Checkmates And Chopsticks: A History Of Chess In China
大家好! ("Hello, everyone!" in Mandarin Chinese)
Why such a greeting for a site consisting mostly of English-speaking users, though? That is because, today, we are going to be talking about the history of chess in China, home to the Forbidden City, Four Great Inventions, and more!
You see, I had previously read blog posts about chess in the home countries of other bloggers, such as @VOB96 and @PokeGirl93. Naturally, this motivated me to write my own one, and what better country to write about than my homeland?
It is also currently Lunar New Year, which adds to the special timing of this post. I am very excited to write about it!
And so, we are today going to be talking about the history of our beloved game in China. From an ancient variant to modern day, where we are one of the strongest countries in the entire world, this topic sure has an intriguing story to tell.
Even though chess may not be the most popular board game in China, that doesn't mean that nobody likes it. In fact, there are quite a few good players from my country, and it is regarded as one of the main powers, alongside USA, India and Russia.
Let's pick up our chopsticks and start!
1. Early Beginnings (Pre-20th Century)
2. The Quiet Era (1933 - 1965)
4. The Modern Era (1999 - 2026)
6. Conclusion
1. Early Beginnings (Pre-20th Century)
It is important to note that modern chess was invented in Europe, while China is located in East Asia. This meant that the game we know today was only brought to the country during an unknown time in the 19th century.
However, China is also home to its own variant of chess, xiangqi (known as Chinese chess, but literally translating to "elephant game"), which is very similar, with the pieces of general (king), chariot (rook), horse (knight), elephant (bishop), and soldier (pawn).
It also has its own unique spots, such as a river separating the two sides and a cannon piece. Xiangqi had been played for over 2,000 years!
Learn to play
But how does this relate to our modern game of chess? Well, chess historians strongly predict that chaturanga, the ancestor of chess, also descended to xiangqi, alongside others such as shogi and makruk.
So China's variant is still somehow related after all. There is even a theory that the ancestor of modern chess was this Chinese game!
Other than that, China was also home to a few other mind games, such as Weiqi, internationally known as go; Chinese Checkers, where you jump over pieces of yours and the enemy's to reach the other side of the board; and Mahjong, where you have to get rid of all your tiles by putting them in sets.
Games like the listed above have been played in China for thousands of years, and this actually ties in with chess's ancestry. Just like we are related to our cousins, board games are related to each other.
But why would I start off a chess blog talking about this? Unfortunately, it is not known when chess itself was brought to China, but definitely sometime in the 19th century.
There is practically nothing to say about chess in China before the 20th Century, so I just decided to talk about its relatives! But now, let's move on to the modern history of chess in China.
2. The Quiet Era (1933 - 1965)
It was in the 20th Century that many records of chess in China were found. Of course, without many players in the beginning, the country was not seen as a leading power in chess, so not many major tournaments and events happened there.
But in 1933, then World Champion Alexander Alekhine visited China, where he played an exhibition in Shanghai. To the surprise of many, he was held to two draws! This was, of course, a result that nobody expected, and it showed how much potential Chinese chess had.
In 1956, chess was finally listed as a competitive sport in China, a huge milestone that gave it the recognition it needed. In those days, the popularity of the game was growing largely and many xiangqi players turned out to be good at chess due to the similarities of the two games.
A year later, the Chinese Chess Championship, the national championship which is still held yearly today, was created. People knew that this foreign game was becoming popular in China, with many more players emerging.
Just a few years later, in November of 1962, the Chess Association Of China (CCA) was founded with Hong Lin as its leader. However, it was at the time affiliated to the overly popular Chinese Xiangqi Association, as our beloved game was still second to those native to the country.
With all this rising popularity, players began to play against those of other players, and even without much practice, they did... not bad.
There aren't many great players to mention in this era, as international chess was still overshadowed hugely by native variants. However, I must mention:
Xie Xiaxun (1 October 1888 - 22 December 1987)
Xie Xiaxun was not originally a chess player, instead renowned for his skill at xiangqi. But when Dane Charles Kliene taught him the game, he was hooked, and is most well known for his draw against Alekhine in the exhibition match aforementioned. The game unfortunately has been lost in the mists of time.
One of his other achievements include winning the Silver Dragon Cup, hosted by Britain in Hong Kong and featuring the famous Max Weiss. The British organised a tournament in Guangzhou in 1936, where Xie won 18 games, drew one, and lost one. He also defeated the champion of the British Air Forces, Hunter, who even offered to play blindfolded but was crushed.
Xie was the greatest player in the country around the time of World War II and was great at chess, xiangqi and weiqi.
(Note: It is important to note, if not already known, that in Chinese names the last name is said first, meaning that Xie is the above player's family name. This applies to all other players mentioned.)
To sum up this section, chess was not very big in China at this moment in time, but it sure was growing! This era marked the beginning of something bigger, that we know of today. Chess was still something quiet, waiting behind a door to be unlocked. But when it did, China would explode with it.
