NEW DELHI: Ukraine’s top-ranked Anna Muzychuk, eighth in the world, is set to compete in Norway Chess Women 2025 (May 26–June 6), determined to build on her strong runner-up finish from last year.
Born into a chess family, Anna learnt the ABC of the 64 squares early, guided by her parents, Oleg and Natalia, both chess players. A young prodigy, she dominated youth competitions, earning her WGM title at 14, winning six European Youth gold medals, and claiming both the World U-16 and World Junior Championships.
A three-time World Rapid & Blitz Champion, Anna’s 2016 double victory placed her among an elite group of chess legends.
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Also, she has remained a consistent force in classical chess, narrowly missing the Women’s World Championship title in 2017 and competing in multiple Candidates Tournaments.
With Norway Chess Women leading the way in equal prize money, Anna is now looking forward to being part of a revolution seeking to negate stereotypes.
As she gears up to face a stacked lineup featuring reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun (World No. 2), Lei Tingjie (World No. 4), Koneru Humpy (World No. 6), Vaishali Rameshbabu (World No. 18), and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (World No. 21), TimesofIndia.com catches up with the 34-year-old GM in an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Q. What are your thoughts on the women’s line-up in Norway Chess this year?
It’s wonderful, super strong. Last year’s lineup was already very strong, but this year, it’s even stronger. So, of course, it’s very exciting to compete in such a field and try to do my best.
Q. This year’s lineup is also very strong, and we have two women from India participating. How do you rate their game?
Yes, we have Koneru and Vaishali. But besides them, we also have two strong Chinese players, including the Women’s World Champion. There are no easy opponents — every game is tough.
Speaking about Indian chess, both men and women keep improving. In the open section, we will also have Indian players, including the World Champion, Gukesh. So it’s great to see that.
Vaishali is younger, but with Koneru, we have been competing for a very long time. I’ve played the most games against Harika (Dronavalli) because she’s just a year younger than me. We started competing when we were around nine years old in youth world championships.
With Koneru, we didn’t play in the same age group since she’s three years older, but we’ve both been at the top of women’s chess for a long time, so we’ve faced each other many times. With Vaishali, I’ve played fewer games since she’s younger, but she’s improving rapidly. So, in a way, we have a bit of a “clash of generations”. Lei Tingjie is also younger, and Sara Khadem is younger as well. Vaishali is the youngest.
Q. If you had to pick one, who would be the most intriguing opponent for you in Norway Chess?
It’s difficult to say because we are all top female players and have played against each other many times. But it’s always special to play against the Women’s World Champion. We’re not sure if she will defend her title (against Tan Zhongyi) in April, but if she does, she will still be the champion when playing in Norway Chess.
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Q. This time, the women’s section has equal prize money as the men’s. What are your thoughts on that?
For us, as women, we are very excited about it. It’s very important and a big step forward for women’s chess. As you know, in general, there are more open tournaments, which are mainly for men, and the prize funds in those tournaments are usually higher. So we would love to see more women’s events with higher prizes. That would be a great motivation for us and for the next generation, showing them that such tournaments exist and what they can aspire to achieve.
Q. You finished as a runner-up last year in Norway Chess. What worked so well for you back then?
Yes, last year, I finished second after the Women’s World Champion. I considered it a good result because, based on the ratings, I was maybe fourth. But in sports, you never know what will happen. I will try to prepare as well as I can this time and aim to achieve the best result possible.
Well, this tournament has a unique point system. There’s the classical portion, but if a game ends in a draw, you play an additional rapid game, the Armageddon format. That’s very unusual — we don’t have it in most other events. This format requires a slightly different approach to preparation.
Also, the scoring system makes classical wins much more valuable. If you win a classical game, it’s worth significantly more than drawing and then winning Armageddon. So players put most of their efforts into classical games. However, you also have to be prepared for the rapid game because, at the top level, draws are very common.
In terms of preparation, you think about your strategy in advance. You already know all your opponents and that you’ll face them with both colours. So you analyze their games, study their openings, plan where to surprise them, and anticipate their strategies. Additionally, in case a game ends in a draw, you need to have a plan for the rapid game as well.
Q. How did you get interested in playing chess?
My journey started very early because both of my parents are chess players. They introduced me to the game when I was a little kid — about two years old. By the time I was three, I had already learned all the rules. Chess was always present in our home.
Q. Regarding Armageddon, what is your focus during those games? And if you’re playing with White, do you take more risks?
Usually, in my case, I just play the game, but I always keep in mind that a draw favours Black. So if I have a choice between simplifying or going for something more complex, I might prefer the simpler option.
On the other hand, if I’m playing with White, I would likely prefer a more complicated game. Even if I have a winning position, if I see a chance to force a draw with perpetual check, I might take it instead of risking a blunder while trying to find the win. But overall, you don’t think too much about these things during the game because you don’t have much time.
Q. What are your ambitions for this edition of Norway Chess? And will you be playing any tournaments before it?
I will try to do my best. It would be wonderful if I could win it. I will be playing a Grand Prix event in March and another one in May before Norway Chess. So those are my next events.
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