[Applause]
it was the best of the times it was the
worst of times
I think this famous quote of Charles
Dickens is a very precise one to
describe my story it was the time of the
decision a decision that I had to take
last year in November 2017 when the
World Chess Federation announced it
would hold the World Chess Championships
and so with our other at that time I was
a reigning world champion in two
categories in a rapid and blitz and I
was looking forward to defending my
titles when the news about the venue
came everybody was surprised if not to
say shocked so with the Arab world
championships in Saudi Arabia in the
country were even a foreign women has to
wear abaya to cover her head and to be
accompanied by a man whenever she goes
outside but the organisers knew how to
sweeten the pill as the well-known story
goes what you can’t buy for money you
can buy it for big money and if you
can’t buy something for big money we can
still buy it for a very big money and so
the prize fund was searched increased
well actually increased isn’t even a
proper description in visitors the
organization Saudi Arabia made the prize
fund five times bigger than in the
previous championships well the first
prize was eight times higher so let’s
imagine if I go to Saudi Arabia and when
the child reserves I not only retain my
titles but also when something like 100
sixty thousand dollars in just five days
a huge amount indeed the titles were
very important for me and the prices
were high but seeing me here today you
will probably have realized I made a
decision not to go there so the question
is why why did the girl from Ukraine the
country that cannot really be considered
as one of the pillars of gender equality
took such a difficult and costly
decision and the answer is simple first
of all it’s a question of dignity and
self-respect I simply felt it was the
right thing to do I thought it was wrong
to go and buy that to support the
society that has that discriminating
policies towards women and it wasn’t
just a spontaneous and from decision
once I had an experience plane the World
Championship in Iran I followed the
rules of the country but despite of
having a very good result finishing
second that World Championship I was
still quite depressed and I realized how
bad I felt about that therefore the
decision to skip the World Championships
in Saudi Arabia didn’t cost me sleepless
nights and long arguments with myself I
knew I had to stand for the principles I
believe and act on I wasn’t alone
I took the stance together with my
younger sister Maria who is also one of
the very top players in the world and a
former world champion inside this story
we are the only sisters in the history
of chess who have both managed to win
changing tactics and so at that time we
found the safe it didn’t go to soldier
up and yes I lost my touch
was it a clever move well I’m not sure
maybe not what attack a wise move yes I
am certain I felt and I still feel very
good about my decision in the long run
it’s only your inner feelings that are
really the most important I have been
playing chastised I was – yeah as I was
2 years old at least that is what the
family legend suggests and it must be
true as I remember myself a date of
three playing proper chess games with my
mother and my father what chess player
themselves its professional chess coach
so I have been the chess world for
nearly my entire life I became a
grandmaster and I want three women’s
world champion titles and also three
European champion titles speaking about
gender equality well I’m not sure we
will ever see it but two women
definitely deserve much more respect and
we shouldn’t accept the situations where
we are treated as second-class citizens
in any country and any place in the
world words are just words and they will
remain being just words as long as
you’re not ready to sacrifice something
which is really meaningful to you I did
and I don’t regret of course there was a
lot of public attention immediately
after the story appeared on the news my
facebook post were unannounced that I
wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia became the
most
popular Facebook post written by an
Ukrainian and any chess player ever
it was liked and shared more than
250,000 times and it brought people do
care I appeared on CNN BBC channels and
many others
I gave lots of interest to major
newspapers and magazines from all over
the world I have done something to
highlight the problem and I hope I have
inspired some people not necessarily
will be honest with themselves to do
what they believe in and to take a stand
even if it might be costly dream big
work hard achieve high results in
genetics respect the other people around
still I wouldn’t say that my stand has
influenced the minds of millions no of
course not but I remember what success
isn’t final feather isn’t fat
it’s a card to continue that counts and
I will continue to muster my chest in
order to remain a top player and
hopefully win new titles to promote
chess and to display my principles as a
top player last month
I became the European bliss changer and
I am looking forward to new challenges our and outside the chessboard thank you
it was the best of the times it was the
