In appearance, he is tall and robust, with swarthy skin, looking like a man from the north of China. But when you talk to him, what you can hear from him is the pure Hubei accent. Then, you can believe that he is born and raised in Hubei.
As a common person, he is honest and kind when getting along with people, never giving thought to his personal gains and losses. As a Xiangqi master, he always fights for every move of his game, never showing leniency toward his opponent, even when he has gained the initiative. Sometimes, some amateur Xiangqi players request a draw, he would say bluntly, "I think I have the chance to win." Then, he would win the game straight away, without any consideration of the sensibility of his opponent.
This is Liu Dahua, a name that can 'rouse the deaf and awaken the unhearing' in the Xiangqi circles. He has put an end to the twenty years' monopoly of Grandmaster Hu Ronghua, and set the world record of 1 versus 19 in blindfold Xiangqi play. Among the eleven Xiangqi Champions in China, he has been given a most modernized nickname as "The Computer of the Orient".
(In the following talk with press representative, Liu Dahua came out with some interesting and intimate answers on his game.)
Journalist: Many veteran Xiangqi players believe that they have no time in studying Xiangqi theory, what about you?
Liu Dahua: Xiangqi remains to be the main part in my life. Due to some reasons, the time that I can spend on Xiangqi is relatively less than before. If my time and physical conditions permit, I would seriously practice Xiangqi as before. Sometimes, I stop playing Xiangqi, as I have to take necessary rest in order to keep on playing Xiangqi.
Journalist: It seems that your performance is not so good as before in recent years?
Liu Dahua: Really, it is so. My performance is good in few tournaments only. But in most tournaments, my performance isn't good enough. For example, in the National Individual Championships in recent years, the results of my competitions were not so ideal, sometimes, I failed to enter the top eight. I begin to notice that I am getting old. When I am getting old day by day, I find that my ability has been failing short of my ambition.
Journalist: Do you mean that your poor performance should be attributed to your poor physical conditions?
Liu Dahua: My skill of Xiangqi play has not shown any sign of retrogress. Why my performance is not so good as before, the reason is, on the one hand, that Xiangqi is keeping on developing, on the other hand, that the reason lies with myself. In recent years, Xiangqi is developing rapidly, the group of young players is charging on the entire Xiangqi area. The gap between the Grandmasters and the Masters is narrowing. No one can easily win a game. Not myself alone, but all players have such a feeling. With my own conditions, I can only try to achieve good results in the competition of the knock-out system. The current system of National Individual Championships should be unfavourable to the veteran Xiangqi players.
Journalist: If the competition system remains unchanged, do you think there is possibility that you could dominate the Xiangqi arena again?
Liu Dahua: My friends are always encouraging me. I myself also wish that I could win two Championships again as I did before. However, I must acknowledge that I don't have confidence and courage any more that I could be the Champion again.
Journalist: Is there any game that you feel puzzled in your study of Xiangqi in the last several decades?
Liu Dahua: No, not any. Even if sometime I failed to perceive the mystery of some games during the play, but when the game is over, I would study and analyse it. I could understand the mystery in it. Due to my negligence, sometimes I committed some blunders in my play, and some of them often happened among the amateur Xiangqi players. Therefore, I like to play blitz games. It is a challenge to the speed of reaction in a limited time. The blitz game is more exciting.
Blind-folded game is Liu's favourite play
Journalist: Your skill in blind-folded game is unique. It is known to all that you have set a world record of 1 versus 19. Up to today, no man has broken this record. Could you please say something on the blind-folded games?
Liu Dahua: The play of blind-folded game is a test of skills. I created the record of 1 versus 19 in 1995 (Liu buried himself in deep thought, as if he had returned to the scene of seven years ago). To play blind-folded game, firstly, a player should have a good memory; secondly, he must have a good command of all kinds of variations in Xiangqi play; and thirdly, he must have gone through an intensified training.
Journalist: Do you think 1 versus 19 is a limit in Xiangqi. And do you want to break your own record?
Liu Dahua: My decision of playing 1 versus 19 blind-folded match was made after repeated and serious consideration, and I had made adequate preparations for it. Before travelling to Beijing last time, I had a stimulated game with several players. Through the exhibition in Beijing, I believe that I could play one or two more players in blind-folded. After that exhibition, I cannot find another opportunity to play this game. As now I am getting on in age, my ability could betray me. Not long ago, I had a 1 versus 15 blind-folded exhibition match, which was televised by the China Central Television (CCTV). I found that I was still fit enough to play this kind of game.
Journalist: Where do you think that it will cost you much energy in a blind-folded game.
Liu Dahua: During the stage of the opening play. As the openings of most games are similar to each other, one might get confused at that stage if he has the openings of 10 games in his mind. The mid-game and end-games can be remembered easily.
Journalist: How did you have this skill?
Liu Dahua: I began to play Xiangqi at the age of nine. As I had to go to school at that time, I couldn't find much time to play Xiangqi, I just kept the texts of the games in my mind and recalled them time and again. I would play Xiangqi wherever I went. In the past twenty years or more, I seldom use the Xiangqi board, except during the competitions.
Journalist: Do you think the blind-folded Xiangqi play can help the people to sharpen their skill?
Liu Dahua: Yes, I think so. I always encourage my student to play the blind-folded game. If a player has mastered this technique, he could have a correct judgement over the situation in the competition, especially when he confronts with more complicated situation. Through thinking thoroughly, one could have a correct analysis on the situation. In fact, such a course of thinking is the play of blind-folded game. Therefore, blind-folded play is an indispensable weapon for the high-level Xiangqi players. Usually, a player's technique is higher, his skill of blind-folded play would be higher.
Journalist: There is an argument in the Xiangqi circles that to play the blind-folded game can damage the brain of a player. Do you think so?
Liu Dahua: I don't agree. Every man is different to each other in their abilities. I have played many games in blind-folded, I haven't found that my brain has been damaged to any extend.
Source : "Bulletin Xiangqi" of World Xiangqi Federation
1 comment:
I play Xiangqi with westernized pieces, i m improved my game faster than with the chinese ideogram.is a very tactic game more than international chess.
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