In April 2022, in the FIR's latest list of young women's chess players in the world, 12-year-old Lu Miaoyi was the only "post-10s" chess player on the list, and she jumped her world ranking by 33 places in 90 days. Two months ago, at the IM ASK 5 Chess Open held in Arandelovac, Serbia, this Chinese girl with glasses and a ponytail was as polite as a god, using her slender fingers to defeat one opponent after another on the chessboard, and finally won the championship with a score of 4 wins, 3 and 2 losses, with a total of 5.5 points, thus accumulating enough points to win the title of "Women's International Master of Chess".
White dress NIKKU
Lu Miaoyi sat quietly on the opposite side of the chessboard, like an alien appearing on the field. She wore a transparent face shield that covered half of her face tightly, and her small hands were gloved. She completely forgot about the 64 grids of the chessboard, one move at a time, in an orderly or step-by-step manner, which was her whole world, and everything was under control.
Six months ago, Lu Miaoyi, who was under the age of 12, traveled to Europe with her mother, Xu Yuanyuan, and began an intellectual game instead of a game. Soon, she was faced with a challenge. When the epidemic spread, she would most of the time be "fully armed" on the field, regardless of the eyes of others. Before playing, she would always gently straighten the pieces on the chessboard, reach out, and hold hands with the opposite chess player. A chess game often lasts for five or six hours, and there is no rest time in the midfield, which means that the player must maintain a clear mind and enough physical strength for a long time to be able to quickly complete a series of procedures such as memory, deduction, judgment and calculation in a silent game, otherwise, mistakes are extremely easy to appear on the board. Often by the first hour, Lu Miaoyi's hands would be soaked with sweat, and his gloves would be full of sweat. Over time, even if she is an adult, under the "fully armed", it is difficult to bear the dullness of holding her breath, however, she can sit still, never complains, and is always interested in playing chess.
The voice on the phone sounded childish. Lu Miaoyi vividly describes chess as a zebra, only because the black and white flowing on the board creates a loss and a win. Zebra is not easy to be tamed animal, independent, arrogant and agile, playing chess, Lu Miaoyi's footwork also has an extremely strong style, she likes to attack, like to take the initiative, like to approach the opponent in a short period of time, like to use all the force flexibly as commanding thousands of horses, win also to win the momentum of the empress. She looks weak and weak, with the usual introversion, quietness and intelligence of a talented chess player, but in fact she has a fierce heart and is ready to get out of the gate at any time.
Lu Miaoyi prematurely showed his talent for playing chess. In 2012, Xu Yuanyuan, who has the title of "Women's Grandmaster of Chess" and is also the former captain of the women's team of the Chinese chess national team, took her two-year-old daughter to the chess club founded by one hand. On that dull afternoon, the little-hearted Lu Miaoyi began to contact chess, she was very quiet, sitting motionless to watch others play chess for an hour or two, watching the rapidly changing positions of the chess pieces in the battle. Later, she became more and more fond of going to clubs, and sometimes, she was willing to touch the chess pieces. In October of that year, she began to learn the rules of the horse's landing, followed Xu Yuanyuan to play a game of jumping grid on the floor tile pavement downstairs, bouncing and jumping for a month, Lu Miaoyi learned how horses should walk.
In 2015, Lu Miaoyi participated in the World Junior Chess Championship for the first time, and as the youngest player to compete, he started his life chess game. The first game ended with 6 points in 11 chess games, and she saw the level of the world's top chess players of similar age groups and was determined to catch up. Three years later, the fledgling Lu Miaoyi broke into the men's 8-year-old group of the World Junior Chess Championship, scoring 8 points in 11 games, and for the first time in a top male-dominated chess tournament, he proved to the world that he was competitive at the same age in the men's group. Xu Yuanyuan recalled, "Lu Miaoyi should have been one of the few girls in the world to compete in the men's competition that year. A month before the game, she was sick, did not touch chess, did not train, and participated in the game with a more relaxed mind. Although Lu Miaoyi lost to the final champion, she was already a strong contender for the championship. Now, she will still be very concerned about the performance of those boys of the same age, if the rank score exceeds herself, she will be very unconvinced and want to overtake. ”
For a long time in the past, whether it was chess or other sports, the traditional concept always wanted girls to learn seemingly more elegant sports, such as dance, music or gymnastics, rather than becoming an active and competitive person. In the Netflix hit "Rear Wing Deserter", the talented girl swept the opponents of the world and faced the media with questions, "When I was a teenager, people did not allow girls to compete, I could only play dolls." They all say that you are a genius, especially you are the only girl in a group of men, can you share your feelings? ”
Before he could ask Lu Miaoyi, the girl who had always taken the initiative suddenly gave the answer, "In front of the chessboard, there is no gender, no age." "Since arriving in Europe in November last year, Lu Miaoyi has been racing non-stop, and the Holidays of New Year's Day and Spring Festival have also been spent on match days. The chess players sitting in front of her, including men and women, as well as elders who have played thousands of games, these characteristics that are commonly used to distinguish identities are zeroed out in front of the chessboard.
