"Boxing helps me achieve results in chess"

Champion of Russia, Europe and the world in different age categories, winner of the FIDE online Olympiad as part of the national team, the first woman to overcome the mark of 3 thousand rating points on the platform chess.com — Today, it is difficult to imagine the world's top women's chess without Russian Polina Shuvalova.

In addition to her outstanding individual achievements, Polina has long established herself as one of the key team players. Her impressive 9.5 out of 10 points at the Linares 2025 tournament was an important contribution to the gold medals of the Russian women's national team at the World Championships. And at the recent SCO Games in Shanghai, China, she competed for the team alongside the leading grandmasters of men's chess, Alexander Grischuk and Vladislav Artemyev.

Polina told Izvestia and Sport-Express in an interview about what remained behind the scenes of the Shanghai and Linares tournaments, how preparations for the competitions are being built and why chess players need active sports.

"I feel comfortable playing in team competitions"

— How did the preparations for the SCO tournament go and were there any special features compared to, say, the Linares 2025 World Team Championship?

— As a team, we expected to fight for the first place, and it turned out that way. It's a shame that we didn't win, but in principle the match was equal, with the strongest Chinese team — two world champions (Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun). They managed to get to armageddon (the "Death Party" — white has more time, but must win; black only needs a draw to win the match, but they have less time. — Ed.). Of course, silver was not what we wanted, especially considering that there were chances to win. That made me upset. In terms of the preliminary work, there was no special team preparation before the competition. We just went to play, no fees. Our coach Alexander Ryazantsev helped on the spot — with preparation, with tasks. And before the women's team day, there were special training camps, and we went to the tournament from them, in full combat readiness.

— The team at the SCO Games consists of three people, one of whom is the highly experienced Alexander Grischuk, the other is the two—time Russian champion, vice—world rapid champion Vladislav Artemyev, and it is coached by one of the top mentors, Alexander Ryazantsev. Is there a "generation difference"?

— There were no disputes on the spot, and in principle chess is a democratic sport in terms of age. Both a child and an adult grandmaster can play on equal terms and discuss the game. For me, all the chess players in the team are superpowers, level 2700. I tried to gain more experience, and listening is very interesting. At the same time, I can express my opinion and discuss it somewhere. This is welcome, no one talks from top to bottom. The Russian team has gathered charismatic people with different views and playing styles. And I feel comfortable playing in team competitions, in principle, I love it. The energy comes from the team and from communication, a common cause, a common result. When you play for the national team, it's always especially pleasant.

— At the Women's World Cup, you managed to enter the world top 10 and show a fantastic performance: 9.5 out of 10 points. Is this the result of homework and the contribution of the coaches, or is it still a suitable control?

— Rather, it's a symbiosis of everything — there is no universal magic pill for momentary good shape in nature. To get to Linares in optimal condition, I worked very intensively on chess for a month and a half after the Samarkand Big Swiss. After that, I gave myself a break, and already at the team training camp on the eve of the championship I got into the right shape. I like these training camps — they have not only chess, but also other activities that are useful for chess, psychology, and physical fitness.

We're all different, but we have a close-knit women's team. And the control is very comfortable for me, 45 minutes per game plus thirty seconds per move. The important game was against Tatev Abrahamyan from the USA: I made a big mistake, but I managed not only to escape, but also to win. As always, the central match is against China, led by former world champion Hou Yifan, and we won. I would like to thank everyone in the team once again, both the girls and the coaches (grandmasters Sergey Rublevsky, Konstantin Sakaev and Evgeny Nayer worked with the women's national team at the World Cup in Spain. — Ed.), and the on-site organizer, and our doctor. Together we are a force.

— In the context of a potential admission to the Chess Olympiad, what does it mean to you? Are you waiting for the opportunity to play it?

— It's too early to think about it, but, of course, I want to play for the national team. And it is very desirable to win.

"It is very difficult for a female chess player to earn money in regular tournaments"

— Why didn't you play the Aeroflot Open in early March?

