Dear all,

Welcome to the second episode of the “Duel of Nations” series. Those who have read the first article will know how it works, but as I like all my texts to be independent, I will briefly explain its structure again. The idea is to directly compare two countries regarding their chess strength. The matches are divided into four categories, which are:

PAST

PRESENT

FUTURE

WOMEN

For each category, one player is chosen to represent them, and the nation with the most points wins. Simple, right? My aim is to increase your knowledge of chess in countries that are not extremely traditional, but which still deserve more recognition. Some other basic rules:

A) The duels will not include any countries that I have already discussed in my series "Chess Where I Lived" (New Zealand, Germany, Brazil, Spain, and the USA).

B) I will choose opponents of at least a similar level, so don’t expect anything like France vs. Samoa, with all due respect.

C) Duels involving political conflicts beyond the game will be avoided. Examples: Russia vs. Ukraine, Iran vs. Israel, or Armenia vs. Azerbaijan. Although they might be interesting from a chess point of view, they could trigger unnecessary discussions that I prefer not to deal with.

For this episode, I have chosen two countries directly involved in the World Chess Championship that ended just a few days ago. I say this because China was represented on the board by Ding Liren, and his main analyst was the Hungarian Richárd Rapport, so why not find out who comes from a stronger chess nation?

But in addition to these two giants, China and Hungary have many other memorable players who promise to make this an epic duel. Let's learn more about them below and see who will emerge victorious!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Past

2. Present

3. Future

4. Women

5. Conclusion

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PAST

Representing China, we have Ye Jiangchuan, the second Chinese player to earn the Grandmaster title, awarded in 1993.

Born on November 20, 1960, in Wuxi, Jiangsu, Ye learned chess at the age of 17, making him the Grandmaster who has learnt the game at the oldest age, a record that is likely to stand for a long time. After just three years, at the age of 20, he became the national champion of China. Of course, his country was not so traditional in chess at that time, but that does not detract from this great achievement.

Ye won seven Chinese Chess Championships between 1981 and 1996 and represented them at twelve Chess Olympiads. In his first appearance, in 1982, he won the individual silver medal on board four. However, his best team result at an Olympiad was in 1998, when he played on board one and helped China finish fifth.

Looking at some of his personal results, Ye was the first Chinese player to break the 2600 ELO barrier. In 2001, he reached the fourth round (top 16) of the FIDE World Championship, where he was eliminated by Vasyl Ivanchuk. He also reached the quarterfinals of the FIDE World Cup in 2000 and 2002.

His peak rating was 2684, which placed him in the top 20 in the world, a place where he remained consistently from 2000 to 2004. Today he plays less frequently, but still occasionally appears in some competitions and is considered an active player by FIDE.

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On the Hungarian side, I chose from many options the legend and eight-time Candidates Tournament player Lajos Portisch.

Born on 4 April 1937 in Zalaegerszeg, Lajos Portisch was one of the strongest non-Soviet players in the world from the early 1960s until the late 1980s, sometimes nicknamed the "Hungarian Botvinnik". He took part in twelve consecutive Interzonals between 1962 and 1993 and qualified for the Candidates Tournament eight times between 1965 and 1988.

Portisch has also set many world records at Chess Olympiads, having led the Hungarian chess team to the gold medal at the 23rd edition in Buenos Aires in 1978 with a personal score of 10/14. This was the only time this competition was not won by the Soviet Union between 1952 and 1990. He participated in a record 20 Olympiads from 1956 to 2000, playing a record 260 games over six decades, and winning 11 medals.

He either won or shared the Hungarian Chess Championship title a total of nine times between 1958 and 1981, making him perhaps the strongest player in the history of his country.

Internationally, Portisch was very active on the main tournament scene from the late 1950s to the early 1990s, being one of the top performers for three decades, and winning many titles against elite players. He often finished ahead of the top Soviet grandmasters in important events, was usually near the top of the table, and showed incredible consistency. Portisch won at least one major international event a year for almost two decades.

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ROUND 1

And who scores first?

Well, if you read both biographies carefully, I think the answer is quite obvious. Although Ye Jiangchuang was a great player who contributed a lot to chess in China, Lajos Portisch was one of the strongest players in the world for a long time and played some of the most memorable games in history. So, the first point goes to Hungary!

And of course, if we look at other great names from the past, Hungary is way ahead of China in terms of elite players, such as Pal Benko, who played the Candidates Tournament twice; Richard Réti, the creator of the Réti Opening; Arpad Elo, the man who developed the ELO rating system; and more recently, but still considered "Past" in my opinion, Peter Leko, World Championship challenger in 2004. 

And no, I haven't forgotten the most famous Hungarian of all time. Just read on.

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PRESENT

The most obvious choice to represent China is Ding Liren, World Champion in 2023 and runner-up in 2024.

If you watched the last World Chess Championship, you remember Ding Liren's unfortunate blunder in game 14, which cost him the title against Indian challenger Dommaraju Gukesh. However, one wrong move and the bad moment he is going through do not describe his career.

