Chess still struggling to capture imagination of the masses in China
Leonard Barden
The Guardian, Saturday 21 August 2010
China is a unique phenomenon in world chess. The team only began to compete in around 1970 but within 30 years was a serious contender at men’s level and No1 in women’s chess. Yet the national game remains Chinese chess and the global version has little public support.
The secret has been well-directed government backing to identify young talent and provide intensive coaching.
China will be going for medals again at next month’s world team Olympiad in Russia, although the home squad will be heavy favourites.
China has also created its own elite tournament at Nanjing, where the top two finishers qualify for a Grand Slam final against world champion Vishy Anand and world No1 Magnus Carlsen.
However, Chinese progress has stalled in the past couple of years. Beijing’s best grandmasters reached the top 20-30 in world rankings, but could not break convincingly into the top 10.
Meanwhile the gifted girl prodigy Hou Yifan, who was expected to challenge Hungary’s Judit Polgar as the best female player of all time, also made slower progress and remained behind India’s Humpy Koneru, the world No2.
Such a pattern can be a danger to funding in any country where top chess is backed by the government. Chinese setbacks contrasted with the brilliant form of the small Caucasian republics of Armenia, gold medallists at the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads, and Azerbaijan, 2009 European team champions with three grandmasters in the top 20.
Very recently, however, China has made a fresh effort to renew its advance with high profile successes. In this month’s match against Russia, which fielded a second string but still highly ranked squad, China won impressively 15½–9½.
Moreover Hou Yifan, now 16, has just scored her best result yet, winning the female grand prix unbeaten ahead of Koneru. And at next month’s World Universities Championship in Zurich China’s entry world No18 Wang Yue should outclass the field.
Full article here.
What’s even more curious is that chess has never taken off in Japan and Korea. Not sure why these 2 Asian economic powerhouses never liked chess. They are strong in nearly all sports and have the resources to produce strong chess players but they never have. Most of their Asian neighbors have had competitive GMs for decades.
Singkit i think i just saw some a strong player from Japan in the World Open if i recall so i believe they will be coming soon, also i think Korea got a few strong players there as well. The U.S. has Ultramodern Strategy so it doesnt matter how much practicing they doin really.
What’s even more curious is that chess has never taken off in Japan and Korea. Not sure why these 2 Asian economic powerhouses never liked chess. They are strong in nearly all sports and have the resources to produce strong chess players but they never have. Most of their Asian neighbors have had competitive GMs for decades.
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Japan and Korea most people only play GO, both nation has chess players, but very low level, it will take 30 years to have GMs. By the way, only Japan born top GM is Hikaru Nakamura, but you know where he is now.
As mentioned, Go and Chinese Chess are more popular at the grassroots level in China. Many earlier players converted from Chinese version. But lack of good coaches at lower levels is a big reason, compared to, say, table-tennis.