At this point, it seemed like the progress of chess in China was coming along very nicely. But that was until 1966. For those who don't know, at this point happened the Cultural Revolution, a major political movement where old customs, culture and ideas were abolished.
And that included chess. In the first 8 years of the Cultural Revolution, the play of chess in the country was put to an absolute stop. Only in 1974 did the ban begin to ease, and play was allowed again.
Emerging from this ban, China was, somehow, victorious. In 1974, Dato Tan Chin Nam, leader of the Malaysian Chess Federation, invited the Chinese to attend the 1st Asian Team Championship.
Just a year later, the same man set up the "Big Dragon Project", which aimed to put China at the top of the chess world by the end of the century.
It was also around this time that the country began to participate far more often in tournaments. After the Chinese Chess Federation joined FIDE in 1975, they sent teams to the Asian Team Championship, claiming second consecutively from 1977 to 81, even hosting it in the latter.
They also went to the Chess Olympiads, and though they didn't start well, the country proved their potential by defeating their first-round opponents, Iceland, 3-1. There are rumours that Grandmaster Guðmundur Sigurjónsson was among those defeated.
China got 7th out of 87 countries in the 1984 Olympiad, and founded the Women's Chinese Chess Championship in 1979. The Chinese Chess Association also became independent from that of xiangqi in 1986. All of this showed the country's growing respect for our beloved game, both male and female.
Now let's learn about the best players of this time! There sure were quite a few emerging talents by now...
Liu Wenzhe (October 7 1940 - September 20 2011)
IM Liu Wenzhe was a great pioneer of chess in China, with a peak rating of 2473, and one of his country's top trainers. He broke many records - he was the first ever International Master in China and the first to defeat a Grandmaster, which he did in 1965.
At the 23rd Chess Olympiad, in 1978, Wenzhe played GM Jan Hein Donner and crushed him in just 20 moves with pinpoint 99% accuracy. That game is known as the Chinese Immortal. See the game below.
Liu popularised the Chinese Variation of the Pirc Defence, named after his country.
Ye Ronguang (October 3 1963)
GM Ye Rongguang was the first Chinese player to achieve the Grandmaster (GM) title, which he got in 1990. He has represented his country in the Chess Olympiad, and won the Chinese Chess Championship, as well as coaching Women's World Chess Champion Zhu Chen for over 10 years.
During his career, Rongguang played against legends such as Veselin Topalov, Viktor Korchnoi and Viswanathan Anand. He is well known for his 14-move win against Loek van Wely, whose peak rating was 2701, and top 10 in the world at the time. See the game below.
Ye Jiangchuan (November 20 1960)
GM Ye Jiangchuan is considered by many as one of the greatest innovators of international chess in China. He has participated in many prestigious tournaments and defeated legends such as Viktor Korchnoi and Peter Svidler.
Jiangchuan has won the Chinese Chess Championship a record seven times, which is the most anyone has ever achieved. This puts him at the best of the best in China.
In 2000, the Chinese Grandmaster was awarded the title of chief coach for both the men and women's team for his country, a title he still holds as of February 2026. He achieved a peak rating of 2684 in April 2003, placing him 17th in the world at the time. What a force to be reckoned with!
Xie Jun (October 30 1970)
Remarkably, the second Chinese player to achieve the title of Grandmaster (GM) was a woman, and that woman was none other than Xie Jun.
Interestingly, she started off playing the traditional xiangqi, instead of chess as we know it today. However, her transition to the game was very smooth, and she claimed the title of Chinese girls chess champion, in 1984.
Xie had two separate reigns as Women's World Chess Champion, from 1991 to 1996 and 1999 to 2001. She was awarded the title of Grandmaster in 1994, the first in China. Xie is also the president of the Chinese Chess Association as of February 2026.
As you can see, China was already at this time exploding with chess masters and more GMs were emerging. The Big Dragon Project worked perfectly if you ask me, as, by 1998 we had really gotten good at the game.
Other notable players from this period include Zhu Chen and Peng Zhaoqin. Hold up, both women? That's right, on the women's side chess was becoming far more elite than expected in China. In fact, while the men took 5th, the women won the 33rd Chess Olympiad ahead of powers such as Russia and Georgia.
Read on to find out what happens next!
And now we have come to these last few decades! I think it is undebatable that a lot of change happened during this time. After many, many years of development, came the HUGE boom of great players.
I earlier mentioned Tan Chin Nam's "Big Dragon Project". And if you look at this moment in time, it sure worked! The new generation of Chinese players made China the unchallenged best country at women's chess. Now, China was a leading chess power.
Let's learn about the players of this era! Warning: There are A LOT!
Ding Liren (24 October 1992)
Arguably the most famous Chinese person to play the game, Ding Liren is the 17th World Chess Champion and the first men's one from China. It is impossible to list all his achievements, but I will talk about a few.
He has achieved great placings at the Candidates Tournament, Sinquefield Cup, Chinese Chess Championship, Speed Chess Championship, and the Grand Chess Tour, to name a few. Ding might just be one of China's best players ever.