Born in Wenzhou on 24 October 1992, Ding is one of the most successful players of his generation, having reached a peak ELO rating of 2816, which placed him as number 2 in the world. At that time, he also set a record for the most undefeated games. But surely his chess history has much more to tell.

He played in three Candidates Tournaments, finishing 4th on his first attempt, 5th on his second, and 2nd on his third. However, luck was on his side at the last one, in 2022, when current world champion Magnus Carlsen decided to withdraw from the next match. Ding qualified to play as his substitute and defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in a thrilling match that went to a rapid tie-break.

Apart from that, he has also won many other important tournaments in his career such as the Grand Chess Tour Finals and the Sinquefield Cup in 2019, and reaching the final of the Chess World Cup twice (2017 and 2019). Just a few days ago, he played to defend his world champion crown against Gukesh but lost in another exciting battle full of emotions.

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Hungary will be represented by former Candidates Tournament participant and their current top-ranked player Richárd Rapport.

Richárd Rapport, born on 25 March 1996 in Szombathely, is an elite Hungarian chess player who, like many others, was a child prodigy. I say this because he learnt chess from his father at the age of four and gained his GM title at the age of 13, making him Hungary's youngest-ever grandmaster and breaking the old record held by Peter Leko.

In 2022, Rapport won the second leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Belgrade, Serbia, a performance that qualified him for the 2022 Candidates Tournament, perhaps one of the greatest achievements of his career to date. At the time, he was ranked fifth in the world, his highest ranking ever (ELO peak 2776). However, he didn't play his best in the competition and finished last with a score of 5.5/14.

Other notable results include winning the U10 European Championship and becoming the Hungarian Chess Champion in 2017. He is regularly invited to high-level tournaments, and although no longer at his peak, the chess world still considers him an elite player, capable of beating anyone on a good day. He represented Hungary on board one at the last Olympiad, scoring 6.5/10.

Rapport is well known for often using unusual opening ideas, even in official over-the-board tournaments. He usually plays very aggressively, normally going for a win with both White and Black and is considered one of the most exciting players to watch.

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ROUND 2

Any doubts? No matter how good or bad Ding Liren's chess shape is, he has always been above Richárd Rapport throughout their careers. His Hungarian friend was certainly a worthy rival but never came close to breaking the 2800 barrier, let alone becoming the World Champion. So, the winner in this case is very clear.

The fact that Rapport works as Ding's analyst is also good evidence of this and could be used as another argument, although it is unnecessary. However, that doesn't mean their head-to-head record isn't even. They have met 20 times in classical matches, with the Chinese leading 4-3, and 13 draws.

Other great names from both countries I would like to mention are China's Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, and Wang Hao, and Hungary's Benjamin Gledura and Sanan Sjugirov. In general, China also has a higher rating average and did better at the last Olympiad (4th vs 11th place).

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FUTURE

The Chinese team is represented by Lu Miaoyi, one of their strongest prospects not only among the girls but overall.

Lu Miaoyi, born on 1 February 2010, is a Chinese player who holds the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM), being the fourth youngest girl in chess history to become an IM, at the age of 14. Her current FIDE rating as of November 2024 is 2441, which is very close to her peak rating of 2449 reached in June this year.

Lu was first introduced to chess at her mother's chess club at the tender age of three and played her first FIDE-rated tournament at five, although she did not start formal lessons until she was seven. Her mother, Xu Yuanyuan, is also a chess player who holds the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and has certainly had a great influence on her passion for the game.

Today, she is a top-five junior girls' player in the world and recently broke into the women's top 50 for the first time in her career. Most impressively, she is the reigning Chinese women's national champion, a title also won by her mother in 2003. This great achievement has qualified her for China's 2024 Women's Olympiad Team.

In the Olympiad, held a few months ago, Lu represented China very well. Although entering officially as a reserve, she played 9 games out of 11 rounds and scored 7.5 points to win the bronze medal on board 5.

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And to represent Hungary, I would like to introduce you to Zsóka Gaál, another promising young girl who will soon be shining among the elite.

Zsóka Gaál was born on 2 May 2007 in Ajka and holds the title of Woman Grandmaster with an ELO rating of 2418 as of November 2024. Despite her young age, she played on board one for the Hungarian A-Team at the last Women's Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Even with the added pressure of playing at home, Zsóka had a solid score of 6.5/10 and won 13 rating points, indicating a performance above expectations.

Other notable results include becoming the 2021 Online Youth World Champion in the under-14 girls' category. A year earlier, she was runner-up in the same competition to Eline Roebers (read more about her here). Gaál was also the 2016 European Youth Champion in the U-10 girls' category.

Her Woman International Master (WIM) title was awarded in 2021 when she was only 14 years old. The WGM title is much more recent, having been awarded two months ago (October 2024), immediately following her outstanding performance at the Olympiad.