worst of times
I think this famous quote of Charles
Dickens is a very precise one to
describe my story it was the time of the
decision a decision that I had to take
last year in November 2017 when the
World Chess Federation announced it
would hold the World Chess Championships
and so with our other at that time I was
a reigning world champion in two
categories in a rapid and blitz and I
was looking forward to defending my
titles when the news about the venue
came everybody was surprised if not to
say shocked so with the Arab world
championships in Saudi Arabia in the
country were even a foreign women has to
wear abaya to cover her head and to be
accompanied by a man whenever she goes
outside but the organisers knew how to
sweeten the pill as the well-known story
goes what you can’t buy for money you
can buy it for big money and if you
can’t buy something for big money we can
still buy it for a very big money and so
the prize fund was searched increased
well actually increased isn’t even a
proper description in visitors the
organization Saudi Arabia made the prize
fund five times bigger than in the
previous championships well the first
prize was eight times higher so let’s
imagine if I go to Saudi Arabia and when
the child reserves I not only retain my
titles but also when something like 100
sixty thousand dollars in just five days
a huge amount indeed the titles were
very important for me and the prices
were high but seeing me here today you
will probably have realized I made a
decision not to go there so the question
is why why did the girl from Ukraine the
country that cannot really be considered
as one of the pillars of gender equality
took such a difficult and costly
decision and the answer is simple first
of all it’s a question of dignity and
self-respect I simply felt it was the
right thing to do I thought it was wrong
to go and buy that to support the
society that has that discriminating
policies towards women and it wasn’t
just a spontaneous and from decision
once I had an experience plane the World
Championship in Iran I followed the
rules of the country but despite of
having a very good result finishing
second that World Championship I was
still quite depressed and I realized how
bad I felt about that therefore the
decision to skip the World Championships
in Saudi Arabia didn’t cost me sleepless
nights and long arguments with myself I
knew I had to stand for the principles I
believe and act on I wasn’t alone
I took the stance together with my
younger sister Maria who is also one of
the very top players in the world and a
former world champion inside this story
we are the only sisters in the history
of chess who have both managed to win
changing tactics and so at that time we
found the safe it didn’t go to soldier
up and yes I lost my touch
was it a clever move well I’m not sure
maybe not what attack a wise move yes I
am certain I felt and I still feel very
good about my decision in the long run
it’s only your inner feelings that are
really the most important I have been
playing chastised I was – yeah as I was
2 years old at least that is what the
family legend suggests and it must be
true as I remember myself a date of
three playing proper chess games with my
mother and my father what chess player
themselves its professional chess coach
so I have been the chess world for
nearly my entire life I became a
grandmaster and I want three women’s
world champion titles and also three
European champion titles speaking about
gender equality well I’m not sure we
will ever see it but two women
definitely deserve much more respect and
we shouldn’t accept the situations where
we are treated as second-class citizens
in any country and any place in the
world words are just words and they will
remain being just words as long as
you’re not ready to sacrifice something
which is really meaningful to you I did
and I don’t regret of course there was a
lot of public attention immediately
after the story appeared on the news my
facebook post were unannounced that I
wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia became the
most
popular Facebook post written by an
Ukrainian and any chess player ever
it was liked and shared more than
250,000 times and it brought people do
care I appeared on CNN BBC channels and
many others
I gave lots of interest to major
newspapers and magazines from all over
the world I have done something to
highlight the problem and I hope I have
inspired some people not necessarily
will be honest with themselves to do
what they believe in and to take a stand
even if it might be costly dream big
work hard achieve high results in
genetics respect the other people around
still I wouldn’t say that my stand has
influenced the minds of millions no of
course not but I remember what success
isn’t final feather isn’t fat
it’s a card to continue that counts and
I will continue to muster my chest in
order to remain a top player and
hopefully win new titles to promote
chess and to display my principles as a
top player last month
I became the European bliss changer and
I am looking forward to new challenges our and outside the chessboard thank you
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