Chinese players perform well in Gibraltar Chess tournament

The six Chinese players competing in the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, which finished on Thursday evening, all produced creditable results with all of them taking between 6 and 7 and a half points out of a possible 10, as well as claiming international ranking points.

Li Chao was the highest ranked of the Chinese players in the event played in the Caleta Palace hotel in Gibraltar, finished in a tie for fourth place on 7.5, in his first appearance in an event he had described as "perfect thanks to the weather, the organization, the food and the tournament."

Li also took part in a masterclass earlier in the tournament, sharing his talents with some of the fans which were interested in improving their own performances.

Meanwhile the other Chinese representatives also performed creditably. Wei Yi finished in 20th position in an event which had attracted 256 different players including over 60 grand masters.

Zhao Xue, who was in Gibraltar for the third consecutive year and is a veteran of the competition, which she described as "one of the best in the world, especially for female players." She finished in 25th position with 7 points, the same as Yi and half a point more than Xu Jun, who was 30th with 6.5 points.

Meanwhile Tan Zhongyi finished 48th and Guo Qi was 53rd in the event which the Sunday Times has described as "the most prestigious open chess tournament in the World."

The Chinese players were popular members of the field and the local press were quick to report on their appearance and performances in an event which was finally won by the Russian, Ivan Cheparinov.