Ellivuori Grandmaster Tournament

Ekaterina Polovnikova

1. Where do you come from, and what are you doing for your living?

I am from Kirov, Russian city, lying on Volga river. I am studying at Kirov Management University which gives me a possibility to become a government manager in future.

2. When did you start to play chess? Why do you play chess? What do you like most in chess?

I started to play chess when I was 5 years old. My brother taught me to do that. I like chess very much and I hope to achieve high results and have big success in future. A real fighting is what attracts me to chess most of all.

3. What have been your best achievements in chess? What are your goals as a chess player?

My best achievment is winning Russia Women Cup 2001 in Smolensk. Five times I have been a Russian junior champion and I have the 7th highest rating among Russian ladies.

I have represented the Russian team in the Olympaad in 1998 and in the European Championship in 1999. My goal is first to become a Russian champion and then to get a title of the World champion.

4. Who is your coach? How do you train nowadays? How you can combine your civil life and playing chess in serious level?

My coach is Yuriy Balashov. Recently my training take about 2 hours per day, but unfortunately I sometimes do not have enough time. It is a fact that I am forced to miss my University when I go to chess tournaments.