Master shows mental pluck

Xiangqi prodigy makes all the right moves, beating her nerves to win gold

Xiangqi (Chinese chess) grandmaster Zuo Wenjing said she owes her two golds at the Hangzhou Games and her previous success in the discipline to her parents' encouragement following her childhood achondroplasia diagnosis.

After the woman, who was born in 1993 in Zibo city in China's Shandong province, was diagnosed with the condition that causes dwarfism at age 3, her parents did everything they could to help her excel at the game.

Zuo spent five days at the Asiad fighting through seven rounds in the women's individual competition to take her second gold at the Games at the Hangzhou Qi-Yuan (Zhili) Chess Hall on Saturday after claiming the top spot in the mixed team event on Oct 1.

"This is my first time participating in such a big event," she said. "I felt very happy to win two gold medals and to get the chance to meet so many world champions."

That includes encounters with top athletes from other sports, such as compatriot table tennis star Ding Ning, who gave Zuo advice on how to manage stress.

"Actually, I felt very nervous when I first came here, which caused me to not perform so well in the mixed team event," Zuo said, after the final on Saturday.

"So, I turned to my teachers and coach for advice. (Separately) Ding Ning told me, 'you have to calm down, or you'll lose'. So, I did. It worked."

Zuo said that, after her diagnosis, her parents encouraged her to learn piano, painting, calligraphy and singing before she took up xiangqi in 2001.

At first, her father tutored her in the discipline and even quit his job as a factory head to focus on training her. In 2003, at age 10, she became Zibo's xiangqi champion.

Her family then moved to Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei province, so that she could study under higher-level masters there. She took the No 1 national spot in 2005, under the tutelage of coaches Zhou Yi and Li Zhiping.

This brought her to the attention of grandmaster Liu Dahua, known as the "Oriental Computer" for his ability to memorize and recall xiangqi games and moves and, consequently, play blindfolded. A highlight of his four-decade career was when he spent two hours winning nine consecutive games in an exhibition match in Paris, after which he was able to perform move-by-move postmortem analyses on the spot.

At Liu's recommendation, Zuo became the youngest signed athlete in Hubei's provincial-level chess academy at age 12.

And she has continued to progress, earning the master title in 2006 and becoming a grandmaster in 2022 after winning the women's individual event at the 17th World Xiangqi Championships.

Her mastery and personality have, in turn, won fans' hearts and minds. She demonstrated that signature confidence and optimism, coupled with humility, when discussing her hopes for future competitions.

"I hope I can do better step by step, focus on each game and perform at my best," she said.