Teen wins Chinese Chess Championship

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |
At 16 years old, Wei Yi (in photo) became the youngest chess champion of China when he emerged victorious in the Chinese Chess Championship in Xinghua recently. It is now apparent that youngsters are excelling in the rich ancient game beginning with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who won the world championship title when he was 22, two years ago. Following his victory, Yi was catapulted to No 30 in the rankings by the World Chess Federation. Some chess analysts are of the view that Yi could be a likely challenger in due course for Carlsen.
At 16 years old, Wei Yi (in photo) became the youngest chess champion of China when he emerged victorious in the Chinese Chess Championship in Xinghua recently. It is now apparent that youngsters are excelling in the rich ancient game beginning with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who won the world championship title when he was 22, two years ago. Following his victory, Yi was catapulted to No 30 in the rankings by the World Chess Federation. Some chess analysts are of the view that Yi could be a likely challenger in due course for Carlsen.

China’s rise in the world of chess has been meteoric ever since the nation came to prominence with its playing strengths at the turn of the millennium. The country has not as yet produced a world champion, but with its stardom in the game, it is only a matter of time. During the 1980s, and well into the nineties, the game of chess was not as popular as it is today and China was not a playing power. Today, however, China is a powerhouse.

The Chinese Chess Championship is currently regarded as one of the most rigorous in the world and could be accurately compared to the Russian, Indian, English, French, Ukrainian, Hungarian and US Championships.

So when 16-year-old Grandmaster Wei Yi won the Championship, it said that something positive is happening in chess within