Xiao Tong and Xu Xiangyu knock out two of the big favourites
The fifth edition of the Chinese Rapid Championship is taking place in Shaoxing from 2 to 6 November, with 24 players competing in a knockout format. The field includes former world champion Ding Liren, defending champion Yu Yangyi, Wang Hao and Bu Xiangzhi, alongside a number of younger Chinese grandmasters.
Eight seeded players received byes into the round-of-16, while the remaining 16 participants contested a preliminary knockout round for the remaining eight places.
How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
Most chess books teach you what to think about. This series teaches you what to actually do when the clock is running and the result is on the line. Compiled from GM Jan Markos's acclaimed "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" column in ChessBase Magazine, Volume 1 covers the decisions every tournament player faces before the position ever gets complicated: how you use your time, how you handle pressure, and how you think when the stakes are real.
Free Video Sample: How to use your time effectively
Each match consists of four rapid games, with a time control of 15 minutes plus 10-second increments. Tied matches are decided by two blitz games, with 3 minutes plus 2-second increments. If the tie remains, an Armageddon decider follows: White get 5 minutes while Black gets 4 minutes and draw odds (increments of 2 seconds are used after move 60).
Lu Miaoyi, aged 16, was knocked out by Li Di in the preliminary rounds | Photo: Chinese Chess Association
Song Yuxin was the one female player to reach the main event - she was defeated by former world champion Ding Liren in the round-of-16 | Photo: Chinese Chess Association
All games - Preliminary rounds
The round-of-16, played on Tuesday, saw all eight rating favourites advance to the quarterfinals. Five matches were settled in just three games, including comfortable victories for Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi and Wang Hao. The latter defeated Dong Hongfu 3–0, while Ding and Yu both prevailed by 2½–½ margins. Fourth seed Bu Xiangzhi needed four games to secure a 3–1 victory over the untitled Huang Renjie.
The closest contest involved two players with almost identical ratings. Xiao Tong (2476) faced Zeng Chongsheng (2475) in a match that went all the way to blitz tiebreaks. Xiao eventually prevailed 3½–2½ to complete the quarterfinal lineup.
The quarterfinals on Wednesday, however, brought a rather different set of results. Three of the four rating favourites were eliminated, including Ding Liren and Wang Hao, leaving Yu Yangyi as the only higher-rated player to reach the semifinals.
Ding's elimination came at the hands of Xiao Tong, who had already survived a lengthy match the previous day. All four rapid games ended in draws, as did the first blitz tiebreaker. In the second blitz game, Ding obtained a clear advantage with the black pieces but failed to convert it. With both players running short of time, the former world champion eventually allowed his opponent to turn the tables and win the game, securing a place in the last four.
Wang Hao also exited the competition, losing 2½–1½ to Xu Xiangyu (2594). Both players committed major blunders in games one and three, which resulted in a win apiece. The difference came in game two, when Xu obtained a convincing victory with the white pieces. He then held the draw he needed in the fourth encounter to advance.
Another upset saw Lu Shanglei (2586) defeat fourth seed Bu Xiangzhi (2593) by a 2½–1½ score. The rating difference between the two players was minimal, though. Still, Bu's elimination meant that three of the four highest-rated participants had been knocked out of the competition at the same stage.
Yu Yangyi, meanwhile, was the only rating favourite to survive the quarterfinals. He defeated Bai Jinshi 2½–1½, making the most of the white pieces to score a convincing win in the opening game before drawing the remaining three encounters. Yu faced his greatest difficulties in game four, when the players reached a complicated position featuring a queen and bishop against a rook, bishop and knight. Nevertheless, he secured the draw required to complete his match victory.
The semi-finals will see Yu Yangyi face Xu Xiangyu, while Xiao Tong takes on Lu Shanglei. Yu is now the highest-rated player remaining in the competition.
Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts.
Opening theory gets all the attention. But according to GM Loek van Wely, a player who has played in 14 Olympiads, is eight-time Dutch champion, and has decades of experience against Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, and Carlsen, most of what separates strong players from the rest has nothing to do with memorised lines.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Don't Bluff the Donkey
All games - Main event
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