(Deer Miaoyi) white denim coat stylist private dress blue floral trousers NIKKU
(Xu Yuanyuan) yellow V-neck long skirt MARIJA TARLA
Lu Miaoyi enjoyed the fun of playing, and here, for the first time, she defeated the men's international chess master and the men's grandmaster with a rating of nearly 2500 points, accumulating experience in the game that she had never had before. She practiced adapting to different chess styles, and the opponent's chess game, footwork and even the momentum of the game brought new inspiration, and Lu Miaoyi began to learn the fun of balance, reversing the posture of active attack and steadily improving the skills of the situation chess. "Those grandmasters are very skilled, very good at rubbing slowly, you want to kill the king directly to win over the other side is unrealistic, even more naïve." If you are rubbed by your opponent a lot, you will feel that it is also very good to play chess in this way, and this technology is also very powerful. ”
Lu Miaoyi has a precocious and alert mindfulness that is beyond age. She has talent, talent leads her to know where her path is going, and she is too clear about her goals. "When I was very young, my ideal was to take the title of women's grandmaster and want to be a world champion." She likes to dance, when she was a child, she chose a training class, did not choose dance, and only wanted to play chess. Xu Yuanyuan said of her daughter on the side, "Miaomiao concentrates on only wanting to be a professional chess player." I asked her, do you like to play chess or do you like to go to school, or dance? When she was asked to make a choice, she firmly told me that I like to play chess and that I want to be a professional chess player. ”
After winning the title of "Chess International Women's Master", the titles given to Lu Miaoyi by the outside world - "Genius Girl" and "Next Hou Yifan" all show the expectations of everyone, she is not moved, compared to those, she prefers everyone to affectionately call her "Miaomiao".
Unworldly teenage girls never play chess. Spending 6 to 8 hours a day playing chess and maintaining 10 hours of sleep, her super memory is exposed to the names and chess scores, and she regards Porugaevsky, Rubinstein, Lyuboyelić and other chess players as idols in life.
Just like a game of chess has thousands of opening variations to open, each girl has a different style. In addition to precocious puberty, the innocence revealed by Lu Miaoyi for a long or short period of time looks no different from that of girls of the same age. When she is not playing chess, she loves to dance, loves to read history, often listens to piano music, loves everything that looks beautiful, likes to see necklaces made of gold and silver in the glass windows of the National Museum of Serbia, shining coins, and loves to eat tempeh mud carp oil and wheat vegetables made by her mother. Only occasionally, at some point, those children who are hidden in the depths of their superb chess talents will come out of their heads. She believes in her own "little superstitions" and spares no effort to follow them. "I'll take my lucky stuff to play chess. When I play in the outfit with queen (queen), I win. If I wear that black dress or shoes, I will lose chess, and I will definitely not wear black clothes to play chess! ”
The white top and trousers are marella
On the network with developed information, it is easy to find Xu Yuanyuan's remarkable past. Born in 1981, she officially studied chess at the age of 9, won her first championship at the age of 12, won the World Junior Championship at the World Chess Youth Championship at the age of 19, and won the title of "Women's International Grandmaster of Chess". At the same time, she also successfully completed her undergraduate to postgraduate studies at Tsinghua University, and then pursued a doctorate; at the age of 26, she started a chess club named after her, serving as a chess teacher for more than 200 students... In the first half of Xu Yuanyuan's life, she has many identity labels: a professional chess player who pursues dreams, a prestigious world champion, and an entrepreneur who knows how to plan and has a degree of progress.
In serbia's international arena, few people know Xu Yuanyuan's identity, everyone only says that the woman who appears next to the talented chess player Lu Miaoyi is just an ordinary parent who accompanies her daughter, and even fewer people know that she knows chess, can play chess, and is a chess master who is not famous and famous.
