Jana Schneider: „Togetherness strengthens the team spirit“

The Mitropa Cup is the last tournament of the national team before the Olympics and of course I want to show a strong performance to be a part of the team in Budapest in September. Above all, I want to help the team in the best possible way.

Our goal is for sure to win the title in our country. That's why we're here with such a strong team.

In chess:
In general, I try to keep my daily routines quite similar at tournaments (especially when things are going well). Normally, it is decided the evening before which of the five players will play the next round. I already like to get an overview of the opening repertoire of the next opponent in the evening. In the morning, the intensive preparation, usually with national coach Juri, is on the agenda, which is hopefully done before lunch, so that I only have to repeat a little bit before the game starts at 3 pm.
Questions of nutrition:
Especially in team tournaments, I don't like to eat alone. I prefer to always eat with the team. Especially at dinner, we usually wait until everyone has finished their games, so that we can eat together and strengthen the team spirit. Personally, lunch is also important to me, otherwise I get hungry during the game, which I try to avoid.
Relaxing, sport, free time:
I like to do sports in the evenings after the game to switch off from the game and, if necessary, to reduce frustration. I also like to go for a walk with others between lunch and the start of the game. After dinner, we sometimes go for walks with the whole team or play cards together before the chess preparation for the next day begins.

At the beginning of March, I will play the chess tournament for the 125th anniversary of SV Werder Bremen. After that, I will look for more tournaments in the next few months to recommend myself for the Olympic team and hopefully be there in Budapest in September.

I have already played a few tournaments in Apolda, including the German Championship in 2017 and the friendly match against Azerbaijan in 2019. So far, I have always felt very comfortable here and especially enjoyed the walks in the park nearby.