— This year I postponed the start of tournament performances a little, this happens rarely, but always for a number of objective reasons. I decided to skip the Aeroflot Open primarily in order to focus on preparing for the next season. To perform at the Moscow Open at least without losing the rating, you need to be very, very well prepared. Last year, for example, I had to play with a cold, and despite winning the first women's prize, I was glad that I managed to finish with minimal loss of rating. I love playing this tournament. Last year, for the first women's prize, I also received business class round-trip tickets as a gift, which I enjoyed using. But I would like to wish that the cash prizes were comparable to the men's ones.

— What is the difference between the first women's and first men's prizes?

— Three million rubles for men, 150 thousand for women. Before that, it was 50 thousand rubles. It's sad to see such a big difference — twenty times or more. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for a female chess player to earn money in regular tournaments in Russia. I think the situation in other countries is not much better. There are almost no women's competitions, and if there are, the prizes are much smaller than the men's. And for male chess players, the Aeroflot Open is a serious opportunity to earn money. Why not turn it into a central tournament for women too, and make it a real chess celebration? I would really like to see comparable prizes for the women's category. This would greatly contribute to the development of women's chess in Russia.

— What are your plans for the next season? Will it be possible to cheer for you at the Russian Team Championship in Sochi?

— The next tournament is the Baku open, but it coincides with the Russian team event. So unfortunately, I won't be in Sochi. I'm thinking about participating in the Asian Championship, but I haven't made a decision yet. And in the summer, I plan to play the rapid and blitz World Team Championships in Hong Kong, playing for a local team. In addition to me, the Bulgarian grandmaster Arkady Naidich is among its members, as well as several young and very promising representatives of Asian countries. I recommend watching the tournament for chess fans!

"There will be a battle between Gukesh and Sindarov"

— A series of "Discipline" videos recently appeared on your social networks. Every day you post minute—and-a-half videos about your schedule, training, sports, and daily activities. What is it, how did it start, and what is the purpose?

— While I was taking a break from chess after the New Year's World Championships, I came up with the idea to create a lifestyle blog about the life of a professional chess athlete. On January 25, I started an open annual challenge on my social media pages. The bottom line is that you fulfill several conditions every day: chess — at least five hours, except for pre- and post-tournament training, if necessary.

It turned out that in 2.5 months, while the challenge was going on, I rested for about five days in total, I don't take them into account. There is also a mandatory morning exercise and then at least 10 thousand steps daily. It's a challenge to yourself. If you do it openly, then there is a great motivation to take care of yourself. You have to work every day, that's the point. It's especially nice when they write in the comments that I was able to motivate someone, at such moments I understand that my blog can benefit someone.

— Which sports, in your opinion, help to achieve chess results more effectively than others?

— It seems to me that it is important for chess to do what develops endurance. I do boxing. These workouts contain cardio, strength training, and reaction training. Everything you need! If you remove blows to the head from boxing (not the most useful thing for chess), then this is a great sport! Chess players practice running, ping-pong and lawn tennis, and go to the pool. Padel is very popular now: I haven't tried it yet. Everyone has their own way, but I like active sports with a playful moment. But physical fitness is very important for chess in principle. Not all chess players follow it, therefore, the result may fail somewhere. I feel suboptimal without exercising.

— What kind of view do you follow yourself? Or is your own participation and activity cooler than the spectator stands?

— I'm not a fan, I like to play sports myself! Sometimes I watch boxing, there are favorite fights that I can watch. It's a kind of meditation for me, it's calming. (He smiles.)

— And the last question is about the candidates tournament that has ended. How would you rate the events in Cyprus? What are we waiting for from the match for the men's crown and what kind of duel would it be interesting to see from the women?

— Sindarov showed phenomenal results for men, both in terms of playing and preparation. It is difficult to find such dominance in chess. Despite the fact that Sindarov looks like the favorite, especially against the background of Gukesh's losses, it is still very difficult to predict the outcome of the match for the crown. I would bet on Sindarov, but Gukesh can return to the form of the 2022 Olympics. In short, there will be a battle. For women, everything is strange and difficult: for example, Vaishali is accompanied by fantastic luck — she managed to win losing positions. And the Chinese Zhu Jiner looks more solid in the game. It's especially interesting to watch when the intrigue persists until the last round, like this time. Now we will wait for the battle for the titles.