At the end of the first round there was a press-conference of one of the rating – favorites of the Championship – GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. The fact that before the tournament Sasha was quite reserved regarding mass media, explaining it by her desire to concentrate on the forthcoming event, caused a lot of questions.

-Alexandra, how has the Championship started for you?
-In the first game I ran risks at some moments, but the second game was more successful. Everything turned out all right despite the fact I played black.

-Please, tell us how did you prepare for the championship and who accompanies you?
Before the championship I visited my grandparents in Kamensk-Uralskiy. My relatives-parents and husband- are present at the tournament, and the grand master Alexandr Motylev helps me.

- It seems that you have the biggest supporting group… If I had my way I would always take my family with me to the tournaments. With my relatives nearby I feel at home even at the tournament and it positively influences the result. The problem is that it’s always connected with serious financial expenses. But talking about this tournament it was clear that my relatives will be by me despite any obstacles.

-Your opponent, Natalia Khoudgarian used to live in Russia too. Have you met her before?
-No, I haven’t. Now Natalia represents Canada, but before the championship I found out that she used to be from Moscow. Evidently it was before my arrival to Moscow. Or I was too young to remember her.

-Did you succeed in watching your main opponents?
It is difficult to watch all the games at this tough rhythm. I still don’t know my opponent in the next round. It is important to think only about your game and I am trying to do so.

-Yesterday before the beginning of the round the governor of Sverdlovsk region personally supported you. Did it help?
- I think so. I’ve already said that it was quite a difficult game, that’s why support was so important. I am very pleased that Eduard Ergartovich supports me.

- You are engaged in different projects but for chess. What are you planning now?
Now the championship is the main thing. First of all, I am a chess player and my projects are mostly connected with chess. I would like to attract public attention to chess and I am trying to raise people’s interest in this game.

-You even wrote a book entitled “How I Became Grand Master at Age 14”. Is it a manual?
- In this book I shared my experience of achieving success. The book is autobiographical and can help young chess players as well as their parents.

Are you planning to write the continuation?
-Yes, I am. But still there is a question of the book’s content.

-Maybe, how to become the women world champion?
-Maybe. But I should prepare all the material and I already have some ideas.

-And what about cinema career?
-It is not my goal. I acted in the film by chance. Once Stanislav Govorukhin took part in the chess tournament among the members of the State Duma at that very moment when we had team meetings. At our next meeting Stanislav Sergeyevich offered me to act and I agreed. I don’t have any new offers but I think I can accept some after looking through the script.

-How do you manage to combine your professional activity with many other projects?
-It is very hard. Professional chess is daily many hours training, I lack of time for many things.

-How do you evaluate the knock-out system of world championships?
There are its positive and negative sides. I think it is wiser, as it is done in men cycles, to have knock-out system in the World Cup, and then challenger matches and match-tournament for the World Champion title. Whatever you may say, knock-out system has a great probability of chance, and you have no right for mistake. In my opinion, we need a longer tournament to find out a real champion. On the other hand a knock-out system is first of all spectacular. If the tournament is more interesting it can attract more spectators. In this case of course you should count more on chance, but I believe that the strongest wins and you should deserve that success.

-What are your sports plans?
- First of all, as I’ve already said, it is the World Championship. Then there will be the World Chess Olympiad in Torino, where I am going to represent Russian team. The schedule is quite tough for it’s not easy to have two important tournaments during half a year. But I will play.

-Does it mean that you won’t take part in the European Championship?
-I am used to planning my schedule effectively. I don’t think it is possible and efficient to take part in these two important tournaments at a time.

-Is there any information about the line-up of the Russian combined team at the Olympiad?
-Not yet. But I have all the grounds to think that I will become its member.

-What can you say about the players from the African continent?
-Unfortunately, I am not able to watch other participants playing but I am glad that this championship unites people of different cultures and traditions.

-At the team championship which took place in Israel, last October the Chinese womens team performed quite well. How do you evaluate our National team’s chances to take part in this tournament?
-I think so. It is not only interesting but a great experience. It should be our aim.

-Do you think it makes sense to organize a separate women team championship or the Olympiad is enough?
-I think that it would be better to organize more women and men team championships, despite the fact we have the Olympiad we were absorbed in watching the World Team Championship. Besides, we witnessed the failure of our men team at the Olympiad and its victory at the World Team Championship. The point is that the scoring systems are too different and each one has its own peculiarities influencing the results.

-In Russia there is the Russian Team Championship but you don’t play. Why?
-Mostly, because of tough tournament schedule. I just set my priorities in that way: for me it is more important to play well at the Championship and the Olympiad and only then to think about other tournaments.

-What is more interesting for you- to play with men or women?
-In fact, with strong opponents. It is very important to evaluate a strategic meaning of the game. Men tournaments are preferable for training and developing my mastership whereas women ones for achieving my goals. It goes without saying that I want to attain the level when I will achieve professional goals by means of men tournaments, but it is another, high-quality level.

-What are your impressions of Yekaterinburg?
Unfortunately, now I lack of time for sightseeing. I enjoyed the opening ceremony especially as my grandparents from Kamensk-Uralskiy were there.

-Are they going to visit you again during the championship? Maybe at the closing ceremony?..
-I really hope so.