Know Yourself And Know Your Opponents
Hao Jichao（郝继超）has various nicknames: Brother Belt, Social Man, Longjiang Dalang. His chess career has had many twists and turns, plenty of interesting anecdots and funny tales, including a paper strip incident with veteran Grandmaster Wan Chunlin（万春林）.
In a 1st Division Xiangqi League of 26-rounds, Hao had 8 wins, 18 draws and no defeat, this amazing result led many people commented that "it seems not to come from the human brain", so there was a fierce debate about whether Hao is a human or a machine.
Hao Jichao is a controversial figure indeed, he has not studied from a Xiangqi teacher proper. When as a child, he got hold and memorized two Xiangqi books, which can be regarded as learning the game more than seriously. Unlike other young and promising chess players, he was educated only up to junior high school level. Unlike most players who sit and talk and study the game in the hard way, Hao Jichao like to make new friends, go to clubbing, good at playing billiards, independent minded, acting in a way to sort right from wrong...
A piece of paper caused lots of questions: Can people get out of the "devil moves"?
Back to 2017, for the Heilongjiang team, it was an ordinary round in the 1st Division League, free of the worry of relegation, the players were under no much pressure, it was time to enjoy a good competitive game, however things were disturbed by Wan Chunlin.
Speaking of which, Wan Chunlin and Hao Jichao have a difference of 16 years gap, when Wan got into the Shanghai team as a professional player in 1984, Hao was not even born.
Hao recalled the incident : As soon as he entered the tournament hall, he handed me a note saying : "I will give you some written lines to the effect like this - I know very well about your use of chess software, if you beat me today, that will be a watershed in your life."
Hao Jichao recalled : "His rank is a Grandmaster, I didn't expect such a move from him. I was angry and a little confused too, pondering whether to give the note to the arbiter or to Mr. Zhao (Grandmaster Zhao Guorong, member and coach of the Heilongjiang team), then Wan Chunlin told me to give him the note back, I said I wouldn't return it, our voices became louder, almost quarrelsome, just at that moment the light suddenly went out, he took the opportunity to snatch the note back.”
"Actually, Wan Chunlin and I didn't play chess much, I beat him when I was a master in 2009, and then we drew 2 games in the League 2011, three games played in total. I don't know why he did this, it was an attack on my personality. I didn't go outside, but he went out twice during the game, though the final result was a draw." Hao Jichao said.
Hao Jichao continued : "Before the competition, the security guard took the detector to scan twice, and I was not allowed to bring any electronic equipment or my mobile phone inside, even my ears were checked by doctors, and I had avoided suspicion and tried not to go to the toilet." In the end, they said that I implanted the chip in my brain, then alas I really can't respond, let's settle the truth on the chessboard. I respect every opponent, but I'm not afraid of anyone.”
Speaking of which, Hao Jichao's most admired Xiangqi players are Lu Qin（吕钦）and Hong Zhi（洪智）, because "Lu Qin's chess is crafty, there is always a stroke of genius, Hong Zhi's chess dares to attack, he has the courage to give it a go when it is most critical. Anyway, there is a reason why I can make some unexpected moves..."
There are many ways to become a Grandmaster, Hao Jichao's road is to make it out by himself
In fact, what Wan Chunlin didn't know was that Hao Jichao, who grappled the note with him, was once good at combat. "When I was a child, playing chess was just fun for me, I didn't expect to become a professional player." Hao said.
Unlike most players who have the chance of learning from a Xiangqi teacher, Hao Jichao has never got properly taught. As we all know, Zhao Guorong studied under Wang Jialiang（王嘉良）, so the chess style of two generations of "Siberian Tigers" is continuous, impervious to wind and rain, while Hao Jichao's chess is strange, hard to recognize, so he appreciates the craftiness in Lu Qin's chess style.
"My family is in rural Longjiang County, Qiqihar City, and when I was 13, my family moved to Daqing, and my parents became ordinary workers in the oil extraction plant." Hao Jichao had for years having no job, and when the national amateur xiangqi tournament was held during the year 2005, he had the good opportunity to play against the Xiangqi master Jing Xueyi（景学义）, in the end he lost the game.
One day after the tournament, Hao Jichao received a call from Jing Xueyi himself, "Do you want to come to my Kailuan coal mining team?" In this way, the Longjiang guy who had the idea that "playing chess is also a way of getting a living", rolled up his sleeves and went to become a Tangshan man. "I was very impressed, my first month salary at Kailuan was 670 yuan."
Coach Jing is my enlightenment teacher. At that time, Hao Jichao was of 20 years old.
Zhao Guorong once said that studying the opening game is the key for players to improve themselves, because in the endgames, masters players deal more or less in the same way. However, because Hao Jichao did not learn from any Xiangqi teacher early on, he turned to study a variety of openings with the help of computer software, though the endgame was his weakness point. "They say my moves are like software, because I learn 90 percent of my chess with computers. In 2003, there was a software called Qiyin, I used that to review and analyse my games, I have to find out where I lost, and why, I have never lost twice in the same situation.”
Over the chessboard, know yourself and know your opponents. Grand Master teapot can cook dumplings
Hao Jichao knew his weakness : "This year I have a chess game, the opponent was Zhao Jincheng（赵金成）, I got Rook and 2 Pawns against Rook and Pawn, and due to time pressure I did not win. To be honest, my basic skills are not up to standard, having no teacher, no one has taught me the endgame technique.”
"I have had a good life, though, and I play well every time I play in competition." Since Hao Jichao participated in amateur competitions, he can at least score among the top three ranks every time, in fact, the meaning of this is that he has good psychological quality and is a competition-type player. With the prize bonus alone, he supported himself well during his 6 years in Tangshan. In 2010, Zhao Guorong invited him home. "Actually, in the end, it was Teacher Zhao who brought me back to hometown, I am very thankful to him." Hao Jichao said.
In the end, Hao Jichao won 5 games and drew one in six rounds of the Asian Games this year, coupled with a 65.4% win rate in the League, he proved his strength with an undefeated record for everyone to see. For this result, Hao Jichao light-heartedly said: "The strongest chess player in the Vietnamese team did not come, so I think I won within a limit."
Speaking of which, the newly promoted Grandmaster seemed a little spoiled, "For me to go to work from 8am to 5pm, I really can't stand it, as a chess player my life looks a bit lethargic, fortunately, as Mr. Zhao is also a chess player, he understands me well, he does not force on me about my working routine, I live according to my own tempo, my chess training has never been lacking behind. I am quite satisfied with my life now, and I like to play the game.”
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Source : Qipu88
~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~
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