Friday, September 22, 2023

19届亚运会杭州明开幕

The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2023 Grand Opening Ceremony is on tomorrow Saturday 23rd September, and the Closing Ceremony will be on Sunday 8th October.

Some competitions beginning as early as 19th September.

There are a total of 481 events. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Games were postponed from last year.

Schedules for Xiangqi : 28th September to 7th October

Chess : 24th September to 7th October

Go (Weiqi) : 24th September to 3rd October.

Countries and regions participating :

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philipines, Palestine, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tukmenistan, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

Competition events :

Archery, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Basketball 3X3, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Breaking, Bridge, Canoe Slalom, Canoe Spring, Chess, Criket, Cycling-BMX, Cycling-Mountain Bike, Cycling-Road, Cycling-Track, Diving, Dragon Boat, Equestrian, Esports, Fencing, Football, Go, Golf, Gymnastics-Artistic, Gymnastics-Rhythmic, Gymnastics-Trampoline, Handball, Hockey, Ju-Jitsu, Judo, Kabaddi, Karate, Kurash, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Roller Skating, Rowing, Rugby Sevens, Sailing, Sepaktakraw, Shooting, Skateboarding, Soft Tennis, Softball, Sport Climbing, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Wushu, Xiangqi.

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Wednesday, September 20, 2023

蒋延广横车献马号角吹

There is a 93-year-old King of Xiangqi in Nanhai
Dated : 2006-September-6th

There is a 93-year-old Qi Wang (Xiangqi King)

In Heshun, Lishui Town, Nanhai District, there is a well-known old man "Qi Wang Guang," whose original name was Jiang Yanguang(蒋延广), and many people like to call him "Uncle Guang" or simply "Qi Wang" (King of Xiangqi). At the age of 93, he has been in the chess scene for nearly 80 years.

Yesterday, the reporter met "Qi Wang Guang" in the Leisure Hall of the Heshun Village Community. The old man is in good spirits and has very sharp memory! Uncle Guang's first words when he saw the reporter, when revealing the "secret" of his longevity were: "It all came down to years of playing Xiangqi, mind power really."

At the beginner: Young Worker Self-taught Art of Xiangqi

Since the beginning of August this year, at the call of the township Youth League Committee and the village Community, Uncle Guang has opened a free Xiangqi class in the Leisure Hall of the village. Instantly about 30 primary and secondary schools pupils joined the class.

Born in 1914, Uncle Guang worked in a grocery store at the tender age of 15. During that period, whenever he had his work finished, Uncle Guang liked to go and watch people playing the game, and soon he learned to play it well, and with the guidance of his chess teacher, his knowledge and skills improved greatly.

The Trick: Good at dissecting the endgame

“Qi Wang Guang" 's name spread quickly locally.

Once, Heshun had held a Xiangqi tournament, and Kong Qingqiu(孔慶球), a native of the town who had returned from Guangzhou, signed up for the competition after knowing about it, and he lost to Uncle Guang in the final stage. He was not convinced, so he sent a challenge letter to Uncle Guang for a direct encounter. Uncle Guang gladly accepted the challenge, and the two fought it out like dragon and tiger behind closed doors. At the end of the day, Uncle Guang won 27 out of a set of 40 games, Kong Qingqiu this time was convinced, and he bowed down, and said that Uncle Guang's Xiangqi King of Heshun was well deserved.

What Uncle Guang relishes the most is the classic endgames, and what an endgame such as "The Vertical Rook and Knight Sacrifice Formation"(横车献马阵), which can be described as a treasure according to Uncle Guang. "The highest level of playing Xiangqi is knowing the Openings (start) and the Endgames (end)!", he insisted, quite seriousness.

Apprenticeship: Passing the baton

Since the establishment of the Lishui Town Art of Xiangqi Association, Uncle Guang has been appointed as a coach, focusing on educating the junior players. Once Uncle Guang's students had formed a team to participate in the junior three-game (Xiangqi, Chess and Weiqi) tournament in Nanzhuang, and the result was good : one championship and two runners-up, and when Uncle Guang heard the news, he immediately composed a poem : "The trumpet blows in the chess arena of Nanzhuang, and the young generals of Heshun thundered, carefully looking for the way to win the championship and victory brought the smile well earned in return."(南庄棋坛号角吹,和顺小将一声雷,临场细心寻子路,夺取冠亚笑颜回。”

Long-cherished wish: Write the life experience into a book

During the casual conversation, Uncle Guang inadvertently revealed that he had a wish, that is, he wanted to write a book about his years of chess experience and leave it to his juniors, and let them understand the truth of Xiangqi.

The moral of "The Vertical Rook and Knight Sacrifice Formation" endgame is to warn us not to miss the overall situation because we are too greedy for capturing one piece."

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Source : 象棋大师网

Sunday, September 17, 2023

元朗荣华杯孟辰再夺冠

(象棋通讯)2023年第7届“元朗荣华杯”象棋公开赛,孟辰夺冠

2023年元朗荣华杯象棋公开赛,历经3天11轮,今已决出名次。

冠军孟辰、亚军陈泓盛、季军黄海林。

第4至第10名,分别为:赵金成、何文哲、钟少鸿、张学潮、刘宗泽、黄光颖、朱少钧。

女子组冠军宋晓琬、亚军沈思凡、季军王文君。

第4至第8名,分别为:时凤兰、何媛、董毓男、李沁、黄蕾蕾。

元朗荣华杯从2016年起,至今共举行了七届,孟辰夺冠共计三次,另外张学潮、黄仕清、邹海涛、蔡植坚也在前几届中分别折桂一次。

孟辰三度称霸,此番登顶,孟辰全程多次弃子攻杀,棋路大气磅礴,领先一场,依然进攻之心不减。

值得一提的是,孟辰与爱妻王晴大师赛前不久喜得爱女,喜气的加持,奶爸再得冠军,三阳开泰,喜笑颜开,孟辰感言我家刚出生小棉袄带来好运。

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(又讯)2023年东莞市第7届“元朗荣华杯”象棋公开赛,7月21日至23日,在东莞市石碣镇天悦酒店强势演绎,比赛限报180人,执行最新象棋竞赛规则,采取11轮积分制。

本次比赛吸引了众多的特大和大师,男子特大、国际特大包括:于幼华、孟辰、庄玉庭、许国义、张学潮、苗永鹏、李锦欢、赵汝权、黄学谦。

强大师包括:曹岩磊、赵金成、李翰林等。因为名额受限,“东莞双雄”之一的金松大师报名未被接受,沧海遗珠。“东莞双雄”的另一位赵玮大师则将参加“新泰杯”。

赛程21日晚8点赛2轮,22日上午8点半、下午2点半各3轮,23日上午8点半又有3轮决战。

赛事奖励丰厚,总奖金15万,冠军3万、亚军2万、季军1万,第4至第60有奖。女子组冠军1万2,本地组、历届男女冠军另奖。

比赛特邀棋坛宗师,广东象棋灵魂人物,世界五冠王,“羊城大帅”吕钦现场颁奖。亚洲冠军李鸿嘉、一线美女武文慧担当主持。

元朗荣华杯投入巨大,7届之中,奖金加办赛,已超100万以上,这些很多都是民间私人资金的注入,殊为不易,特别是袁炜年先生,为此比赛付出很多,待棋友甚厚,成为人人认可的象棋孟尝君。

本届大赛,是三年的特殊变动(疫症)过后,重回自由办赛,大公开型模式,火爆非凡,参赛人数迅速上升到一百八十多。

当前,名单已整体截止,除个别外,组委会不再多设,其中特大、大师,强超五十人,火热十足。

男子特大、大师,国际特大、大师,于幼华、孟辰、庄玉庭、许国义、张学潮、苗永鹏、李锦欢、赵汝权、黄学谦。

曹岩磊、赵金成、李翰林、陈泓盛、刘子健、黄海林、宿少峰、黄光颖、莫梓健、杨辉、蒋融冰、张彬、钟少鸿、何文哲、刘明。

陈富杰、郑宇航、万科、蒋明成、张成楚、梁运龙、李学淏、李成蹊、范思远、吴金永、宋炫毅、熊学元、张瑞峰、冯家俊。

女子特大、大师,陈幸琳、沈思凡、时凤兰、梁妍婷、林延秋、王文君、李越川、何媛、董毓男、董嘉琦、黄蕾蕾、宋晓琬、李沁、张佳雯。

广东十虎,有九虎出征,黄文俊、朱少钧、郑鸿标、邹海涛、黎铎、杨鸿轲、林川博、邓家荣、张泽岭。蔡佑广因事未参加。

十虎教练陈球谈道,九虎将会力争好成绩,虎王蔡佑广由于早前答应人暑假赴浙江教棋,时间有冲,金马车守信之人,无法分身,遗憾缺席。

多位业余强手、省市名将、地方战士、未来之星,集结出战,一百八十多人大阵容火线袭来,爆炸不已。

Source : qipu88

Wednesday, September 06, 2023

选拔赛王天一弃马绝杀

(Xiangqi News) The 18th World Xiangqi Championship 2023 will be held from November 20th to 25th at the Royal Sonesta Grand Hotel in Houston, USA, with a total prize fund of 400,000 yuan.

There will be four main events, including Men's Individual, Women's Individual, Men's Team, and Women's Team.

Leading players Wang Tianyi, Meng Chen, Liu Huan and Shen Sifan are selected for tbe Chinese Team.

In the previous World Xiangqi Championship held in Malaysia last year, Wang Tianyi and Zuo Wenjing won the Men's and Women's Individual respectively. Vietnam won the Men's Team championship, won also three more junior laurels, thus secured a total of four gold medals, and was victorious in the rapid chess tournament too.

The 2023 tournament is scheduled with the first five days being the World Championships for adults and juniors, and the last day being for the Open Xiangqi.

At present, the selection of personnel in various countries and regions around the world is in full swing.

The Xiangqi teams worldwide no doubt attached great importance to this World Championship. It is well known the Chinese team as early as March this year held a series of selection contests.

In the super battles that many chess fans were eagerly watching, in the Women's group, 11 rounds of play, Liu Huan won the contest with a one-point advantage, achieving a personal breakthrough. Shen Sifan was the runner-up.

As for Men's group, there was a fierce battle between Grandmaster Wang Tianyi and Grandmaster Meng Chen, when Wang Tianyi sacrificed a Knight to launch a great attack, his moves were sharp, the whole process was accurate, it was simply a masterpiece to watch.

That's it for the time being, the Xiangqi team of 20 players, led by Wang Tianyi and Meng Chen, will be rushing in due course to the 2023's 18th World Xiangqi Championships in Houston, USA.

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According to good source, the Xiangqi Association of UK will be sending Mr. Tian He (田 荷)to participate in the Houston, USA's World Championship November 2023.

He studies in University, is a leading player of the game and a Xiangqi Champion.

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Result of Mind Sports Olympiad's Xiangqi tournament, London held Sunday 20th August 2023 :

Gold medal to Carman Tang (Hong Kong)

Silver medal to Tam Wai Pong (Hong Kong)

Broze medal to Tung Yat Cheung (Hong Kong)

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Sunday, September 03, 2023

杨官璘杯冠军奖金十万

(Xiangqi News) The "9th Yang Guanlin Cup" Xiangqi Open Tournament will be held from 22nd to 24th September 2023 at Hilton Hotel, Dongguan City, Guangdong.

The main organizers are China's Xiangqi Association, Guangdong Xiangqi Association and Dongguan Cultural, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau.

Competition Projects : Men's and Women's Individual.

Eligibility : According to China's Xiangqi Association, Men's Individual : the topmost ranking players. Women's Individual : the topmost ranking players.