Her coaches are Gábor Papp and Tamás Bánusz, both Hungarian grandmasters, who see enormous potential in her. Some comparisons have been made with the Polgár sisters, although I think they are a bit exaggerated. Nevertheless, I hope that, in the near future, Zsóka will represent the country not only among the best women but perhaps also with a good chance of great performances in open tournaments.

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ROUND 3

This was not an easy decision, as future projections are always difficult to make and have a reasonable chance of being wrong, but in my opinion, China deserves the point! Lu Miaoyi is 3 years younger than Zsóka Gaál and already has a higher ELO and the title of International Master (IM).

According to the FIDE website, they have never played each other in a classical match, but I'm sure that these encounters will take place in the coming years and in very important tournaments, so we will know better whether my predictions are correct. Above all, I hope they both have good and successful careers that live up to their potential.

Of course, both countries also have promising boys who could become elite players in the future, but it was very cool that some of their strongest prospects are women, which sets the stage for our next and final category!

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WOMEN

China will be represented by Hou Yifan, leader of the women's ELO ranking since September 2015.

Two months ago, I wrote about My Top 5 Favorite Female Chess Players, in which Hou Yifan was mentioned. Therefore, some information will be repeated, but I must tell the main things for those who are reading here first.

Hou Yifan, born on 27 February 1994 in Xinghua, is the second-highest-rated female player of all time, with a peak rating of 2686. Her passion for chess began when she was just three years old, and it soon became clear that a true prodigy was on the rise, as evidenced by the record-breaking machine that she is.

In 2006, at the age of 12, she became the youngest player ever to participate in the Women's World Championship and the Chess Olympiad. A year later she became the youngest Chinese Women's Champion. In 2008, at the age of 14, she became the youngest woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster, and in 2010, at the age of 16, she also became the youngest woman to be crowned World Champion.

Her success continued with victories at the next three World Championships (2011, 2013, and 2016) against three different opponents. But her great achievements are not limited to the women's chess scene, as she has already defeated many super GMs, including the famous Dutch player Anish Giri. Since 2018, Hou Yifan has semi-retired from competitive tournaments and now works as a professor at the University of Shenzhen.

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Representing Hungary, Queen Judit Polgár, by far the best female player of all time!

Born in Budapest on 23 July 1976, Judit Polgár is a true legend. Among her many incredible achievements, she became a Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest player, man or woman, to achieve this feat, breaking the record previously held by Bobby Fischer.

Polgár is the only woman in history to have been a serious contender for the World Chess Championship and to have been ranked in the world's top 10, which she first achieved in 1996. Her peak rating was 2735, reached in 2005, which placed her 8th in the world and made her the only woman to have surpassed 2700 Elo. And of course, she was the highest-rated woman in the world from January 1989 until her retirement in August 2014.

Her individual results include winning some prestigious chess tournaments such as Hastings 1993, Madrid 1994, Hoogeveen 1999, and the Najdorf Memorial 2000. But tournament success aside, Judit is the only woman to have won a game against a reigning world number one when she defeated Garry Kasparov. She has also beaten eleven current or former world champions. Her hit list includes other great names such as Magnus Carlsen, Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Veselin Topalov, and Viswanathan Anand.

In June 2015, Polgár was elected captain and head coach of the Hungarian men's national team and was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2021.

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ROUND 4

Hou Yifan is amazing and one of my chess idols, but a comparison with Judit Polgár is unfair for any woman in the world, so let's give the last point to Hungary before I regret it.

Why regret? Because I admit that this category was harder to decide than I had expected, and it makes me wonder how much this point is really deserved. Not because of the two players being compared, but because of the whole context of the two nations.

If the criteria were to analyze the average strength, perhaps China would win, given their amazing players such as Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie, Tan Zhongyi, Zhu Jiner, etc. They certainly had more elite names and overall dominance in the women's scenario than Hungary, which basically "only" had the Polgár sisters. But anyway, Judit is so ridiculously above everyone else that, in my opinion, she compensates for it and scores.

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CONCLUSION

The referee blows her final whistle, and the result is a draw! That doesn't mean the game wasn't exciting, though, as we had some strong clashes between many excellent players. I had a lot of trouble deciding the winner in some of the categories, and I totally understand if you disagree with any of them, especially the last one, but I preferred to stick to my criteria and focus on the players rather than the overall scene.

Above all, I hope you have enjoyed reading the second episode of this series and that you have learned more about chess in these two countries, which continue to contribute so much to the development of our beloved game. I really wish that Hungary would return to the good old days, with many players among the elite, as in the past. China, meanwhile, is a rising power and I am sure that the future is bright for them.

The plan is to do one more episode, probably at the end of January. Feel free to guess my choice for a match-up in the comments (I hope you are curious). But please keep in mind that there is no rule saying that three is the maximum, so if you think you have some good ideas, I am always open to writing more.

And once again, please share anything else you think is important about China or Hungary that I could have mentioned here. See you in 15 days for my last blog of 2024!