侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): The General Secretary asked me why there is such a big difference in chess between men and women. I answered like this
The Candidates Tournament 2020 is currently taking place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), the “Genius Girl” who became the youngest Women’s World Champion ever at 16, was invited by the Organising Committee to serve as a commentator for the Chinese-speaking audiences. 观察者网 (Guānchá Net) interviewed Miss 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on a set of questions about the preparation of the two Chinese players and the development and promotion of chess in China.
Interview by 武守哲 (Wǔ Shǒuzhé)
观察者网 (Guānchá Net), April 2, 2020
— Hello 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), I am very pleased to have an interview with you. At present [Translator’s note: the interview dates back to Friday, March 20, 2020], the Candidates Tournament is in full swing in Yekaterinburg, Russia. What is the situation on the court? As the pandemic is spreading around the world, what protective measures did Russian organisers take to safeguard their Candidates?
— FIDE had already posted a set of safety measures on its web site, and provided masks, hand sanitisers, disinfectant and paper towels to the Organising Committee for free. In principle each of such equipments is also available to the players. All members of the staff, including journalists and photographers, are advised to wear masks. Furthermore, on purely safety considerations, the players were allowed not to take part in the opening ceremony, which, as far as I can remember, had never occurred before in chess history.
As many as 2,000 spectators attended the ceremony. Former World Chess Champion Karpov was also there. I too was invited. But as for the players, they were free to come or not.
On the spot, all players are to be tested twice every day, including throat examinations. The nucleic acid test was performed on the first day and should be repeated around the tenth day. A doctor is always on call.
— I noticed that just as you and 彭肇勤 (Péng Zhàoqín) wear masks during your live broadcast, so most players do elbow bumps in place of handshakes.
— Yeah, Russia’s Nepo always does the elbow bump with his opponents. The live video, however, also shows deeply concentrated players who shake hands with each other. In such unusual times, FIDE leaves everyone free to greet each other as they please.
— For the first time in chess history, there are two Chinese Candidates: 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and 王皓 (Wáng Hào). Can you tell us how they prepared, and how much did the outbreak in China affect their preparation?
— For now, 王皓 (Wáng Hào)’s performance in the first three rounds was relatively steady, and he is in the first rank. He scored two points. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s two consecutive losses in the first two rounds clearly indicate that something is not good, but he is who won a crucial game against the American Caruana, who’s the world’s number two and is regarded by the chess establishment as the most likely challenger to Carlsen. Winning will greatly benefit 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s psychological well being. I just hope he and 王皓 (Wáng Hào) have not been too affected by the outbreak, but it’s undeniable that preparing only online for an offline date may be not easy.
王皓 (Wáng Hào) flew from Japan to Russia and arrived here two or three days in advance. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) came from China, and arrived in Moscow about 14 days prior to the date. After a two-week quarantine period, he finally flew from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. I don’t know how much he may have been affected by his enforced stay in a nursing home abroad.
The Candidates Tournament 2020 is currently taking place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), the “Genius Girl” who became the youngest Women’s World Champion ever at 16, was invited by the Organising Committee to serve as a commentator for the Chinese-speaking audiences. 观察者网 (Guānchá Net) interviewed Miss 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on a set of questions about the preparation of the two Chinese players and the development and promotion of chess in China.
Interview by 武守哲 (Wǔ Shǒuzhé)
观察者网 (Guānchá Net), April 2, 2020
— Hello 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), I am very pleased to have an interview with you. At present [Translator’s note: the interview dates back to Friday, March 20, 2020], the Candidates Tournament is in full swing in Yekaterinburg, Russia. What is the situation on the court? As the pandemic is spreading around the world, what protective measures did Russian organisers take to safeguard their Candidates?
— FIDE had already posted a set of safety measures on its web site, and provided masks, hand sanitisers, disinfectant and paper towels to the Organising Committee for free. In principle each of such equipments is also available to the players. All members of the staff, including journalists and photographers, are advised to wear masks. Furthermore, on purely safety considerations, the players were allowed not to take part in the opening ceremony, which, as far as I can remember, had never occurred before in chess history.
As many as 2,000 spectators attended the ceremony. Former World Chess Champion Karpov was also there. I too was invited. But as for the players, they were free to come or not.
On the spot, all players are to be tested twice every day, including throat examinations. The nucleic acid test was performed on the first day and should be repeated around the tenth day. A doctor is always on call.