Prizes : Men: Champion 100,000 yuan, Runner-up 50,000, 3rd 30,000 RMB, 4th 15,000, 5th 12,000, 6th 10,000 down to 24th 4,000 yuan.

Women : Champion 50,000 yuan, Runner-up 30,000, 3rd 20,000, 4th 10,000 down to 10th 3,000 yuan.

Format of competitions : Men's 9 rounds of Swiss system. Women's all play all.

Timing : Basically 60 minutes to complete all moves, with 20 seconds added for each move.

Players will be provided with expenses for travelling, accomodation and meal.

They are requested to wear formal attire to attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

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Monday, August 28, 2023

越南选派高手参加亚运

(Xiangqi News) Vietnam is sending 6 top Xiangqi players to participate in the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD), which will open from the 23rd of September to closing in the 8th of October, to be held in the City of Hangzhou, China.

The selected players are Nguyen Thanh Bao, Lai Ly Huynh, Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang, Nguyen Hoang Yen, Le Thi Kim Loan and Nguyen Phi Liem.

According to the Sports Authority, a total of 320 athletes from Vietnam will attend the ASIAD in September, competing in 31 sporting events, including Xiangqi.

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Decades ago, Vietnam's No. 1 Trần Nga Sang said : I play Xiangqi like "evil-possessed"

by Ge Wanli(葛万里)
Yangcheng Evening News
12th August 2002

From the appearance alone, if Zheng Yasheng, who is thinly built walks on the streets of Guangzhou, no one would think that he is not a native. The writer Ge Wanli was curious when he had dinner with the Vietnamese team members yesterday and learned that Master Zheng is indeed from Guangdong and can also speak Cantonese.

Although Zheng Yasheng(郑亚生)has repeatedly stated that he speaks Cantonese poorly, this has not prevented him from clearly telling the media about his experience as "Vietnam's number one Xiangqi Master".

"I came across Xiangqi very accidentally, I could almost say very suddenly, as if I had "fallen for evil-possession". Zheng Yasheng's opening conversation made everyone laughed.

He explained with a smile that when he was 17 years old, one day he watched his neighbour friend Zhang Yaming(张亚明)playing the game, he was quite fascinated just by watching it.

At that particular moment, he realized instantly that the variations and combinations, the possibility of change and choice were so fascinating and unpredictable, that he became interested in starting playing.

"Since then, I have been playing as if there is no tomorrow, even neglecting my business and focusing just on the game. Playing in a Xiangqi café every day, and at nights too. Then, when my chess improved sufficiently, I went out to seek for masters players to practice, and yet more practice!" Zheng said.

Zheng Yasheng said that it was thanks to lot of actual over-the-board playing that his chess skills could be rapidly improved. From the beginning when Zhang Yaming could give him odds of a Knight, he has now progressed so much that he won the Vietnamese national championship for three consecutive years (2000, 2001 and 2002), and became the first international grandmaster of Vietnam by winning third place in the Asian Leading Players Tournament and 4th place of the World Xiangqi Championship 2001 respectively.

Zheng Yasheng, 40 years old now, has two daughters who are still at school. He told reporters that although Vietnam does not yet have professional Xiangqi players, he can basically make ends meet on tournament prizes and bonuses, and from coaching and a championship allowance (US$100 per month) from the government. He also said that there are many Xiangqi masters in the country, and if you slacken or inattentive for a moment, you will be caught up quickly, so if you want not to fall behind, you must constantly be able to compete with other masters.

As the main player of the Vietnamese team, Zheng Yasheng's opponent on the evening of 7th August was "China's number one Grandmaster" Xu Yinchuan(许银川). Speaking of Xu Yinchuan, Zheng Yasheng immediately looked a little excited, and his eyes full of admiration. He nodded towards Xu Yinchuan, who was sitting opposite and said, "Xu Yinchuan and Lu Qin(吕钦)are superstars. I came here mainly to learn, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to learn from Master Xu. Xu's Xiangqi is solid, his skills are comprehensive, especially there is no weakness."

Speaking of this when, at the same moment, a fan took out a small chess set, laid out an endgame on the table, and asked Xu Yinchuan for some playing hints. As soon as Zheng Yasheng saw it, he immediately stood up and walked quickly to Xu's side to listen to the endgame's analysis. Watching carefully at his focused expression, the reporter had another visual understanding of the meaning of what he had repeatedly said about his "obsession" and "learning from the master".

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Source : Yangcheng Evening News
12th August 2002

Friday, August 18, 2023

熟悉弈理或可纵横足坛

女子足球世界杯赛,已连续在澳大利亚-新西兰主办国各大球场进行着,世界各地民众也可从电视及电台收看及收听精彩赛事。

八月二十日(星期日)将举行决赛,英格兰女子足球队对西班牙女子足球队,两支欧洲劲旅均是第一次打入世界杯决赛。两队势均力敌,未知鹿死谁手。

棋艺爱好者或许会发现,弈棋和踢球有很多相似的地方。人们一个共同的认识是,球是流动的,场地不会动。意思是这项运动玩起来会有各种变化,会有各种意外的结果。一如弈棋,千古无同局。知己知彼,百战百胜。

在一本很久没有翻动的棋书中(方长勤 郭淑珑 温满红 编著),看到首页的“前言”提到善弈。换位思想,足球的善踢也一样道理吧。

棋有开局,中局,残局。足球也有开局,如 4-2-4,3-4-3,1-2-4-3 等等。中局是半场休息前后的一大段战役。残局是赛事将要结束前的一段最后战斗,有补充体力的考虑,加时续赛及踢罚球(penalties)的安排等等。

前言

中国象棋,源远流长,双方对垒,奥妙有趣。弈棋能启迪智慧,锻炼意志,培养进取精神;寓于棋艺中的哲理,陶冶着人们的情操。弈棋在今天,已成为人们喜爱的娱乐活动,并已是科学和艺术相结合的一项运动项目。

纹枰对弈如用兵打仗,阵形变化,深不可测。两军相搏,是智取,是强攻;是速战速决,是固守待机; 一切全在用兵有方,审时度势。古人说:“拈两指之兵,恍若千钧之弩”。可见,棋走一着,份量不轻。积前辈经验的棋谱好似兵书,古往今来,善弈者,莫不精研古谱,常拆排局(set piece)。他们之所以能作战有方,举棋若定,皆是受益其中。

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Friday, August 11, 2023

中西象棋围棋同场举行

第27届智力奥林比亚运动会(27th Mind Sports Olympiad)定于8月20日到8月28日在伦敦举行。

比赛项目多达80余项,包括中国象棋,西洋象棋,围棋,残棋解答,跳棋,双陆棋,拼字游戏,纸牌游戏等等。

比赛地点 :JW3, 341 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET

网上报名 :mindsportsolympiad.com

各个项目的前三名优胜者将分别获得金牌,银牌,铜牌的奖励。部分项目还会有奖金。赞助者提供的奖金总数约有一千英镑。

参赛者务必在比赛开始10分钟前到达现场。

Diving Chess(跳水棋)则提前于8月13日(星期日)上午9时举行,地点 :Leonardo Royal Hotel, London E1 8GP

由于英国赌博许可证的规例,Backgammon与Poker项目将不设奖金。

值得一提,1997年为首届智力奥林比亚运动会,在伦敦开幕,被认为是规模最盛大的智奥会,智力运动会先行者,比赛总奖金高达10万英镑。

2020年因冠状病毒流行,在伦敦每年举行的这项赛事,当时全部改在网上进行。

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Wednesday, August 02, 2023

Manchester's Xiangqi Tournament On 12th September

(Xiangqi Newsletter) It is reported that the British Xiangqi Association (Manchester) will hold a Xiangqi Championship Tournament on Tuesday 12th of September, at the Zhiye Haibao Restaurant, Manchester, Greenside Way Middleton Manchester M24 1SW.

The registration fee is £15 per person. The competition consists of two events: team competition and individual competition.

The tournament follows the Asian Rules and will be a five rounds of Swiss system. Basically players have 25 minutes allocated to them to finish their games, over-stepping the time limit is counted as negative result.

The first and second place winners of the team competition will be awarded certificates.

The individual competition winner will be awarded prize of £120, the runner-up will be awarded prize of £80, the third prize will be £50, the fourth prize will be £30. Each of them will also receive a trophy to keep as souvenir.

During the break, participants will enjoy complimentary refreshments and tea. Dinner is at participants' own expense, with a voucher of £30 per person.

For registration, the following are person to contact :
Huang Jianrong (President) Tele No. : 07446 111890
Zhang Dongrong (Vice President) Tel: 07598 141639
Peng Huangxiu (Vice President) Tele : 07477 913831

The world is like a game each not the same
Great designs hidden solving to be gradual

People from all walks of life and Xiangqi enthusiasts are welcome to participate in the competition.

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Tuesday, August 01, 2023

曼城举办棋赛宏扬象艺

象棋通讯,据悉 :英国中国象棋协会(曼城)将于九月十二日(星期二)举办象棋锦标赛,地点在曼城志业海宝大酒楼。(Greenside Way Middleton Manchester M24 1SW)

报名费每人£15。比赛项目有团体赛及个人赛两项。

比赛采用亚洲棋例,五轮瑞士制。双方基本用时25分钟,超时判负。

团体赛第一及第二名颁发奖状,个人赛冠军£120,亚军£80,季军£50,殿军£30,奖杯各一座。

参赛者将可免费享用点心和茶水。晚餐费自付,餐卷每位£30。

报名联络人 :
黄健荣(会长)电话号:07446 111890
张东荣(副会长)电话:07598 141639
彭煌秀(副会长)电话:07477 913831

世事如棋 局局新
玄机藏奥 步步解

欢迎各界人士和象棋爱好者踊跃参加比赛

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Monday, July 31, 2023

吉视传媒力旺杯南方胜

Results of "Jishi Media" North-South Confrontation

In the 7th version of the 2023 "Jishi Media - Liwang Cup" Xiangqi National Championship North-South Confrontation Tournament, the South team beat the North 3-1. The South has now won 5 times against North 2 times in the series.

In terms of personal records, the South team Zhao Xinxin won all his 4 games in 4 rounds, with Lu Qin 3 wins and 1 defeat, Sun Yongzheng 2 wins and 2 defeats, Xie Jing lost all his games.

The North team with Hong Zhi 3 wins and 1 defeat, Wang Tianyi 2 wins and 2 defeats, Jiang Chuan 1 win and 3 defeats, Wang Yang 1 win and 3 defeats.

Zhao Xinxin has been in excellent form recently, he has been crowned champion of the Pan An Weiye Cup, a winner-member of the team competition, he also came out second in the Asian Games selection. Wang Tianyi has not been in good performance since the Asian Games selection, in the north-south competition he is not in a good mood.

Zhao and Wang having tied in the normal slow games, they went for the tie-break. Wang Tianyi sacrificed his Rook to grab the attack, missed several good opportunities, Zhao Xinxin counter-attacked and won in the end.

The old veteran Lu Qin is still impressive, he defeated Wang Yang with the Black pieces. In the previous rounds, he defeated Wang Tianyi and Jiang Chuan, and nearly defeated Hong Zhi, but missed several good opportunities.

As one of the top players in the Xiangqi Hall of Fame, Lu Qin is known for his short and sharp, fast and lightning attacking style.

Jiang Chuan and Xie Jing have respectively lost in their first three rounds. They met in this final round. The normal slow and fast games were tied, and so they got into the sudden-death stage. Xie Jing opened with a rarely seen Balanced Cannons in the Opening, but Jiang Chuan was cool and steady, he firmly took the counter initiative early, and in the middle game formed a powerful offensive of the Central Cannon. Faced with an unfavorable situation, Xie Jing came out for a final battle, and after the exchange of Cannons, his Knight was trapped by Jiang's Rook. Xie has no alternative but to admit defeat, and Jiang Chuan won the game.

