China Is Near
IM Anthony Saidy interviews two-time women’s world champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who headlined the Hawaii Chess Festival.
Chess Life, June 2015, pp. 34-36
IM Anthony Saidy interviews two-time women’s world champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who headlined the Hawaii Chess Festival.
Chess Life, June 2015, pp. 34-36
Upon learning that Women’s World Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) would appear at the Hawaii Chess Fest—in lieu of defending her
title—this writer could not resist the chance to meet the young Chinese superstar and interview her in one of his favorite places.
To players of my generation, China was a non-factor. China had its own form of chess, 象棋 (xiàngqí), and its chessplayers were simply not seen internationally. But something was incubating there. Soviet masters visited, starting in the 1950s.
The world sat up and took notice at the Buenos Aires Olympiad of 1978. There, an unknown Chinese player, 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé), checkmated Dutch GM Jan Hein Donner in under 20 moves. Then in 1991, 谢军 (Xiè Jūn) won the women’s world crown, ending Georgian hegemony. Other Chinese women, 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) and 许昱华 (Xǔ Yùhuá), would later win the title, after FIDE’s unfortunate introduction of the knockout format, as well as Olympic gold.
In 2014 the western state of denial about China’s chess excellence came to an end: China, for the first time, won the overall chess Olympiad.
All was achieved by a cultivated elite in a country where chess lacks popularity. Methods are laid out in 刘 (Liú)’s book “[The] Chinese School of Chess”. They are peculiar to China, but no one can argue with success.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was born in provincial 兴化 (Xīnghuà) on February 27, 1994. The story goes that at age three she was so taken with some chess pieces in the window of a shop that her dad, a magistrate, bought them for her. She started regular play at six. At nine, GM 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān) pronounced her an “exceptional genius”. That year the family, including her mom, a nurse, moved to 北京 (Běijīng) to be near the National Chess Center. At 13 she was Chinese women’s champ. At 14 and a half she became the youngest-ever female to gain the overall grandmaster title and made the finals of the Women’s World Championship, losing out to Russia’s Alexandra Kosteniuk. At 16, in 2010, she became the youngest person ever to gain a world chess crown.
The roulette-like vicissitudes of the knockout system, which culminates in rapid games, were brought home to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) two years later, when she lost out in the second round. Exercising her right to challenge Anna Ushenina of Ukraine, 侯 (Hóu) regained the title in 2013 by a 5½ – 1½ match victory.
After tying for third at Gibraltar this February short of her 21st birthday, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) pushed her rating to 2686, around 65th in the world, just ahead of Judit Polgár. [This writer is no fan of the inces - sant comparison of ratings. Judit is 38 and has a much longer record of excellence at the very highest level.]
侯 (Hóu) had a contract to come to Hawaii, and the Women’s World Championship in Sochi, Russia started without her. Was she eyeing bigger fish? At press time the final match was pending between Natalia Pogonina of Russia and Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine.
At the Hawaii Festival 侯 (Hóu) took part in a quadrangular rapid/blitz tournament, leaving GMs Timur Gareev and Sam Shankland far behind. Armenia’s 19-year-old GM Hovannes Gabozyan dominated the Open tournament for a $5,000 prize. It had six other grand - masters among 108 participants. Conditions and hospitality under Hawaii Chess Federation President Beau Mueller were superb.
The personable 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was most gracious during the interview. She may admire Bobby Fischer as a player, but she is nothing like him.
— Thanks for granting this interview to our readers. How did you learn to speak English so well?
— I had a lot of practice from a young age, solving daily problems. I went to English school, got fundamental knowledge.
— How many years of English did you take?
— Not years, hours.
[I was deeply impressed. Young Americans proficient in Chinese are rare.]
— Here's a question from our USCF President, Ruth Haring: If equal numbers of men and women played chess, would it level the playing field (equalizing strength)?
— I don’t really think so. The nature of man and woman is different. Woman is more sensitive and emotional. Women are more kind in facing an emergency. When you are in time pressure you must be calm, not nervous. Men can be more concentrated.
— In 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé)’s very interesting book “[The] Chinese School of Chess” [Batsford, 2002] he says women are equal in tactics, but inferior in strategy.
— This is a theory book, not really practical; I can’t fully understand it. Yes, I think we are good in tactics, about strategy I am not 100 percent sure.
— Now a question from GM Yasser Seirawan, whom you know. What is your final ambition? To be in the top 10, or more?
— If you set any final goal, how can you go further? I should fight to be in top 10. That means the elite level, it means more than winning a tournament like Women’s Championship. Yes, I would like to play a match with Carlsen, of course, but I still have some distance to catch him, I’m looking forward. If I play him now, I have no hope to win. [He is more than four years her senior, and has defeated her in two classical games.]
