Where are you from? I live in Krasnoyarsk (Siberia, Russia)
At what age and how did you start playing chess? I started to play chess when I was 8. My father was an avid chess player, he tried to show me the moves of the pieces but I got interested in chess only in primary school. By modern standards it's late for professional chess, but I quickly mastered the basics and started to play in tournaments.
Who do you teach? I got my first coaching experience preparing children for tournaments. Later I started to work with beginners, my youngest student was 4 years old. Working with such a small child requires the involvement of parents in the educational process, so I started working with parents. After 5 years of work as a coach, I am ready to work with students of any age and level.
Why did you start teaching chess? When I started playing chess, I could not imagine that I would ever become a coach. During my regular trips to tournaments I helped younger players to prepare openings for their games. When my younger sister was 5, I began to teach her to move chess pieces, then I realized that I could work with little children, but it was just a hobby for me. At the age of 18 I had to limit trips to tournaments, as it interferes with my main studies. But I didn't want to give up chess and started working as a coach, it helped me to realize my potential. Working as a coach I help students fall in love with chess and become professional chess players.
What in your opinion is important when learning chess? In my opinion the most important thing is to be motivated. Chess career is full of ups and downs. Many times I wanted to end my chess career but my dream to become WFM gave me motivation to continue.
If not chess, where would you invest your time and energy? I would invest my energy to master Chinese language and work as an interpreter in Asia. Foreign languages are my passion.
What inspires you? As a chess coach, I am more inspired by the success of my students. I am pleased to see how they are moving from the basics of chess to professional tournaments
Who is your all-time favorite chess player? My favourite chess player is the second world champion Emanuel Lasker. He was the first chess player who started to talk about chess psychology. In my view psychological knowledge helped him to be world champion for 27 years! Nobody has broken this record yet.
Do you think everyone can play chess? I think everyone can play chess. You can start at any age. For example, some chess players started playing at the age of 5 and by the age of 12 they became grandmasters. If you are already of advanced age, you also can learn to play chess and take part in tournaments. Nowadays FIDE holds chess world senior championships, so you have a chance to become a champion.
What is the most memorable moment of your chess career? The most memorable moment of my chess career was a tournament where I received the title of female master. It is the best achievement in my chess career so far.
If you had an opportunity to play a game against any chess player (dead or alive), who would you choose? I would like to play against Wilhelm Steinitz (the first world chess champion). In the days when he lived, chess opening theory was not developed so well. I wonder if I could beat him if I had modern theory knowledge.
I have been playing chess professionally for 12 years, in 2017 I became FIDE female master. During my chess career I took part in the championships of Siberia and Russia and achieved the following results:
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2017standart, 1st place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2017 rapid, 1st place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2017 blitz, 1st place
Women Elena Akhmylovskaya Memorial 2017 standard, 3rd place
G19 Youth Siberian Chess Championship 2016 standart, 1st place
G19 Youth Siberian Chess Championship 2016 rapid, 1st place
G19 Youth Siberian Chess Championship 2016 blitz, 3rd place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2016 standart, 1st place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2016 standart, 1st place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2016 rapid, 1st place
G19 Krasnoyarsk Region Championship 2016 blitz, 1st place