China wins Men's World Team Chess Championship

JERUSALEM, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- China won the 2022 Men's World Team Chess Championship after beating the reigning Chess Olympiad champion Uzbekistan in the final here on Friday.

China won twice 2.5-1.5 in the double-header final match to win the title for the third time, after taking the gold in 2015 and 2017.

China won the first match thanks to a win by Bai Jinshi over Shamsiddin Vokhidov, with tied games in the other three boards.

In the second match, Li Di overcame Ortik Nigmatov, while the other three games of the match again ended in a draw.

China's Lu Shanglei and Xu Xiangyu contributed two draws each, against Nodirbek Yakubboev and Javokhir Sindarov respectively.

"This is the first time that these young players participated in such high-level games," China captain Wen Yang, a gold medalist from the 2017 championship told Xinhua.

"It is hard work and a strong mind that helped them win the championship," he added.

Grandmaster Xu, aged 23, accredited his team's victory to good teamwork.

Speaking highly of their rivals from Uzbekistan in the finals, he noted that being part of the games at such a high level has gained valuable experience in the international arena.

Emil Sutovsky, Chief Executive Officer of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), said at the awards ceremony that the Chinese team has been absent from international competitions for several years, "so we thought that the level has regressed. However, as soon as the results came out, people had found with surprise that they have maintained very well."

Spain won the bronze medal after a double 2-2 draw and a tie-breaking 3-1 blitz match against India.