Gunina On Winning World Blitz Title While Battling With Serious Illness

GM Valentina Gunina is one of seven Russian women in history to attain the chess grandmaster title. She is a three-time European women's chess champion, a five-time Russian women's chess champion, has won three gold medals with the Russian national team at the Women's Chess Olympiads, and has won six gold medals at the Women's European Team Chess Championships.

At the end of 2023, she added a win at the FIDE Women's World Blitz Chess Championship to her legendary resume, which was her second women's world blitz title since 2012. This came less than a year after she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. It has affected her ability to play chess, but evidently not her ability to persevere. 

Our Russian Social Media Manager Vsevolod Sidorov spoke with Gunina in her native language of Russian, with translations into English provided by Director of Russian Content Yury Solomatin and yours truly. The full video with English subtitles is provided below, with an English transcription below.

We hope you enjoy the interview! We've organized it into the following topic-based sections:

• Winning The World Championship
• Battling With Illness
• Gunina's Chess Personality, Origins Of Her Fighting Spirit
• Thoughts About Draws And Quick Draws
• A Result To Remember: 'Chess Is My Whole Life'
• On Russia Changing From European To Asian Federation
• 'The Wish To Become The Classical World Champion Always Remains With Me'
• 'I Have A Thousand Wishes,' Final Remarks

Seva: Hello, chess lovers and viewers of the Chesscom Russia channel. We are glad to welcome you again. And today, first of all, Happy New Year and Merry Christmas. With us is the Women's World Champion in Blitz of 2023, Valentina Gunina. Hello, Valentina.

Gunina: Hello, Happy New Year to everyone!

Winning The World Championship

Seva: Valentina, please tell me, was it difficult to win the blitz world championship, while still making at least a few draws, because you usually don't make so many?

Gunina: Well, it's always difficult to win a world championship. And this tournament is one of the strongest. Even considering that it's not a classic, it's a fast and close one. Usually I aim not to make draws, like solid ones!

Seva: Yes, we even had a meme on the channel two years ago during one of the stages of the FIDE Grand Prix. The meme included a quote from Capablanca about "draw death" and then your photo, and that the mission was accomplished, that chess is saved, that is, there are no more draws. Well, something like that.

In general, Valentina, we would like to return to the world championship itself, to Samarkand. Do you remember the moment when you won the championship, right after that last game? Tell us about your impressions at that moment.

Gunina: It's a mixture of emotions, because usually you don't get so happy during the tournament, because in the beginning you fight and this fight takes over everything, and you only relax after the tournament ends or even at home. That's why it's so funny.

Seva: From what I saw in the video feed, you couldn't hold back your tears after the victory. You looked overwhelmed.

Gunina: Yes, it was so funny, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi came up to me, congratulated me, and earlier he also offered his help, if I would need any pills or if I would need a doctor during the tournament. Damn, it was so cute!

And WGM Baira Kovanova, who became the Russian women's champion this year. We had breakfast together, shared the same hotel in Samarkand, and generally hung out with the same group of girls. She came up to me and congratulated me.

Everything that was hard for me just flew away. I don't usually like to show my emotions, happy emotions. I smile, but I don't like to show my happiness because my opponent is hurt. So I'm more reserved, but here everything broke through. So it turned out to be an interesting clip.

Seva: It's great that the cameraperson managed to take this shot. We saw it too, a beautiful shot.

Gunina: Yes, they brought in a good team. The only thing is that there wasn't our Anna Shturman, my good friend from Yaroslavl, her team is FIDE. She also has a lot of cool photos, she loves interesting views, perspectives. And everything of hers is interesting, I saw a lot of photos, a lot of interesting angles. It's very exciting.

Seva: But in general, is it harder to win Titled Tuesday than the Women's World Blitz Championship?

Gunina: Yes, it's more difficult. I'm very happy that I won 10th place once. I usually win women's prizes, but I'm most happy when I play with someone strong,  when I beat someone strong. I once played with Nakamura. I like to collect scalps, so to speak.

Battling With Illness

Seva: Valentina, we just wanted to tell our viewers that you play chess not just for fun, but also to cure your illness, as far as we understand. Could you tell us how your illness affected you in Samarkand?