On another table, Hong Zhi quickly defeated Sun Yongzheng. Hong Zhi was the best player in the Northern team, with 3 wins and 1 defeat.

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Source : Qipu88

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

南北对抗26日隆重开幕

Jishi Media - Liwang Cup : North versus South 2023

The 7th "Jishi Media(吉视传媒)- Liwang Cup(力旺杯)" Northern team versus Southern team 2023 will be held in the Cultural Square of the City of Changchun(长春市), from July 27th to 30th. The total prize fund is 400,000 yuan, with 250,000 for the winning team, and 150,000 for the other team.

The opening ceremony will be held a day earlier on Wednesday 26th. Each team consists of 4 players. The tournament format basically is for each side to take 60 minutes to finish the game, with 30 seconds added for each move. If after the scheduled 4 rounds, the scores are even, there will be tie breaks of faster moves and shorter times to separate the teams.

Schedule of the 4 rounds tournament :

26th : Registration and opening ceremony

27th : 1st round

28th : 2nd round

29th : 3rd round

30th : 4th round

The organizers to cover the travel and accommodation expenses of the participating players.

8 Xiangqi champions are invited to participate. The northern team players include: Wang Tianyi(王天一), Jiang Chuan(蒋川), Hong Zhi(洪智), and Wang Yang(汪洋). The southern team players are: Lu Qin(吕钦), Zhao Xinxin(赵鑫鑫), Xie Jing(谢靖), and Sun Yongzheng(孙勇征).

Grandmaster Zhao Xinxin, who has just won the Pan'an Cup, has become the top card of the southern team, can he continue the good momentum of the Pan'an Cup and make contributions to the team?

Lu Qin, a veteran master of Xiangqi, five-time champion and the guiding light of Yangcheng(羊城), is the leader of the southern team, his strength is still there, when necessary, he dares to strike lightning fast and hard.

Shanghai's Sun Yongzheng and Xie Jing are the backbones of the southern team's attack and defense. In terms of strength, although the south is not at full force due to the absence of Zheng Weitong(郑惟桐), who is busy for his post-graduate thesis, it is not to be underestimated.

The northern team is led by the ranking number one player Wang Tianyi, nicknamed 'man from the outer galaxy', who played well in every north versus south tournament. With an average of four wins or 3 wins and 1 loss, he is the anchor of the team.

Jiang Chuan is another important figure in the northern team, the jade-faced Buddha is really amazing, not long time ago he won the Xie Xiaxun Cup. The two players could tilt the balance of power. Together with Hong Zhi and Wang Yang, the two heroes from Hubei, the north team has indeed reached a high level.

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Source : Go to Qipu88

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Sunday, July 23, 2023

知彼知己赛后复盘制胜

Know Yourself And Know Your Opponents

Hao Jichao(郝继超)has various nicknames: Brother Belt, Social Man, Longjiang Dalang. His chess career has had many twists and turns, plenty of interesting anecdots and funny tales, including a paper strip incident with veteran Grandmaster Wan Chunlin(万春林).

In a 1st Division Xiangqi League of 26-rounds, Hao had 8 wins, 18 draws and no defeat, this amazing result led many people commented that "it seems not to come from the human brain", so there was a fierce debate about whether Hao is a human or a machine.

Hao Jichao is a controversial figure indeed, he has not studied from a Xiangqi teacher proper. When as a child, he got hold and memorized two Xiangqi books, which can be regarded as learning the game more than seriously. Unlike other young and promising chess players, he was educated only up to junior high school level. Unlike most players who sit and talk and study the game in the hard way, Hao Jichao like to make new friends, go to clubbing, good at playing billiards, independent minded, acting in a way to sort right from wrong...

A piece of paper caused lots of questions: Can people get out of the "devil moves"?

Back to 2017, for the Heilongjiang team, it was an ordinary round in the 1st Division League, free of the worry of relegation, the players were under no much pressure, it was time to enjoy a good competitive game, however things were disturbed by Wan Chunlin.

Speaking of which, Wan Chunlin and Hao Jichao have a difference of 16 years gap, when Wan got into the Shanghai team as a professional player in 1984, Hao was not even born.

Hao recalled the incident : As soon as he entered the tournament hall, he handed me a note saying : "I will give you some written lines to the effect like this - I know very well about your use of chess software, if you beat me today, that will be a watershed in your life."

Hao Jichao recalled : "His rank is a Grandmaster, I didn't expect such a move from him. I was angry and a little confused too, pondering whether to give the note to the arbiter or to Mr. Zhao (Grandmaster Zhao Guorong, member and coach of the Heilongjiang team), then Wan Chunlin told me to give him the note back, I said I wouldn't return it, our voices became louder, almost quarrelsome, just at that moment the light suddenly went out, he took the opportunity to snatch the note back.”

"Actually, Wan Chunlin and I didn't play chess much, I beat him when I was a master in 2009, and then we drew 2 games in the League 2011, three games played in total. I don't know why he did this, it was an attack on my personality. I didn't go outside, but he went out twice during the game, though the final result was a draw." Hao Jichao said.

Hao Jichao continued : "Before the competition, the security guard took the detector to scan twice, and I was not allowed to bring any electronic equipment or my mobile phone inside, even my ears were checked by doctors, and I had avoided suspicion and tried not to go to the toilet." In the end, they said that I implanted the chip in my brain, then alas I really can't respond, let's settle the truth on the chessboard. I respect every opponent, but I'm not afraid of anyone.”

Speaking of which, Hao Jichao's most admired Xiangqi players are Lu Qin(吕钦)and Hong Zhi(洪智), because "Lu Qin's chess is crafty, there is always a stroke of genius, Hong Zhi's chess dares to attack, he has the courage to give it a go when it is most critical. Anyway, there is a reason why I can make some unexpected moves..."

There are many ways to become a Grandmaster, Hao Jichao's road is to make it out by himself

In fact, what Wan Chunlin didn't know was that Hao Jichao, who grappled the note with him, was once good at combat. "When I was a child, playing chess was just fun for me, I didn't expect to become a professional player." Hao said.

Unlike most players who have the chance of learning from a Xiangqi teacher, Hao Jichao has never got properly taught. As we all know, Zhao Guorong studied under Wang Jialiang(王嘉良), so the chess style of two generations of "Siberian Tigers" is continuous, impervious to wind and rain, while Hao Jichao's chess is strange, hard to recognize, so he appreciates the craftiness in Lu Qin's chess style.

"My family is in rural Longjiang County, Qiqihar City, and when I was 13, my family moved to Daqing, and my parents became ordinary workers in the oil extraction plant." Hao Jichao had for years having no job, and when the national amateur xiangqi tournament was held during the year 2005, he had the good opportunity to play against the Xiangqi master Jing Xueyi(景学义), in the end he lost the game.

One day after the tournament, Hao Jichao received a call from Jing Xueyi himself, "Do you want to come to my Kailuan coal mining team?" In this way, the Longjiang guy who had the idea that "playing chess is also a way of getting a living", rolled up his sleeves and went to become a Tangshan man. "I was very impressed, my first month salary at Kailuan was 670 yuan."

Coach Jing is my enlightenment teacher. At that time, Hao Jichao was of 20 years old.

Zhao Guorong once said that studying the opening game is the key for players to improve themselves, because in the endgames, masters players deal more or less in the same way. However, because Hao Jichao did not learn from any Xiangqi teacher early on, he turned to study a variety of openings with the help of computer software, though the endgame was his weakness point. "They say my moves are like software, because I learn 90 percent of my chess with computers. In 2003, there was a software called Qiyin, I used that to review and analyse my games, I have to find out where I lost, and why, I have never lost twice in the same situation.”

Over the chessboard, know yourself and know your opponents. Grand Master teapot can cook dumplings

Hao Jichao knew his weakness : "This year I have a chess game, the opponent was Zhao Jincheng(赵金成), I got Rook and 2 Pawns against Rook and Pawn, and due to time pressure I did not win. To be honest, my basic skills are not up to standard, having no teacher, no one has taught me the endgame technique.” "I have had a good life, though, and I play well every time I play in competition." Since Hao Jichao participated in amateur competitions, he can at least score among the top three ranks every time, in fact, the meaning of this is that he has good psychological quality and is a competition-type player. With the prize bonus alone, he supported himself well during his 6 years in Tangshan. In 2010, Zhao Guorong invited him home. "Actually, in the end, it was Teacher Zhao who brought me back to hometown, I am very thankful to him." Hao Jichao said.

In the end, Hao Jichao won 5 games and drew one in six rounds of the Asian Games this year, coupled with a 65.4% win rate in the League, he proved his strength with an undefeated record for everyone to see. For this result, Hao Jichao light-heartedly said: "The strongest chess player in the Vietnamese team did not come, so I think I won within a limit."

Speaking of which, the newly promoted Grandmaster seemed a little spoiled, "For me to go to work from 8am to 5pm, I really can't stand it, as a chess player my life looks a bit lethargic, fortunately, as Mr. Zhao is also a chess player, he understands me well, he does not force on me about my working routine, I live according to my own tempo, my chess training has never been lacking behind. I am quite satisfied with my life now, and I like to play the game.”

'

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Source : Qipu88

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Sunday, July 16, 2023

广西邓如军快棋显绝技

Man with a pinch of hair plays super-fast Xiangqi

Deng Rujun(邓如军)is a good amateur player in the Guangxi Xiangqi circle, and recently become famous for playing ultra-rapid and blitz chess against lots of masters across the country. Deng Rujun has grown sparse hair on one side of his face thus nicknamed 'a pinch of hair'(一撮毛)or 'Brother Mao'(毛哥), and over time, his real name was little known. Brother Mao is good at fast chess, especially three-minute, one-minute ultra-fast chess. Extreme fast and rapid reaction helped him not to fall behind in the duel with his many famous opponents, and even dominated them with advantage.

It was talked about in the Xiangqi circle that Brother Mao has defeated two advanced students of Grandmaster Liu Dahua in consecutive matches (five games against Xiangqi Master Wang Xingye and three games against Xiangqi Master Zhao Ziyu), and more players will come over one after another, and the excitement is building up ahead of the confrontations! It seems that the professional masters all have to pay a tuition fee to Brother Mao, how are the master players going to react to the situation? It's anybody guess. What's more, several of Brother Mao's major agents have also rushed in to support him, including Mr. Wang Jiang(王疆), the Xiangqi coach of Lin Huiyu(林辉宇), it seems that it is difficult for the masters to pluck the hair, and the longer this hair grows, the more lush it is!

Xiangqi Master Chen Fujie has failed miserably the night before. The net loss of twelve games shocked the Xiangqi world, and Mao Ge's troop has reached Grandmaster Xu Yinchuan's camp last night. Chen Fujie got defeated on the opposite bank of river Lijiang(丽江)and lost the sum of 18,000 yuan. The heavyweight of the Guangdong Xiangqi team was greatly enraged, they immediately ordered that the frontline players to be fully ready, to recover the lost ground at any cost and win back their dignity.

Mao Ge is quite strong and full of confidence, he has defeated several well-known masters. Only Wei Qiang(蔚强)avoided defeat and drew with him.

Worthy to mention, because in the past few days, Wang Xingye(王兴业), Zhao Ziyu(赵子雨), Su Shaofeng(宿少峰), Chen Fujie(陈富杰)and other Xiangqi masters all lost to Mao Ge, so a top player in the professional world of super fast chess was requested to step forward to meet the man with a pinch of hair.

