Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) talks about her career as a child prodigy
Ksenia Petrova
wonderzine.com, May 17, 2017
Ksenia Petrova
wonderzine.com, May 17, 2017
Chess — An Élite and Predominantly Male Sport — In recent years chess quickly returned to its ancient popularity. The world is again struck with the matches of the super-Grandmasters, and even those who know little or nothing about chess have heard a bit about the the dramatic last year’s World Chess Championship match between Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin from Russia and Magnus Carlsen from Norway. Now in Moscow is underway the second stage of one of the key chess Stargates — the Grand Prix series: the top two finishers will accede to 2018 Candidates Tournament and will enjoy the opportunity to fight for challenging Carlsen for the World title.
Even here, at Moscow’s stage, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China is the only female Grandmaster to perform in the Grand Prix series, by direct nomination from World Chess/Agon Limited, which organises all the tournaments of the World Championship cycle. Although 逸凡 (Yìfán) is only 23 years old, hardly anyone would ever dare to call her “budding”: at the age of 12 she became the youngest International Grandmaster in chess history, and at 14 she reached the finals of the Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament. The four-time defending Women’s World Chess Champion pretty soon began to show up at men’s tournaments, where the average strength level is far higher (as well as the money prizes).
Before the beginning of the Moscow Grand Prix, we talked with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) about her childhood as a “chess prodigy” and the reason why women don’t compete in men’s chess circuit.
Even here, at Moscow’s stage, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China is the only female Grandmaster to perform in the Grand Prix series, by direct nomination from World Chess/Agon Limited, which organises all the tournaments of the World Championship cycle. Although 逸凡 (Yìfán) is only 23 years old, hardly anyone would ever dare to call her “budding”: at the age of 12 she became the youngest International Grandmaster in chess history, and at 14 she reached the finals of the Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament. The four-time defending Women’s World Chess Champion pretty soon began to show up at men’s tournaments, where the average strength level is far higher (as well as the money prizes).
Before the beginning of the Moscow Grand Prix, we talked with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) about her childhood as a “chess prodigy” and the reason why women don’t compete in men’s chess circuit.
Chess Childhood
I was five and a half when I started studying with my first teacher — an amateur player who put up a small school at his home in 南京 (Nánjīng). Before the diffusion of the Internet, there was very little devoted literature and, in general, almost no information about chess. I particularly remember the old book from which our teacher chose the exercises: we had to set up the pieces as shown in the diagram, and start the game from such positions.
I was very young and I can’t remember exactly how it all started, but my parents told me that I began playing Chinese checkers very early — and almost immediately I was able to outplay those who taught me. Mom and Dad thought it would have been nice to introduce me to other mind games that develop logical thinking, and they enrolled me in the chess section, where I started spending several hours a week. At the same time, like all children, I was involved in a lot of other things which interested me: music, dance; I played and chatted with my peers. At some point, I ended up attending too many classes, and my parents advised me to choose one — so I decided to study chess, because I liked it the most. Then I started participating in chess tournaments in Northern China — at the time I was assisted by a coach who once was a national Champion, but retired at his peak. And within ten years I was admitted to the National Chess Centre in 北京 (Běijīng).
Support for Family and Friends
Child prodigies are often doomed to feel regret — no matter whether objectively or subjectively — for not having had a serene childhood and having missed some important life experiences that won’t repeat themselves. That was not my case: I always did what I liked, nobody forced me to anything. When it became clear that chess was a serious matter for me, our family moved to 北京 (Běijīng). Mom was a nurse, but she decided to quit her job to follow me through my chess odyssey — this was especially important when I was a teenager and I could not have travelled alone. Usually, the players can bring with them a friend or family member, and my constant support is my mother. Yet, she is still here with me, in Moscow.
I was five and a half when I started studying with my first teacher — an amateur player who put up a small school at his home in 南京 (Nánjīng). Before the diffusion of the Internet, there was very little devoted literature and, in general, almost no information about chess. I particularly remember the old book from which our teacher chose the exercises: we had to set up the pieces as shown in the diagram, and start the game from such positions.
