A little progress each day …
Chinese chess player Sim Yip How was intrigued when he first found out about the board game. Since the first time he showed an interest in the game, he has worked hard for more than three decades and has won several tournaments.
Sim Yip How was always intrigued as a young child as to how the uncles at his father’s coffee shop in Poh Kwong Park could play Chinese chess (xiangqi) so loudly but without making a sound.
“I questioned myself as to what it was about xiangqi that was so fascinating that it caused two boisterous men to become instantly silent and focused. That’s when I became interested in board games,” said the 38-year-old.
Chinese chess is thought to have been around long before China was a country.
Despite the fact that many scholars have produced books about the board game, determining its origins is difficult.
However, it was during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907 CE) that the game was first mentioned in writing.
Today, the strategy board game is much enjoyed throughout generations. Xiangqi is a game that is played all over the world including by people who are not Chinese.
Recently, xiangqi made its debut at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), which was held in Vietnam.
Sim, a native of Kuching, won silver in the tournament alongside teammate Yeoh Thean Jern from Kuala Lumpur for the Men’s Rapid Team.
Sim recalled memories from his younger years and attributed his success to the fiery passion he had for xiangqi.
“I began playing when I was seven years old. In the afternoon, top players would visit my father’s coffee shop, and I would join them. However, because I didn’t know how to play, the uncles hesitated to play with me,” Sim said, adding that his father was also a xiangqi enthusiast.
The rejection he received from the uncles pushed him even further. Sim practiced the board game with the neighbourhood kids despite his young age.
“I started playing with the uncles once I got better. I even labelled the uncles based on their level of difficulty. There is a level one uncle, a level two uncle, and so on.”
After a year of playing, he had defeated level one uncle.
“The uncles were delighted to see young children engaged in xiangqi. Later, when they discovered that I was actively participating in tournaments, they gave me their xiangqi guidebooks.”
According to Sim, getting a guidebook in the 1990s was difficult because it had to be obtained from China. “These books are valuable. You simply need one to become Kuching champion.”
Sim said that in order to succeed in a game, a player must possess significant xiangqi understanding.
“When in a position, the player will know what to do. Of course, there are occasions when they come to an unfamiliar juncture, at which point they must plan their movements and use what they already know to find the solutions,” he shared.
Furthermore, Sim compared Chinese chess to the law. “Just apply what you know. The majority of professional players will remember what they have learned and play accordingly. If one must spend time counting every step, the time available will be insufficient.”
His first tournament
Sim had been practising xiangqi since he was in primary school, but he wasn’t granted the chance to participate in tournaments until he was 12 years old.
“I clearly recall the vice principle of my school coming into our class and asking who could play xiangqi back then. I was the only person to raise my hand. Since no one else could play, it was simple to choose someone to represent our school,” he said.
Sim, who attended a national school where Bahasa Melayu and English were the medium languages, was not as fluent in Chinese as he is today.
And in 1996, when he competed against students from Chinese schools, he was able to beat them all and win.
The years passed as he entered his adolescent years. According to Sim, he didn’t do much xiangqi and wasn’t performing well in school.
“All I did was play video games. However, when I got to Form 4, I realised how talented my classmate was in everything he did. So I changed because I aspired to be like him. I disciplined myself and gave up playing video games. I even resumed my xiangqi practise.”
Sim has since won the championship in a number of competitions. He won the national championship when he was 18 years old.
“At the national tournament in 2002, I learned that Sarawak had never taken first place in either the senior open or the youth categories. Our best was first runner-up,” he said.
Sim’s motivation for his first national competition came from knowing that.
“I was the first Sarawak youth champion,” he said. He then won several more competitions while representing Sarawak.
His turning point
He made a commitment to devote time to honing his xiangqi skills after finishing secondary school in order to improve as a player.
“I opted to skip university in order to pursue my passion for xiangqi.” His dedication to the sport enabled him to win the Kuching Open Senior at the age of 21.
“For three years in a row, I was the champion. But I am no longer young, and because I did not continue my studies, my parents had nagged me to acquire a proper job.”
He then started working for a telecommunication company. He had also promised his parents that he wouldn’t spend a lot of time playing xiangqi.
However, he never forgets his passion for Chinese chess. He continued after being transferred to Miri.
“I met my wife in Miri, where I was active in the xiangqi association. I realised that by staying in Miri, I could participate in the scene. Because the quality of the players isn’t very high there, the leaders asked me to encourage the local players.”
He then began training players in his Miri home. “In 2013, I met the world xiangqi grandmaster from China. We engaged in two friendly matches while I shared with him my desire to one day become a grandmaster. He told me that given my current standards, achieving that title would be difficult.”
“He advised me that if I was so passionate about xiangqi, I should pursue it professionally. He assured me that I can compete in China. That’s when I realised how much I loved the sport. I therefore left my work in order to play xiangqi full-time and start a coaching career,” the xiangqi player continued.
Sim’s decision has created a ripple effect. He admitted that it had caused his parents frustration as well as disapproval from his friends.
“This was due to the fact that I make a far lower salary as a xiangqi coach than I do in the telecommunication company. In addition, I was counting on tournament prizes to support my livelihood. And the financial stress cost me a game in 2014 when I performed poorly,” he said.
But every storm has a silver lining, as the result of his bad performance led him to meet the President of the Negeri Sembilan xiangqi association, Dato Tan Suan Ching, who found out about his financial problem.
“He offered me a place in Negeri Sembilan, where I established my xiangqi academy. In 2015, he also paid for my training with Grandmaster Liu Da Hua in Wuhan, China.”
Even if there were tough times, the struggles Sim had in his early 20s were worthwhile because he still dominated the xiangqi field.
The lessons he had learned
To Sim, xiangqi had had the greatest influence on his life. The Chinese chess player gained a wealth of knowledge from his experiences, which helped shape the man he is today. His biggest lesson among many was how to accept defeat.
“When I was coaching, several of my students quit too soon, or they said they were not talented enough. I constantly tried to inspire and encourage them. I constantly tell them that when I was younger, I lost a lot. I didn’t give up until I was crowned champion,” he said.
As a coach, he constantly reminds his students that success does not happen right away. “You can’t expect to be successful just because you studied and practised xiangqi for a year or two. As a player, you cannot expect everything to go as planned. Will you allow me to so easily defeat you at a game? No, not at all. You will instead make every effort to defeat me as I attempt to defeat you.”
Sim’s life lessons — which he also taught to his students — can be applied to other games outside Chinese chess.
The life in general is reflected in the lessons he imparts. “Never expect life to be easy; there will always be individuals who attempt to knock you down,” said the international master.
Sim keeps moving forward despite the difficulties of the xiangqi journey because he is convinced that if he pursues his passion, he would be successful.
He has so far taken home the grand prize in many Chinese chess tournaments. Sim’s tutoring also assisted many people in succeeding in xiangqi.
The international master will not stop there as he continues to teach the value and lessons of xiangqi.
