bluesooner17
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Zilajeva is a lock-down defender and chess expert
Veronika Zilajeva’s goal was to teach chess.
Sitting across from her was Westmoore basketball coach Andrea Guziec, a first-time chess player. Guziec was searching only for clarification on what moves were allowed.
She got less than a handful of chances to even play.
Zilajeva showed no mercy. She beat her coach in four moves, only two more than the game’s minimum to reach checkmate.
“Yeah,” Westmoore’s senior guard said while squirming about not taking it easy. “What’s the point then?”
Guziec survived for more than a dozen moves in the rematch. But she was still even more impressed with her senior guard.
“It’s just fun because she’s such a good kid,” Guziec said.
It’s been nearly five years since Zilajeva and her family moved from Latvia to Moore. In that span, Zilajeva has become one of Westmoore’s top students, an expert-level chess player and the Jaguars’ defensive guru.
It’s a chess board that drives Zilajeva.
She is the top-rated female player in the state with a rating of more than 2,000, just below the firsts master level of chess ratings. She competes in national tournaments around the United States.
“She’s the best chess player in our family,” Zilajeva’s mom Inesa said. “I can’t imagine how a person can do so many different things at the same time. She’s excellent in anything she does.”
Veronika, known to her team as “V”, discovered chess when she was 7. She was attending a tournament with a friend when she fell in love with the game many view as a leisurely activity.
The strategy. The mental challenge. The discipline.
Zilajeva started reading books and watching videos. She studied her mistakes and opponent’s mistakes. She did chess puzzles and games.
Her father, Deniss, had dabbled in chess and checkers.
Veronika was an athlete who had tried gymnastics, wrestling, dancing and acrobatics before basketball.
Chess was no different, but she found more comfort.
“It relaxes me,” Zilajeva said. “If I’m ever stressed or worried about something you sit down and play chess. You calm yourself down and play on the board.”
The Zilajevas moved to Moore in June 2013.
Veronika immediately started building more on her chess profile with tournaments in Florida, Virginia and St. Louis.
And her academics improved. Zilajeva has a 30 on her ACT, with a 34 in math. She is a Mathlete and tutor on the subject.
She also speaks three languages — Latvian, Russian and English. With her parents and two younger siblings, Russian is the primary language around their home. English is also mixed in. Only she and her parents understand Latvian.
“We speak Latvian when little ones don’t need to hear,” Zilajeva said with a laugh.
Zilajeva has become a favorite among her teammates. She’s known as a hard-worker. She doesn’t score much, but she guards the opponent’s best player. When the third-ranked Jaguars needed someone to slow down Holland Hall’s Gabby Gregory last month, Zilajeva was given the task and she performed well in the win. Last weekend, she was matched with Lawton Eisenhower’s Ginger Reece in a win.
“She’s basically going to do the dirty work, so she’s huge,” Westmoore senior Jessi Murcer said.
Zilajeva has become a strong enough player on the court she is considering going to Claremont McKenna College in California, where she could play basketball and start a chess club. Or she could go to USC and focus entirely on chess.
Just don’t ask her to lay off on the chess board. “It’s like a sport,” Zilajeva said. “You compete in it. You have fun. Win.”
Veronika Zilajeva’s goal was to teach chess.
Sitting across from her was Westmoore basketball coach Andrea Guziec, a first-time chess player. Guziec was searching only for clarification on what moves were allowed.
She got less than a handful of chances to even play.
Zilajeva showed no mercy. She beat her coach in four moves, only two more than the game’s minimum to reach checkmate.
“Yeah,” Westmoore’s senior guard said while squirming about not taking it easy. “What’s the point then?”
Guziec survived for more than a dozen moves in the rematch. But she was still even more impressed with her senior guard.
“It’s just fun because she’s such a good kid,” Guziec said.
It’s been nearly five years since Zilajeva and her family moved from Latvia to Moore. In that span, Zilajeva has become one of Westmoore’s top students, an expert-level chess player and the Jaguars’ defensive guru.
It’s a chess board that drives Zilajeva.
She is the top-rated female player in the state with a rating of more than 2,000, just below the firsts master level of chess ratings. She competes in national tournaments around the United States.
“She’s the best chess player in our family,” Zilajeva’s mom Inesa said. “I can’t imagine how a person can do so many different things at the same time. She’s excellent in anything she does.”
Veronika, known to her team as “V”, discovered chess when she was 7. She was attending a tournament with a friend when she fell in love with the game many view as a leisurely activity.
The strategy. The mental challenge. The discipline.
Zilajeva started reading books and watching videos. She studied her mistakes and opponent’s mistakes. She did chess puzzles and games.
Her father, Deniss, had dabbled in chess and checkers.
Veronika was an athlete who had tried gymnastics, wrestling, dancing and acrobatics before basketball.
Chess was no different, but she found more comfort.
“It relaxes me,” Zilajeva said. “If I’m ever stressed or worried about something you sit down and play chess. You calm yourself down and play on the board.”
The Zilajevas moved to Moore in June 2013.
Veronika immediately started building more on her chess profile with tournaments in Florida, Virginia and St. Louis.
And her academics improved. Zilajeva has a 30 on her ACT, with a 34 in math. She is a Mathlete and tutor on the subject.
She also speaks three languages — Latvian, Russian and English. With her parents and two younger siblings, Russian is the primary language around their home. English is also mixed in. Only she and her parents understand Latvian.
“We speak Latvian when little ones don’t need to hear,” Zilajeva said with a laugh.
Zilajeva has become a favorite among her teammates. She’s known as a hard-worker. She doesn’t score much, but she guards the opponent’s best player. When the third-ranked Jaguars needed someone to slow down Holland Hall’s Gabby Gregory last month, Zilajeva was given the task and she performed well in the win. Last weekend, she was matched with Lawton Eisenhower’s Ginger Reece in a win.
“She’s basically going to do the dirty work, so she’s huge,” Westmoore senior Jessi Murcer said.
Zilajeva has become a strong enough player on the court she is considering going to Claremont McKenna College in California, where she could play basketball and start a chess club. Or she could go to USC and focus entirely on chess.
Just don’t ask her to lay off on the chess board. “It’s like a sport,” Zilajeva said. “You compete in it. You have fun. Win.”
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