The women's world chess championship title is returning to Ukraine for a second time. Lviv Oblast native Mariya Muzychuk defeated Russia’s Natalia Pogonina on April 5 in Sochi by a score of 2.5-1.5 after four matches in the annual competition administered by FIDE, the world chess governing body.
The international master and woman grandmaster became independent Ukraine’s second world champion following Anna Ushenina’s 2013 title win. Muzychuk, 22, earned $60,000 as part of the distinction ahead of the 64-player field.
“I had no time to think how I spend the award money yet,” Muzychuk said on April 8.
Playing with the white pieces, the 12th highest ranked active woman drew Pogonina in the fourth and final match in a Scotch Four Knights game that yields both opponents an almost symmetrical position in the opening. She had entered the match leading the series 2-1.
“Tension grew with every minute,” a FIDE analysis of the game said. “Black had a couple of opportunities to seize the initiative, but did not use them.”
Muzychuk’s sister Anna, 25, who captains the Ukrainian women’s chess team, had also played in the tournament in Russia. She lost to Sweden’s Pia Cramling after three rounds of play. After defeat, Anna stayed behind to cheer her younger sister to victory.
Family support is credited for the successes of the sisters whose parents officially train them.
Natalia and Oleh Muzychuk taught their daughters how to play chess when they were 3 years old.
“It’s easy to explain to a child which is a knight (a horse in Ukrainian) and which is a bishop (an elephant),” Natalia Muzychuk told the Kyiv Post by phone.
The Muzychuks founded a chess school in their hometown of Stryi in Lviv Oblast. Their daughters also attended this school.
Besides chess, Mariya intends to receive a Master of Arts degree this summer from the Lviv State University of Physical Culture.
Muzychuk returned to Ukraine on April 7 and was received by President Petro Poroshenko the next day. Once the celebrations are over, she will start preparing for her title defense against China’s Hou Yifan, a former women’s world chess champion. The match will take place this autumn.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yuliana Romanyshyn can be reached at [email protected].
