Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, the newly crowned challenger for the Women’s World Chess Championship, gave an exclusive interview to Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin’s manager and Sport-Express correspondent Kirill Zangalis on various matters, which may be even more interesting as being not only chess-related questions and answers. On one hand, Goryachkina describes herself as a shy and homely young woman, but, on the other hand, she does not deny to be quite determined in her bid for the throne. New habits, new coaches, new watchwords, new responsibilities won’t hopefully change her deep-rooted family attitudes and values. After all, she entered in the Women’s Candidates Tournament only as first reserve thanks to the renounce of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion (as well as No. 1 woman player in the world) and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who is completing her Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the University of Oxford, just to win it with two rounds to go. Goryachkina will have to play her World Chess Championship match with 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) of China, but it’s almost impossible — even for her — to escape the giant shadow of 13th Women’s World Chess Champion. “I always lagged behind her. At 14 she already played the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Final, where she lost to Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. But that was only the start. Year after year, she raised higher and higher in an irresistible crescendo. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has always been on top for 10 years. It’s very hard. She won everything she could possibly win, and finally decided to live another life. After all, I understand her. Maybe one day she will come back”, Goryachkina says. Maybe one day. For now, however, the stage awaits only her, nearly the half-fairytale of a modern Cinderella. But when Zangalis asks about her personal life, she is very clear about her priorities: “Well, first I have to play the Women’s World Chess Championship match, and then I’ll think about love...”.
No doubt it will not be easy to write the story of a Cinderella without a prince. |
With two rounds to spare, Goryachkina won the Women’s Candidates Tournament in Kazan, Russia for the right to take on 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) of China in an upcoming match for the title. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.
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