Wei Yi (2 June 1999)
Wei Yi is currently the highest-rated Chinese player, at 9th place and a rating of 2754. He was a great prodigy and the youngest Grandmaster in history when he achieved the title at 13 years, 8 months, and 23 days.
He is still only 26 years old but has participated in many prestigious tournaments. Wei has qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament and has a chance at playing the World Championship Match!
Hou Yifan (27 February 1994)
Widely regarded as one of the best female players to ever play the game, Hou Yifan is a retired four-time Women's World Champion, who qualified for the full Grandmaster title at the mere age of 14 years and a half, just a year older than when G.O.A.T. Magnus Carlsen received it.
She achieved a peak rating and ranking of 2686 and 55th in the world, respectively. She has held many records, such as being the youngest player to achieve a Women Grandmaster (WGM) norm and being the youngest to win the Women's World Chess Championship, at just 16!
Today, Hou works as a professor for Peking University and is the currently highest-rated woman, at 2596.
Ju Wenjun (31 January 1991)
The reigning Women's World Chess Champion, Ju Wenjun has five titles under her belt and is a prominent and active player. She is not just great on the women's side and has even defeated Alireza Firouzja!
Ju is one of the highest-rated women in the world and is widely considered one of the best of today.
After counting all the above powerhouses, I missed quite a few (there are just too many of them!) who could not be missed, including:
- Wang Yue, the first Chinese player to surpass both the world's Top 10 and the 2700 rating barrier.
- Yu Yangyi, one of the greatest players of China right now and second only to Wei Yi on the rankings.
- Tan Zhongyi, another winner of the Women's World Championship and a World Championship rival of Ju Wenjun.
- Wang Hao, a Candidates Tournament player of 2020.
As an overall country, China has done incredibly well over the past many years. In fact, the top 5 women in the world are all from China! But will it be the same in the future?
Well, my dear readers, that is exactly what we will talk about in the next chapter!
Throughout history, China has been one of the most dominant powerhouses in the world of chess. But will the next generation be the same? Now, we will cover what is next in my country's chess journey: talents of the future.
The aforementioned Wei Yi is still young, of course, at 26 years old, but he has already made the transition to a top-tier elite player and is, in my opinion, no longer a person of the future. Others who were great prodigies in their time include Bu Xiangzhi, who at the time was the youngest Grandmaster in the world.
Now let's learn about today's rising talents!
Lu Miaoyi (February 2010)
Widely regarded as the biggest Chinese prodigy right now, among both the boys and girls, Lu Miaoyi is a Women Grandmaster (WGM) and the fourth youngest International Master (IM) in female history. She is the current Chinese Women's World Champion.
Lu is the number one Junior girl as of February 2026, with a peak rating of 2452 and a victory over Hou Yifan. Interestingly, her mother Xu Yuanyuan is also a strong player and Women Grandmaster.
Xue Haowen (27 November 2008)
China's highest rated under 20 player right now, Xue Haowen attained the title of Grandmaster in 2025 and is a quickly emerging talent. He participated in the 2023 FIDE World Youth U16 Olympiad, where he remained undefeated throughout the whole tournament with 5 wins and 4 draws. His team won.
Xue has not only played top-of-the-world masters, but even beaten Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Hans Niemann, and Aravindh Chithambaram. In January 2025, Xue achieved his third GM norm and became a Grandmaster at last. He is 11th in the Under 20 section and the strongest Chinese one.
Though untitled at the time in 2023, Xue defeated the current 21st in the world Hans Niemann and three others in the same tournament, with an amazing rook sacrifice. See an interview with the Chinese prodigy below.
From what you have read, I think it is clear that the future of chess in China will be just as bright as its glorious past. In the future, we will see more Dings, and the world will know what a power we are.
In fact, FIDE even wrote in an article that the country of monks and pandas had emphasised chess in schools since the 1990s. Perhaps the Women's G.O.A.T. Judit Polgár even designed an educational program in 2018, specifically for my country!
China is another country that has recognized the benefits of chess education. The Chinese Chess Association has been promoting chess in schools since the 1990s. Moreover, in 2018, the best female chess player in history, Judit Polgár, designed an educational program for China. Her innovative educational chess programs, Chess Palace and Chess Playground, have been introduced into Chinese schools to help the younger generation prepare for the challenges of the future.
FIDE in article Inspiring Facts About Scholastic Chess
With all this effort put into the future of chess in China, I think it is clear that we have a bright future ahead. The future may well be a repeat of the success of the past!
Thank you for reading and exploring Chinese chess history with me! I have enjoyed telling you more about chess in my country, and I hope you liked it too.
From ancient origins to best players, tournaments and innovators of the game, I'm sure you learned something about the rich history and culture of the story of a beautiful game in a beautiful country. May Chinese chess history continue to evolve and thrive in the future!
Again, thank you very much for reading! Anything you want to say can go in the comments below, or just in DM. I am happy with all feedback.
I think I've concluded everything, so goodbye until next time, I guess! Take care and we will meet again in probably around 15 to 30 days, depending on some certain factors. Bye!Back to ToC