Gunina: I was only diagnosed in May last year. I fought for a diagnosis for a long time. It started when I was 28, and now I'm 34. In February I'll be 35, and I'm just starting to get treatment. With the courses I've had little improvements, it's because a lot of time went into searching for a diagnosis.

I actually thought that if I couldn't adapt to the treatment, I would end my chess career. Such an option is also my own on the horizon, because it's really hard. But since I have a coach and chess, and support from the federation, and in the treatment, and in general, I thought I had a chance, but I managed to play well in several tournaments, even in classical.

It was amazing for me that I could become the world champion in blitz. It was a shock for my coach and for my family, who know that it's hard in terms of health. My mom asked me how I move the pieces, because when I take a piece my fingers can hurt and it's hard for me to even let go of it.

Seva: You said in one interview that chess helps you to get over the disease.

Gunina: Yes, yes, I need motivation to get up from my bed. At one point it was very difficult, but now it is easier. But sometimes the disease completely turns me off. I was afraid that—that is, I could turn off for a day, and I was afraid that it could happen at a chess  tournament. But in fact, at a chess tournament or at the training camp, this does not happen. Because it acts like a distraction.

Seva: So right now the faster time controls are more comfortable for you than classical, right?

Gunina: On the other hand, it is more convenient because of the energy consumption. But since the nervous system was affected, I would stutter, I would have a spasm, so it wasn't exactly a stutter. My hands also shook heavily, so I was afraid that with blitz chess would be completely impossible. I thought, if I can't pick up the pieces, how am I supposed to play blitz normally?

And the coolest thing was the Women's Speed Chess Championship. I played with GM Harika Dronavalli and it was just plainly visible. I'm holding my hand on the mouse and I'm using my other hand to hold it in place because it shakes. And it turns out that it is even difficult for me to make a move. 

And then my friend told me that even when I take a cup of coffee, you can see my hands shaking, I start drinking and I have such a tremor. I got used to it, of course, I know that there is still a struggle, these are some moments that still need to be taken into account.

Seva: Well, we wish you good health, so that everything goes well and becomes better.

Gunina: Thank you.

Gunina's Chess Personality, Origins Of Her Fighting Spirit

Seva: We would like to return to your career. Please tell us, if you were offered to play in one time control for the rest of your life, which one would you choose? Classical, blitz, or rapid?

Gunina: But in fact, it's all... I can't say that I would choose one, right? It's all a mix of everything.

Seva: But if you really have to choose just one.

Gunina: I don't know, maybe classical. I'm not for eliminating the classical time control because the beauty of chess, the depth of chess, it appears when you sit at the board for several hours. Yes, that is, blitz is more entertainment. Yes, GM Mikhail Botvinnik forbade his students to play it, saying that it was all a joke/fooling around.

Fast chess can get close in depth, but still... I played even in a 25+10 game. Even this does not really show how beautiful the decisions in chess can be. Therefore, probably classical.

And the fact that boys play eight-hour games is quite difficult. And now, the FIDE time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment... and the increment helps avoid what we call "park blitz," when the pieces fall. Yes, yes, it's more for beauty in general, because chess is more of an intellectual game.

Seva: Uh-huh. I've been your fan since 2016, when I started watching chess. I remember watching some kind of Russian Super Finals. I don't remember who commented exactly, but they always said that if Valentina Gunina is playing some dead-drawn rook endgame, something will still happen at the board. I remember that you won several such games and also lost some of them. Please explain why you always strive for such bright games? This is such a bright style; do you motivate yourself to play with extra risk sometimes, or... what's the secret of your chess?

Gunina: It's probably from my tournaments as a child, because I'm from Murmansk myself, and to find money for a trip was a big problem for the administration. And when you come to the tournament, it's far away, and I'm traveling with my dad. And so it turns out that the more draws you make, and I'm completely silent about losses, you might not get another chance to go out like that again and to advance further. So you had to win.

My dad is a teacher in mathematics, he played chess himself. My grandfather played chess. He taught me and my brother. But in general, the absence of a coach was still a problem. Now I am working with a professional coach, taking into account the engine. In general, it's a more professional approach. I understand what mistakes I made. With horror I think that everyone is scolding me, seriously and correctly, when I refuse to take a forced draw. It's just that I have such a personality since childhood.

