Chess, Homeland, and Family

Eduardo González Acosta, Hou Yifan: “Lleva el ajedrez de la mano de su vida y familia” | 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): “My life and family come first than chess”, diariopresente.mx, June 30, 2017

13th Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China visited the facilities of diariopresente.mx, where, prior to her lecture in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, had a pleasant conversation with reporters, in which she shared her philosophy as an outstanding sportswoman and also made clear that she is a human being not maniacally focused on her unisex sport science. “The gender issue is irrilevant, it’s the same whether you are a female or a male. That’s one of the prerogatives of chess: it’s unisex!”. – How can chess help today’s society that is troubled by infinite problems? – Chess can help very much to alleviate the pressure and may be a very useful intellectual instrument. I invite people to practice chess because it may help to mitigate, if not cancel, anxiety and pressure, and to focus more reflectively on anyone’s own life. The most important thing is that young people may have hope in their future and the very real possibility of a bright future. – What does chess mean to you? And what is your philosophy of life? – Most of my life is devoted to chess, but not all my life. I have also another life, a life of my own. Chess is my profession, but not the only one. My family lays out my philosophy of life; my family and the people I want to be with. Success is important in life, but not more important than family. One must learn to enjoy life as it is. – Have you ever dreamed to win a medal at the Summer Olympics? – Chess is not included in Summer Olympics, but I have often been the team captain in the biennial chess tournaments named chess olympiads. The matter is of public interest: chess is not easily representable on television, and I guess this is the reason why it is not included in Summer and Winter Olympics.

(Free translation by Nobody’s Perfect)

13th Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) with the President of Mexican Chess Federation Mr. Mario Ramírez Barajas in the Diario Presente offices. Photo: diariopresente.mx.