The Chinese men's chess team has jumped to second place on the
tally after sweeping arch rival Georgia away at the Chess Olympiad
in Turin, Italy.
China whitewashed Georgia 4 nil in the ninth round of the
tournament this morning (Beijing time), extending their winning
streak to three.
Georgia has proved a worthy adversary for China, beating them
four times in previous Olympiads, until China tasted sweet revenge
at last year's World Team Championships.
The fresh victory Wednesday morning has placed China second on
the standings with 25.5 points, just one point shy from leader
Armenia.
Meanwhile, the women's team has drawn top seed Russia to remain
in fourth place on the tally.
The win came after a dramatic turn around in the match between
Russia's third player and China's 14 year old Hou Yifan.
The Russians looked set to win the match when Hou Yifan
requested a draw, but her opponent declined the request.
Undeterred, the teenage prodigy gained the better of the tangled
fight that ensued, forcing her rival to resign after 67 moves and
winning a precious point for China.
China is now tied with Bulgaria in fourth place on the standings
with 18.5 points. Ukraine stands at the top of the table, followed
by Russia and Georgia.
(CRI Enlish?May 31, 2006)