Xu Yuanyuan spoke softly, with a humble and decent attitude. Watching her daughter embark on a path that seems to be particularly similar to herself, she recalls that her 5-year-old self was deeply influenced by her father Xu Tao to learn chess, and she was very competitive and cared about winning or losing. "Even though I'm only 5 years old, I don't want to lose. I didn't learn at that time because I was afraid of losing, and when I lost, I would cry, cry and shout to my father, I don't want to get down again. However, the most different thing about Lu Miaoyi and me is that she is more optimistic, never wanting to give up because of losing chess, she will only think that chess is very fun. Therefore, she can persist at such a young age, which has a lot to do with personality. ”
The 1990s were an era when Xu Yuanyuan was strategizing and making decisions on the chessboard. At that time, she thought simply, isn't the game to win? As a professional chess player, she has an almost instinctive desire to win. "I'm particularly eager to win. Only by winning the national championship can I compete in a world-class competition. In my time when I played chess, winning meant you were qualified to move on to the next stage of the game, so I took winning and losing very seriously. "The change of concept occurred after she founded the club, Xu Yuanyuan began to educate children, and gradually realized that the essence of chess should not only win or lose, but enjoy the joy of chess." I always hope that my daughter will enjoy the joy of chess and not take victory and defeat as seriously as I did. ”
Looking closely at Xu Yuanyuan's life trajectory, it is not difficult to find that this is a person with a very heavy family concept. At the age of 29, after Xu Yuanyuan gave birth to her daughter Lu Miaoyi, she gradually shifted the focus of her life to the family, and because the time and energy of her studies, work and family were difficult to balance, in the end, after winning all the credits of the doctorate, she had to interrupt the further study of the doctorate. In 2017, when Lu Miaoyi was seven years old, Xu Yuanyuan quit the chess club she founded and painstakingly operated for many years, and her family moved from Beijing to Hangzhou's Qiandao Lake, transforming from a highly educated woman to a professional mother. "It was a very important turning point in my life." Xu Yuanyuan said, "From the founder of the club, the chess coach to becoming a full-time mother, the change of identity has made me adapt for a long time. At that time, I taught 200 students in the club, had almost no personal time, and suddenly let go of so many things, and always felt that the value of life was declining. After a period of reflection, she realized that each stage of life has a different mission and value.
(Deer Myoyi) white dress NIKKU
(Xu Yuanyuan) white top and trousers are MARELLA
Her immediate priority is to accompany Lu Miaoyi to pursue her dreams. The mother behind the talented chess player is happy to play the role of companion. Xu Yuanyuan smiled and said that she was definitely not a well-organized tiger mother. When she gets along with Lu Miaoyi, she tries to build an equal mother-daughter relationship and becomes a friend of her daughter who talks about everything. She used the word "assistant" to express her positioning, "I prefer to position myself as Lu Miaoyi's assistant to help her and accompany her." Everything is based on her ideas, and I will assist. So, she accompanied her daughter to play blind chess, acted as an event interpreter and agent for her daughter, arranged all kinds of event matters, and recently thought about contacting foreign language teachers for Lu Miaoyi to learn Russian and English.
Perhaps coming from a professional chess player, she knew too well what was going to happen to her daughter. She said that Lu Miaoyi has a similar tenacity and tenacity to herself, and is the kind of person who recognizes one thing and will stick to it as long as he likes it. If it is reflected on the chessboard, that is, when playing against people, do not accept defeat, never give up easily, and therefore, Xu Yuanyuan gave Lu Miaoyi great tolerance and tolerance, "I don't want to impose my ideas on my children, I only hope that Lu Miaoyi will take her own path and do what she likes." If you like chess, stick with it; if you like other interests, you want to get them right. What I've always told her is to be a better version of myself. ”
A black-and-white chessboard and 64 pieces construct a universe of universes, and Lu Miaoyi takes over her mother's dream. Her goal was clearly visible, "My next goal is to get a women's grandmaster in chess, I want to be a world champion." Oh, my future? I want to be a super top player with over 2700 (rank points). From excellent to extraordinary distance, Xu Yuanyuan probably knows, she listened to her daughter's declaration, gently added, "This is a big challenge, but I believe she will go to the future that we can't see." ”
M.C.: People often say that playing chess is like watching people, and everyone's personality is revealed in chess. What kind of style do you play chess? Offensive or defensive?
Lu Miaoyi: I like to attack and like to play beautiful games.
