The first days of the championship, as it was expected, were very surprising. One of the most important wins for chess fans of Yekaterinburg was that of Maria Kursova, a young but very talented player who beat one of the strongest women chess players in the world from China Zhao Xue. But the next game against Ekaterina Kovalevskaya was disastrous for her. After the game Maria agreed to take part in our press-conference.

-Our congratulations on winning the first match. Please tell us about your opponents, your impressions…
MK: Thank you very much. In the second game of the first match I performed quite well. The opening wasn’t brilliant , but my opponent’s play also left much to be desired . That’s why I managed to win. In the second round I met with a stronger and more famous player Katya Kovalevskaya. Unfortunately I lost today.

-You don’t seem quite disappointed…
MK: I am disappointed. But I’m glad it is not so evident.

-Was your yesterday victory a surprise for you?
MK: Rather! It was not a surprise. I planned to win. I performed well and my opponent committed some fouls. That’s why I had a better position and won.

-Have you met your opponent before?
MK: I played with her at the World Youth Championship in 1999, but now her rating is 150 points higher than mine. But I think she hasn’t done her best.

-Are you going to take part in the Russian Team Championship for “ABC” team? How do you like playing for this team?
MK: I really like it. If they invite me again I will definitely agree. Playing for such a strong team is not only interesting but opens new perspectives. The stronger the team you play for the stronger opponents you have. It’s always delightful to meet with strong opponents.

-Do you have secrets of preparation for high-level tournaments? Do chess professionals share them among themselves?
MK: Not for the world. I think it’s quite illogical to share your playing style, your thoughts. Your personal style is the beauty of it. Why should we share our secrets?

-You were the only player nominated by the FIDE President. What can you say?
MK: First of all, the honorary RCF president, the founder of the “North Urals Cup” Andrey Selyvanov initiated my nomination. And I think the second reason is that I am the resident of the host city.

-Do you support relations with any players from Yekaterinburg?
MK: I enjoy my communication with Lyudmila Saunina, Senior World Women`s Champion, and with other chess players. We play football together.

-???
MK: Yes, football. After training we can go to the sports ground to play. I’ve enjoyed this game since childhood.

-Please tell us about people who affected your progress –your coaches.
MK: My coaches are wonderful people. The chief one Sergey Zhuravlev has been working with me for a long time already. Sergey Vokarev has become my coach before the Championship, but we’ve already made friends. I like working with them both.

-How does the government support chess in Yekaterinburg?
MK: Yes, as far as I know the regional government supports this Championship and it’s wonderful that people pay attention to chess. Despite the fact that the Championship takes place at working hours a lot of spectators visit it every day. It means that they sacrifice something.

-You gained considerable success at a very early age. How does it affect your relations with classmates?
MK: Masha Kursova hasn’t changed. That’s why the relations are the same. Besides, I had a very united cheery class. We have always been on good terms. In fact, it doesn’t affect my daily life for we don’t discuss chess and games. We are friends and it doesn’t mean who achieves success first.

-What do you go in for apart for chess?
MK: I go in for music, Russian rock. I like historical literature, novels, serious cinema and fiction. But unfortunately I lack time for it.

-You talk very seriously; go in for things unordinary for your age. That’s why the journalists call you “Turgenev’s lady”. How do you like it?
MK: At first I took it quite negatively. I just couldn’t understand the reason for this image, this impression. I don’t take myself as a Turgenev’s lady. But I think it is some peculiarity, individual feature. And I appreciate individuality much.