Now comes the battle hero Zhao Jincheng,

He shows his generation's great strength.

With forceful youth and fierce attack,

Brother Mao's approach must be so re-adjust,

Should not do anything arbitrary or carefree,

Non-stop combats can cause lack of fitness,

Ahead are higher mountains and higher peaks.

Xiangqi master Zhao Jincheng(赵金成)crushed Guangxi's Mao Ge, and won back some prestige for the professional team.

Though defeated he is still stunning and glory,

Many masters got the lessons while he went far.

Reached in front of the gate of the God of War,

It is acceptable to lose to better players.

Good games always astound people up and down,

As good things are bound to come to the ground.

Too tiresome really that of continuous battles,

Not to lament, shining reputation been all around!

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Source : 孔广锡过宫炮的博客
2017-11-10

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

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Sunday, July 09, 2023

胡司令破棋摊七星局

Hu Ronghua, A Legendary Figure

Grandmaster Hu Ronghua is a legendary figure in the history of Xiangqi - the youngest national champion at the age of 15, the oldest at age of 55, champion 14 times, and 10 times consecutive champion. This is unprecedented. Here are some anecdotes about Hu Ronghua, nicknamed "Commander Hu"(胡司令).

1. Where did this nickname come from?

It turned out that there was an old-timer in the Shanghai chess world named Xie Xiaxun(谢侠逊), who worked as a supplement editor in a newspaper before liberation, and in the early 30s of the last century, Xie Xiaxun won the championship in a national competition, so he telegraphed the whole country in the supplement of the newspaper, proclaiming himself the Commander of Xiangqi, and then appointed leading players in different areas as army commanders and divisional commanders. It was a light hearted fun, for a while, everyone called Xie Xiaxun "Xiangqi Commander".

In the mid-70s, Hu Ronghua had already achieved fame, and once at Xie Xiaxun's 80th birthday banquet, Xie solemnly announced : "I am old, and this position of 'Xiangqi Commander' should belong to Hu Ronghua."

At that time, because the audience hearing this announcement was not large enough, it was not circulated in society.

Half a year later, the model stage play "Shajiabang"(沙家浜)became popular, among which the character Hu Chuankui(胡传魁)"Commander Hu" was even more famous. A certain Xiangqi fan, who was slightly older than Hu Ronghua, felt that calling Hu Ronghua "Xiao Hu" seemed to be disrespectful, and calling Hu Ronghua "teacher" not that correct in terms of seniority, so he jokingly called Hu Ronghua "Commander Hu". Now not only the entire chess world calls Hu Ronghua "Commander Hu", but even the leading figures of the Municipal Sports followed the trend and call Hu Ronghua "Commander Hu" when they met.

2. Righteousness and Courage

Then the Cultural Revolution began. Hu Ronghua, who was in his early twenties, once went to Anhui on a business trip, and it took three hours to change trains in Bengbu(蚌埠).

Unexpectedly, Hu Ronghua saw a Xiangqi stall, with 5 or 6 "Jianghu endgames"(江湖残局)displayed on the ground, with many people crowded around. Hu Ronghua squeezed himself into the crowd, and felt someone tapped him on the shoulder, it turned out to be a man with a northeast regional accent, the latter had saw someone moving behind Hu Ronghua, he kindly reminded Hu : "Put your schoolbag in front." At that time, it was popular for business travelers to carry army-style school bags. Hu Ronghua then being alerted, discovered that the strap of the school bag had been opened, fortunately the contents had not been lost, so Hu Ronghua was thankful to the Northeast man.

It happened the northeast man was also a Xiangqi fan, he wanted to play a game. A two-cent registration fee was needed, if players are successful, they will be rewarded with one yuan. Pity that the Northeast man skills were not good enough, after a while, he lost seven or eight games in a row, he was very depressed, cursing himself silently.

Hu Ronghua told his new acquaintance : "I will play for you, if I lose, I will pay, while the winning bonus will go to you." The man was very happy and said : "Okay, quick help me turn the luck."

Hu Ronghua won two end games in a row. He got up and wanted to leave, but the stall owner said: "The two end games you won are the easiest, according to the rules here, you must win the third end game. If the 3rd end game failed, your 2 yuan will be confiscated; If the game is successful, the prize for you is 10 yuan."

Hu Ronghua didn't want to try again, but he couldn't stand the instigation of the northeast man. The stall owner saw Hu Ronghua's "timidity", so he chuckled and said: "If you don't dare to play, I will refund you two cents of the registration fee." The young Hu Ronghua took up the challenge : "Let's play, nobody is afraid of anybody here!"

The stall owner set up the most "violent and dangerous" Rook-Pawn endgame of "Seven Stars"(七星局). This kind of endgame is full of schemes and intrigues, traps after traps, even if you overcame them all, you still have to fight the endgame with skills and techniques till the end, it can be said that this is the stall owner's "housekeeping secret weapon" to ensure that he can "only enter but not exit" (the money). However this time the stall owner miscalculated, the crowd saw Hu Ronghua as if riding a light carriage, his hand gestured fluently and swiftly, and after a while, he checkmated the stall owner in a rapid, exciting combinations.

In the end, Hu Ronghua won this end game that should have been a draw with his superb skills. At that moment, someone suddenly shouted "the police are coming", Hu Ronghua and the northeast man both taken aback, but there were no police at all. In fact there were five or six people helping the stall owner putting away the chess stall and fled in a hurry. The northeast man wanted to give chase, and Hu Ronghua said: "There are many strong people, even if we chase them, we can't get the money back." The story of Commander Hu's "righteous and courageous deeds" ended with his loss of two cents.

3. Learn from the pass and strife for innovation

During the Cultural Revolution, Hu Ronghua learned the game Weiqi, Chess and Taijiquan(太极拳). Later, his Weiqi level reached the first-class amateur level in Shanghai, and Chess was at the level of accepting first move against top players, only taijiquan was judged to be out of the ranking by martial arts teachers.

At that time, some people criticized Hu Ronghua for learning to play Weiqi and Chess as "not being serious", but in a way, Hu Ronghua later on had borrowed the ideas of Weiqi and Chess and created a new avenue in the opening theory of Xiangqi.

Generally speaking, in the opening, when the central cannon is played, except for capturing or for defense, it is rarely displaced by itself, and there is no precedent for taking the initiative to displaced it when there is no danger coming. But there is a way to access gains and losses in Weiqi called "to dissect". In short, it is to re-interpret the game by changing the move order, so as to achieve the goal of rapid recognition of gains and losses. Hu Ronghua just saw that after taking the initiative to displaced the cannon, although a move was wasted, it was similar to making another new opening, and in that opening, the opponent's knight was in a bad position, and at least two or three moves needed for adjustment to reach the normal state. Later, Hu Ronghua's method of actively displacing the cannon was quickly imitated by the Xiangqi community and became popular, and its theoretical basis was the "dissecting" use of Weiqi.

In addition, as the rook in Xiangqi is the strongest piece, the general method of play is always to quickly get it out for battle readiness. But once in a match between Hu Ronghua and the famous Guangdong veteran player Yang Guanlin, Hu actually played the rook to the 3rd column, behind the double obstacle of the knight and the pawn, which surprised everyone in the Xiangqi circle. But Hu Ronghua immediately exchanged the pawn, brought out the knight, and reveal the rook in an invincible formation, and finally defeated Yang Guanlin. Afterwards, Hu Ronghua disclosed that this game moves were borrowed from the tactics of Chess. Because whenever a passage is to be opened, the chess rook is to hide behind the pawns, and then support the pawns to rush forward, once the minions are eliminated, the rook immediately occupies the vital route and becomes the key force. And this game of Hu versus Yang Guanlin's opening, Hu had assessed that the column will be the main battle ground that both sides must fight for, sooner or later it will be opened, so posting the rook behind the knight and pawn is just a "precaution", and after the rushing and clashing of the troops, the posted rook naturally shows its true power.

Now this move has become a classic example in the opening play.

Hu Ronghua also has another classic game that drew benefits from Taijiquan's theory of "late strike". In 1974, at the National Xiangqi Tournament in Chengdu, Hu Ronghua's opponent was Meng Liguo of Northeast region. His style was fierce, good at direct confrontation and clash, well known as the "Siberian tiger". Hu Ronghua made a plan to use Tai Chi to deal with the Siberian tiger before the start of competition.

As a result, the game completely went into the path designed by Hu Ronghua. Although the "Siberian Tiger" took advantage of the first move and was really fierce, Hu Ronghua adopted the most treacherous and unforgiving "turtle back's cannon"(龟背炮)opening, and pulled all the two cannons and two rooks on the inner side of the chessboard, and fought a protracted battle with Meng Liguo to "lure the enemy deep". Sure enough, Meng Liguo, who could not get his attack flowing for a long time, exposed a slight flaw that was not easy to detect, and Hu Ronghua immediately fired his two cannons and released his two rooks for a concentrated attack, capturing one of Meng Liguo's knights alive, and all the time Hu Ronghua's forces did not cross the river. On the twenty-eighth move, as soon as one of Hu Ronghua's knights crossed the river, Meng Liguo immediately threw in the towel. This game illustrated how to completely annihilate the invading enemy inside one's own territory, and it is still a unique classic game until now.

4. A bottle of the Moutai

25 years ago, when Hu Ronghua went to Guizhou to compete in a tournament, the leader of Guiyang City gave Hu Ronghua as a gift a bottle of authentic Moutai wine that had been matured for more than ten years. Hu Ronghua has always kept it in the cupboard and was reluctant to open it, even when he won the national championship once again at the age of 55, when several students urged him to open it to celebrate, Hu Ronghua said: "Such a long-standing Moutai wine is unique in the world, it is such a pity to open and drink it."

In the first National Xiangqi League last year, Shanghai team was three points ahead of the second-placed Guangdong team leading to the last three rounds, and it seemed that winning the championship was a foregone conclusion, but the young players of Shanghai team saw that the championship was nearly in hand, they got too excited and emotional, they could not play calmly, they drew with the bottom two teams in two consecutive rounds, now if they falter and tie with Beijing in the final round, the championship would be handed over to Guangdong.

When Hu Ronghua led the team to Beijing for the final round, he specially brought this bottle of Moutai with him. He told the players: "If our beloved team wins the championship, we will open the bottle and drink to celebration." Then one of the young players ventured to say timidly : "Sir, what if our team can't win the championship?" Hu Ronghua replied categorically : "If you can't win the championship, this bottle of Moutai will be smashed on the spot on the high road in Beijing."

Hu Ronghua saw that the young team members were still unsteady, he then hinted the play tactics and said: "In the final battle with the Beijing team, the three young of you only need to draw the game, if I can't win mine and we lose the championship, the responsibility will be borne by me alone." The coach's words were so loud and clear that of course the team members had got a very high morale and energy, and they all vowed solemnly to Hu Ronghua and said: "'Commander Hu', please rest assured, we will do our best to defeat the Beijing team."

As a result, Hu Ronghua did what he promised and took the lead in winning his game with a well-prepared opening, and the Shanghai team duly beat the Beijing team and deservedly won the 1st league championship. Hu Ronghua said when celebrating the victory : "Compared to smashing the wine on the high road of Beijing, this bottle of Moutai is now well consumed where it is merited."

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Source : 樱伝圣殿
2019-6-9

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Sunday, July 02, 2023

台湾第一高手吴贵临

Wu Guilin (吴贵临), Xiangqi Grandmaster in Taiwan

The overlapping of times can produce a sense of excitement. Grandmaster Wu Guilin has come a long way through countless battles of the game of Xiangqi. He walked out victorious of all these, the storyline sometimes sad, sometimes full of joy. The Taiwan Qiwang (chess king) has at one time joined the Sichuan Xiangqi team, he has challenged his own ability limit ——— breaking Grandmaster Liu Dahua's Guinness record for 1 verssus 108 in simultaneous display. Wu believed that Xiangqi has no boundary, never at standstill, and always hoped to constantly improve himself.