Xu Yuanyuan: When I was young, I liked to attack when I played chess. As a professional chess player, you have to get the first place to have a chance to participate in the next game, and it is easier to win by attacking. After maturity, I also felt the power of the situation chess and gradually transformed. As a chess player, I feel that I have to be technically comprehensive to be able to win the competition, and it is impossible to only attack or only defend. Of course, the situation of the game, there are times when you have to win, then you need to be bold to attack. However, there are also times when we need to adjust our mentality, when we have to slowly rub and rub our opponents. You have to have this ability – use the power of the game to win your opponents, and only then can you reach a higher level.
M.C.: What's most appealing to you about chess? What makes you feel happy?
Lu Miaoyi: Chess is very interesting, especially the feeling that I can use all the sub-forces flexibly, like commanding thousands of troops and horses, it is very magical, I like the feeling of winning a good game of chess. The greatest joy of playing chess is the next wonderful game, and I hope I can come out of the best move of every move.
Xu Yuanyuan: I am very grateful to chess, everything I have, whether it is entering Tsinghua University, or having my own achievements in the world, or founding a chess club, is closely related to chess. Chess has influenced my life values, taught me to persevere, be brave, be tenacious, do things without giving up, and also tell me that only hard work can I gain. I also want to be able to tell my children and my students about the philosophy of life I have learned through chess, and I hope that it can accompany more people for a longer period of time.
M.C.: People often refer to chess as the "game of the wise", which tests the ability of the player in all aspects, whether it is talent, memory, logic, calculation... What do you think is the most important ability in this process? Do they have a priority?
Xu Yuanyuan: I think the most important thing is to work hard. For a chess player, the effort is 99% and the talent is only 1%. If you want to become a world champion or a top chess player, you may need a little talent. Other times, if you become a master, you can do it with hard work, because memory, logic, calculation, including intuition, I think it can be done well through training. And talent, the inspiration you said, that inspiration did come up. I can see the talents of the world champions, some talents may be the skills of killing the king in a flash, but some talents are displayed in the overall grasp of the chess game, and everyone's strengths are different. However, I think that as a good chess player, hard work is the most important talent, and talent can only be the icing on the cake on hard work.
M.C. Is there a saying in the field of chess that "to be famous early"?
Xu Yuanyuan: Very little. Playing chess is more about how well the chess is played, and it doesn't matter if you are not famous. I think I'd be happy if I had a really good set. Therefore, people who play chess will think that improving the quality of chess and playing a wonderful game is a greater challenge.
M.C. In recent years, the media has often discussed the choice of highly educated women to give up their jobs and join their families, you have had a similar experience, so far, where did you find a sense of personal value again?
Xu Yuanyuan: Highly educated women have turned to professional mothers, and many women have faced psychological changes. In the beginning, I used it for a long time to adapt to the new role, however, I don't regret doing so. Because everyone has a different mission and value at a certain time period. I watched my daughter grow little by little and I felt very happy. The most important thing is that I work hard and do what I should do well, and I just want to do what I am doing now. I don't feel sorry for it, because I worked hard before and I'm still working on it.
M.C.: The outside world gradually refers to Lu Miaoyi as "the next Hou Yifan", and has enough attention and expectation for her. As Lu Miaoyi's mother and her initiation teacher, what kind of career path did you plan for her? What kind of person would you like your daughter to be?
Xu Yuanyuan: I don't have any special ideas, we are just ordinary people, and we don't want to compare with anyone. For me, Lu Miaoyi loves chess, and I want her to play chess happily. As a mom, I support her in doing what she loves, it's as simple as that. I always told her that I wanted her to be herself, to be the best version of herself, to show what she was good at, and to play her strength in the game. I didn't say what she had to plan for her life trajectory, because the child's potential is unlimited, and it is enough to support her to do what she likes.
M.C. Right now, what is your greatest sense of accomplishment and confusion?
Xu Yuanyuan: Now growing up with my daughter and watching her make a little progress, I am very happy and satisfied. My biggest confusion now is that my level is limited, in terms of supporting Lu Miaoyi, I can only become an assistant, I have always been positioned in this way, she needs the help of top chess players and coaches to further improve her strength, we need a lot of help. So, she will go to a future that we can't see.
Photography by Marko Vulevi
Interview, Writer/ Xu Lu
Makeup / Ena Jovi
Hairstyle / ur ica Ivanovi uka
Editor/Yuan Xin
Editorial Assistant/Lin Jing
Studio/Zoom Studio Belgrade