Lei Tingjie: I was very lucky in the first rapid game

An interview with Lei Tingjie of China after her victory over Alisa Galliamova from Russia in the tie-break of Round 3 of Women’s World Championship:

– Tingjie, what happened in this tie-break?

– I was very lucky in the first rapid game. I think I had a worse position but my opponent was in time trouble and made a blunder. I also managed to win the second game, so I qualified for the next round.

– What can you say about your play here so far? Do you like your games?

– The quality of games is all right, but I am a little bit tired right now because this is a very tough tournament.

– What is your best result in such knock-out events?

– This is my second time to play in this tournament. I played four years ago in Sochi but I lost to Humpy Koneru in the second round. So this time I am doing much better and just enjoy playing chess.

– You are very young. Are you a chess professional, or do you study at the University?

– I went to the University in Shanghai this September to study business management, but I pay attention to both chess and studies.