Enlightenment : Xiangqi used to develop one's intelligence

From the day Wu Guilin was born, no one knew that he would become a Qiwang. "My parents were elementary school teachers, and in 1968 I was just 6 years old, the age when I was about to go to school, and I was bored at that time, I learned to play Xiangqi purely to develop my mind. I started playing with my uncle Wu Jieren(吴介仁), I can't say that he was my initiate teacher, I didn't think about getting a living by playing Xiangqi in days to come."

Nantou County(南投县)was Wu Guilin's hometown, which was also where his dream began, "Shortly after learning the game, around 1969, when I was 7 years old, I won the runner-up in the Nantou Jiaheli community competition, then three years later I won the Nantou tournaament. However, at that time I did not expect to play Xiangqi for a living." Already he has made his name in the town, his studies at school did not stop him playing the game in his spare time.

Belief : Keep working hard to find a way out

At that time, to learn the game from a good player one has to "pay a tuition fee", which was to play a game with a small bet(下彩), in this way players sharpened their skills, and learned the trade the hard way. Wu began to wandering in the merciless circle early in his teens. The fierce Xiangqi struggle sharpened his game power and hardened his spirit. At the age of 18, he won the championship in the "Xiangqi Celebrity" competition held in his hometown, since then Wu emerged truly in the Xiangqi world in Taiwan. He had won the first up to the fifth provincial championships, and also the first and the third "Zhongshan Cup" championships.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Guilin grown to be a smart young man. And the most memorable thing for him was the ten-games match with Xu Junjie(徐俊杰)at the age of 22, which in a sense was a duel between the old and the new generations. In the first four sets of the duel, Wu Guilin took the lead, Xu Junjie saw that it was difficult to turn the situation around, gave up the match, and since then Wu Guilin was recognized as the "number one Xiangqi player in Taiwan Province". In the same year, Wu won the Taiwan Xiangqi Association Championship. He was then awarded a six-dan certificate, and since then Wu felt he has reached his best game condition.

Standing at the crossroads of life, Wu Guilin strengthened his belief and self-confidence with winning of championships one after the other. "Since then, we have organized a visiting delegation to Southeast Asia and the United States and other places, and have successively played many international competitions and had a lot of exchanges with players from all over the world. As your level improves, you have the idea of going to the next higher level, because only by constantly working hard can you find a way out." Subsequently, he traveled around a lot and visited Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and many other countries and regions, with outstanding achievements. In 1992, he was awarded the title of Grandmaster by the Asian Xiangqi Federation.

Teacher : Teacher Hu taught me a lot of things in life

A teacher is someone who relays the light of learning, someone who clarifies things. Wu Guilin humbly sought Grandmaster Hu Ronghua to be his Xiangqi teacher. Early in June 1989, Wu Guilin had won the championship at the "Longhua Cup" Master Invitational Tournament held in the mainland. This did not stop him seeking Hu Ronghua to be his preferred teacher. "Hu told me at that time that my basic skills were already very solid and I had a certain foundation. But Xiangqi is not just a competition on the board, there is also a lot to improve outside of the game. For example, the ability to analyze games, as well as the experience of actual playing, Hu's cultivation in these aspects is very valuable, and I can learn a lot from him." On June 15, 1989, Wu Guilin officially paid homage as a pupil to Hu Ronghua in Shanghai. "Teacher Hu has taught me a lot of things, and it is my honour to be accepted by him." Wu Guilin, who can now compete with Hu Ronghua on the chessboard as equal, always respected and revered his teacher.

Jianghu(江湖): When people swim in the rivers and lakes, how can they not get wet?

In 1989, at age 28 Wu was known as Taiwan top player. He has developed a steady attacking and delicate defensive style in his chess career, with outstanding achievements. At the 1989 Asian Cup Xiangqi Tournament held in Singapore, Wu Guilin caused a sensation with an excellent result of 4 consecutive victories. In April Wu Guilin participated in the "Houxiao Cup" Xiangqi Master Invitational Tournament held in Changzhou. A month later, at the "Longhua Cup" Xiangqi Celebrity Invitational Tournament held in Liuzhou, Guangxi, he defeated Lu Qin and other famous players and won the championship. He had profound skills, strong in the middle game. Wu Guilin was the only Qiwang who has participated in all nine World Championships, he has won once runner-up, twice third place, once fourth place, once fifth place.

"The most regrettable thing was that at the seventh World Cup, he lost to Lu Qin due of a small margin in the tie break, what a shock!" At that tournament, Wu Guilin had a record of six wins and two draws in the penultimate round, the same as Lu Qin's score. However, in the final round, Wu Guilin's opponent had a lower rating than Lu Qin's opponent. Sure enough, Lu Qin knocked the Indonesian player Yu Zhongmin off with a steady and fierce attack, and ascended to the Champion's throne for the fourth time. Seeing that there was no hope of winning the championship, Wu Guilin made a hasty peace with his opponent, and finally only won the third place. "My biggest regret is that I didn't win the world championship, if I had not played well, I would not have anything to say, but I lost to my opponent in the smallest margin of a tie break, I am not too willing to accept the cruel fate."

Love : Xiangqi was our greatest matchmaker

Nanjing(南京)had been the capital of Six Dynasties(六朝)historically, and many heroical personalities had been interpreted in the long river of time, almost like a wonderful chess game. Wu Guilin has also found his favorite heroine there. In May 1996 in Nanjing, Wu Guilin married Ms Gao Yiping(高懿屏), a female chess master in Jiangsu. "Xiangqi is our biggest matchmaker. The first time I met Gao Yiping was at a tournament in Changzhou in 1989, when she was only thirteen or fourteen years old, I was already a well-known person in the chess world, and she knew me then, at least by name." This meeting did not leave too much impression in the hearts of the two, but fate was already registered." In 1995, I went to Nanjing to do some exchange activities, I often went to meet Grandmaster Xu Tianhong, and met Gao Yiping there too. At first, we didn't have any special feelings, but after a time, we fell in love with each other, Xu Tianhong with good intention did help to match us direct or indirectly, and finally we came together." It was really a wonderful chess-mediated love story.

If you pay attention to the tournament arena, you will see such a shot, one moment Wu Guilin went to Gao Yiping's chess table to watch, and the other time Gao Yiping went to Wu Guilin's chess table to ponder, they care about one another. And every time after the game was played, no matter victorious or defeated, no matter how late, the couple would review the game and analyse it carefully. The husband and wife moved together side by side and this parnership bore fruit. Gao Yiping had achieved excellent results, won the national championship, and then won the runner-up of the fifth World Championship, Wu Guilin and Gao Yiping have become messengers for Xiangqi exchanges across the continents.

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Source : 蝴蝶飞的博客

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

双胞胎兄弟征战象棋

Twin Brothers of Xiangqi

Art has its own high and noble state of achievement, and the higher mode of Xiangqi apart of honour, that of chess luck, or chess destiny(棋运). Here is the story of two brothers sharing a common hope that Xiangqi will one day be on an equal footing with Chess and Weiqi, and that professional players will appear in the days to come, widening the Xiangqi scene.

Guo Xianbin(郭宪滨)and Guo Xianfeng(郭宪丰)were twins; Guo Xianbin is the older one, and Guo Xianfeng is the younger. The interviewer at first was a little worried that he would confuse the identity of the two. But luckily there was no confusion.

Do twins have same interests in life of everything? The interviewer strongly felt that the two of them had the same degree of dedication and enthusiasm for Xiangqi, and thought that this was more related due to being twins.

Talking about the origin of learning the game, the two brothers have the same background, that of the influence of their eldest brother. "We were influenced by our older brother Xianchuan(宪川), we started playing when in elementary school. We often loved to ride in our bicycles to Ertiaolu's Chun Manyuan(春满园), known as the 'Shaolin Temple of Xiangqi', to get practice. We watched the masters players playing. Sometimes we split up and separated, one played at the Penang Xiangqi Association, the other went to play against people at the Gunpu Tea House, and when we returned home in the evening, the two of us would analyse and review our games." Xianfeng said.

When they were still young, the two often played with each other, because as they were new hands, not many advanced players were willing to play against them. It happened that in Chun Manyuan, where many top players gathered, they were very lucky to have met one veteran master of Xiangqi called Lin Qingmei(林清美), who was known as "Black Zhang Fei". After Lin Qingmei's guidance and help, the two brothers mastered many endgame techniques and skills. There was also their elder brother Guo Xianchuan who worked tirelessly to send the two to participate in competitions in various places, virtually enhanced and hightened the actual combativity experience of the twin brothers.

In 1988, at the age of 14, the elder one won the All Penang Junior Championship. This achievement was an inspiration to both of them and kept them on their path of Xiangqi. Two years later, in 1990, the two brothers began to emerge at the Penang Open Championship, winning second and third place respectively, proving that the first choice of Xiangqi was correct. Since then, their careers have gradually developped, and their steps have also extended to foreign countries, competing with more players and expanding their sphere of skills and knowledge.

The brilliant achievements of Xianbin and Xianfeng are numerous, they themselves have met each other countless of times. As the saying goes, "there is no father and son on the battlefield", will the two brothers put aside their family affection when they face each other in a match? The elder one hesitated for a while and said, "I don't know if it's a coincidence or other factors, if the two of us meet, it will usually end in a draw, maybe it's the family factors." However, because the way Xiangqi is played which is unlike football or other ball games, the key to winning a game of Xiangqi is that the other side is hard pressed so as to commit a mistake, so sometimes a set of drawing positions can be won, which may be the reason why we play games resulting in many draws."

The turning point

It can be said that since 1988, the two brothers really got involved in Xiangqi competitions, winning many prizes and awards in the following few years, such as the national tournament, the Malaysia-Singapore Cup tournament and other interstate or international competitions, the twins were taking off really well. But then things developped the other way, just like in a chess game.

"Later, from 1992 to 1996, we were not in Penang because we were studying abroad, and we rarely appeared in Xiangqi tournaments, we were not so active, we only participated in the national college competition. Partly because of academic study, it was impossible to do both, so we gradually fade out of the Xiangqi scene. However, this pause was also indirectly prompted by some other Xiangqi incidents." Xianfeng said.

In many ways, Xianbin and Xianfeng are doing things together. Xianbin did not play from 1991 to 2001 for ten years. Looking back on the blank decade, he is a little embarrassed, "The Xiangqi incidents deeply distracted me, and my whole person was passive and silent during that period." After a period of reflection, I decided to take a long-term view and set up the Zhongyou Xiangqi Club(钟友象棋队)to promote the game in my way. "

Compared with Xianbin, Xianfeng took a shorter time of 'comeback'. "When I returned to Penang in '97 to take part in the Open and won third place, the president of the Xiangqi Association, Poon Tak Ming(潘德明), said that one of Penang's chess players, He Rongyao, had joined the Direct District team, so Penang's team strength was affected and weakened, after considering this new factor, I came back earlier and helped Penang winning the national team championship back-to-back."

With this comeback, Xianfeng continued to develop in Xiangqi, and Xianbin as mentioned before, re-joined the fun in 2001, taking part in the first National Youth Xiangqi Tournament. Xianbin thought that it was a 'warming-up', although the basic skills are still there, yet it was quite rusty to leave the Xiangqi world for ten long years.