Well, and so you get ready and go to the game, for what, to make a quick draw? And then spend half the day in your hotel room? It's a bit boring.

Thoughts About Draws And Quick Draws

Seva: Although, on the other hand, at the World Blitz Championship, for example... there are some people who come to a tournament and kind of relax and make some quick draws. You don't consider such tactics or strategy at all for the World Championship for Blitz, for example? Just every game is like...

Gunina: Yes, exactly. No, it was before the disease and even now, on the contrary, when I play, in the process I feel better. And these expectations, at first I thought that it would not benefit me, but then I started to communicate with our guys, with the Russians, and on the contrary, I relaxed.

So one can just fight at the board, and then just relax, have a coffee, drink some tea, and talk to our fans.

Seva: You can even relax during the game!

Gunina: Yes, yes. Actually, I often get asked whom I have a hard time playing against, but damn, it's with everyone! Whomever you point to, she's a champion, she's a champion. There are lots of young players and, in all, it's one of the strongest tournaments, but it's probably harder to play against other Russians because they want to pull your hair out!

Seva: Yes, but you can also, for example, agree with each other and say, let's take a break in the next game.

Gunina: It always happens. That's why there was a scandal with the guys.

Seva: By the way, what do you think about the dance of the knights performed by Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Daniil Dubov?

Gunina: Well it was the fact that they did it exactly like that, that it was a knights dance and it was caught on camera. I didn't see it happen but saw it afterward, and that they received a double-forfeit for this.

I think that they should have been punished. Then Ian wrote to me that he doesn't see the difference between drawing this way or that way. That's why they wanted to show it like that. But in general, I think you can just agree in the room, in the men's bathroom, in the women's bathroom. You can give signs, whatever. But it seems to me that they should have been fined for such indiscretion. 

It is not clear whether it was right or not, but they put themselves in that very situation. If they just played 10 moves, I think there wouldn't have been such a situation.

Seva: Well, I think they did put 10 moves on the board, but they didn't look at that great...

Gunina: Yes, yes, if it wasn't so, because I know cases when players were punished for this. But it was always like that. GM Bobby Fischer accused the Soviet grandmasters of making draws with each other while he had to fight them. So there are different opinions.

Seva: But this is not your method, do I understand correctly?

Gunina: When I need it, I agree to a draw. But I won't offer it myself, "behind the curtains" so to speak. Although if there is a million dollars on the line, I would think about it.

So when Magnus talks about his own politics, that he's against such arrangements, we look at it like: well of course, you're a millionaire! 

A Result To Remember: 'Chess Is My Whole Life'

Seva: Well, yes, I remember the shortest draw in history, with GM Vidit Gujrathi, I remember such videos. I want to return to the moment before Samarkand. There were are a few days left, you need to go to the tournament. In general, what were your expectations at that moment, that is, before the tournament? What expectations did you have?

Gunina: Not much! I just wanted to play and earn some money, if possible. When you go to the tournament, of course you want to be the first. It's always like that. Then you start to backtrack, deciding even third place is OK, and then we begin to have that battle with ourselves.

We flew out overnight by Aeroflot, a direct flight of four hours. But for me, both early morning and night flights, are undesirable for my nervous system. And it was hard to get there, but the organization was very good, so everything happened very quickly.

I just remembered that I don't want to let my coach down and I wanted to earn some money for the New Year, any money. But the fact that I won is a shock for me and for my Lupus disease too.

Seva: Moreover, you just need to recover.

Gunina: I can't recover. I can go into remission. It doesn't heal, yes, it stays in the body.

Seva: Ah, so that it gets better. I understand that this is the disease that remains with you.

Gunina: And at the same time, I had it when the military actions [in Ukraine] began. It was there, it began to show itself. And specifically, when it started to show itself in the beginning, it was a big shock.

Seva: It [the war] was like a catalyst.

Gunina: Yes, yes, and about my life, the doctor said that even climate change can cause some bad things. And when they tell me that it would be better for me to stay in Moscow and not go out anywhere, I say, well, you could have told me this when I was five years old, when I already understood that chess is my whole life.