— I noticed that just as you and 彭肇勤 (Péng Zhàoqín) wear masks during your live broadcast, so most players do elbow bumps in place of handshakes.
— Yeah, Russia’s Nepo always does the elbow bump with his opponents. The live video, however, also shows deeply concentrated players who shake hands with each other. In such unusual times, FIDE leaves everyone free to greet each other as they please.
— For the first time in chess history, there are two Chinese Candidates: 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and 王皓 (Wáng Hào). Can you tell us how they prepared, and how much did the outbreak in China affect their preparation?
— For now, 王皓 (Wáng Hào)’s performance in the first three rounds was relatively steady, and he is in the first rank. He scored two points. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s two consecutive losses in the first two rounds clearly indicate that something is not good, but he is who won a crucial game against the American Caruana, who’s the world’s number two and is regarded by the chess establishment as the most likely challenger to Carlsen. Winning will greatly benefit 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s psychological well being. I just hope he and 王皓 (Wáng Hào) have not been too affected by the outbreak, but it’s undeniable that preparing only online for an offline date may be not easy.
王皓 (Wáng Hào) flew from Japan to Russia and arrived here two or three days in advance. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) came from China, and arrived in Moscow about 14 days prior to the date. After a two-week quarantine period, he finally flew from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. I don’t know how much he may have been affected by his enforced stay in a nursing home abroad.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) in Yekaterinburg. Photo © Lennart Ootes. |
— Caruana’s name sounds similar to “coronavirus”. A name which is above every result.
— Haha, his name is now the object of the macabre satire by the netizens. Well, he is currently ranked number two in the world and I have played many times against him. He is a very strong player and deserves the most respect.
— It is now almost ten years since you first became Women’s World Chess Champion. What do you think has changed the most since then?
— Yes, it was my first time as a Women’s World Chess Champion, in Christmas 2010. Since the last ten years, as for chess, I gained much experience from my tournament praxis, and I feel my level has quite improved since. Now my chess style is more balanced and comprehensive. On the positive side, I learned to be strong and bold in any situations, no matter whether in attack or defence. On the negative side, I’m playing very few games lately, so it is quite difficult for any form of assessment to establish certainty of evaluation.
I also spent a lot of time on my studies since the last two years. I entered Peking University in 2008; in 2018 I successfully applied for a scholarship at the University of Oxford in order to further my studies. Compared with my first time in 2010, now I feel I am maintaining a better balance between academic studies and chess. Furthermore, in comparison to my teen chess professional status, I will now do more of that. I will devote myself also to extras such as chess promotion and games commentary rather than focusing only on agonism as one time. I attended the graduation ceremony at the University of Oxford last fall.
— Haha, his name is now the object of the macabre satire by the netizens. Well, he is currently ranked number two in the world and I have played many times against him. He is a very strong player and deserves the most respect.
— It is now almost ten years since you first became Women’s World Chess Champion. What do you think has changed the most since then?
— Yes, it was my first time as a Women’s World Chess Champion, in Christmas 2010. Since the last ten years, as for chess, I gained much experience from my tournament praxis, and I feel my level has quite improved since. Now my chess style is more balanced and comprehensive. On the positive side, I learned to be strong and bold in any situations, no matter whether in attack or defence. On the negative side, I’m playing very few games lately, so it is quite difficult for any form of assessment to establish certainty of evaluation.
I also spent a lot of time on my studies since the last two years. I entered Peking University in 2008; in 2018 I successfully applied for a scholarship at the University of Oxford in order to further my studies. Compared with my first time in 2010, now I feel I am maintaining a better balance between academic studies and chess. Furthermore, in comparison to my teen chess professional status, I will now do more of that. I will devote myself also to extras such as chess promotion and games commentary rather than focusing only on agonism as one time. I attended the graduation ceremony at the University of Oxford last fall.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (first row, third from right) celebrating her graduation from St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford on November 9, 2019 with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP). Photo: St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford. |
— Now a question about the application of artificial intelligence in chess. Senior Grandmaster 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān) once told that, whenever he went abroad, he had to bring with him a suitcase filled with chess books. Now the younger generations need only a notebook computer. Do you think AI has changed chess life style?
— First we had AlphaGo for Go. Then DeepMind developed AlphaZero for chess. AlphaZero challenged and defeated Stockfish, one of the most powerful engines until then. Due to the emergence of AlphaZero, the IT community has specially developed chess-related software, which has actually brought changes in the preparation, especially with respect to openings.
