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Munguntuul Batkhuyag: I've been learning Russian language since the 1st grade |
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Monday, 03 May 2010 |
 - Tell us, please, how to pronounce your name correctly?
- My name of Monguntuul, and Batkhuyag is my father’s name. We take the surname of our father’s; ‘Mongon’ means ‘silver’ and ‘Tuul’ is the name of a small river, which flows across Ulan-Bator (and is considered to be a sacred one in Mongolia - a comment of edition).
- You have a good command of Russian, how did you manage to learn in such a perfect way?
- I have been learning it since the first grade in Ulan-Bator in the school of the Russian Embassy. I began playing chess when I was 5 and my parents decided that I should learn Russian in order not only to be able to read chess textbooks, but also to study the Russian culture.
- Do you live in Moscow?
- I was born in Ulan-Bator and lived there until 12. We moved to Russia as my father got a job in the Research Institute in Moscow , he is a Mathematician by profession. I began attending the secondary school and afterwards the Russian State Social University, which I’m finishing this year, currently I’m busy with my diploma.
- What are you planning to do after graduating?
- I’ll return to Mongolia. I don’t know for sure what will I do there
yet, but in the nearest future I’ll just play chess. This year I’ll face
the Olympiad in Hanty-Mansiysk, in the world championship among women
in Turkey - it is due to the victory in the Asian championship among
women.
 - The victory in the Asian championship and access to the world
championship-are your best results?
- I think so. I won the third place in the World championship in the
girl’s tournament until 14 and the second place- in the group until 18.
- Are you the strongest chess-player in Mongolia?
Yes, I am the only woman with the title of the grandmaster in Mongolia.
We have two grandmasters - both are men, they support our Olympic
team.
- Do you receive any material support in Mongolia?
- The members of the national team don’t gain grants. We either find
sponsors to ourselves, or we go at our own expense. The Mongolian chess
federation tries to help us, but they have not got so many
opportunities.
- And what about the new stage of Fide Grand Prix which will take
place in August in Ulan Bator?
- On the Olympiad in Dresden the Mongolian Chess Federation and the
International Chess Federation agreed to hold the new stage of Grand
Prix in Ulan Bator. Chess has recently been developing in Mongolia,
especially among children - new chess schools and clubs are opened. On
Kirsan Iliymzhinov’s initiative along with FIDE, the Chess Palace is
being built now not far from Ulan Bator.
But we don’t have good trainers for the international and grand
masters.
- Do the Russian trainers work in Mongolia?
- No, they do not.
- How do you spend your free time in Moscow? Do you go to the cinema
or to some concerts?
- I do not go to the concerts, but sometimes I visit cinema. The last
film which I watched was "Avatar".
- Do you travel much around the world?
- Rather often, in most cases around Europe.
 - What place did you like most of all?
- Most of all I liked Spain. Especially the sea, but unfortunately I
can’t swim.
- Do you visit the swimming-pool in Nalchik?
- My father thinks that I shouldn’t swim during the tournament,
because water relaxes.
- And what are you occupied with except chess here?
- I watch TV, listen to music. Also I am reading the novel “Jane Eyre”.
To music I listen.
- What kind of music do you prefer?
- Mainly I like the Mongolian. We have the musicians who work in
different styles: national, rock and pop. I download it from the Internet.
- Do you spend much time in Mongolia?
My parents do not live in Moscow anymore and I visit them every summer.
We usually rent countryside house in summer. I have a rest there and I
prepare for tournaments.
- What is the main Mongolian national dish?
- Our cuisine doesn’t differ much from the Russian. Our main national
dish is «Buuz». It is like Uzbek manty.
- I suppose they will tell and show much interesting about your
country to the participants of Grand Prix in Ulan Bator?
People don’t know much about Mongolia. There were not held many
important chess tournaments in Mongolia. At the Grand Prix in Ulan Bator
the chess players will have an opportunity to learn more about our
country.
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