Though he has been away from the game for a while, Xianbin has not allowed himself to stop in this regard, he has used his higher education knowledge to apply in his Xiangqi research, and he is one of the Penang players who uses software to improve his skills, besides the international grandmaster Li Jiaqing(李家庆). "Xiangqi should use more developed computer technology, there are many software or websites related to it, such as Xiangqi Studio, Xiangqi Bridge, etc., it is easy nowadays to find opponents, you can play with computers or you can connect to play against players around the world."

Chess opens another door in life

Xiangqi is excellent in testing a person's thinking and calmness. The game has changed Xianfeng's personality, and in terms of dealing with things. He often faced life with the attitude of coping with the Xiangqi game. At the same time, through Xiangqi, Xianfeng has met many people and made friends with them, when he saw people playing, he would involuntarily come nearer to them. "I once saw a group of people playing against each other on the way from Kajang driving to Penang, so I got out of the car and got to join them and have fun, and I ended up meeting a group of Xiangqi friends there."

For Xianbin, the game allows him to systematize the details of his life, just as every game of Xiangqi has an Opening pattern. "I think we're going to be more mature than people our age, and that has something to do with our life's encounters. From the beginning of our contact with the Xiangqi world, we have been mixing and shuttling through and around the adult world, so we have seen and heard more about life than our friends of the same age. In addition, Xiangqi games are also very particular about psychological warfare, so we gradually know how to figure out the psychology of others."

The Xiangqi tribulation has left them with regrets in their lives, but it has also opened another door. Because of the incident, there is a Zhongyou Xiangqi Club. Because of the Zhongyou Club, Penang has a larger number of newer good players, and it is not a bad thing to continue the Xiangqi tradition and cultural heritage. Many times in life, losing doesn't mean losing forever, you will still gain something else.

Source : 大马象棋园地

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

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Monday, June 19, 2023

杨树权人生如棋不悔

人生如棋,落子不悔
——记中国象棋大师网创始人杨树权——
来源 : 燕赵晚报
记者 常明 实习生 崔静

Yang Shuquan: Life is like chess, moves without regret
Source: Yanzhao Evening News

Among the many Xiangqi websites, "Zhongguo Xiangqi Dashi Wang" has two unique features: firstly, playing online through the website is touch and move, secondly, there is a blocking system to prevent software cheating. Mr. Yang Shuquan(杨树权), founder of the website, explained: "Life is like chess, and there is no stepping back of the previous move." The website has been founded for seven years, the aim is not for making profit, but to give Xiangqi fans a place to have fun. Yang Shuquan, the super fan interprets his love of the game with the same idea of touch and move in competition, without any regrets whatsoever.

Twice in tribulations, he never relented his tenacity

Yang Shuquan looked skinny and thin, but his will power was extraordinary. At one time, he had became a disabled person, victim of a car accident two years ago; then, he almost died because of the "Jia Liu"(甲流)epidemy, he miraculously survived both times. By coincidence, both tribulations occurred during the time of a Xiangqi competition. He concluded jokingly maybe that Xiangqi is bonded to him for the rest of his life.

Previously, Yang Shuquan have had dream of becoming a Xiangqi master, but the accident in 1983 shattered this dream, his knee had broken. At that time Yang Shuquan was travelling to Inner Mongolia to take part in a competition, as a player representing the Hebei Workers' Team, when his kneecap was shattered, the doctor had advised him to amputate the leg to save his life.

He refused to accept the operation and risked a higher amputation of the leg later on, opted for a less radical treatment. "I was only 23 years old, how could I manage without my foot? If it hadn't been for that accident, I would probably be a professional Xiangqi player by now." The pain he suffered in the recovery process was painful and unbearable. He had to move his knees from time to time, each flex movement took almost a week to complete. With great will power, two years later, he was out of the pain and regained his mobility gradually.

The struggle with fate continued. In 2010, when he participated in a Xiangqi tournament in Yunnan, he fell ill with the "Jia Liu" epidemy, he had much difficulty breathing and fell into a coma. "For the first time, I tasted the feeling of near-death, numb from the toes and fingertips to the whole body. At that time, all drugs were tried and used, the doctor told me, whether I can survive or not this time will depend mainly on myself. I thought about my family and friends, thought that there was still a lot of chess things I didn't do and complete, so I gritted my teeth and stood up for the fight of my life. If I had lesser faith, I would not have sat before you right now. Saying so, Yang Shuquan sighed deeply with emotion.

For seven years, he lost money for Xiangqi and earned goodwill

After the two tribulations, Yang Shuquan came to his senses in life. Grasping the time and doing more meaningful things has become Yang Shuquan's goal. If he can't do his dream of becoming a Xiangqi master, he still can contribute to the promotion of the game. Xiangqi is a good inspirational project, in order to let more people enjoy its benefits, he decided to create the "Xiangqi master website" in 2006.

Xiangqi has a broad popularity base, among the millions of fan and players, how to match and pair opponent players with equal strength is even a more difficult problem. In 1993, Yang Shuquan rented a place of more than 60 square meters to run a chess hall, and welcomed Xiangqi fans there to play free. Later, he discovered that there were still too few Xiangqi fans, so he decided to set up a Xiangqi website. When there were some large-scale tournament in Shijiazhuang(石家庄), the website was there to broadcast the tournament live and free.

It happened some blind Xiangqi fans wanted to play online, Yang Shuquan and his programmers accordingly developed the country's first online blind chess system. When some others reported that there were omissions and defects in the system, Yang Shuquan immediately revised and updated the programme, painstakingly spent a month and a half to improve it. Yang Shuquan said: "I understand the suffering of disability, I have also been disabled myself. So, I will try to meet their needs as much as possible."

Yang Shuquan owned a chemical company, which was doing big before year 2008, however the company was affected by the financial crisis world-wide and shrunk in capital and size. Despite all this, the website stood up. How much money has it been invested during the seven years? Owner Yang didn't want to reveal, only said that he could bear it. An unnamed Xiangqi fan said that Yang's value to the game cannot be measured by money, and that if there are more people love the game, that is Yang's true value.

Owner Yang's story has touched more and more Xiangqi fans, and more and more selfless fans have also touched and moved him. A large number of articles and chess game entries are all voluntarily compiled by Xiangqi enthusiasts and friends. Some online competitions require adjudication in person, and many referees came freely to offer their help.

At the moment, the website has registered more than 600,000 chess fans, and many foreign friends came from the United States and Australia, which made owner Yang feel very pleased - he believes giving financing money for Xiangqi is really worth it!

Take back moves and cheating both destroy minds and spirit

It is good that the number of Xiangqi fans are growing, but there is a bad phenomenon that in addition to fans who like to do take back moves, there are many people who use software to cheat, and many domestic websites are still allowing this bad habit of these fans, Yang Shuquan disapproves of this 100%.

"Chess is like real life, taking back moves already made and cheating with software too often will ruin a person's mind and fighting spirit. This is completely contrary to the character and essence of Xiangqi. To cheat with software is to satisfy vanity, in the long run, who will use their brains to play the game? If you have made a wrong move, that's it, a mistake is a mistake and you must be punished accordingly. If you are wrong, just avoid doing it again, and you will not make the same mistake next time. It's like life, how can you re-start all over again if you have committed a wrong? As a result, Zhongguo Xiangqi Dashi Wang has become the main Xiangqi website in the land which blocks online software when playing online.

In the Xiangqi circle, the website is becoming more and more popilar and well-known. Just a few days earlier, after looking at Sina(新浪)and several other dedicated Xiangqi websites, the organizing committee of the National Xiangqi Championship finally set the Zhongguo Xiangqi Dashi Wang as the only selected base for fans' general selection(海选). Looking further to the future, owner Yang wants to hold online blind chess tournaments, and also wants to launch a national online "Xiangqi premier division amateur league", and even more of that, he wants to promote Xiangqi to schools and Universities. "Twelve years ago, the Ministry of Education issued a document on 'Three Chess: Xiangqi, Weiqi and Chess into School', but very few people in Xiangqi responded to it," he said. At present, Shijiazhuang does not have a "Xiangqi characteristic school". "If there is a school interested, I am willing to give Xiangqi lessons for free.” Yang Shuquan emphatically said.

(reporter Chang Ming and intern Cui Jing)

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Source:梅香苦寒来
2014-5-14

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

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Thursday, June 15, 2023

从弃婴直到象棋大师

From abandoned baby to Xiangqi Master

The story began 20 more years ago on an early autumn morning.

Adoption: All happened from the kindness of an elderly couple

Grandma Cao (曹奶奶) is a native of Sanmenxia, of Henan Province. One day September 1992, just after dawn, she opened the door, found a bundle at the doorstep, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a cute little baby boy, crying from hunger and lack of warmth. There was a small piece of paper with his date of birth: November 3, 1991. The baby boy was slimy, lots of pus sores, in quite a poor mental state. What made Grandma Cao and her husband Liu Jixue (刘记学) slightly felt relieved was the baby boy did not have obvious birth defects. The old couple quickly took the little boy inside, bathed and washed and dried the baby clean.

The old couple made up their minds to adopt him. This was met with strong opposition from their four children. Liu Jixue worked in the Railway, Grandma Cao worked in catering, and the children suggested to send the baby to the orphanage or just give it away. However, looking at the poor little fellow, the old couple gritted their teeth and ignored the children's plea, bravely took him into the family.

At that time Liu Jixue was 53 years old, Grandma Cao was 51, the little baby became their grandson. They named their little grandson Yanlei (the name included 4 characters(石)meaning stone), hoping that he would be physically as hard and solid as stone.

Becoming talented: learning the Art and eventually becoming a "Master"

The old man was a Xiangqi fan. When grandpa played, little Yanlei liked to watch the game by the side and was quick to learn everything. Little Yanlei played with his grandpa when he was 4 years old, and before his 5th anniversary, his grandpa was no longer his "opponent". Astonished, grandpa took him to find a nearby "master" to teach him more about the game, and over time, no one around the neighbourhood could match him. After discovering Cao Yanlei's talent for Xiangqi, Grandpa decided to have him trained more seriously.

Alas, when poor little Yanlei was 6 years old, his grandfather suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and before he died, he told his family, take care the child, he is good at Xiangqi, he should be trained and cultivated well.

In order to fulfill her husband's last wish, Grandma Cao embarked on a difficult road, for young Yanlei to learn better, she did not hesitate to leave her home, spend all her savings, took him around to learn from many master teachers. Through Henan, Hebei, Tianjin, Liaoning, Guangdong and other provinces and cities they both have left their footprints. They overcame many hardship and much difficulties and persisted in the search of higher aims and perfection.

Cao Yanlei has lived up to the training and expectations of his grandparents, he was invincible at such a young age, he was in competitions while learning from his teachers, and achieved remarkable results: at the age of 7, he participated in the national adult competition, while in the simultaneous display given by Grandmaster Liu Dianzhong,he played well and was praised. At 13 years old he won the championship of the 16-year-old category and thus got the qualification of "Xiangqi Master", the youngest Xiangqi master at that time. In 2005, he was awarded the title of "Sporting Athlete" by the General Administration of Sports.

Gratitude: Love grows along the way

The introvert Cao Yanlei is an optimistic person, even in face of sensitive talks such as "abandoned child", "outcast" and "poverty", he just laughed them all, he said: "These are nothing compared to grandparents' love given to me no one can take away. My heart was fully and eternally moved.”

