China Defeats United States in Annual Chess CompetitionChina defeated the United States 21-19 in the first-ever annual chess competition between the two countries in Seattle on Sunday.Out of the four-round series, the Chinese chess players won 11 games against nine for their American peers, with the remaining games being tied for an equal splitting of each point every game. Leading 16-14 entering Sunday, the last day of the tournament, China would up the day 5-5 with two wins, two losses and six tied games. From the tournament, Ni Hua, 17, of Shanghai, scored the most with three wins and one draw, while women's world champion Xie Jun scored one win and one draw against two losses. For the American side, both Larry Christiansen and Gregory Kaidanov took two wins and two draws. Both sides featured 10-person teams with six of their top players regardless of sex, together with two women and two juniors, who played 10 games daily starting from Wednesday. Under the arrangement, the competition will be held at least for another three years, alternating between the two countries with China hosting the 2002 version. |
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