Ketevan is in great shape

A letter from Salome Melia

My second place in this year’s European Championship is my best result ever in an individual women’s championship. I have won many team and individual medals on my board in the past, at European, World and Olympic team championships. But I suppose that for all sports people success in the individual championships is more important.

The winners of the European Individual Women's Chess Championship 2013 in Belgrade (July 22-August 4): IM Salome Melia, Georgia (Silver), GM Hoang Thanh Trang, Hungary (Gold) and IM Lilit Mkrtchian, Armenia (Bronze).

I was playing well at the European Championship and was one of the leaders from the start of the tournament. Thanks to the confidence which I gained from my opening training I found myself getting good positions and, as a result, received the silver medal. I would like to thank all the trainers I was working with during the past year, and especially the trainer who was helping me during the tournament. I would like to mention that I was motivated to work hard on chess in order to have a big success in my career before my second baby will be born in December.

I am glad that the support of my family and support of all who helped me financially, to work with trainer and play in the European Championship, was not in vain. Also I am glad that it was not just a success for me but also for Georgian chess. It is a surprising fact that for Georgian chess, which has so many medals, the individual European championships was the first big success after a bronze medal gained twelve years ago.

It was also a big help for me during the tournament that I was calm and was not worrying about my baby Ketevan, because I knew that she was fine. My husband and my mother take care of the child just as well as me. I can actually say that the baby has been brought up by my mother. All sports people have difficulty with their timetables, but I try my best to dedicate as much time as possible to my baby and not let her feel the problem of her illness.

Before the European championship Ketevan was operated a second time at the baby heart clinic in Berlin. Thanks to good treatment things are going as they should and seem to be under control. And most importantly: it appears that her problems are possible to solve.

A winner! Baby Kate after a successful heart operation in Berlin

When we found out that the baby had a heart disease of the worst kind, the Georgian doctors did not give us much hope (Salome's infant daughter was born with a pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aorto-pulmonary collaterals (MAPCA), which those of you who are interested can read all about here).

Thank God I did not give up. We found the best clinic in Europe, but the cost of treatment was huge, so we had to search for funds. I want to thank each of the donors who helped save my baby, and especially the general director of Socar Energy Georgia, Mahir Mammedov, who is the main sponsor of our federation and developer of Georgian women’s chess. When I called to ask for appointment, with half a sentence he asked me what was happening and what the problem was, and with another half he told me not to worry and promised to help. During the meeting with him he transferred the main sum of money to the clinic.

I also want to especially thank Alexander Grischuk, Michael Henningan, Mixeil Maxaradze, who was chairman of the AAR. (Adjarian Autonomy Republic) as well as the Ministry of Health in Georgia. And finally thanks to the Russian company "Oltrex Development", which helped me anonymously and about which I still do not know anything. And I want mention all people who helped us in Georgia and internationally. I want to thank to whole chess world and everybody who helped me financially and morally.

The third surgical operation will be performed after some months, and I hope that Ketevan’s situation will be stable after this operation. The doctors predict that her life should be normal and with all possibilities of life open to her.