Speaking of the growing up of Cao Yanlei, we cannot fail to mention the Shenzhen Riverside Middle School, where he spent a memorable 6 years from the first year of junior high school (初中一)to the third year of high school(高中三). Grandma Cao only has a monthly pension of about 500 yuan, in Shenzhen she can barely cope with the rent, the school took these circumstances into account, and specially arranged a staff dormitory for Grandma Cao and young Yanlei to live in free, and provided him with food, accomodation, tuition, extracurricular tutoring and tutoring fees, and also gives him another 400 yuan per month for living expenses. Cao Yanlei's expenses for participating in large-scale chess tournaments and training camps are mostly funded by the school, and even if it was funded from the teacher's welfare fund, no teacher had ever complained. In 2006, Cao Yanlei, as a special talent student, was recommended and had made all the necessary contacts by the Binhe Middle School and was approved by the Luohu District Authority of Shenzhen to move into his residence "hukaou" (户口), so that he could study in high school in Shenzhen. Before going to University, the principal of the school also gave him 3,000 yuan in "care and love" support.

In that year's higher education entrance examination, Cao Yanlei was admitted to Jiaying University. On the day of registration, Li Junfu, committee secretary of Jiaying University, and other staff welcomed him at the "green passage" of the school and provided him with free daily necessities, meal and soft drinks vouchers. After enrollment, the University leaders sent him condolence finance support once more.

Looking back on more than ten years of growing up, Cao Yanlei sighed deeply with emotion: "Without first the adoption and cultivation of my grandparents, without the love and help of all the well-wishers around me, it would not be possible to be where I am today." Although the road of Xiangqi is full of twists and turns, even in the most difficult times, Cao Yanlei did not think of giving up easily: "For everyone, I will always go forward till to the end!"

Study: Meizhou is a great place to live and study

Cao Yanlei told his interviewers that before coming to Meizhou(梅州), he had heard that Meizhou is a beautiful historical and cultural city, and the game of Xiangqi here is also great, he noted that Mr. Lin Guanhao, secretary general and editor-in-chief of the Asian Xiangqi Federation, president of the Singapore Xiangqi Federation, and Mr. Huang Hailin, the Xiangqi master, are all hailed from Meizhou. Cao Yanlei likes this quiet and peaceful city, believing that "it is a good place to live and study".

Cao Yanlei has been in University for two months now, and he said that he is living a very fulfilling life, getting along well with his classmates, and the teachers are all taking good care of him. Everyone knows that he is a Xiangqi master, they are very curious about him, respect and admire him, many classmates often ask him for game advice. The University's Xiangqi club also approached him and invited him to serve as an advisor. Cao Yanlei told those who interviewed him that in addition to enriching himself in historical and cultural classes during his four years in University, one of his most important goals was to improve his Xiangqi skills and knowledge and strive to reach for the highest level of Xiangqi achievement - a Grandmaster, a National Champion.

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Source : 樱伝圣殿
12 May 2014

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Sunday, June 11, 2023

最容易犯的四大错误

Mistakes Commonly Made By Player

The following are four mistakes commonly made by Xiangqi players at an ordinary level. Now see if you can avoid any of these mistakes.

Mistake 1: The player prefers to study the opening theory and ignore more or less the endgame learning, and it is very common for amateur chess players to make this mistake for the following reasons:

a) compared to the opening and the middle game, the endgame is boring, the pieces are fewer and at the minimum, the degree of attraction and entertainment element hard to perceive and detected.

b) the study of endgame is painstaking, it takes time to acheiving good result. Once someone had said that he practiced hundreds of checkmate methods but found himself making no real progress at all, more like back to square one. This is because the endgame study effect is slow, maybe you have worked hard for a while and you have not made any progress, then suddenly one day out of the blue you find that your endgame level has improved tremendously!

c) mistakenly think that one's standard of the game will not reach the endgame stage, so there is no need to learn the endgame. However in fact learning the endgame is conducive to the game's overall improvement. Remember endgame study can improve the level of the opening game, while opening theory study can not improve one's endgame level.

Mistake 2: Learning without real understanding, rote memorization. This mistake is very common in the opening theory study, routine and rote memorization, do not understand whatsoever and yet one even forcibly write down the moves sequence, some players have force themselves to memorize 10 master's games every day, this is confusing and astonishing. You memorized lots of game and did not understand them, you did not learn any skills or technique, it is just a wasted effort.

Mistake 3: Playing lots of game, but mostly casual ones. Not enough serious game analysis, not enough real deep thinking game. Some players even play 50 games a day, including all-night on. Some use software and do not think for themselves at all. Let's talk about the importance of thinking, everyone knows that as a student at school, the teacher does not give you the answer of a problem beforehand, why? Because with the answer you tend not willing to think for yourself, you always want to see the answer first. Without the process of independent thinking, your academic performance will not improve much.

Mistake 4: Afraid to play against a much stronger player, there is fear of losing, getting angry and upset after losing, or want to win every game when playing. All these show that your ability to resist setbacks is much lacking. What are you afraid of losing a game? It is the least costly failure, and anyway you have not lost anything. Some people play chess online in order just to win, to crush the opponent, hence there is the use of software. Some people think about blocking these software, later on they find that it just increases the cost of cheating, but impossible to block the software in online games. Think about it from another viewpoint, what are you afraid of (the software)? This is not a real game, not competing for fame and fortune, losing a game without losing any thing else, on the contrary, you have learned some chess skills. If Grandmaster Xu Yinchuan plays with you for practice, will you be unhappy if you lose? You must be happy because you have learned something. But suppose you are angry when you lose to the software in the online game, why is that? Do you understand why your Xiangqi with rookies have made you regressed? Because playing with rookies is easy to accumulate wrong experience, such as for example in a certain situation you choose to sacrifice the Rook in an attack, in fact, it is not a correct sacrifice, if you meet a master he will be able to solve the siege, so you know that you are wrong. For the truth, if you lose, sum up the wrong experience, and aim to play better next time.


Source : sdndsx的博客
2019-4-18

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

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Tuesday, June 06, 2023

郑惟桐百万大奖采访

A Million Yuan Winner's Interview

The Mind Sports News, Beijing :On 16th of October, 2016, the first version of "Chu He Han Jie"(楚河汉界)World Xiangqi King Tournament(世界棋王赛)was held in Xingyang Honggou, Henan. The world champion Zheng Weitong, aged 22, playing Black twice sacrificed his pieces, launched a great attack and won the contest in 106 moves, in a Rook, Cannon and Pawns versus Rook, Cannon ending against Xie Jing, aged 27. The winner pocketed one million yuan for his day's effort.

After the epic game, talking about his feeling, Zheng Weitong said: "Because the prize money of this competition is very high, I am also under very great pressure, and I finally won, I am really happy, very excited, and very grateful to the organizers."

In today's game, the spectators saw Zheng Weitong showing a sense of positive behaviour, even in his walk. Did he have any secret preparation? Zheng Weitong smiled, "I originally wanted to prepare for the first hand moves, playing first hand is relatively easy to take control, while playing the Black pieces is not that easy." Then he changed conversation : "To be able to play such a positive game, I think there is a certain degree of pressure forcing me to come out to give my best. This time it is not only of a high bonus, but also a high significance. The venue of the competition itself was chosen at the historical battle field of the Chu-Han War (楚汉战争).”

Yes, Jiang Quansheng, the head of his Chengdu Chess Academy support group, bluntly said that "Zheng Weitong will be a under enormous pressure today, he has been thinking over his very first move for a long time, just to calming down his mood", though the pressure was the same for both sides. Zheng Weitong said about his opponent Xie Jing, "It's a pity, in fact, he also performed very well today, but there was a Rook retreat in the middle game, maybe that gave me some opportunities. Overall, I am very satisfied with today's game, and both of us have shown a very high level of play."

Zheng Weitong commented, "This event is very good, up to now it is the largest event in the history of Xiangqi. Before the candidates list was announced, I thought, even if I can't participate, I should pay attention to the whole process, cheering and applauding, and work hard to increase the influence of Xiangqi. When the list came out, I was fortunate enough to participate, I felt that I am under a lot of pressure and also having great motivation. Perhaps, this may not necessarily be the most important game of my life, because there is no doubt a lot of valuable things, unfathomable to happen in life, but today's game is definitely the most emotional and stressful for me at the moment."

Zheng Weitong mentioned pressure times and times again, as a winner. Now that one million yuan finally secured, Zheng Weitong was relieved, finally relaxed. Such a high reward, how Zheng Weitong going to spend the money? Many Xiangqi fans suggested that he could now marry, as the dowry was in place. Zheng Weitong laughed: "I really didn't think about it, I was playing my game wholeheartedly, and I have no idea about how to spend the bonus. However, I might think about it later on."

The states of Chu and Han had fought for hegemony, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu have caused heated discussions throughout the ages, some like Liu Bang, some worship Xiang Yu. In today's game, Zheng Weitong playing Black, was like Xiang Yu, very brave and fearless. Zheng Weitong commented : "The two of them are great historical heroes,it's hard to say who I like more, I think they were all good, all victorious."

In fact, today's game, regardless of victory or defeat, both sides are actually winners, and the biggest winner is Xiangqi, making a great social impact caused by the million yuan tournament. Congratulations to Zheng Weitong, the World King of Xiangqi Tournament.

象棋王子(Xiangqi Prince)

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Source : 蝴蝶飞的博客
2016-10-16

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

Thursday, June 01, 2023

从菜鸟进化到棋大师

From rookie to chess master

Xiangqi is easy to learn but difficult to master. This saying is correct at all time. Knight moves in rectangular pattern, Bishop crosses the field diagonally, Cannon can be fired into the far side of the mountain... Once you have learned these basic moves, and then tried a few practice games, you can say that you have learned to play the game, it is much easier than Weiqi (Go). However, that is only the beginning stage, just like the first steps of a child learning to walk. Here the expert coach provides a few guidances and suggestions to newbies for reference only.

1. It is recommended to start by receiving odds of Rook, Knight and Cannon, later odds of Rook and Knight, then Rook, after that, graduate to odd of 2 Cannon only. And to keep up more practice games, take more time to master the basics, gaining a certain strength.

2. Later on, if you like you can arrange playing where some prizes or little gifts are offered, thus making the game more attentive and less casual.

3. Learn to master a kind of openings, be familiar with them, adapting to all the variations, and keep going and studying, it will be helpful.

4. Master certain endgame patterns, and some set-piece endgames, such as Rook, Knight and Pawn vs Rook, Cannon and Pawn, Single Knight wins against Single Advisor and so on. Mastering of these can often help in the middle game or endgame.

5. Use of software and internet to improve play and obtain relevent information, such as master's game, video lectures, etc. Proper use of chess software can quickly improve human chess strength.

6. At least one game a day seriously. This is more impressive than playing ten games casually.

7. If situation permitted, try to find a teacher, who will guide you where to improve your skill and technique.

Many chess friends say that the game is difficult, others say that they are good at it. In fact, the strength of the game is a process of accumulation, it is like doing a school math paper, those basic questions in the math paper are like the basic moves you mastered in the game, anyway if your mathematics is good, then similarly you should play chess well, at least not too bad.

For Xiangqi, there are several main points. The first is to lay a solid foundation; secondly, practice diligently; third, be good at summarizing. Spend at least an hour a day practice and be good at summarizing. You can save every game you play, and write down the game experience and summary. This is often the most critical, and the easiest to make rapid progress. It is very important to pay attention in playing. Lack of concentration is often the beginning of defeat. How do one play a good game of Xiangqi?

If it is a winning situation, do not be too excited, work hard to finish it, because not until the game's very end, no one knows who will lose or who will win.

If it is a losing situation, don't give up, keep going, and if you are losing, try work harder, keep hanging on and fight for a draw, because the opportunities may come.

If it is a situation of superiority, it is necessary to expand the advantage, fight for the advantage of each step, and expand the advantage into a victory.

If it is a situation that you need to catch up quickly, don't mess around, try to move back into the game, fight for the day, and look for opportunities to regain the initiative.

If it is a situation that need to make sacrifice, then do the sacrifice at the right time. By giving up something at first, you may regain it in the end.