So, I understand that I would like to travel somewhere like the beaches of Cuba, but with my disease, I have an allergy to the sun. So this is a risk. No one forbids me to fly for 10 hours, with a transfer, for example, or just 10 hours, as to China or Vladivostok. I just have to understand my burden, and so on. 

I had a discussion with the doctors when it was necessary to get shots against Covid. I can't take a single shot, I can't even get a shot for the flu. I came to my rheumatologist then and I didn't have an official diagnosis yet, so she waived it. There are many such nuances, but you can still play chess.

Seva: It's very pleasing, because without you I don't know how we will watch chess in general. In my opinion, it's just pointless.

Gunina: It would be boring!

Seva: Well, yes, just because everyone will just make draws and that's it.

Gunina: Yes, it was at the Russian Superfinals two years ago. Yes, yes. Yes, it was so boring. The women were sitting there and fighting. I got up to take a cup of coffee.

Seva: Oh, I think I've heard what you said to GM Evgeny Tomashevsky. It was impossible to watch.

Gunina: I'd barely tasted my coffee when I saw that the last game in the open tournament was over. And they were saying: "Well, we are professionals, I've checked the opponent's preparation and called it a day." Women's chess is different. And in fact, the good thing about these Sofia rules is that...

Seva: You mean, the rule that a draw by agreement before move 30 is impossible.

Gunina: Yes, they are good for sponsors and organizers, because our audience watches and needs chess. This is why we need to fight. Otherwise, it's hilarious, isn't it? Everyone offers draws, goes home and that's all.

Seva: This is not cool. Valentina, obviously, I can't enumerate everything, but I will try. You won three Olympic gold medals. You won the World Blitz Championship 11 years ago. I think you are a five-time Russian chess champion. I'm sorry if there is something I missed. What was your most brilliant victory?

Gunina: I can add that I won the European championship three times. Now the Chess federation of Russia has switched to Asia...

Seva: Yes, sorry, yes. Mm-hmm.

On Russia Changing From European To Asian Federation

Gunina: It is difficult to go to Europe now because there are no direct flights. That's why the flight tickets from Russia to Europe now cost more than the tickets to Asia. However, the flight tickets to Asia are also expensive. OK, there was a funny story. My coach told me to prepare for the European Championship. We were at his home and his wife looked at him and said that we had moved to Asia, so we would play in Asian tournaments. He said: "Oh, yes, yes." That was funny.

Seva: So for now, you can't win more European titles.

Gunina: Yes, yes. Well, I can try to win some titles in Asia, or the World Cup, something like that. Of course, I do not plan to get married and give birth to children, no. I plan to become a classical world champion.

'The Wish To Become The Classical World Champion Always Remains With Me'

Gunina: I have a so-called wish list, and every time I check with the psychologist on the progress or recess of my wishes, but the wish to become the classical world champion always remains with me.

Seva: OK, how about the titles you've won? Which one do you treasure most?

Gunina: I enjoy spending time with the girls, with the Russian women's team. My first Chess Olympiad was in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2010. It was a breakthrough. Women's coach GM Yury Rafaelovich Dokhoian noticed me. I've recently played at his memorial tournament for the second time.

Seva: The Chess Olympiad.

Gunina: He couldn't survive Covid. In 2010, I was on the upswing. I played in the match between Russia and China. It was very important for us at that time. Maybe now they will hold such matches again. After that, I  got the opportunity to progress as a professional.

Seva: What was the most memorable moment during the tournament in Samarkand? The most memorable game or the moment that comes to mind?

Gunina: I lost to the Chinese player GM Zhu Jiner. She is 20 or 21 years old. GM Vladimir Malakhov, my best friend, coaches her. 

I knew that my position was OK. I touched my king and then I understood that if I moved the king, I would lose my queen to a fork or a skewer. If I had blocked the check with my knight, we could have played on. That was the end.

