On the eve of the opening of her own school-studio "Alexandra", the famous chess player told Izvestia correspondent Boris Titov how women's chess differs from men's chess and why it is sometimes boring to act in films.
Question: You wrote the book "How to become a grandmaster at the age of 14". Do you have a recipe?
Answer: Hard work. There is no other recipe.
Q: Who taught you how to play chess?
about: Dad. It was he who sat me and my sister at the board and devoted my life to my chess career, giving up military service. Perhaps the famous Polgar family, where three sisters play chess, served as an example for him. And mom created coziness.
Q: In your opinion, is there a phenomenon of chess as a family business?
A: Everything is very simple here. The sisters help each other and pull one another up in rivalry. Healthy competition always leads to progress.
Q: Do you, as a male and female chess grandmaster, understand the difference between a game of a strong and a weak sex?
A: A woman is physically weaker than a man. We have a different brain structure. We cannot concentrate attention on one object for a long time, but at the same time we solve several problems in our head at once. And when just an endurance game begins, men get an edge. However, if you set a goal and devote to raising a strong chess player from a three-year-old girl, you can probably get a second Judit Polgar over time.
Q: You did not try to use your attractiveness in games with men: put on a dress with a deep neckline so that the opponent lost concentration?
A: I will probably disappoint you - I never use such tricks! It would depress and distract me from the game in the first place.
c: Famous champions Anatoly Karpov and Boris Spassky open chess schools throughout the country. Do you have any such plans?
A: We are just going to hold a presentation of the school-studio, which will be arranged a little differently than a sports school. My task is to interest, captivate preschoolers, teach them the basics. Let them, when they go to a comprehensive school, make a choice in favor of chess and enroll in a section.
Q: In your opinion, should chess be included in the school curriculum?
A: Only on an optional basis! So that there is no tragedy like the one that I myself experienced in childhood. I have no penchant for drawing and good ear for music. So nature ordered. But I could not understand, and today I do not understand, why bad grades should be put on the report card for this. So it is with chess. They very well develop human thinking. Maybe even better than math. But not every child is given the chance to become not only a grandmaster, but a sportsman.
Q: Can a woman grandmaster feed chess?
A: Today, no. I get a small scholarship from Rossport, which is enough only for a minimum monthly set of products. Fortunately, philanthropists who give money just like that, out of love for the game, have not yet transferred to our country. You have to pay for everything: invite qualified trainers, buy plane tickets, pay for hotels and meals. We are only interested in the Chess Federation during the Olympics; we go to all other tournaments at our own expense. When I grew up, until the age of 15, my father led me up the chess ladder. And now you need to think about everything yourself.
Q: Are you a gambler?
A: In sports, I am very gamble. Once, in a dispute with her sister, she squeezed 100 times from the floor. We argued before the holidays and every summer day I added one push-up to my result. In the fall, the argument was won.
Q: Argue for money?
A: I never argue for money, only for interest. Although in some circles, this word means just cash prizes. I have a very serious attitude to money. In the mid-90s, our family went through very difficult times, I know the price of earnings from early childhood. Therefore, I never play casinos myself and I don’t understand how rich people out there are throwing huge amounts of money.
Q: And now for you to push out 100 times really?
A: About twenty times, I’ll probably push myself hard. But if you set the goal again, it is quite achievable. I like to compete, I recently won an amateur race of five kilometers in Miami, and received a medal. Laughing: this is just the third award not for chess.
Q: When do you all have time: to participate in promotions, photo shoots, to act in films?
A: For me it is necessary so as not to lose the freshness of perception. The shake that such events give, I find it useful. Apparently, the well-known director Stanislav Govorukhin saw something in me and offered a role in the film “Bless the Woman”. It was an interesting period in my life. Filmed a movie in Odessa. In preparation for the role, I read various interviews in which the actors complained that the work was difficult, that they had to spend 10-12 hours a day on the set. In fact, it turned out that the actual shooting took two to three hours, and everything else was a long wait for the installation of light and sound, rehearsals. But when I saw the final product, I realized that I had a good time.
Q: I heard that you live in three houses. Where do you like better - in Moscow, Paris or Miami?
A: Only in Moscow. This is my city. I love Paris because my husband lives there, and in Miami I like to relax. By the way, from a professional point of view, Moscow is an extraordinary city. My dad likes to say: if you set a goal to become a grandmaster, you can do it without leaving the Moscow Ring Road.
Q: In the ancient Russian epic, Princess Zabava Putyatichna, saving her husband Stavr from prison, cut off braids, changed into a man’s dress and won a game of chess from Prince Vladimir. Would you be able to?
A: Cut braids for the sake of a loved one? Of course! And I’ll go to the ends of the earth for him. I am a Russian woman.
Kramnik leads the unification match
In Elista, the unifying match for the world chess title continues. After three games, Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik defeats Bulgarian Veselin Topalov with a score of 2.5: 0.5 points. The fourth chess match took place yesterday, which ended after the signing of this number in print. In total, 12 classic games will be played in the match.