The person whom I will introduce to you is a young girl who has had a lot of wins and losses , ups and downs, tears of happiness and disappointment in her big sport career. This person is Anastasia Zotova.
-I know that you have been playing chess for 15 years. But how did it start?
My dad played chess. Once I saw chess figurines in a store and said: "I want them." Dad bought them to me and sent me to the chess section. I was 3 years old
-Why did you make a decision to continue this sport? A lot of girls prefer dancing or swimming.
There wasn't much choice in my city. I was also a lazy kid. It was a good thing for me to sit in one place all the time.
-How do your parents feel about it? Do they support you?
Of course they do. A lot of finance has been invested. It was thanks to chess wins that my family move to Moscow.
-Do you remember your first professional competition? What did you feel?
The first time I took part in the tournament was when I was 4 years old. It was the city championship among girls under 7 years old. I took 2nd place and was very happy about it.
-What cities have you visited during the competitions?
I have traveled almost all over Russia and played in international competitions in other countries. There are about 15 countries around the world
-Tell me about your opponents and your relationships. Are you friends or enemies?
Now almost all people close to me are chess players. I share relationships during competitions and relationships in real life. There is a girl with whom we have been competing for 6 years, but this does not prevent us from being good friends
- What do you usually do before competitions? How do you get ready?
I prepare for each opponent, repeat my options and setups. Sometimes I solve chess puzzles. Work also helps - I train children and during this I repeat some things that I have forgotten a little.
- Do you remember the most offensive defeat? How was it?
I think it was in the last round of the European Championship. I fought for 1st place, but lost in the last round. There were a lot of tears, but according to additional indicators, I still took the first.
- The reason we are here is your last win. Tell me about that competition.
It was the All-Russian Championship among students. It was held in Moscow at the RSSU. Our team took second place, and I took third place in the individual competition. The tournament was difficult, there were many titled opponents, but there were no games that I lost. I played 3 games in a draw and won 4 games.
The interview was conducted by Angelina Bordacheva.