WGM Mary Ann Gomes is a three-time national champion (2011, 2012, 2013), Asian Junior Girls Champion (2006, 2007, 2008) and Asian U-16 junior girls title winner. One of the top women chess players in the country, this 28-year-old Chess champion wants aims at becoming a ‘Grand Master’. She is currently residing in Kolkata and is employed with PSPB. Star of Mysore caught up with Mary Ann Gomes at Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Sports Club which is hosting the 44th National Women’s Challengers Chess Tournament. Excerpts…

By C.K. Muralidharan

Star of Mysore (SOM): After having achieved so much, what is your next target?

Mary Ann Gomes: Having tasted success in higher level, I realised that there is still much more to achieve. I want to become a Grand Master, which is the ultimate dream of every chess player. I have been moving forward in the right direction and I am confident of the achieving my goal in the days to come.

SOM: How do you prepare for a championship?

Mary: I have been continuously taking part in several tournaments. Recently, I participated in the Commonwealth Games and had decent run. Right now I am working on improving my overall game. In this particular tournament I have started with a win and I hope to fare well.

SOM: After winning the National Championships three-times in a row, you seem to have lost your appetite for winning titles. What do you have to say?

Mary: It was great feeling to complete a hat-trick of National Champions. I guess the hunger for winning more titles dimmed as I lost the focus and my game was not up to the mark. Now, I am trying to catch up with the others who are performing well. Hopefully, I will get back to winning more tournaments and reach great heights.

SOM: When was your first Olympiad and tell us about your performance there?

Mary: I first represented India in the Olympiad in 2006 at Italy. Later, I played at Olympiads held at Germany (2008), Turkey (2012) and Norway (2014). In 2008, I won a silver medal in the 4th board.

SOM: Your best performance so far?

Mary: My best performance was in the world team championships in 2013 at Kazakhstan where I won a bronze medal in board four and India finished fifth.

SOM: How do you see your future in chess?

Mary: Like I said earlier, I want to become a Grand Master. Currently, my rating is 2,331 and I aim to achieve 2,400 rating by next year. I have been trained hard and my coaches Niranjan Kumar Mishra and GM Deepan Chakravarthy have been guiding me and helping me to improve my game.

SOM: How has the support been from PSPB?

Mary: The PSPB has been very supportive. The organising has been extending us all facilities and has been providing us ample time to prepare for tournament and championships.