Hong Kong eyeing Asian chess titles after historic Olympiad success, federation chief says
Women’s team, including 12-year-old Yuxin Lou, won gold in chess’ biggest tournament with victory in their category
Hong Kong are aiming to become a “significant player” in the Asian chess scene after their historic gold medal at the recent Olympiad, according to Geoffrey Kao, the honorary president of the city’s chess federation.
The women’s team, which included 12-year-old Yuxin Lou, were placed in category D alongside rivals of a similar level, having arrived at the tournament as the 117th-ranked side out of 169 competitors.
But they outperformed their pre-tournament expectations by coming out on top in their category to earn a gold medal and shot up the table to finish with an overall ranking of 68.
Kao said Hong Kong’s chess scene was undergoing a period of popularity among the city’s youth.
“We were one the youngest teams in the tournament,” Kao told the Post. “We have a lot of young players now due to Covid, which drove up users. Chess was a healthy alternative to online games and we have been promoting [it] quite well since the Asian Games, so our popularity has been growing.”
The increase in usership has resulted in players achieving unprecedented ratings and Kao said their next step was to target continental glory.
