Interview with Tania Sachdev

Anastasia Karlovich's daily hunt in the Baku Chess Olympiad Expo Center resulted in an entertaining meeting with Indian International Master Tania Sachdev, the second board of India's women's team. Tania had just won her game against Masha Klinova from Israel.

- Tania, tell us a few things about your game and the match against Israel.

Well, my game was the first to finish, I won, there was a draw on the first board, so we are leading 1.5-0.5, but the remaining two boards are complicated, so everything is possible. I am hoping for a positive result, and it looks like it will happen (ed: it didn't; the match finished 2-2).

- Good news for Indian fans! But tell me, what are your goals in the Olympiad? What are the Indian team's ambitions?

We are seeded fifth, and this team has been playing in Olympiads for many many years, so of course we want to give it our best and hope to win a medal. I think the most important thing is to play our best; then we may succeed.

- On the other hand, Harika (ie: the top board of the Indian team) had an unfortunate incident the other day, she lost on time. One usually says that one should concentrate on his/her own game, but when such things happen I am sure one cannot help but be affected. What's your take on this?

It was really unfortunate, as she was completely winning in that game. Harika is such an experienced player, she has been in such situations so many times… But chess is like that, you have your ups and downs, even losing on time can happen… I think she is psychologically and mentally strong enough to cope with it and that's what she is going to do – I have no doubts about it. Such things happen, such is sport!

- Did it affect the team's mood somehow or not really?

Luckily, everyone else managed to win on that day. Of course, it's really nice for each player if they win their game, because it puts them in a good mood, but still… As I said, Harika is so experienced that we don't worry about her game!

- You said you've played several Olympiads with the same teammates. What about your team spirit? Do you help each other during the Olympiad, or you prepare on your own?

We've played a lot of team championships together and, in fact, during the year we also play at the Asian Team Championships together as well. It's been pretty much the same team for a long time, so we have this sense of friendship. There is a good feeling in the team, which I think is very important in an Olympiad, because a team tournament is also about how you feel as a team; I think we have managed to achieve that. So yeah, it's pretty good!

- Are you enjoying yourself here in Baku? What can you say about the organization of this Olympiad?

 Last time I was here in Azerbaijan was for the World Junior Championship in Nakhchivan, back in 2003. I didn't spend much time in Baku back then, so I was really excited about coming and playing here. And honestly, in my opinion, it's one of the best organized Olympiads I've been to. I think the organizers have done everything possible for the comfort of the players; the playing hall is fantastic, the hotels are great, the city is really beautiful. I wish I had more time to explore Baku, but I'm looking forward to the rest day. Yeah, this is hands down one of the best organized Olympiads!

- Thank you so much! And the last question: are you going to attend the Bermuda party? It's a question on everyone's mind here!

 Yeah, why not! I don't know anyone who isn'g going!

- What do you think about this party?

The Olympiad is of course the biggest chess event, and this has a lot to do with the spirit of the game, with people coming from all over the world. So the social aspect is also very important, because there are people who meet each other only once every two years, and also you know that you're playing on the same stage as some of the world's greatest players. So, you just can't miss out on the social part of this event! I think the Bermuda party is a great tradition, a perfect way to unwind, because the competitive level is obviously very high and so is the stress.

- Thank you so much and good luck – both in chess and in fun!