In 1956, chess was officially listed as a competition event by the General Administration of Sport of China, marking the first milestone in the development of chess in China. In 1962, the Chinese Chess Association was established and officially joined the International Chess Federation as a member federation in 1975. In 2002, the General Administration of Sport of China officially approved the founding of the Chinese national chess team, where becomes the cradle for China to cultivate the top talents, and a large number of world-class high-level chess players emerged from here. With the strong support of the country and the unremitting efforts of several generations, chess undertaking in China has achieved fruitful results.
1. The achievements of chess competition have attracted worldwide attention
The Chinese women’s team has won five-time Olympiad and four-time World Team Championship, while the Chinese men’s team has won twice Olympiad and three-time World Team Championship. The Chinese men’s team won the Olympiad for the first time in 2014, which was the first time in 87 years that team from Asian Continent had won the trophy of this event, achieving a historic breakthrough. The Chinese men’s and women’s teams both won Olympiad in 2018, taking the world by storm.
Six Chinese female chess players, including Xie Jun, Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi, and Ju Wenjun, have won the title of world champion amounting to 15 times, establishing the strongest position of Chinese female chess players in the world. In 2023, Chinese chess player Ding Liren became the 17th world chess champion and the first Chinese male chess player to win the Men’s World Champion title.
Xie Jun (right) beat Maya Chiburdanidze in the 1991 Women’s World Chess Championship Match in Manila, Philippines.
World Chess Champion Ding Liren of China receiving his award from FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich
2. The promotion of chess in China has achieved significant results
The Board and Card Games Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport and the Chinese Chess Association attach great importance to the promotion and
popularization of chess. In recent years, more and more people have been attracted to participate in international chess sports by organizing activities such as volunteer services for national fitness, the western promotion program of chess, and chess in schools and communities.
(1) The western promotion program is being solidly advanced. This program was launched since 2019, mainly targeting western provinces in China.
(2) Chess in school and community activities is with diversity and variety. The “Run, Youth” event has become a exemplary case of promoting the integrati on of sports and education. The International Chess Culture Festival held in Liaocheng, Shandong and other places has played a positive role in driving local sports, cultural and tourism consumption, and promoting the development of local economic and social undertakings.
(3) Volunteer services for national fitness are flourishing. Many cities organize and carry out chess volunteer service activities based on actual conditions, selecting outstanding chess players and coaches to go deep into the grassroots front line to teach chess knowledge and skills.
3. Various chess competitions
(1) Chinese Chess Association Masters Tournament. This is the brand competition with the largest number of participants and is the most popular event among young people in China. In 2024, China will hold a total of 20 legs, with approximately 10,000 young chess players participating.
(2) “The Belt and Road” series of events. This is a chess tournament for countries joining and supporting the initiative of the “the Belt and Road”. There are “the Belt and Road” Xi’an Women’s Chess Summit, “the Belt and Road” Qinhuangdao International Open, “the Belt and Road” Zhejiang Shaoxing Yuecheng Women’s International Open and other “the Belt and Road” events. This year, “the Belt and Road” open tournament will also be held in Aksu, Xinjiang.
(3) The “SCO Countries” competition event. This is an international chess tournament aimed at SCO countries, which has been successfully held for five sessions. In April 2024, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China took the lead in organizing an international chess tournament for diplomats from the embassies of Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries in China.
(4) A League. This is the highest level and most influential chess tournament in China. Each competition has 12 representative teams from all over the country participating.
(5) The “New Talent” series of events. The Nanjing New Talent Competition, Shanghai New Talent King Competition and other “New Talent” competitions have been held
consecutively for multiple sessions. Th events have become an important stage for discovering and cultivating excellent reserve talents.
(6) Danzhou Super Chess Grandmaster Tournament. This is an international high-level event hosted by China, which has been held for 14 consecutive years and has become a well-known local sports brand event. The current world champion Ding Liren, former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov, and women’s world champion Hou Yifan and Ju Wenjun have participated in this event for several times. In the past years, chess enthusiasts in Danzhou have grown from a dozen to nearly 100,000.
It has been favored by domestic and foreign media, attracting a large number of media attention and extensive coverage, with 10 million visits on live broadcasting over the world. This event brings in not only youth chess fans but also enterprises. This event serves as a feast of chess culture, and also a channel to promote local culture and food. This competition has significantly increased the city’s visibility and reputation, effectively promoting the integrated development of tourism, culture, and sports in Danzhou.
4. The construction of the chess organization and team continues to strengthen
At present, the network system of national, provincial, and municipal-level chess organizations has covered most provinces in China. Based on the actual situation, chess clubs and academies have been established in various regions by fully leveraging the role of social forces, providing training places for chess enthusiasts and becoming a cradle for the development and growth of chess talents. The Chinese Chess Association has established training bases in Shenzhen and Hangzhou, which have played an important role in cultivating high-level chess talents.
Besides, Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. Sports play an important role in the building of a great modern country and the great cause of national rejuvenation. A leading sporting nation is an important part of a a great modern socialist country. As an important part of China’s sports undertaking, chess plays a unique role in building China into a leading sporting nation. The Chinese Chess Association will strengthen exchanges with foreign counterparts, learn from them, and work together with them to promote the steady and far-reaching development of chess in the world.
Sincerely welcome foreign friends to come to China for exchange!