Yesterday’s game between 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Caruana gave many spectators the impression that Caruana’s opening was homemade with the help of artificial intelligence. Of course, only he knows that. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s on-the-spur-of-the-moment reaction was also quite accurate. Nevertheless, it was not easy to keep the edge to the end, due to those psychological and technical reasons which prevent anyone from always playing the best moves.
The first boom of computer chess occurred in Kasparov’s era. IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue is now more than 20 years old. In fact, since the last twenty years, no human player has yet succeeded in proving himself greater than Kasparov, but as instead countlessly updated engines, such as Fritz, are by now much stronger than Deep Blue. This is just a machine learning success story.
This will inevitably change the way players prepare. You also mentioned that Grandmaster 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān), in his prime, used to fill his baggage with books and notebooks. Now, it won’t happen anymore. Today, it takes only a notebook computer — and a database — to keep all opening theory stored in one or two hard disks. If the computer gets accidentally lost, all the data stored in it are lost as well, with most regret. Many classic chess books, however, are closer to human thinking, which is still very helpful for improving at chess.
— There is a popular opinion that the application and development of artificial intelligence in chess, including Go and 象棋 (Xiàngqí), took the magic off the board. When openings are dictated by AI, no symphony will come from it, and the man-machine story will be extremely dull. What do you think about it?
— Well, I wouldn’t be so pessimistic. The answer to your question is double-sided. Brilliant games will be more and more rare — that’s reasonably certain. The reason why a game looks exciting is the “cooperation” process between the two opponents. The brilliant moves of one player depend upon his opponent’s mistakes. If no one makes mistakes, then the game will inevitably end in a draw.
Now everyone thinks that chess games are getting more and more boring. On one hand, the two opponents go quietly toward a near draw. The first 20 moves — sometimes the first 30 — of most games are really not “human”. The borderline between middle game and endgame is always more ineffable. The primacy of aesthetics has ceded a great deal of ground to the primacy of competitive sports. That is, the enhancement of human wisdom. After all, artificial intelligence is essentially an embodiment of human wisdom. For professionals, there is still a strong, logical thinking behind most of their moves.
As for human vs. machine confrontation, I don’t think the two sides should be in opposition. It should be found a way of peaceful coexistence between them. This raises a moral issue, that is, where is the boundary between human and artificial intelligence? Should we set a dividing line at a certain node in the future timeline? Who knows, maybe not letting artificial intelligence pervade all chess matter might even help to keep the game on its high status.
— The Chinese Chess Association had made a long-term plan for the development of chess in China, that is, the “three-step” strategy. Women’s World Chess Championship, Men’s and Women’s Team Chess Championships and Men’s Championship. Now the first two steps (out of three) have been accomplished, and Chinese players are more and more esteemed in foreign countries. However, it was noted that, on average, they tend to withdraw pretty soon. What do you think about it?
— I’d like to make just a small amendment to your mention of “three-step” strategy. 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé), a veteran Chinese Grandmaster, proposed a “four-step”: women’s individual, women’s team, men’s team, men’s individual. So far we have accomplished the first three steps (out of four).
The length of a player’s career does not depend upon a single thread. Chess is a physically exhausting sport. Games are intense and high-stakes, and it’s not always easy to stay in good shape and to be in good health. A propitious environment may help make a chess career easier. China is bound to traditional values, and such values can overcome other vocations. As results worsen, insecurity instills doubts. A sum of uncertainties seemingly insignificant may prompt a player to decide to withdraw.
Yes, although subjectively based, chess careers in China are usually shorter than those of the West, where the stage is still set up for people of 60 or 70 years of age. Although being in her 50s, Swedish female player Cramling is still on top. She took part in various stages of Women’s Grand Prix last year.
— Can it be a question of money? In comparison with Go, Chinese chess players get more modest prize money and wages. Their per capita income is apparently lower than that of professional Go player 柯洁 (Kē Jié).
— Yes, as far as I know, indeed Go enjoys a higher bonus than chess, but I don’t have precise evidence at hand. But if it were true that top Go players earn more than top chess players, then that’s a good reason for further promoting chess worldwide. In order to achieve this goal, we have to involve more partnership sponsors and organise more high-level contests, so as to actually promote the marketability of chess.