— When you walk around 北京 (Běijīng), do people recognize you?
— In the national-team sports area, yes. Around the university, no. Many would recognize my name, it is better-known than my face. We don’t televise live games as in basketball. Chess is not that popular in China. In 1895 China suffered a catastrophic setback from the West. We developed our own games [like 象棋 (xiàngqí), Chinese chess]. Only in the open policy from 1979-80 under 邓小平 (Dèng Xiǎopíng) was international chess welcomed.
[I showed her a decades-old minicomputer that plays 象棋 (xiàngqí). The instructions in Chinese were over the reporter’s head. I offered it to Ms. 侯 (Hóu).]
— No, you keep it. It is very precious
— How do you use computers for training?
— They can help you check opponent’s games, check accuracy of analysis, but classical books can help you with tactics, endgames, and intuition.
— What classical books have you read? Nimzowitsch?
— Not entirely
— Tarrasch?
— Not really.
— Botvinnik?
— He’s in Russian, and I don’t understand Russian. Some books in Chinese, tactics, end games, New In Chess opening books. Books cannot be ignored.
[She is a known admirer of Fischer, and eagerly accepted some literature about him, but was not asked about his books.]
— How will chess be regarded in China in 20 years?
— With globalization, the whole world should be connected. Chess should be a universal language.
— Fischer, asked why the Soviet Union was best in chess, had a brief answer: “Money”.
— In Russia there is more basis for chess, politicians, business people, sponsors. In China, table tennis and other sports are more im portant.
— Now that Chinese players have won the Olympiad, and the women’s world championship, doesn’t the government increase funds for chess?
— I don’t feel that. That’s all I can say.
— Apart from chess, what plans do you have in life?
— After my bachelor’s degree, I will study for a master’s. I would like to use chess for international communication, diplomacy, gathering people together.
— Like Capablanca?
— Not so political.
— You defeated Judit Polgár when you were 17. Is that your only game with her?
— Yes.
— Do you think having children ends a woman’s chess career?
— That’s a key moment, but you can take off a few years and come back.
— GM Gata Kamsky gave up chess for 10 years. Maybe he lost some strength thereby.
— But he gained experiences and knowledge, also important for a chessplayer.
— Finally, what is your message to American girl players?
— You must have passion for chess. Girls have many interests, like fashion [Ms. 侯 (Hóu) dresses quite fashionably]. You must not be forced to play chess. Have passion.
— Thanks, and all success to you in the future.
To players of my generation, China was a non-factor. China had its own form of chess, 象棋 (xiàngqí), and its chessplayers were simply not seen internationally. But something was incubating there. Soviet masters visited, starting in the 1950s.
The world sat up and took notice at the Buenos Aires Olympiad of 1978. There, an unknown Chinese player, 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé), checkmated Dutch GM Jan Hein Donner in under 20 moves. Then in 1991, 谢军 (Xiè Jūn) won the women’s world crown, ending Georgian hegemony. Other Chinese women, 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) and 许昱华 (Xǔ Yùhuá), would later win the title, after FIDE’s unfortunate introduction of the knockout format, as well as Olympic gold.
In 2014 the western state of denial about China’s chess excellence came to an end: China, for the first time, won the overall chess Olympiad.
All was achieved by a cultivated elite in a country where chess lacks popularity. Methods are laid out in 刘 (Liú)’s book “[The] Chinese School of Chess”. They are peculiar to China, but no one can argue with success.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was born in provincial 兴化 (Xīnghuà) on February 27, 1994. The story goes that at age three she was so taken with some chess pieces in the window of a shop that her dad, a magistrate, bought them for her. She started regular play at six. At nine, GM 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān) pronounced her an “exceptional genius”. That year the family, including her mom, a nurse, moved to 北京 (Běijīng) to be near the National Chess Center. At 13 she was Chinese women’s champ. At 14 and a half she became the youngest-ever female to gain the overall grandmaster title and made the finals of the Women’s World Championship, losing out to Russia’s Alexandra Kosteniuk. At 16, in 2010, she became the youngest person ever to gain a world chess crown.
The roulette-like vicissitudes of the knockout system, which culminates in rapid games, were brought home to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) two years later, when she lost out in the second round. Exercising her right to challenge Anna Ushenina of Ukraine, 侯 (Hóu) regained the title in 2013 by a 5½ – 1½ match victory.
After tying for third at Gibraltar this February short of her 21st birthday, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) pushed her rating to 2686, around 65th in the world, just ahead of Judit Polgár. [This writer is no fan of the inces - sant comparison of ratings. Judit is 38 and has a much longer record of excellence at the very highest level.]
