They mostly do purely chess work, and don’t pay much attention to mental and physical training

Ye Jiangchuan: The championship is organized on a very professional level

Grandmaster Ye Jiangchuan, the head coach of team China and vice-president and secretary of the Chinese Chess Association, visited the press-center together with grandmaster Yu Shaoteng, who helped with translation.

– We are happy to see you here! Could you tells us your opinion about the organization of the championship?

– This is my first time in Khanty-Mansiysk, I like everything here. The championship is organized on a very professional level, and is great in every aspect.

– What is your assessment of the Chinese players’ performance, and, first of all, what do you think about Hou Yifan’s sensational loss? 

– Hou Yifan’s loss already in the second round was a big surprise for us. However, three players from China are still in – Zhao Xue, Ju Wenjun and Huang Qian, and we hope they do well.

– In the fall 2013 Hou Yifan as the winner of the Grand Prix series is going to play the title match against the next World Champion. Does the Chinese Chess Association plan to apply for this match? 

– We are ready to submit our application, however, it was announced on the FIDE website that this match will be held in Russia. If Russia gives up on this match, we will certainly be happy to take it.

– Please tell us a few words about the players who are still competing for the title. Where do they study, live, how they work on chess, who helps them?

– There are three coaches at this tournament who help them – grandmasters Yu Shaoteng, Bu Xiandzhi and I. The Association organizes many tournaments in China and helps our players to participate in the events abroad. We hope they show good results here.

– Could you describe general chess life in China? How many children are playing chess? Do you have chess periodicals or popular websites?

– The Association works hard on promoting chess. We are supporting the FIDE project “Chess at schools”. Many pupils study chess, not professionally, of course. Mass media and websites are also actively involved in chess promotion.

– Does general media cover this World Championship?

– Yes, it is widely covered on TV, in newspapers and online.

– Can you compare the popularity of “Western” chess and traditional Chinese chess?

– Chinese chess is still more popular in our country. However, if you play Xiangci, it is much easier to learn the Western chess. So many Xiangci players pick up chess as well.

– Apart from purely chess training, do you pay attention to mental training during the championship? And if you do, could you disclose your methods?

– No, we don’t do any special mental training. Our players take part in many competitions, besides, most of them are university students and don’t have much free time. So they mostly do purely chess work, and don’t pay much attention to mental and physical training.

 Source: http://chess2012.ugrasport.com