— Some time ago, there was a hot debate topic in Chinese sport, that is the case 孙杨 (Sūn Yáng) vs. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finally ruled that 孙杨 (Sūn Yáng) was guilty. 逸凡 (Yìfán), what do you think about doping in chess?
— I myself also underwent many doping tests during my international career. Dozens of players will be tested in official contests such as Olympics and World Championships. In the case of mass events, there will be random on-the-spot checks. The nature of the relationship between doping and chess seems to me very interesting.
Do chess players really need anti-doping test? I think this is questionable. If a player intentionally or unintentionally takes a stimulant, whether it has a positive or negative effect on his performance is actually inconclusive. Other aerobic sports, such as athletics or swimming, require explosive force, whereas a game at chess may take from four to eight hours. Only medical science can establish facts on the doping issue.
But, since FIDE continues to claim that chess is a competitive sport, anti-doping tests are required.
— As for doping policy, FIDE may focus on anti-cheating. Now players are not allowed to bring any electronic device into the playing hall.
— Yes, indeed. This also depends upon the development of artificial intelligence related software. Actually cheating is quite rare in professional chess. FIDE’s anti-cheating measures are relatively comprehensive. For instance, some tournament rule requires players not to wear watches, no matter whether mechanical or digital.
— Now the long-standing question as to the huge gap between women and men. At present, you’re the only woman in the top 100 players in the world — and that is a godsend for feminists. What do you think about it?
— I have discussed this issue with my friends many times. My answer stands upon three points.
First, cardinality is different. In terms of the number of people learning chess, there are definitively more men than women, so according to the pyramid theory, there is a much higher probability of men being top high-level players.
Secondly, there is the difference in physical strength. Although chess is called a mind sport, the physical energy consumption per each game is very great, just like the actual Candidates Tournament, which is a protracted battle lasting for about 20 days. A healthy mind in a healthy body (mens sana in corpore sano) may help reduce the chances of mistakes to a minimum. And men are physically stronger than women;
And thirdly, as for chess, men and women differ in terms of mental structure and thinking mode. Men can be more objective and calm than women.
— Many feminists abroad would be glad to catch your third point and throw the gauntlet down.
— Let’s make another analogy. Suppose a last-round game in which the goal is only a draw to win a championship match. A calm person will play safely for a draw. Instead an emotional person may not prioritise the most useful result. When the game will reach its critical climax, one will be content with the most pragmatic solution, such as a threefold repetitions, while another will bravely go for the upper hand with all the uncertainties of a situation which might offer, for instance, a 75% chance of winning vs. a 25% chance of losing. The question is how to balance these approaches.
One time, I went for the thrill of it, but I did not continue too accurately, and I had to work hard till the end to get a draw. Thus, there do seem to be some innate physiological differences which cannot be ignored. This is an interesting matter which needs further debate in the chess and scientific circles. I’m just sharing my personal experiences: I have no authoritative data to back it up.
Last but not least, marriage and maternity make a big difference in women’s and men’s lives, as women must take care of their families, and their energy will be dispersed on account of having children.
— Yes, that happens in every field. It is an every woman’s story. Now a question about Russia. At present, on the average, Russia is still the strongest chess country in the world. What does Russia have more than China?
— The golden age of Russian chess is actually linked to the former Soviet Union. After entering the 21st century, Russian players have gradually lost their dominant position. Of course, on the average, as a whole, they are still the strongest, but individually speaking, they are no longer a superpower.
Individually speaking, none of them is seated in the driver’s seat. Of course, they do benefit from their huge cultural chess heritage, but emerging countries like China and India are seriously challenging Russia’s status. They did not win neither the individual nor the team championships.
So what was the secret of the success of chess in Soviet Union? Part of it also had to do with their countless outstanding preceptors. For instance, the super Grandmaster Botvinnik, the “Patriarch of the Soviet Chess School”, who has cultivated many World Champions, such as Kramnik, not only focusing on chess tactics and strategies, but carrying on an integrated program, from studying to physical exercise. China gives its players a relatively greater degree of freedom, such as for diet and daily life. A model method although not in a unified framework.
If, on one hand, the industrial training of players can actually produce a number of excellent “products”, on the other hand, the use of such a system limits the space for creativity and imagination, and suppresses the potential for free growth.
So Russia is still relying upon its vintage “belt passing”. It has a strong foundation. Older generations produced lots of talents, lots of deep theories and teachers, and lots of books. Their books were translated in almost all world languages, forming a platform of global idea sharing. Chess players from other countries also studied Russian chess methods and instruction through the Internet. In the era of globalisation, the essence of Russian teaching methods leads the way, which had been split in East and West during the Cold War.
