‘World Cup’ of Chinese Chess opens in Guangdong  

海内外399名象棋高手决战“象棋世界杯”

被誉为“象棋世界杯”的第五届“杨官璘杯”全国象棋公开赛16日晚上在象棋大师杨官璘的家乡广东东莞凤岗镇开幕。本次赛事共吸引了18个国家和地区的399名棋手高手前来参加。

Dongguan (CNS) -- The fifth "Yang Guanlin Cup Xiangqi (Chinese chess) Open Tournament" was inaugurated on Sunday evening in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province.

Known as the Chinese chess "World Cup," it has attracted 399 chess players from 18 countries this year.

The competition is divided into the men's professional group, the women's professional group, the overseas group and the open group. This year's winners will be awarded up to 558,000 yuan (US$88,100).

"It is the first time that I have taken part in this competition. I think it has become a popular game in the world," said a player from Finland whose Chinese name is Deng Minggao.

"I have played Chinese chess for five years, so I want to test myself this time and communicate with players from other countries," he said.

Named after Chinese chess master Yang Guanlin, the competition is held every two years.