Idman.biz
Ulviyya Fataliyeva (2385) showed the best result among Azerbaijani chess players who competed in the prestigious "Grand Swiss" tournament held recently in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). According to the results of the competition, the chess players who took the first two places in the men's and women's categories won the right to compete in the Candidates Tournament.
Ulviyya Fataliyeva, who took the 6th place with 7 points, defeating well-known rivals such as Maria Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk, shared her impressions and talked about her future plans in an interview with Idman.biz.
— How do you rate the tournament in Samarkand?
— I was satisfied with my performance. The tournament was intense. I played against very strong opponents, including grandmasters with a rating of 2500+ and former world champions. Overall, I think I showed a consistent game and finished the tournament in 6th place with 7 points. This is a good result for my rating and I believe that such a performance will give me even more confidence in future competitions. Of course, there are always areas to improve, but overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the games and the level of competition.
— At what point did you believe that you could achieve a good result?
— That's an interesting question. After my victory over Shuvalova in the first round, I believed that I could achieve a good result. The quality of the game was high, and this gave me self-confidence throughout the tournament.
— In my opinion, the decisive moment for you was the victories over the 15th world champion Maria Muzychuk and the 12th world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk…
— Yes, these games were very important to me. Before the games with Muzychuk and Kosteniuk, I was a little worried, but during the game I focused all my attention on the quality of my game. I made a mistake, especially in the game with Kosteniuk, but I quickly regained my focus and everything worked out well.
— But then you lost two games in a row. What happened?
— The main reason was fatigue. Before the game with Vaishali, almost all of my opponents were very strong. Preparation took 3-4 hours. Spending five rounds in such a tense regime naturally caused fatigue. I tried to maintain concentration, but unfortunately it didn't work.
— How did you recover after such a blow?
— In this situation, the support of the coaches is very important. Their motivating words and help in preparation allowed me to get back into the game after defeats.
— After the historic victory at the European Individual Championship, there was a decline in your career. What was the reason for this?
— Yes, after winning the European Championship, I felt a great responsibility. This naturally affected my game and results. I think I have coped with this now. The success in Samarkand confirms this and I believe that it will open new opportunities for future achievements.
— Who are you working with now?
— I am currently working with Gadir Huseynov. During the tournament, Nijat Abasov, the coach of our team, also helped me. As time passes, a person changes, and these changes are naturally reflected in the game. I feel my development, and this is reflected in the stability of my game.
— Could you tell us about your future plans...
— My main focus is on focusing on my work and enjoying the process. I believe that it is possible to achieve good results by loving the process and working purposefully.
Teymur Tushiyev
