The position on the board was not in her favour. The chances of saving it were anything but good for being two Pawns down in the endgame. But then a miracle happens: her opponent wants to exchange Queens, to liquidate into a won ending, but she does it all wrong and the endgame results in a draw. There has been a dip in Harika’s hands of tears. Mariya Olehivna grows wings: she easily overcame her opponent and jumped to the final, where she defeated Natalia Andreevna Pogonina from Russia in four classic games with a score of 2½ : 1½ thus becoming the new Women’s World Champion. — Is it more difficult to be a mother-coach than a mother, or a coach? — I not only understand each move and realize its potential influence on the result of the game. I also know all the psychological backgrounds for each victory and defeat, I feel all the emotions of my daughter. All chess players learn the ability to control their own mental state and tune into fight. Mariya Olehivna has an innate fighting instinct. If needed, she will give all of herself without any reserve. She knows how to step over her own weakness, her strength of will can overcome the impossible. Thus she became World Champion. Her elder sister Anna Olehivna is more vulnerable. She is a passionate workaholic, who enjoys working hard. Anna Olehivna is a very strong player, her knowledge surprised even adults. Since 2008 she belongs to the chess élite, never falling below the eighth rank. Anna Olehivna is one of the world’s four women’s players in chess history, who at least once during their careers have been into the shadow of Judit Polgár’s peak rating (2735). So far, three — 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Humpy Koneru and Anna Olehivna - scored one hundred points lower. That’s high value. Anna Olehivna never feels at ease in tournament formats where one game can not solve the ultimate fate of victory. When she has to play under pressure, burdened by responsibility, excitement overshadows her flowering side. — In such kind of competition, is given Anna Olehivna and Mariya Olehivna any psycological support? — Usually national federations provide individual athletic trainer, personal physician and also masseurs and psychologists. As for us, we are coach, manager, organizer, dad and mom. We cannot afford a psychologist. So we must be content with our own. During the World Cup [Ed. Note: In Baku], my husband and my daughter tried to support Mariya Olehivna remotely — via Skype and SMS messages: “Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be alright. We’re on your side”. Both Mariya Olehivna and Anna Olehivna know we are proud of them anyway, regardless of their results. — After some shining games in the Championship, someone compared Mariya Olehivna with Judith Polgar... — So they said. I cannot deny one thing: Mariya Olehivna perfectly calculates all variations beforehand and never avoided a fight. The whole world witnessed the final game when she had only to draw. Mariya Olehivna played sharply, absolutistically. Everyone was clutching their heads: “What is she doing? Why taking such a risk?”. In that moment my daughter saw the game and played it responding to the spirit of the particular position without thinking about side effects. In Krasnaya Polyana, the whole strategy, all tactical miscalculations did not disappoint her. — In the new touch of Mariya Olehivna’s games, someone saw the influence of Alexander Beliavsky, who helped to prepare your girls to Championship... — It’s unlikely that even the coolest coach could put a new style in a player. It’s been already 20 years since Mariya Olehivna is involved in chess. Mariya Olehivna’s style rather reflects her temperament and chess attitude. Her sister, who for several years consulted Alexander Beliavsky, used to play quite differently. Into the wildest storm Mariya Olehivna feels like “a fish in water”. In a stressful situation she perfectly sees all scenarios. And the worst position on the chessboard only fueling her desire to fight. Mariya Olehivna won’t never open her games like a dogmatic theoretician, who develops quietly and soundly, patiently waiting for his opponent to make a mistake. My youngest daughter used to depart from theory and is always looking for something personal. Anna Olehivna too has a basic knowledge, she knows better both match strategy and pattern games. She has more experience of chess élite such as the Grand Prix series. Anna Olehivna repeatedly played with the men’s top. Mariya Olehivna never had such experiences. And she compensates with dedication and persistence. When fate gives her a chance, she tries to exploit it to the maximum. Why did we ask for Beliavsky’s help? Besides his professional highlights (he played a match for the World Chess Championship in Candidates cycle and witnessed all that happened in the past chess decades), Lviv Grandmaster is an old friend of ours as a fair and sensitive person as well. Born to teach, he is able to unveil the secrets of chess. He gave the girls some chess insights. During the World Championship Alexander Genrikhovich advised girls online. But Mariya Olehivna’s first assistant was her elder sister, who had been eliminated earlier. Anna Olehivna served her as a coach, manager, psychologist and even a masseuse. Despite the fact that in tournament the girls are rivals, there is no envy, or hatred between them. First of all they are sisters, always ready to help each other.

(Free translation by Nobody’s Perfect)