At four, I watched Kosteniuk become World champion; I felt I needed that crown: Assaubayeva

As a small miss learning chess from her grandfather, Bibisara Assaubayeva would ever outcry whenever her hostile captured her queen connected the board. It is not casual to instrumentality her queen easy these days. And she is present the queen of the fastest format successful chess. In Doha past month, she won her 3rd World Blitz Championship successful 5 years. In 2021, erstwhile she won her archetypal World blitz title, she was besides the runner-up successful the World Rapid Championship. She was conscionable 17 then. Last year, Assaubayeva became a Grandmaster, lone the 43rd pistillate successful past to gain the astir coveted rubric successful chess. Excerpts from an interrogation she gave The Hindu successful Mumbai, wherever she played for American Gambits successful the Global Chess League:

This was your 2nd GCL.

I similar this tournament. It is simply a league you tin bask playing. And it is truly bully to play earlier truthful galore chess fans. I similar this format. It is precise interesting. Every hostile is precise beardown and the squad is mixed; isolated from the world’s apical antheral players, we person beardown pistillate and inferior players. Last year’s league was successful London. It is large that this variation came to India. I similar to play successful India. Here a batch of radical similar chess, and it is amazing. I deliberation crossed the world, chess is astir fashionable successful India. You spot a batch of children playing chess here. And you tin consciousness the excitement.

When did you archetypal play successful India?

My archetypal tourney successful India was the World Junior Championship successful New Delhi. It was successful 2019, I was 15 then. Then I played the Chess Olympiad successful Chennai, successful 2022. My past tourney successful India was the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix successful 2023.

How bash you look backmost astatine finishing 2nd successful the women’s lawsuit successful the past Olympiad astatine Budapest? Not galore expected to spot Kazakhstan successful the runner-up position.

We really had a accidental to beryllium the champion. In the last round, I won connected the archetypal committee successful our lucifer against the United States. And if we had immoderate draws, we could person finished first. Unfortunately, astatine immoderate important moments, 1 of the girls mislaid a game, but we besides had a bully lucifer against India. But, okay, India [which went connected to triumph the gold] is simply a beardown squad and I americium blessed that yet we took immoderate medals from the Olympiad.

Kazakhstan had started arsenic the 10th seed.

Our squad is inactive young and precise strong. And we person a bully future. In our team, I americium present the oldest one, but I americium lone 21. We volition effort to triumph the golden astatine the adjacent Olympiad. But it could beryllium tough, though we don’t cognize for definite if Russia volition play successful it. And we don’t cognize if China volition beryllium fielding their champion team. If China comes with their strongest players, it volition beryllium intolerable to instrumentality the gold. But someway China doesn’t nonstop their champion teams for the Olympiad, possibly due to the fact that they person won truthful galore medals from the erstwhile events.

How overmuch did completing the Grandmaster rubric mean to you?

I completed my GM rubric astatine the Sharjah Masters successful May. I felt truly bully due to the fact that present determination was nary unit of having to people that last norm. I got my archetypal norm erstwhile I was 17 and the 2nd erstwhile I was 19. I was missing the last norm, getting adjacent to it connected respective occasions. Finally I got my norm and besides crossed the different request of crossing the 2500 Elo standing during the Sharjah Masters. The GM rubric means a batch to me, I was getting a spot bushed being conscionable an IM [International Master]. Even now, we person lone 2 women successful Kazakhstan with GM titles.

You inactive clasp the grounds of being the youngest women’s World blitz champion. That year, 2021, you were runner-up to Alexandra Kosteniuk, who won the World accelerated title. You person spoken of however watching Kosteniuk becoming World champion successful 2008, erstwhile you were little, inspired you.

I had watched connected tv Kosteniuk being crowned the World champion by the past FIDE president [Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]. I felt I besides needed that crown. I was 4 years aged then. And that was however I became a chess player. I person played with Kosteniuk respective times. I haven’t told her straight however her winning the World Championship inspired me, but I deliberation she possibly knows it. Winning my archetypal World Blitz Championship was truly special. I had won age-group events before, but it felt really, truly good, due to the fact that it was my archetypal large accomplishment astatine the elder level. Then I met our President for the archetypal time, truthful it was amazing. And I felt blessed erstwhile I defended my rubric successful my location country.

Now the classical World Championship indispensable beryllium a goal?

Yes, and I besides privation to summation my rating.

How competitory is women’s chess astatine the moment, with World No. 1 Hou Yifan playing precise rarely?

It is ever pugnacious astatine the apical level. We person a batch of beardown players. In men’s chess, yes it whitethorn beryllium tougher, but successful the women’s game, too, determination are a batch of beardown players. Even older players, similar Koneru Humpy and Kosteniuk, are inactive strong.

India has a clump of beardown young antheral players.

I don’t cognize D. Gukesh well, but we talked a small spot successful Mumbai during the GCL, and helium is simply a precise bully person. I deliberation it is important to beryllium good, adjacent if your achievements are thing big, and his achievements are amazing; helium is the youngest World champion ever. I deliberation helium is precise disciplined, and helium doesn’t amusement a batch of emotions, and that is precise important successful chess. I don’t cognize R. Praggnanandhaa well, but I cognize his sister Vaishali and she is nice. Arjun Erigaisi and I are friends. And helium is simply a bully guy. I similar playing with him successful Bughouse chess [a variant, played by 2 two-member teams connected 2 boards], and helium is an astonishing partner.

What are your earliest memories of chess?

I retrieve however I went to my gramps and told him, ‘Please thatch maine chess’. I would ever outcry erstwhile my opponents captured my queen.