— In recent years, I have been paying attention to the development of American players. Checking some information, I found that the percentage of Chinese teenagers learning chess is very high. I wonder, do Chinese people like and excel at engaging in some mind games in comparison with people of other ethnic groups? The number of African-Americans playing chess is very small.
— As for the ethnic theory, I am more inclined to believe that geographical and social values may have a carry-over effect. If Africans grow up in a community with strong soccer roots, inevitably they’ll be drawn in, and most of them will play soccer. The social reward mechanism will also influence the employment path. For instance, in China, chess may well impact the students’ ease of entering college and further their education.
In fact, chess development in Africa is still very good. There is also a movie of Africans playing chess. Egyptian and South African players are also very active on the world stage. So the macro environment is important.
Even in China, there is still a regional difference between chess. In cities such as 北京 (Běijīng), 上海 (Shànghǎi), 广州 (Guǎngzhōu), and 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), chess is developing very well. In the vast central and western regions, however, the population base is still low enough to make the state of chess yet undeveloped.
— And now, thanks to you, 江苏省 (Jiāngsū)’s 兴化 (Xīnghuà) has earned the title of “China’s Chess Capital”.
— As a 兴化 (Xīnghuà) person, I am very happy about it. The chess atmosphere in my birth city is really fine. Since 2008, there have been top-level adult and youth competitions in 兴化 (Xīnghuà) every year, and the Municipal Government has also vigorously promoted chess. 兴化 (Xīnghuà) has indeed become a fertile ground for the blooming of chess in China. There is also 儋州 (Dānzhōu), 海南 (Hǎinán) Island — another chess capital.
— First we had AlphaGo for Go. Then DeepMind developed AlphaZero for chess. AlphaZero challenged and defeated Stockfish, one of the most powerful engines until then. Due to the emergence of AlphaZero, the IT community has specially developed chess-related software, which has actually brought changes in the preparation, especially with respect to openings.
Yesterday’s game between 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Caruana gave many spectators the impression that Caruana’s opening was homemade with the help of artificial intelligence. Of course, only he knows that. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s on-the-spur-of-the-moment reaction was also quite accurate. Nevertheless, it was not easy to keep the edge to the end, due to those psychological and technical reasons which prevent anyone from always playing the best moves.
The first boom of computer chess occurred in Kasparov’s era. IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue is now more than 20 years old. In fact, since the last twenty years, no human player has yet succeeded in proving himself greater than Kasparov, but as instead countlessly updated engines, such as Fritz, are by now much stronger than Deep Blue. This is just a machine learning success story.
This will inevitably change the way players prepare. You also mentioned that Grandmaster 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān), in his prime, used to fill his baggage with books and notebooks. Now, it won’t happen anymore. Today, it takes only a notebook computer — and a database — to keep all opening theory stored in one or two hard disks. If the computer gets accidentally lost, all the data stored in it are lost as well, with most regret. Many classic chess books, however, are closer to human thinking, which is still very helpful for improving at chess.
— There is a popular opinion that the application and development of artificial intelligence in chess, including Go and 象棋 (Xiàngqí), took the magic off the board. When openings are dictated by AI, no symphony will come from it, and the man-machine story will be extremely dull. What do you think about it?
— Well, I wouldn’t be so pessimistic. The answer to your question is double-sided. Brilliant games will be more and more rare — that’s reasonably certain. The reason why a game looks exciting is the “cooperation” process between the two opponents. The brilliant moves of one player depend upon his opponent’s mistakes. If no one makes mistakes, then the game will inevitably end in a draw.
Now everyone thinks that chess games are getting more and more boring. On one hand, the two opponents go quietly toward a near draw. The first 20 moves — sometimes the first 30 — of most games are really not “human”. The borderline between middle game and endgame is always more ineffable. The primacy of aesthetics has ceded a great deal of ground to the primacy of competitive sports. That is, the enhancement of human wisdom. After all, artificial intelligence is essentially an embodiment of human wisdom. For professionals, there is still a strong, logical thinking behind most of their moves.
As for human vs. machine confrontation, I don’t think the two sides should be in opposition. It should be found a way of peaceful coexistence between them. This raises a moral issue, that is, where is the boundary between human and artificial intelligence? Should we set a dividing line at a certain node in the future timeline? Who knows, maybe not letting artificial intelligence pervade all chess matter might even help to keep the game on its high status.
