After School Hours

In a talk with a correspondent of Championat, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said that inevitably the level of a World Championship match without Magnus Carlsen might not be the highest and best one, but that 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, though not in their best form, played most spectacular chess, with the effect of increasing its popularity throughout the world, and especially in China. When asked if she was surprised by Carlsen’s abdication, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) answered, “Honestly, I wasn’t surprised when I learned about Magnus’s refusal to defend his title, because he had already proved to everyone that he was the strongest in the world through several matches with different opponents. He decided not to take such a test again, and that is his personal decision. I completely understand him, because a few years ago I was in the same situation as him”. Will he ever come back? “I have no idea. Perhaps he himself doesn’t know this now”, she said in a smile.
And she, will she ever come back to chess again? “I’m no longer a full-time player. Sometimes, only sometimes, when I can. After all, I teach at university, and I need permission to be absent. But I am very happy whenever I can sit and play chess again”, she said. “But as for coming back, I have no plan for now. I mean, I don’t know whether I will come back to elite chess or not”.
At last, a personal question. Who earns more, an university professor or a chess pros? “As a matter of fact, I never really thought about making money. And I never made any such comparison”, she answered.