China impresses foreign players at Hainan Chess Open

HAIKOU, China, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Both the performances of the Chinese players and the organization of the event showed China a strong country in chess, said several foreign players on Tuesday at the "Belt and Road" 2017 Hainan Chess Open in Sanya, China's Hainan Province.

"My Chinese opponents are really strong, and they have made great pressure on me," said Bohdanovych of Ukraine.

Bohdanovych also said that the Chinese players tended to be calm during the game and they were good at calculating.

Indonesia's Sugeng Prasetyo said he was deeply impressed by Chinese young players. "The youngest player is only seven years old, and they have showed a great talent in playing the chess," he said.

Prasetyo also admired China's efforts in promoting and popularizing chess. "Chess in Indonesia is not as popular as that in China, and there are also not so many chess academies as in China," said Prasetyo, adding that he could only learn on the internet.

Japanese player Hideaki Takahashi said he was very happy to challenge the strong Chinese players.

"The chess has developed very fast in recent years and we have a lot to learn from China," said Sandipan Chanda of India. Enditem