I was very young and I can’t remember exactly how it all started, but my parents told me that I began playing Chinese checkers very early — and almost immediately I was able to outplay those who taught me. Mom and Dad thought it would have been nice to introduce me to other mind games that develop logical thinking, and they enrolled me in the chess section, where I started spending several hours a week. At the same time, like all children, I was involved in a lot of other things which interested me: music, dance; I played and chatted with my peers. At some point, I ended up attending too many classes, and my parents advised me to choose one — so I decided to study chess, because I liked it the most. Then I started participating in chess tournaments in Northern China — at the time I was assisted by a coach who once was a national Champion, but retired at his peak. And within ten years I was admitted to the National Chess Centre in 北京 (Běijīng).
Support for Family and Friends
Child prodigies are often doomed to feel regret — no matter whether objectively or subjectively — for not having had a serene childhood and having missed some important life experiences that won’t repeat themselves. That was not my case: I always did what I liked, nobody forced me to anything. When it became clear that chess was a serious matter for me, our family moved to 北京 (Běijīng). Mom was a nurse, but she decided to quit her job to follow me through my chess odyssey — this was especially important when I was a teenager and I could not have travelled alone. Usually, the players can bring with them a friend or family member, and my constant support is my mother. Yet, she is still here with me, in Moscow.
“Mom was a nurse, but she decided to quit her job to follow me through my chess odyssey”
Chess now takes up most of my time, but this doesn’t mean that I haven’t other hobbies and time for entertainment. It hasn’t been always easy to combine chess with curricular study, especially in high school, but I think I did not miss anything important at school. Last year I graduated from the Faculty of International Relations and, probably, I will continue my studies by pursuing a Master’s degree in the United States.
Today, computers play a big role in chess training, but it is not all about it: together with other members of the national team, we read chess books, solve problems, analyse other people’s games and play training games with each other. Of course, sometimes I play with friends, just for fun. In the chess community there is a pleasant atmosphere, and, naturally, I have a lot of friends among players, not only from China. The circle of people constantly participating in international tournaments is rather narrow, and sooner or later you end up building friendly relationships with players from other countries.
Why We Need “Female” Chess
Although sometimes I hear things about a “male” and a “female” style of play, I think, first of all, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the player as well as on some cultural aspects. It is thought, for instance, that men are more aggressive and more easily willing to assume risks, but really I do not think of these qualities as being gender-related. Generally speaking, on average women play worse, but it’s not a matter of biology, but rather of historical heritage – although we should not forget that chess, like other sports, requires physical strength and endurance, and men are usually physically stronger. Perhaps women used to make more emotional decisions, and they are also more impressionable, but it’s not a matter of male and female brains; it’s rather due to the lack of a consolidate tradition of women’s chess and a minor degree of experience. How can women emerge as chess players if they are not seriously involved in chess education from early childhood?
Chess now takes up most of my time, but this doesn’t mean that I haven’t other hobbies and time for entertainment. It hasn’t been always easy to combine chess with curricular study, especially in high school, but I think I did not miss anything important at school. Last year I graduated from the Faculty of International Relations and, probably, I will continue my studies by pursuing a Master’s degree in the United States.
Today, computers play a big role in chess training, but it is not all about it: together with other members of the national team, we read chess books, solve problems, analyse other people’s games and play training games with each other. Of course, sometimes I play with friends, just for fun. In the chess community there is a pleasant atmosphere, and, naturally, I have a lot of friends among players, not only from China. The circle of people constantly participating in international tournaments is rather narrow, and sooner or later you end up building friendly relationships with players from other countries.
