Karlovich Anastasiya: Congratulations on your victory! How was the tournament going for you?
Humpy Konery: I was not in a great form during the first part of the tournament – in most of the games I was clearly better but afterwards I was mixing up the things and could not convert my winning positions into the points. After the rest day I finally found my play and scored five and half out of six in the second part of Grand Prix.
A.K.: So what happened on the rest day that you managed to change your tournament situation? H.K. I got a very good relaxation when we went out. We came to Grand Prix after the tournament which had just finished in India so I was a bit tired. I really needed this rest day and I started to play better after.
A.K.: You lost in the first round against your main opponent in overall Grand Prix Nana Dzagnidze. Did you think it was still possible to win the tournament?H.K.: I never felt I could win this tournament. I blundered in the first game in winning position and also after 5 rounds I was somewhere down. I had only 50% which I could never expect to have here before the start of the tournament.
A.K.: Which game was the most difficult for you? H.K.: There were many games but I like the one against Munguntuul. It was really a decisive victory, strategic one. I had also a tough game against Antoaneta Stefanova.
A.K.: You got a right to participate in the match against Hou Yifan who is the current World Champion. You’ve played two matches against her unsuccessfully...What do you think you need to improve in order to win the match? H.K.: There is a lot of time before the match. Yes, she has a plus in our general score.So I`ll try to improve my play and psychological factors as well.
A.K.: What are you plans now? H.K.: I haven’t planned to play anywhere but after I come back to India I`ll think about it. I’ll also relax a little bit because the last month I`m out of my home. Then I`ll continue my practice.
A.K.: Would you like to come back to Qatar once again? H.K.: I like Qatar very much and it’s my second visit here. It seems I play good here because I won both tournaments: in 2006 I took 2 golden medals in Asian Games and now I won Grand Prix. So it’s a lucky country for me and I would like to come back here again.
A.K.: Are you then superstitious? H.K.: Sometimes, I do believe in such things. For example if I win with one pen I try to keep it for the next games but if I lose I change it immediately! Sometimes I can keep some lucky dresses and wear them until I crush it (smiles).