— The Chinese Chess Association had made a long-term plan for the development of chess in China, that is, the “three-step” strategy. Women’s World Chess Championship, Men’s and Women’s Team Chess Championships and Men’s Championship. Now the first two steps (out of three) have been accomplished, and Chinese players are more and more esteemed in foreign countries. However, it was noted that, on average, they tend to withdraw pretty soon. What do you think about it?
— I’d like to make just a small amendment to your mention of “three-step” strategy. 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé), a veteran Chinese Grandmaster, proposed a “four-step”: women’s individual, women’s team, men’s team, men’s individual. So far we have accomplished the first three steps (out of four).
The length of a player’s career does not depend upon a single thread. Chess is a physically exhausting sport. Games are intense and high-stakes, and it’s not always easy to stay in good shape and to be in good health. A propitious environment may help make a chess career easier. China is bound to traditional values, and such values can overcome other vocations. As results worsen, insecurity instills doubts. A sum of uncertainties seemingly insignificant may prompt a player to decide to withdraw.
Yes, although subjectively based, chess careers in China are usually shorter than those of the West, where the stage is still set up for people of 60 or 70 years of age. Although being in her 50s, Swedish female player Cramling is still on top. She took part in various stages of Women’s Grand Prix last year.
— Can it be a question of money? In comparison with Go, Chinese chess players get more modest prize money and wages. Their per capita income is apparently lower than that of professional Go player 柯洁 (Kē Jié).
— Yes, as far as I know, indeed Go enjoys a higher bonus than chess, but I don’t have precise evidence at hand. But if it were true that top Go players earn more than top chess players, then that’s a good reason for further promoting chess worldwide. In order to achieve this goal, we have to involve more partnership sponsors and organise more high-level contests, so as to actually promote the marketability of chess.
— Some time ago, there was a hot debate topic in Chinese sport, that is the case 孙杨 (Sūn Yáng) vs. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finally ruled that 孙杨 (Sūn Yáng) was guilty. 逸凡 (Yìfán), what do you think about doping in chess?
— I myself also underwent many doping tests during my international career. Dozens of players will be tested in official contests such as Olympics and World Championships. In the case of mass events, there will be random on-the-spot checks. The nature of the relationship between doping and chess seems to me very interesting.
Do chess players really need anti-doping test? I think this is questionable. If a player intentionally or unintentionally takes a stimulant, whether it has a positive or negative effect on his performance is actually inconclusive. Other aerobic sports, such as athletics or swimming, require explosive force, whereas a game at chess may take from four to eight hours. Only medical science can establish facts on the doping issue.
But, since FIDE continues to claim that chess is a competitive sport, anti-doping tests are required.
— As for doping policy, FIDE may focus on anti-cheating. Now players are not allowed to bring any electronic device into the playing hall.
— Yes, indeed. This also depends upon the development of artificial intelligence related software. Actually cheating is quite rare in professional chess. FIDE’s anti-cheating measures are relatively comprehensive. For instance, some tournament rule requires players not to wear watches, no matter whether mechanical or digital.
— Now the long-standing question as to the huge gap between women and men. At present, you’re the only woman in the top 100 players in the world — and that is a godsend for feminists. What do you think about it?
— I have discussed this issue with my friends many times. My answer stands upon three points.
First, cardinality is different. In terms of the number of people learning chess, there are definitively more men than women, so according to the pyramid theory, there is a much higher probability of men being top high-level players.
Secondly, there is the difference in physical strength. Although chess is called a mind sport, the physical energy consumption per each game is very great, just like the actual Candidates Tournament, which is a protracted battle lasting for about 20 days. A healthy mind in a healthy body (mens sana in corpore sano) may help reduce the chances of mistakes to a minimum. And men are physically stronger than women;
And thirdly, as for chess, men and women differ in terms of mental structure and thinking mode. Men can be more objective and calm than women.
— Many feminists abroad would be glad to catch your third point and throw the gauntlet down.
— Let’s make another analogy. Suppose a last-round game in which the goal is only a draw to win a championship match. A calm person will play safely for a draw. Instead an emotional person may not prioritise the most useful result. When the game will reach its critical climax, one will be content with the most pragmatic solution, such as a threefold repetitions, while another will bravely go for the upper hand with all the uncertainties of a situation which might offer, for instance, a 75% chance of winning vs. a 25% chance of losing. The question is how to balance these approaches.
