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One of the most talented chess players of the 90s, Alisa Gallyamova, achieved success in the national teams of the USSR, Ukraine and Russia . In an interview with Sport, the grandmaster told how she fell in love with the brilliant Vasily Ivanchuk, about the nationalist flags on May 9 in Lviv, how NATO bombing prevented her from joining the Yugoslav national team and why Sergei Karyakin’s patriotism resembles a PR campaign.
“My husband was like a second child”
— Alice, you rarely play chess.
— Once a year at best. It happens less often.
— Why?
— If I will be invited to the Russian Championship Superfinal, of course I will go. Now we have been invited to a strong tournament on the Isle of Man. But it’s not clear how to get there. I don't fly. I haven’t been going to regular tournaments for a long time. I want to play less. It's hard. I am coaching now, working with the national team of our republic, as well as with children online.
I would like to invite children to my classes and tournaments in my chess club, which I opened in July in the center of Kazan. I have been seeking funding for my school for many years and received help last year. Exactly for one year! Therefore, last year we were able to conduct free classes for children. But as soon as the Ministry of Sports of the Republic intervened, funding immediately stopped. Before this, funds were also allocated twice, but, unfortunately, the money went through the sports committee, so I did not receive it. The officials of the sports committee have had some kind of mania since my World Championship match, which took place back in 1999, not only not to help me, but also to interfere in every possible way. It's a shame that this also affects children. Therefore, I am forced to do paid classes, but the prices are affordable.
— Follow the successes of your ex-husband, Ukrainian grandmaster Vasily Ivanchuk?
— You got married at 18 years old. Do you regret it?
— It was a terrible mistake, it negatively affected my career. I walked away from chess for years, although I continued to play. I really regretted moving to Lviv. There I had a small child in my arms, and Ivanchuk himself was also like a second child.
— Ivanchuk is called a chess genius, although he did not become a world champion.
— It won’t happen anymore. He was a very strong chess player, but other factors played a role. Including psychology. Of course, he had a real chance, and he had to beat 18-year-old Ponomarev in the match for the world title. This was Ponomarev's first and last major success in his career. He was very lucky. The stars aligned like that. In our family, I was the wife and mother, and he was just a chess player. It was difficult because he was no good in everyday life. He was not interested in anything other than chess. That is, I had to do literally everything myself. At the same time, I myself was ambitious, I had just played at the Olympics for the USSR national team, there were all Georgians there, I was the only 18-year-old Russian. She performed very well, previously she took third place at the Candidates Tournament. I was on the rise, but here Ivanchuk, a child, had no support. It was hard.
br>»Returned to the sport due to tragedy»
— How did you end up returning to the chess world after the birth of your second child?
— All because of a tragic incident. We had a very capable, talented girl, Elena Tairova. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer and refused to go to the tournament. I didn’t plan to continue my sports career at all, I had my own things to do, I could no longer imagine how the figures walked. But I was invited to the Superfinal. After a long break, I reached the final of the World Championship, then another break, return, and I took third place at the European Championship.
— When there are two grandmasters in the family, do children immediately learn chess?< /strong>
— No. If there is no desire, then why force? I gave them chess and tried to teach them. The eldest son even plays on the Internet now, but the younger son is not entirely interested. We just bought him a pit bike. Soon, it looks like I’ll be riding a pit bike. While I'm following him on a bicycle.
— You live in Russia, the father of your eldest son Mikhail actively supports Ukraine and lives there.
— The eldest does not communicate with his father at all. Before Covid, they met in third countries several times, but then it all stopped. I don’t know how he lives.
— Has the situation in the world affected their relationship?
— It didn’t have any influence, because Ivanchuk and his parents and relatives had little interest in Misha’s life. Since his childhood, there has never been any interest or financial support.
— In 1992, you played for the Ukrainian national team when you lived in Lvov.
— What is Ukraine in 1992? Did you separate Russians and Ukrainians or were they one people then?
— In the 90s I lived in Lviv. Everything was fine with those I spoke with. Then it was one people. But even then something like that was felt. The nationalists appeared, on May 9, I remember, black flags were hanging. Ivanchuk’s mother was also against Russia. Accordingly, she was opposed to me. She really disliked Russia. And for some reason she wanted Tatarstan to separate from Russia.
— It turns out you didn’t get along with her?
— Certainly. I don’t even know how everything would have worked out if I had transported Ivanchuk to Kazan. Then I didn’t think about anything. Usually girls leave for their husbands. His mother did everything to destroy our relationship. After I left, she quickly found him a “suitable” nanny wife with two children. Perhaps we would have divorced without her, but with her help it happened faster. That is, I lived with him for four and a half years, then I packed my bags, said nothing and left. I was later accused of kidnapping the child. But if I had told them, I probably would have simply been left without my son. I don’t understand why we weren’t divorced for many years. Although I did not claim any property, and the city allocated us an apartment, or alimony. With difficulty, she got a divorce after five years.
“They were invited to play for Yugoslavia, but after the NATO bombing everything fell apart.”
— You said that you were offered to get a second citizenship.
— Yes, I was invited to Yugoslavia before the tragic events that happened there. We even met with one minister. They loved chess very much there, I even played for their team, but after the NATO bombing everything fell apart.
— How do you feel about the patriotic rhetoric of Sergei Karyakin?
— In our time, we should all be patriots. And if possible, then engage in active political activity. If I were involved, I would be happy to. Karyakin has state support, powerful sponsorship and a manager who has promoted him greatly and is involved in all issues. All of his trips, even master classes for children, are not free and are expensive for the organizers.
— He refuses to act in a neutral status. Do you support?
— Complex issue. Athletes train their whole lives to take part in the Olympics or the World Championships. But if they are asked to sign some papers against their homeland or speak out negatively, then I am categorically against it. I think that if Karjakin had a world championship match ahead of him, he would definitely go in any status. But the World Cup is basically a lottery, and he doesn’t play chess that seriously now. For this you need to work a lot to prepare. And if a person is not confident in himself, not sure that he will win, the absence of a flag can be one of the excuses. But we don’t know what’s really there. He also refused to participate in the Superfinal of the Russian Championship. Therefore, it looks more like a PR campaign. Although it is quite possible that there may be ideological considerations. I think there is a need to hold alternative Olympic Games. The IOC is too corrupt, they have double standards for athletes. In the West there is hypocrisy and double standards in everything.
— In turn, Ian Nepomniachtchi continues to play in a neutral status. He stated that even without a flag, everyone knows perfectly well what country he is from.
— Nepomniachtchi’s position is close to me, because you’ve been working towards the match for the chess crown all your life. Of course, everyone knows what country you represent. But when I won my first girls' world championship at 15, I was very proud when the Soviet Union anthem played and my country's flag was raised. I can’t express in words how I felt. All athletes dream about this. But what to do when there is so much politics and dirt in the IOC and other sports organizations? Not to participate in competitions? Our athletes are not to blame. A few have the opportunity to play a match at the World Championship or go to the Olympics. I played two such matches. It's a difficult question. Someone says that we should boycott everything. But then you need to create and offer something in return.