China

China feels gap with Russia despite chess win

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-22 09:04

Former world champion Xie Jun said on Monday that China has a gap with world chess power Russia despite winning a 10-round clash of two nations on Sunday.

"We should not be complacent," said Xie. "China sent top players to this event while Russia fielded a second-string team."

Xie, the chief umpire of the two-nation competition, added Chinese men's players trail Russia both technically and strategically but the Chinese women's team remains one of the best in the world.

In the last round on Monday, the Chinese women beat their Russian rivals 3-2 and the Chinese men drew the visitors 2.5-2.5, winning the third version of the competition 51.5-48.5.

Albeit the three-point loss, Russia swept the MVPs as Dmitry Jakovenko and Tatiana Kosintseva won the men's and women's titles after each collecting 6.5 points.

The China-Russia Chess Contest opened August 10, with 20 grandmasters from the two countries facing off against each other.

The contest, widely reckoned as an event of the traditional tycoon versus a rising power, was initiated in 2001 with Russia winning on 41.5 points against China's 30.5 in Shanghai, before the Chinese team took a revenge in the second edition in Moscow in 2004, beating Russia 37.5-34.5.