Interview with Anna Zatonskih
Submitted by
RusudanGoletiani on Fri, 06/13/2008 at 1:24pm.
Anna Zatonskih, winner of the 2008 U.S. Women's Championship last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was recently interviewed by Tom Braunlich for a report on the event in next month's USCF Chess Life magazine. Due to space restrictions and because the interview gives Anna's take on the latest controversy in the US chess world, it was published today in it's entirety on CLO. Apart from dealing with the now infamous Armageddon game, she also talks of her new life in Germany, juggling motherhood and chess, and a rapid tournament she won in her hometown a week after the Championship. Here is some excerpts...
Anna Zatonskih: I would like to begin by expressing how delighted I am to have won the 2008 U.S Championship. This has been a dream come true and I would like to thank the organizers for staging such a wonderful event, my fans, my parents, my husband and my daughter for supporting and helping me. Without them none of this would have been possible.
several questions later...
Tom Braunlich: After you tied with Irina with 7½/9 there were rapid playoffs for the title that proved to be an ordeal for both players. How did you get through it?
Anna Zatonskih: I always enjoyed playing in rapid chess and blitz but the playoffs were heavy with pressure on both of us. We got 15 minutes + 3 seconds increments for the first set of games. I won my first game but Irina won the second one. With a tie we had to play blitz 5 minutes with 2 seconds increment. I won a pawn in the opening and lost on time having 1 piece and 2 pawns up. I could not believe I lost! I ended up in a very difficult situation where I had to win with black pieces and I did it. Our score was equal again and we had to play a final Armageddon game.
Probably this is not the best way to determine the winner but this is how the rules were set up. Jim Berry flipped the coin and Irina had to choose the time. She chose 6 minutes for white and 4½ for black. After the game my husband told me playing white would have been a better choice since they had a time advantage and we had no draws yet in our match anyway! However, I chose to play with the black pieces and don’t regret it all, especially that they brought me the final victory.
I started the Armageddon game not very successfully and was in a worse position, which especially managed to increase Irina’s time advantage. With good defense I survived till the severe time pressure where we both had less than a half of minute.
Tom Braunlich: What is your response about the controversy stirred up by Irina in her Open Letter published on Chess Life Online a week after the tournament which protested the playoffs?
Anna Zatonskih: Close to the end of the game Irina knocked her rook over and never put it back. The USCF rules say: “If, during the course of a move, a player inadvertently knocks over one or more pieces, that player must not press the clock until the position has been reestablished.”
I remember my very fast thoughts at this point: If I will press ‘pause’ and claim win or extra-time based on illegal actions… I will lose on time! The “Pause” button is a very small one on the front of the clock. So I only had 2 seconds and I didn’t have a time to do it! I know Irina didn’t do it on purpose but I had to move my rook as fast as I could. I didn’t see any other choice for me.
Irina pointed out (in her Open Letter) that I started couple of my moves before she pressed her clock. I’ve always liked to watch on YouTube how strong chess players play blitz. I was amazed how they can make good decisions in just a fraction of a second. During those games players with a 2600-2800 ratings and even world champions occasionally moved before their opponents pressed the clock. This is a common thing in blitz games.
Susan Polgar also didn’t see anything unusual and wrote that “[she] played in countless blitz tournaments and this looks like a normal blitz game to me. I do not see anything unusual and I do not think that either player was doing anything “illegal” on purpose.”
I think most of the chess public is aware of the circumstances surrounding the Armageddon game, which ultimately crowned me as the 2008 U.S Women’s Champion. I understand Irina is upset at losing the title and I would have been upset had I lost. When there is only 1 second left on the clock, the result is determined by the strength of one's nerves and luck. On this occasion my nerves proved to be stronger and luck was on my side.
Overall I agree with Irina that a better system is possible to determine future champions in the next championships. However, prior to the U.S. Championship 2008, all participants were made aware of the rules and regulations under which this event was to be played, and everyone agreed to those rules. Arbiters, officials, committees were in place to enforce those rules and maintain fairness.
I would like to thank Irina for a good fight on the chessboard and wish her luck in her future chess career
Again, for the full interview, the USCF's Chess Life Online has it posted here.
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