China Wins FIDE World U16 Olympiad

by ChessBase
8/21/2023 – China emerged victorious in the FIDE World Youth U16 Olympiad held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The team dominated the competition, securing an impressive 17 out of 18 match points. Turkey, the last year's champions, finished second, while Greece claimed the bronze medal. FIDE report, >1000 games, plus beautiful pictorial impressions by Frans Peeters and Lennart Ootes.

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A record-breaking total of 252 players from 63 teams representing 47 countries participated in the Youth Olympiad, organized in Eindhoven to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation.

The Chinese team ruled supreme in Eindhoven. Only Armenia managed to tie the match against the Chinese squad. Out of the 36 games played, China scored a total of 31 board points. Miaoyi Lu became the top scorer of the Chinese team, winning all her games on the fourth board. She also impressed chess fans and experts with her aggressive playing style. Tong(Qd) Xiao (board 2) and Xiangrui Kong (3rd board) both netted 7.5 out of 9, while Haowen Xue, on the top board, scored 7 points.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich visited the Youth Olympiad during the 6th and 7th rounds of the tournament. He extended his congratulations to the Royal Dutch Chess Federation on its 150th anniversary, commending it as a strong part of the chess community. The tournament was hosted by Eindhoven's High Tech Campus. According to Dvorkovich, it is important to bring chess to the University campus and tech business. FIDE President expressed his hope that the participants made lasting friendships during the Youth Olympiad.

Bianca de Jong-Muhren, President of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation, expressed her happiness at the successful conclusion of the tournament. "As part of the 150th anniversary of the Dutch Chess Federation KNSB, our aim was to host a prominent international youth event in the Netherlands. We are delighted with our accomplishment and the hosting of the Youth Olympiad in our country. It is also important that every team comprises both male and female players, aligning with our commitment to promote youth chess for all."

Top 10 standings:

1 China 15
2 Turkey 13
3 Armenia 12
4 Kazakhstan 2 12
5 Austria 12
6 Azerbaijan 11
7 Georgia
11
8 Greece
11
9 Kazakhstan 1
11
10 Netherlands 1
10

Complete standings + 1115 games in PGN

Board Prizes:

Board 1: Read Samadov (Azerbaijan)
Board 2: Tong(Qd) Xiao (China)
Board 3:  Xiangrui Kong (China)
Board 4: Miaoyi Lu (China)

Photo impressions

The following photos are provided by the Royal Dutch Chess Federation and were taken by Frans Peeters and Lennart Ootes. Click or tap all pictures to enlarge.

Hundreds more great pictures can be found on this Flickr page.


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