侯 (Hóu) had a contract to come to Hawaii, and the Women’s World Championship in Sochi, Russia started without her. Was she eyeing bigger fish? At press time the final match was pending between Natalia Pogonina of Russia and Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine.
At the Hawaii Festival 侯 (Hóu) took part in a quadrangular rapid/blitz tournament, leaving GMs Timur Gareev and Sam Shankland far behind. Armenia’s 19-year-old GM Hovannes Gabozyan dominated the Open tournament for a $5,000 prize. It had six other grand - masters among 108 participants. Conditions and hospitality under Hawaii Chess Federation President Beau Mueller were superb.
The personable 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was most gracious during the interview. She may admire Bobby Fischer as a player, but she is nothing like him.
— Thanks for granting this interview to our readers. How did you learn to speak English so well?
— I had a lot of practice from a young age, solving daily problems. I went to English school, got fundamental knowledge.
— How many years of English did you take?
— Not years, hours.
[I was deeply impressed. Young Americans proficient in Chinese are rare.]
— Here's a question from our USCF President, Ruth Haring: If equal numbers of men and women played chess, would it level the playing field (equalizing strength)?
— I don’t really think so. The nature of man and woman is different. Woman is more sensitive and emotional. Women are more kind in facing an emergency. When you are in time pressure you must be calm, not nervous. Men can be more concentrated.
— In 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé)’s very interesting book “[The] Chinese School of Chess” [Batsford, 2002] he says women are equal in tactics, but inferior in strategy.
— This is a theory book, not really practical; I can’t fully understand it. Yes, I think we are good in tactics, about strategy I am not 100 percent sure.
— Now a question from GM Yasser Seirawan, whom you know. What is your final ambition? To be in the top 10, or more?
— If you set any final goal, how can you go further? I should fight to be in top 10. That means the elite level, it means more than winning a tournament like Women’s Championship. Yes, I would like to play a match with Carlsen, of course, but I still have some distance to catch him, I’m looking forward. If I play him now, I have no hope to win. [He is more than four years her senior, and has defeated her in two classical games.]
— When you walk around 北京 (Běijīng), do people recognize you?
— In the national-team sports area, yes. Around the university, no. Many would recognize my name, it is better-known than my face. We don’t televise live games as in basketball. Chess is not that popular in China. In 1895 China suffered a catastrophic setback from the West. We developed our own games [like 象棋 (xiàngqí), Chinese chess]. Only in the open policy from 1979-80 under 邓小平 (Dèng Xiǎopíng) was international chess welcomed.
[I showed her a decades-old minicomputer that plays 象棋 (xiàngqí). The instructions in Chinese were over the reporter’s head. I offered it to Ms. 侯 (Hóu).]
— No, you keep it. It is very precious
— How do you use computers for training?
— They can help you check opponent’s games, check accuracy of analysis, but classical books can help you with tactics, endgames, and intuition.
— What classical books have you read? Nimzowitsch?
— Not entirely
— Tarrasch?
— Not really.
— Botvinnik?
— He’s in Russian, and I don’t understand Russian. Some books in Chinese, tactics, end games, New In Chess opening books. Books cannot be ignored.
[She is a known admirer of Fischer, and eagerly accepted some literature about him, but was not asked about his books.]
— How will chess be regarded in China in 20 years?
— With globalization, the whole world should be connected. Chess should be a universal language.
— Fischer, asked why the Soviet Union was best in chess, had a brief answer: “Money”.
— In Russia there is more basis for chess, politicians, business people, sponsors. In China, table tennis and other sports are more im portant.
— Now that Chinese players have won the Olympiad, and the women’s world championship, doesn’t the government increase funds for chess?
— I don’t feel that. That’s all I can say.
— Apart from chess, what plans do you have in life?
— After my bachelor’s degree, I will study for a master’s. I would like to use chess for international communication, diplomacy, gathering people together.
— Like Capablanca?
— Not so political.
— You defeated Judit Polgár when you were 17. Is that your only game with her?
— Yes.
— Do you think having children ends a woman’s chess career?
— That’s a key moment, but you can take off a few years and come back.
— GM Gata Kamsky gave up chess for 10 years. Maybe he lost some strength thereby.
— But he gained experiences and knowledge, also important for a chessplayer.
— Finally, what is your message to American girl players?
— You must have passion for chess. Girls have many interests, like fashion [Ms. 侯 (Hóu) dresses quite fashionably]. You must not be forced to play chess. Have passion.
— Thanks, and all success to you in the future.
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