"Chessy" New Year

     First of all, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, full of accomplishments and everything each of you wants!
     I spent the New Year as a real chess player- on the road, on my way back from a tournament in Austria. It went well for me until the last round, where I felt it was the moment to play some mad chess :)) If I would win, I could share the 1st place, a thing which was very appealing... Unfortunately, I took too many risks and eventually- I lost that game.
     Anyhow, I enjoyed my stay there, it was the first time I played in Austria and I'm looking forward for coming back at some point. The trip back was very funny, mainly because it wasn't me the one who had to drive and I could enjoy watching fireworks in each city we passed in the company of a friendly bottle of Jager :D
     I already have a lot of plans for 2016, mainly chess related ones.
     My first tournament will be Moscow Open. I have played there for several times and despite the very cold weather I enjoyed it every year. It is one of the very few Ladies Opens with good prizes and I find it very interesting.

That's all for now, I will come back with more news very soon, as I had a project I worked on and it should be published very soon!


Once again, Happy New Year to everyone and may all your starts be inspired!


xoxo from Timisoara ;)

Interview with IM Anastasia Savina

     1.     First of all, let me congratulate you with your recent win of the "G" tournament in Moscow, what are your impressions from the tournament?

   Thanks a lot, Irina! It was already the 7th time I’ve participated in Moscow Open tournament, but the first time I played in the closed women tournament (G). Of course, I’m very happy about the first place, and I have to admit it was a big luck for me as we shared it with Olga Girya and Dinara Saduakassova and I was just slightly better on tie-break.
It was a nice event and I don’t think I can complain about something and even the weather was not as cold as the last year. Probably, you remember! 

2. I know you're both playing and coaching, what would you prefer if you had to choose just one of them?

   I only started coaching last year and I traveled with kids to the World and European Youth championships to Prague and Maribor as one of the coaches for the Russian delegation. That was a really very interesting experience! But still, if I have to choose between playing and coaching, this time I would prefer to play. But it’s quite possible that my opinion can change in a few years.

3. You've been travelling quite a lot, what is the place you loved the most?

   Yes, but I travelled mostly only through Europe. As for some more exotic places, I have some plans about visiting Australia, South America, Caribbean Islands, ect. By now, I love Germany and France very much, but my native city – Moscow is still my favourite one.

4. Does chess involve a specific lifestyle (that's the question I've been struggling with too) ?

    As any other professions connected with sports, seems like, we have a special lifestyle. We travel and play a lot, so we can not attend the studies regulary or do some kind of a usual job (and mostly we can not get regular payments as it depends on the results). But in general, I don't think there is something really unusual about the chess lifestyle, maybe it comes when you become such a professional who works 8-10 hours of chess a day...

5. What is the thing you like the most about chess and the thing you'd like to change?

   I like our chess society very much and I have a lot of real friends here! By the way, that's another reason not to switch to coach's work completely. Hard to say, what I don’t like and even harder to propose something reasonable.

6. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?

   Hm, good question  Actually I have no idea even about what I’ll be doing in 2 or 3 next months. I can expect that I’ll be still connected to chess somehow, as a player, coach or any other way.