Though some of the earliest forms of chess are to be found in Ancient China, its entry into world tournament play came only in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1978, author Liu Wenzhe became the first Chinese player to defeat a western grandmaster and subsequently gained a reputation as China's top chess trainer. He is thus ideally equipped to chart the dramatic progress of Chinese players over the past twenty five years, during which time we have seen Xie Jun and Zhu Chen become world women's champions, Bu Xianghzi the youngest grandmaster of all time at 14 years of age and China's leading men players performing at a consistently high standard and defeating even world champions in tournament play. This important work reveals for the first time the unique approach, training methods and secrets of the Chinese School of Chess, based on the 'Art of Thinking' which has given Chinese players a quite distinctive style from their western counterparts. A wealth of beautiful games with highly original annotations illustrate why top Chinese men, women and junior players today are feared and respected the world over. For club and tournament players - and those interested in chess history and culture.

Author Biography

Liu Wenzhe is a former Chinese Olympic player and founder of the Chinese School of Chess.