How Zhu Jiner turned struggles in India into taking China closer to Chess Olympiad gold
Zhu Jiner has led the Chinese women's chess team to a strong position in the Chess Olympiad following a difficult performance in India's Global Chess League. Her resilience and performance on the top board have been instrumental in China's pursuit of gold.
Why it matters
The performance highlights the high-pressure nature of professional chess and the ability of athletes to recover from poor form in international competition.
NEW DELHI: The 46th edition of the Chess Olympiad is currently edging towards its climax in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the women's section, one team has pulled clear of the rest, and it is China, the comfortable leaders at the moment. And if anything doesn't go south, it will be the Chinese girls donning the gold medals around their necks at the end of 11 rounds of play. But do you know the most interesting thing in it? China don't even have their strongest players in the event.As per the current FIDE ratings, none of the world top three, which include Hou Yifan, the current women's world champion Ju Wenjun, and Lei Tingjie, is part of this Chinese side. Zhu Jiner, the world no. 4, is thus on Board 1, facing the toughest of the top board opponents at this Samarkand Olympiad.
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