One time, I went for the thrill of it, but I did not continue too accurately, and I had to work hard till the end to get a draw. Thus, there do seem to be some innate physiological differences which cannot be ignored. This is an interesting matter which needs further debate in the chess and scientific circles. I’m just sharing my personal experiences: I have no authoritative data to back it up.
Last but not least, marriage and maternity make a big difference in women’s and men’s lives, as women must take care of their families, and their energy will be dispersed on account of having children.
— Yes, that happens in every field. It is an every woman’s story. Now a question about Russia. At present, on the average, Russia is still the strongest chess country in the world. What does Russia have more than China?
— The golden age of Russian chess is actually linked to the former Soviet Union. After entering the 21st century, Russian players have gradually lost their dominant position. Of course, on the average, as a whole, they are still the strongest, but individually speaking, they are no longer a superpower.
Individually speaking, none of them is seated in the driver’s seat. Of course, they do benefit from their huge cultural chess heritage, but emerging countries like China and India are seriously challenging Russia’s status. They did not win neither the individual nor the team championships.
So what was the secret of the success of chess in Soviet Union? Part of it also had to do with their countless outstanding preceptors. For instance, the super Grandmaster Botvinnik, the “Patriarch of the Soviet Chess School”, who has cultivated many World Champions, such as Kramnik, not only focusing on chess tactics and strategies, but carrying on an integrated program, from studying to physical exercise. China gives its players a relatively greater degree of freedom, such as for diet and daily life. A model method although not in a unified framework.
If, on one hand, the industrial training of players can actually produce a number of excellent “products”, on the other hand, the use of such a system limits the space for creativity and imagination, and suppresses the potential for free growth.
So Russia is still relying upon its vintage “belt passing”. It has a strong foundation. Older generations produced lots of talents, lots of deep theories and teachers, and lots of books. Their books were translated in almost all world languages, forming a platform of global idea sharing. Chess players from other countries also studied Russian chess methods and instruction through the Internet. In the era of globalisation, the essence of Russian teaching methods leads the way, which had been split in East and West during the Cold War.
— In recent years, I have been paying attention to the development of American players. Checking some information, I found that the percentage of Chinese teenagers learning chess is very high. I wonder, do Chinese people like and excel at engaging in some mind games in comparison with people of other ethnic groups? The number of African-Americans playing chess is very small.
— As for the ethnic theory, I am more inclined to believe that geographical and social values may have a carry-over effect. If Africans grow up in a community with strong soccer roots, inevitably they’ll be drawn in, and most of them will play soccer. The social reward mechanism will also influence the employment path. For instance, in China, chess may well impact the students’ ease of entering college and further their education.
In fact, chess development in Africa is still very good. There is also a movie of Africans playing chess. Egyptian and South African players are also very active on the world stage. So the macro environment is important.
Even in China, there is still a regional difference between chess. In cities such as 北京 (Běijīng), 上海 (Shànghǎi), 广州 (Guǎngzhōu), and 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), chess is developing very well. In the vast central and western regions, however, the population base is still low enough to make the state of chess yet undeveloped.
— And now, thanks to you, 江苏省 (Jiāngsū)’s 兴化 (Xīnghuà) has earned the title of “China’s Chess Capital”.
— As a 兴化 (Xīnghuà) person, I am very happy about it. The chess atmosphere in my birth city is really fine. Since 2008, there have been top-level adult and youth competitions in 兴化 (Xīnghuà) every year, and the Municipal Government has also vigorously promoted chess. 兴化 (Xīnghuà) has indeed become a fertile ground for the blooming of chess in China. There is also 儋州 (Dānzhōu), 海南 (Hǎinán) Island — another chess capital.
On September 26, 2019 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was named as Tourism Ambassador for the county city of 兴化市 (Xīnghuà) — her birth city. Photo: 泰州晚报 (Tàizhōu Evening News). |
— Thank you 逸凡 (Yìfán) for accepting our interview, and may I wish the two Chinese Candidates all the best.
[The Candidates Tournament was then suspended due to coronavirus pandemic. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who has by now returned to China, is undergoing two weeks’ quarantine].
[The Candidates Tournament was then suspended due to coronavirus pandemic. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who has by now returned to China, is undergoing two weeks’ quarantine].
(English translation by I, Robot)
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