By Jim Perry

JFP: You're competing here with your husband. His name is Gennady, isn't it?

Olga: Not this year. Last year we played together, but this year he didn't qualify. So I qualified, but he didn't.

JFP: I presume that you have played in a number of tournaments with him. Have the two of you ever been paired?

Olga: A funny thing happened at the qualifying tournament in Cherry Hill, NJ -- the U.S. Open. We actually were supposed to be paired in the last round against each other. But the tournament director thought it wasn't a good idea because we both were trying to qualify. So they re-paired us, but it did happen and they actually had to switch us.

JFP: If you ever were paired against him, what would happen? Would it be a serious game?

Olga: Oh, it's hard to tell. We have played before and they were serious games. So I guess that is what would have happened.

JFP: You played chess in Belarus. Perhaps you could say a few words comparing the chess scene in Belarus with that in the U.S.

Olga: When I left Belarus, when I played chess in Belarus, it used to be part of the former Soviet Union, so it was the same as in Russia and in all the different republics. It's very popular, very prestigious. Chess is played by many people. The Belarussian chess school has quite a number of good players, for example, Boris Gelfand, one of the top players in the world, and Smirin -- they both live in Israel now, but they both came from Belarus, from basically the same team. There are quite a few good chessplayers there right now as well. There is a good chess tradition there in Belarus.

JFP: Would you say it would be easier for an ambitious player to achieve her goals or to get good at the game in Belarus or in the US?

Olga: If you really set goals, you will have more opportunities here in the United States. The thing in Belarus is that there are not many tournaments that you can win money at, but it is close to Europe and you can travel to Europe and play in tournaments there and improve your chess skill there. So probably it will be hard to say. They have a lot of opportunities as well since the Soviet Union has now broken up into different countries and they are all together. Players still travel to a lot of chess tournaments and not only a lot of individual tournaments but team tournaments as well, which I think is a very good type of competition which attracts a lot of interest as well.

JFP: At this point, Belarus is an independent country.

Olga: Yes, but they still have close ties to the former Republics and they travel within those countries quite freely and they know the language.

JFP: What changes in the chess scene took place in Belarus following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Olga: A lot of strong players left the country. But we can see that there are still new players on the scene -- Alexandrov or Fedorov -- and they are still very strong or even in the top 100 in the world. This tells us that chess work is going on there and there are still new kids who will grow up to be good chessplayers.

JFP: The Soviet Union did support chess through the State Committee on Physical Culture and Sport. Did that continue in Belarus after the breakup?

Olga: I think in Belarus more than in other Republics because in Belarus they have a government that is almost the same as it used to be. There is a President that whatever he says, everyone does. It's like a dictatorship. He is a big fan of sports -- different sports -- and chess is part of sport and that is the difference between America and the rest of the world. In Belarus and in other parts of the former Soviet Union, they consider chess to be a sport. Therefore there is more funding, more attention. You can see it in the news, which you can't see here. On the national TV, not too many. I teach chess in New York City and the kids ask "Will we see you on TV?" and unfortunately I have to tell them "Not yet. When you grow up you will bring it to the national scene and it will be as popular as other sports."

JFP: How about yourself? Do you consider chess to be a sport?

Olga: Yes, definitely so, because there are big elements of sport in chess. It is not as physical as other sports, therefore there are many debates about whether or not it is a sport. But I think it is more sport than anything else.

JFP: Do you think chess belongs in the Olympics?

Olga: Yeah, I think so. I truly believe that if chess becomes part of the Olympics it will bring more interest to the game. We need more attention. See, on the scholastic scene, it's different. Many kids play chess. Many schools have chess programs now. It is a very different from professional chess. We have to close this gap.

JFP: Turning to chess in America, what is the one thing about chess in this country that you would like to see different?

Olga: To see it on the news. When I say the news, I would say yes, we made a difference and now chess is a part of the American culture. Because when you see the sports in the news, you always say maybe they will mention something about the U.S. Championship which is the biggest and strongest chess event in the country. It deserves to be mentioned in the news.

JFP: What about the role of chess in your life. Are you one of the "chess is my life" people, or is it just a part of your life?

Olga: I can say that yes, chess became my life. I love it. I like to play in tournaments. I teach chess full time, which of course means that it is hard to play when you teach full time, it interferes with your chess career because you can't spend as much time to prepare for the tournaments. But I love it both teaching and playing. And my husband is a chessplayer, my daughters play chess, so I can say yes, chess is my life.

JFP: About teaching, you teach elementary

Olga: I teach. I work for chess in the schools. That is the biggest non-profit organization that teaches chess in NYC metro area. I'm really happy to be a part of that organization. It is doing a tremendous job. It is sponsored by people and the board of education is not involved in that. It works in a way that "chess in the schools" chooses the schools that they want to bring the program to. Usually these are schools in poor neighborhoods, which allows us to help underprivileged kids. When such a school is chosen, they send teachers and all the equipment to that school and provide the services. About 150 schools have the program now because of "chess in the schools" in NYC. I am very happy to be a part of this.

JFP: As happy as you are, is there anything about it that may be somewhat frustrating, whether interfering with your playing career or working with kids? What is the most frustrating thing about it, if there is anything?

Olga: I wish I could spend more time on chess -- on my chess skills, like working more on preparation, on all parts of the game and going to tournaments. But when you have a family, you have a job, it is very hard.

JPF: What are your chess goals?

Olga: For this tournament, I wanted to be in top 3 among women.

JFP: What about a few years from now. Where do you want to be with your chess?

Olga: It's hard to tell. I guess to qualify for the US Championship next year and the year after that, and try to do the best I can do. To be in top 3, to maybe qualify for the World Championship. I would really love to do that even though I understand that it is very hard because the field is very strong.

JFP: I believe 10 or 11 of the 13 women in this tournament are from the former Soviet Union. The native-born chess population among women is not present in great numbers. Why do you think this is the case and what can be done to change it?

Olga: I think girls' tournaments. Having girls' tournaments would change that. Having scholastic tournaments for girls. Even though it is not in any way diminishing their ability to play chess, or to be as good as boys. No, just to attract, because for many girls it is just a social event. And they would like being part of an all girls' tournament. As a matter of fact, Chess in the Schools had a few all girls' tournaments, and they attracted more girls than any national event in the country which just shows one tournament could attract more than 100 girls. That tells it all. And more girls will play in those tournaments. More girls would love the game and continue to play chess and go to different tournaments, mixed tournaments and whatever.

JFP: What about this tournament. This year and last year, it follows a mixed gender format, not a separate men's and women's championship. What do you think of this format?

Olga: Personally, for me it's a very interesting tournament because I have a chance to play against grandmasters that I would not have otherwise. However, I don't think you can compare most of the men and women -- a lot of men here are professional chess players. You can't say that about most of the women. Unfortunately, that is just part of the reality today.

JFP: I think one of the ideas behind this event is that if you combine the men and women over a long period of time and consistently pair the women with strong players that it would eventually improve their level of play. Do you think this is true?

Olga: One tournament wouldn't change that. We have to have a system. One tournament might produce one player. That's not what we want. That's not the goal of all chess organizations in America should be. One chess player -- woman chess player -- I don't think it is good enough. And that serves only that.

JFP: Do you think there will come a time in your life when the women will be winning events like this?

Olga: It's a very long way to go. It's different for women.

JFP: What about the game itself? Do you think there is a danger that the game might become played out the way Capablanca once feared.

Olga: I don't think so. Not in our time. I am just amazed at how the game is, and how many years it has been played and I'm sure it will be played for many more years.