Actually, I've got an anxiety-depressive disorder caused by lupus. I have to take very strong antidepressants. Some time ago, my doctors added lithium in the mix, which was also quite strong. Lithium helps to make your emotional state more stable.
Before that I used to have a hard time playing physically, and I couldn't cope with losses emotionally. It was an emotional seesaw for me that repeated every five minutes. [With the right medicine] I realized that I could cope. The symptoms had already reduced, and I was coping. When I lost that game, I started doing exercises. Those were special mental exercises, a part of my therapy.

And I felt like: "OK, one lost game is not the end of everything." In the last round, I played against GM Anna Muzychuk. There had been a game between GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and GM Humpy Koneru in the previous round. I saw that epic battle. They made 200 moves, probably. And funnily, the chess-results site initially indicated by mistake that the game was drawn.

Alexandra won that game. Yes, yes, I knew that she had won, I realized that she was still within a half-point distance, and if I made a draw there would have been a tiebreak. Muzychuk chose the Grunfeld defense against me.

I had prepared with the coach a variation that I had not repeated that much, but it turned out that I remembered everything well. I felt more and more confident. I felt as if the coach had been sitting next to me and telling me how to play.

Seva: The main thing is that everything has worked out in the end. A brilliant victory, a brilliant victory in the tournament. I think we are slowly coming to an end. You have already partially answered the final question, which is: you have won almost everything, however, are you going to become the world champion in classical chess? Does this remain your goal? 

Gunina: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to. Yes.

'I Have A Thousand Wishes,' Final Remarks

Seva: What are your plans for the next tournament? You have not qualified for the next candidates tournament. You are focused on the next cycle, aren't you?

Gunina: Actually, there was an aggravation and there were some problems with my kidneys. My last session of hospital treatment was in November. In three months I will have a new series of blood testing and the doctor will think...

If something goes wrong, she will use greater doses. I am on a minimal dose now and the doctor does not want me to get worse. All the drugs that I take affect my liver. And the doctor does not want them to affect me more, but she says that if the disease goes to the innards, then something should be done.

So I want to make tournament plans with my coach, but this depends on my health. I don't feel that something is wrong. OK, I can tell my mom that I feel my ribs or I feel my innards, but... I discussed that with other girls in the hospital room. 

These are signs of various immune diseases. They may have different names, but the symptoms are the same. So, naturally, I don't feel my kidneys saying: "Hello, Valya, we are sick." I will take tests and then think. I want to play more classic chess. I want to go to Vladivostok... You know, I'm an Aquarius: I have a thousand wishes. When I am unfolding my wish list, there are so many items in it. I want to embroider again. Because of my fingers, I was even afraid to take a needle. I cross stitch. Sometimes I was just afraid to start again.

I don't know if it will be painful or not. Or if I will be upset that I can't do it. I love traveling, but because of the current situation, we can't travel freely. However, I can travel around Russia. Russia is very beautiful.

Seva: Yeah, that's true. I confirm.

Gunina: Last time, I went with my brother to Uglich. I really like spending time with my family. I told him: let's go to Uglich. He asked me why. I said that Prince Dmitry [the son of Ivan the Terrible] was killed there, so we have to go, see where that happened and listen to the story. My mother always tells my brother that he should not argue with me. It is better to agree, because I do as I want anyway.

Seva: Valentina, we want to wish you good health and all the best again. And we wish you a happy birthday, of course. Finally, we want you to say a few words to our young and not so young viewers. The microphone is yours, please, say anything.

Gunina: Happy New Year, of course. Happy Christmas. It can be different for different nations. We are Orthodox and are waiting for our Christmas [on January 7]. My brother and I were not baptized, but our mother goes to the church and brings the Holy Water. It's our tradition.

I also practice a lot, and now you see the result. The more you train, the more you invest in your self-development, the more you will get in return. I want to wish that the viewers, young or not so young, no matter, have the strength, the life-long objective. And besides having an objective and working, it is important to enjoy your life as a whole.

Seva: I just wanted to say... I'm going to remind you of the phrase by Valentina herself. I don't know how many years ago you've said this and I do not remember exactly, in which interview, but you've said that you don't need any motivation to do chess, you simply like it. Well, just because it's chess. Thank you very much for the interview. It was very nice to see you and we hope that you will come to us again and win. In general, we wish you many more victories. Thank you very much.