Interview with IM Lu Miaoyi & WGM Xu Yuanyuan

1) Dear WGM Xu, Dear IM Lu,
Thank you both for accepting our interview request. It's the first time that we have a mother-daughter combination in our interview!

The first question goes to the mother.
WGM Xu, In 2003 you became the Chinese Chess Champion, and 21 years later, your daughter repeats that fantastic success.
How did it feel for you to watch your daughter gain this important title?

Xu Yuanyuan: In 2024, Lu Miaoyi won the Chinese championship. At that time, I was very excited. I'm glad to see her growth. This championship allows her to represent the Chinese team in the 2024 Olympic Team Championships. I am proud of her.

2) You have obviously had a big influence in your daughter's chess training. What kind of training did you focus on in her early years?
XY: When Lu Miaoyi was a child, she played chess with her friends every day. At that time, I had a chess club in Beijing, and I taught many children how to play chess. She would listen to the class and play together.

3) IM Lu, you caught our eye in August because you won the Women's tournament of the Sparkassen Chess Trophy in Dortmund. Congratulations! How did you prepare for the tournament?
Lu Miaoyi: Thank you for your attention and blessings.
I am very happy to receive an invitation from the organizers of the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Trophy.
I take every chess game seriously and hope to play at my best level.

Awards ceremony for the International Women's Tournament, from left to right: Dirk Schaufelberger (Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Dortmund), IM Dinara Wagner (3rd place), GM Elisabeth Pähtz (2nd place), IM Lu Miaoyi (1st place), Andreas Jagodzinski (Tournament Director).

4) Which game was the most important for you in that tournament?
LM: I think the third round against Elisabeth Pähtz was the most important game. I had a chance to win the championship only after winning this game.

5) You are sometimes called a "chess prodigy". When you were 10, you won the Belgrade International Women's Grandmaster Chess Tournament. Now in Dortmund, you had the highest rating of all female participants. At your young age, how do you handle expectations?
LM: When playing chess, I focus on the board and don't have time to think about anything else.

Lu Miaoyi at the Asian Youth Team Championship U14 in 2019

6) You are 15 years old now. At what age did you start playing chess? What do you remember about that time?
LM: I started learning chess piece movement at the age of 2 years and 8 months, and played the Beijing Children's Championship when I was 3 years old. I remember starting to learn chess seriously from my mother when I was 7 years old. I remember participating in many championships when I was a child, and some games are still fresh in my memory.

7) What are your next goals in your chess career?
LM: I hope the rating can increase to 2500.

8) Do you have a favorite square on the chessboard?
LM: My favorite square is b4.

9) WGM Xu, What can you tell us about chess training in China generally? How is it structured?
XY: Chinese chess training emphasizes systematicity. The enlightenment stage usually starts from school or clubs, gradually building from basics to advanced levels, and further improving through theoretical learning and practical exercises. Select outstanding chess players to participate in international events through various levels of events.

Mother and daughter at the grenke chess open 2025 (Photo: Dariusz Gorzinski)

10) What’s the most unusual thing you have ever experienced during a chess event?
XY: I started playing chess in 1990, and after 35 years of experience, I have become accustomed to all situations. In my opinion, playing chess is a process of constantly challenging oneself and overcoming oneself.

11) Which chess players, past or present, do you admire the most?
XY: I think there are many admirable chess players. In the past and present, there are many high-level chess players who not only have high chess skills, but also have very good character. From a purely competitive perspective, I believe Carlsen is still the best.
Lu Miaoyi (left, at eight years old)

12) IM Lu, what are your interests outside of the chess board?
LM: I like art, of course, no one can resist beautiful things.
I am also interested in music and dance.

13) A question for both of you: Which kind of advice would you give our readers if they wanted to make serious improvements in ...?
Openings: Establish your own opening system.

Middlegame: Tactical exercises and playing chess can train intuition, but strengthening understanding is also important.

Endgame: The basic endgame mainly relies on learning endgame knowledge, while the improvement of practical endgame requires learning high-level chess players' games.

Note that this article was first published originally in German in the December 2025 issue of the German chess magazine Rochade Europa).