Nargiz Umudova: “The game resembled a one-way street”

A member of the Azerbaijan women’s second team competing in the 42^nd Chess Olympiad, Nargiz Umudova defeated Alessia Santeramo from Italy on the fourth board. In a post-game briefing for the media, the experienced player shared her impressions of the game.

- How was your game today?

- We played against Italy today. The opponent had two experienced and two young players on the team. My opponent on the fourth board was young chess player Alessia Santeramo. I had white pieces. I got an edge out of the opening and won the game. The game resembled a one-way street.

- Did you analyze your opponent’s games?

- She is lower-rated than me. I was supposed to win anyway. I am glad that I managed to fulfil my plan.

- How would you assess the performance of the second team?

- There are seven more rounds to go. We were held to an unfortunate draw with Germany yesterday. Although they are rated 10th the competition, we should have won the match. The way the games were progressing, everyone expected us to win 3:1. But due to a lack of concentration, we had to settle for the draw. In general, we have only played strong teams so far. We beat Mongolia and drew against Germany. Our today’s opponent Italy is also a strong side. Although the Germans are a strong team, they had to work hard for the draw.

- Who made the crucial mistake in the match against Germany?

- Such things happen in team competitions. We made some unexpected mistakes in the last two games and ended the match in a draw. It would be wrong to blame anyone for that.

- You have played in three of the four games so far. Have you played with your opponents before?

 - No, this was my first time against all of them.

- The captain of your team is Sarkhan Guliyev. How would you describe work with him?

- Yes, Sarkhan Guliyev is our captain. Anar Allahverdiyev also works with us. We played under his guidance in 2007 and 2008.

- Does the captain consult the players regarding places on boards?

- No, he makes the final decision.

- We understand that you are about to get married. Do you intend to continue your chess career afterwards?

- I would prefer not to disclose this for the time being.

- It would be interesting to know whether you will continue with chess...

- I will. In fact, I have recently entered a University. I will study abroad.

- Who is your coach?

- I don’t study chess regularly now. I mainly join training camps before a competition.