If it is a situation full of temptation, you must try to analyze the situation, see for yourself clearly, and see what move the other party is making. Once you see it clearly, you can act in the right way.

If it is a balanced situation, you have to work hard and try to win a Pawn if possible, otherwise you may go for a draw and shake hands for peace.

Life is a game of chess, we are merely chess players, we always face a variety of puzzles and problems, so we have to see the situation clearly, to see how to go on, everyone plays the game differently, life is a game of chess, sometimes it is dull, sometimes it is full of excitement, sometimes no progress, sometimes facing a variety of choices, other times facing a variety of dilemmas. Every day we seem to be playing a totally different new game. The opponent's King is the object we are persuing, literally and we must rely on various relationships and judging well in order to capture our objective. Playing chess is a process of pursuing a goal. We have to work hard for this goal, some goals are easy to achieve, and some goals are very hard to achieve, or never be achievable.

As the saying goes, chess is like life, life is like chess, so everyone should play as well as possible the game of lifetime.

Source : 象棋大师网博客2019-6-6

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~

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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

湖南象棋开路人文竹

Mr. Wen Zhu(文竹)is the "Godfather of Xiangqi in Hunan Province", he once became obsessed with Xiangqi, and "loved the game very deeply".

When Hunan's Xiangqi started to take off, out of his pocket, he personally sponsored the Provincial Xiangqi Tournament, trained a group of excellent players, and personally leading the "Hunan Troop" to compete across the country, aiming to build up a professional team. He loved the game and was willing to devote his life to it.

"Loved very much the game"

Spring rain was incessantly long, wet clothes and wet shoes, wet everything. In the Hunan Old Staff College on Rongyuan Road in the City of Changsha, a plaque with the engraved words "Hunan Xiangqi Team Training Centre" hangs in front of a building. Pushing the door open and getting in, once inside, the sound of raining gradually subsided. The visitor heard the crisp sound of wooden blocks clashing against one another ~~ inevitably Wen Zhu was playing Xiangqi with a retired old colleague.

Here was the 45-year-old Wen Zhu, with slightly gray hair on his sideburns. He was thoughtful, yet he seemed to play his move casually. In between the small areas of the chessboard, it's a chess game and it's a life.

Mr. Wang Runan (王汝南), former president of the Chinese Qi Yuan, bluntly said, "Wen Zhu changed the Hunan Xiangqi scene."

At the end of the game he had just finished, Wen Zhu poured a cup of tea for the guest and himself, and talked about his bond with Xiangqi.

Wen Zhu is a native of Fengyang, Hunan Province, the family have been farming for generations. He remembered people in the village liked to play Xiangqi in front of their houses or under the shade of a large tree, and there were always crowd of adults and children around them.

Thus Wen Zhu, who was not yet at school, already had some understanding of the move of the pieces. At the age of eight or nine, Wen Zhu became much efficient in the game, and began to be really fascinated by it.

"At that time, I used to get money from my parents, and then pick up a tractor which was passing by, got into it and went to the county seat more than 20 kilometers away just to buy a chess book to study, in this way I did spend a lot of money. Because I jumped on and off from tractors on the way to the city, I fell down from these kind of transportation several times, once breaking the ankle and had to recuperate for a few months at home, I was not deterred." For this reason, Wen Zhu was punished and scolded by his father.

Later Wen Zhu attended a middle school in the county seat. The classmates around him were no longer his equal opponents, and in order to get more serious practice, he began to play with others on the street, whereby the losers had to pay a few cents.

"I definitely lost, but if in this way I improved my game, I can consider as if just paying for my Xiangqi tuition." Wen Zhu said with a smile.

Once, Wen Zhu read in a chess magazine that there was a large tournament to be held in Leshan, of Sichuan Province. In order to see the Xiangqi masters in real person, he took some money from home and got on the train. The railway system at that time was still underdeveloped, Wen Zhu had to change trains a few times, there was traffic delay on the way too, and when he arrived in Leshan, it was already three days late, the tournament was all over already.

"The mood at that time was really indescribable, there was no other way, I could only come back home in great disappointment." When talking about this, Wen Zhu was quite emotional, even to this day. He sighed and took a sip of tea, then continued to talk about his past adventures.

Although he loved the game, his academic performance in school never fell behind, and after graduating from junior high school, he was admitted to the secondary school and successfully graduated, he then joined the Guangdong Armed Police Force.

During his three-year police career, Wen Zhu has been the champion of various Xiangqi competitions in the local force. He had not met any good opponent, in a way he felt a sort of total helplessness, nevertheless he continued to try to find stronger opposition.

Due to strict regulations, Wen Zhu rarely had the opportunity to step out of the force. Sometimes after dinner, he took two hours off in the name of meeting friends, and in fact, as soon as he got out, he went straight to his chess friends who were already gathered. After a few hours of play, it was the morning sunrise, the players dispersed one after the other. What awaited Wen Zhu was the boss's reprimand and the penalty. He was even almost expelled from the sercice.

"At that time, I dreamed of Xiangqi, just like everyone having WeChat now, and my love for the game was too deep, as if like someone intoxicated." Wen Zhu said.

"Individual contribution"

Since then, this "love" has not been lost or cleared away.

In 1993, at the age of 21, Wen Zhu was discharged from the service and later had participated in the Hunan Provincial Xiangqi Tournament, finishing in the top eight.

Due to the excellent results in various competitions and the fascination of the game itself, in 1993, Wen Zhu joined the Hunan Provincial Qi Yuan as a member and began to devote himself to the development of Xiangqi.

After 5 years of hard work, Hunan Xiangqi ushered in a milestone year in 1999. That year witnessed the birth of the "Godfather of Hunan Xiangqi".

At that time, the Xiangqi team in Hunan was not yet matured enough, and the outside world recognition was low. Wen Zhu wanted to hold a promotion event, but there was no sponsorship. With the enthusiasm of the game, Wen Zhu, who was working at Hunan TV Station at that time, took out more than 60,000 yuan of his own savings, organized the "Wenzhu Cup" Hunan Province Xiangqi Competition, bearing all the expenses for food and accomodation of the participants.

This was groundbreaking in the world of Xiangqi at that time.

Asked why, Wen Zhu said: "I just like the game, I don't care so much." ”

The tournament was a great success, giving hope for the development of Hunan Xiangqi. Wen Zhu began to serve as the vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Qi Yuan, trying to lead Hunan Xiangqi to a broader and brighter future.

That year, Wen Zhu hosted the "Wenzhu Cup" National Xiangqi Invitational Tournament, although the strength of the participating players were not of top-level, they were nonetheless good players from various provinces, and the biggest significance of this invitation tournament was that Hunan Xiangqi started really to emerge from the ground upward. The best thing was people had the idea of learning from the experience of other advanced provinces and joining hands with the whole country.

From 1999 to 2001, Wenzhu personally funded three consecutive Hunan Provincial Xiangqi Tournaments.

"At that time, I was eager to hope that the Hunan Xiangqi team could embark on the road of professionalism." Wen Zhu, sitting in the chair, comfortably, talked about his dream back then, his voice couldn't help but raised a few degrees higher, he was still full of enthusiasm for the game like in the past.

Since then, he has also successfully held other tournaments such as the 2001 Nanyue Seven Chess King Quickplay, the 2002 "De Tailong Cup" Xiangqi Rookie Invitational Tournament, and the 2003 "Xiang An Cup" Xiangqi Master Invitational Tournament. At the same time, at the 2002 National Sports Game, Wen Zhu led the young Jiang Chuan and Xie Yejian winning two bronze medals in the Team and also in the Individual competitions.

As a result, Hunan Xiangqi began to emerge among the equal in the country.

In 2004, the first professional Xiangqi team in Hunan was established under the leadership of Wen Zhu, and participated in the National Xiangqi Second Division League.

What shocked the Xiangqi world was that the Hunan team, which made its debut in the national arena, successfully qualified for promotion to the 2005 National Xiangqi League A Division, and the dream of establishing a professional Hunan Xiangqi team was at last realized.

During this period, the Hunan Provincial Qi Yuan was also successfully created. Wen Zhu recruited a group of outstanding young players for systematic training, and since then, many well known Xiangqi players have emerged from there.

"Nurturing Human Resources"

Jiang Chuan, who won the National Individual Championship and the World Championship, is one of the players once trained by Wen Zhu.

In 2002, Jiang Chuan was only 18 years old, an unknown player at that time, through recommendation, Jiang Chuan had met Wen Zhu, without hesitation, the latter agreed for Jiang Chuan to represent Hunan professional team in the competition.

Years later, Jiang Chuan recalled: "He saw that I didn't say much, so he agreed to give me a precious opportunity to compete. ”

Why trust a fledgling young player so much? Wen Zhu said: "I saw that this young man was very smart, had a good sense of the game, and felt that he could be well trained. ”

As it turned out, Wen Zhu's feeling was right. With excellent results in the professional competition winning honours for Hunan, Jiang Chuan afterwards successfully joined the Beijing Xiangqi team in 2003 for further advance and more success.

"One of the great impressions of knowing Wen Zhu over the years is that he is really very good to the players, especially amateur and young players, he is willing to give unknown players the opportunity to become famous, and he also has keen eyes to spot players of talents. Teacher Wen Zhu also maintained that all competitions hosted under his name must provide free food and accommodation to all participants, which I have enjoyed a long time ago." Jiang Chuan said frankly.

In addition, other well known Xiangqi masters such as Sun Haoyu, Cheng Jinchao, Meng Chen, Lu Weitao, etc. have also been trained and led by Wen Zhu, as well as players such as Xie Yejian and Zhang Shenhong.

"It has always been my ideal to train more outstanding talented players and help the Hunan Xiangqi team develop and grow." After a pause, Wen Zhu with a sigh, added that unfortunately, due to many factors such as the environment and traditional background etc. of Hunan Xiangqi, the many talents carefully trained and cultivated are frequently lost to the outside provinces.

"As long as they become talented players, isn't it a good thing?" said Wen Zhu philosophically.

Today, Wen Zhu has his own business, and in addition to his busy work, he still devotes a lot of time to promoting Xiangqi.

The building with a plaque engraved with the words "Hunan Xiangqi Team Training Centre" often welcomes retired staff or young Xiangqi enthusiasts, and Wen Zhu is always willing to have a game and to talk to them.

"When I play Xiangqi, my mood is much better, I can calm down and think better as well, and the things in Xiangqi seem to have more taste and appeal than things in life." Wen Zhu continued, "A move may looks so simple, yet there are dozens or hundreds of variations to ponder and make a right choice, avoiding grave mistakes as much as possible. Things that you like will always allow you to use fully your brain power to think, to decide, and to enjoy. ”

Wen Zhu thus said, fiddling with the chess pieces on the table, the spring rain outside the window did not stop, and the sound of rain water mixed with the sound of chess pieces lightly hitting the chessboard, produced a sort of appealing summer melody.

"In the second half of this year, I am planning to hold a top tournament in the country, and the plan is still in the pipeline." Wen Zhu said, after a long pause.

As for the funds, Wen Zhu said: "The complex is here, it doesn't matter if one provided some money oneself." Since 1999, for the Hunan Xiangqi professional team, and for the holding of various Xiangqi tournaments every year, I have funded at least the sum of several millions yuan. Some people who engaged in the games will play their own economic calculations to some extent, and I may be like the philanthropist hero Lei Feng(雷锋)in this regard。Really what kind of economic account can I be calculated in my hobby? No way, I am just taking it as a fund for the public welfare!"


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Source : 蝴蝶飞的博客
(2017-3-16)

~ a XIANGQI EN BLOG translation ~