RIGA, April 18 (LETA) – In a discussion with LETA, the up and coming Latvian chess player Madara Golsta is happy at the opportunity to compete with the top European chess players at the European Women’s Chess Championship in Riga.
This is the 14-year-old Golsta’s debut in a senior chess competition. ”It is an amazing experience to be competing in this tournament, with many excellent players. I initially was not too sure of myself, and thought I would lose my matches. However, I started playing and it was not so bad. I got my confidence back,” Golste said, adding that this is an excellently organized tournament.
”It is better than competing abroad. Our Internet speed is fast, which is not the case sometime when playing abroad. This helps me prepare for my matches,” she said.
Madara, and her twin sister Ramona, are near the end of the tournament’s standings at the moment with 1.5 points a piece.
She added that she is missing school this week because of the tournament, and that it is hard keeping up with her school work and preparing for her matches at the same time.
”Waking up at 7 a.m. to prepare for my matches and get my school work done has been tough on me,” Golste said, adding that she is looking forward to her day off today, but will certainly be preparing for her next match.
