T.batchimeg: People Have Thousands of Reasons to Give Up But A Single Road Forward

Trans. by B.DULGUUN

FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM) T.Batchimeg received the title State Honored Athlete last Wednesday, becoming the fifth Mongolian chess player to receive this title.

T.Batchimeg made an early debut in the chess world as she was born into a family of multi-generation of professional chess players. She started playing chess from the age of six and now she's a member of Suld Sports Committee and Mon Chess Club. T.Batchimeg earned her first title, World Chess Federation Master, in 2002 became a FIDE Woman International Master in 2006 and advanced to Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in 2009. After successful participations in several FIDE Grand Prix, she gained her IM title for both male and female chess players in 2014. Her next target is the Grandmaster (GM) title, which is afforded to both men and women, and is harder to achieve than the women-only WGM title.

She spoke about her career and experience in the chess world in the interview below.

What was it like to receive the State Honored Athlete title? Was it as exhilarating as winning against a tough opponent or qualifying for a new chess title?

I feel relieved and calm when I win a medal from a competition. It's the most wonderful moment for an athlete. But I felt more responsible receiving the State Honored Athlete title. I was given this title very suddenly, but I'd like to think of it as a reward for my 20 years of effort. I think I received this award at a relatively young age compared to some people.

The state title is an encouragement for me that will motivate me to strive harder in promoting Mongolia to the world. My desire to amaze the whole world through Mongolians' intellectual ability has flared up.

People can compete against one another in chess regardless of their age and gender, as long as they have adequate skills. When did you first compete in an adult tournament?

I first entered an adult tournament in 1995, when I was eight years and 11 months old. I was Mongolia's youngest participant of the State Adult Championship back then, and still am. No one younger has participated since then. In 1995, I entered the championship with two older ladies. Since I was still young, I nearly dozed off from exhaustion, but still managed to take down several chess masters.

You're from a family of professional chess players. How long has your family been playing chess?

I'm a fifth-generation chess player of my...