Why We Need “Female” Chess
Although sometimes I hear things about a “male” and a “female” style of play, I think, first of all, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the player as well as on some cultural aspects. It is thought, for instance, that men are more aggressive and more easily willing to assume risks, but really I do not think of these qualities as being gender-related. Generally speaking, on average women play worse, but it’s not a matter of biology, but rather of historical heritage – although we should not forget that chess, like other sports, requires physical strength and endurance, and men are usually physically stronger. Perhaps women used to make more emotional decisions, and they are also more impressionable, but it’s not a matter of male and female brains; it’s rather due to the lack of a consolidate tradition of women’s chess and a minor degree of experience. How can women emerge as chess players if they are not seriously involved in chess education from early childhood?
“The existence of a Women’s World Championship is out of question as it gives the players the opportunity to test their skills and gain competitive experience”
The existence of a Women’s World Championship is out of question as it gives the players the opportunity to test their skills and gain competitive experience. It’s important, however, to participate in mixed tournaments on even terms with men — otherwise you won’t ever know your true strength. The main problem of women’s circuit lays in its systemic imperfections, but these are rather technical details, which I hope may be amended [Ed. Note: This year, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) refused to defend her title at the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament in Tehran, since she considers unfair the knockout format]. For instance, according to the current rules, the reigning World Champion doesn’t need to pass again through all the qualifying stages to defend his title: now Magnus Carlsen just sits and waits until all his contenders played each other, and in 2018 he will play a match with the winner of the Candidates. The rules for the Women’s Championship are different: every year you have to start it all over again, which seems unfair to me.
Future Plans
It is unlikely that, in the foreseeable future, men’s and women’s tournaments will finally become gender-neutral. Actually, the separation depends upon the will of the players themselves — especially since women have every right to participate in men’s field. However, the difference in the average level of men and women in chess is yet too big: only one woman [Ed. Note: Hungarian Grandmaster Judit Polgár] is ranked in the FIDE rating list of the top 100, and there are almost no strong female players in the top 1000 — if there weren’t distinct tournaments and a distinct Grandmaster title for women only, solely few female players would be able to claim titles, participate in tournaments and earn enough money, and all will develop even more slowly. Each of us is working to reduce the gap, but it will take a long time to completely cancel it.
I’m not sure I will be interested to train professional players in my future. I do not exclude it a priori, but I am much more interested to involve myself in popularizing chess among those who never played and don’t plan to devote all their time to it. I myself experienced how much chess may be as much helpful as pedagogical in other spheres of life — I wish to share my experience and knowledge to help others.
The existence of a Women’s World Championship is out of question as it gives the players the opportunity to test their skills and gain competitive experience. It’s important, however, to participate in mixed tournaments on even terms with men — otherwise you won’t ever know your true strength. The main problem of women’s circuit lays in its systemic imperfections, but these are rather technical details, which I hope may be amended [Ed. Note: This year, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) refused to defend her title at the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament in Tehran, since she considers unfair the knockout format]. For instance, according to the current rules, the reigning World Champion doesn’t need to pass again through all the qualifying stages to defend his title: now Magnus Carlsen just sits and waits until all his contenders played each other, and in 2018 he will play a match with the winner of the Candidates. The rules for the Women’s Championship are different: every year you have to start it all over again, which seems unfair to me.
Future Plans
It is unlikely that, in the foreseeable future, men’s and women’s tournaments will finally become gender-neutral. Actually, the separation depends upon the will of the players themselves — especially since women have every right to participate in men’s field. However, the difference in the average level of men and women in chess is yet too big: only one woman [Ed. Note: Hungarian Grandmaster Judit Polgár] is ranked in the FIDE rating list of the top 100, and there are almost no strong female players in the top 1000 — if there weren’t distinct tournaments and a distinct Grandmaster title for women only, solely few female players would be able to claim titles, participate in tournaments and earn enough money, and all will develop even more slowly. Each of us is working to reduce the gap, but it will take a long time to completely cancel it.
I’m not sure I will be interested to train professional players in my future. I do not exclude it a priori, but I am much more interested to involve myself in popularizing chess among those who never played and don’t plan to devote all their time to it. I myself experienced how much chess may be as much helpful as pedagogical in other spheres of life — I wish to share my experience and knowledge to help others.
(English translation by I, Robot)
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