Last year all Ukraine learned about Yulia Osmak. The girl took the first place in her age category at the World Chess Championships in Greece (she was 12 at the time). She has recently been presented with the National Award “Wonder Child.” Yulia had to go to the last competition at her own expense: the state, unfortunately, was unable to pay for a trip to Greece (the family spent over 1,500 euros on this trip — a considerable sum of money for an ordinary family with two children).
“Before each game I sat down at the computer, found my competitors, studied their previous games, and then together with my mother I chose what kind of opening to play with them,” Yulia says. Now she has the title of a FIDE (World Chess Federation) master, as she has reached the required score and defeated competitors with higher titles. She didn’t get the status of master of sports in chess in Ukraine, though she has long been entitled to it, because of the delays that are so typical of our state.
By the way, Yulia’s grandfather, Volodymyr, was her first partner. When Yulia began to beat him (at the age of five), she was sent to a professional coach, Leonid Borodin. Once when she represented a Ukrainian lyceum at a chess tournament in London the local coaches noticed her. They offered Yulia to live in England, in good conditions, work with strong trainers, to get a stipend of 2,000 pounds (over 25,000 hryvnias) per month and to play for England at the world championships. The then 10-year old Yulia answered: “How can I play for England?! I’m a Ukrainian.”
In November the next world chess championship will take place in Rio de Janeiro. Whether Yulia goes to represent Ukraine there or not depends only on whether she’ll be able to find the money for it. The trip costs 30,000 hryvnias, a sum that Yulia’s family, of course, doesn’t have. Hopefully, there are good people out there and Yulia will not have to think about money, but rather focus on her preparations for the tournament.
Details for costs transfer:
STATE OSHCHADNY BANK OF UKRAINE, PECHERSK DEPARTMENT, NO. 3715
Settlement Account 37399004 MFO 320241, CODE 02760494
Account No. 32793.
Recipient Name: Osmak Olha Volodymyrivna
Payment details: charitable donation
