Hu Ronghua

Hu Ronghua (Chinese: 胡荣华; pinyin: Hú Rónghuá, born November 14, 1945 in Shanghai ) is considered one of the best players in Xiangqi , the Chinese chess game.

Childhood and youth

Hu learned Xiangqi from his father, but he was soon unable to keep up with his son's game. At that time, it was common for people to play xiangqi outdoors, such as in parks, and so Hu joined them and quickly gained further honors in the game. Later his father organized him lessons with Dou Guozhu, the then master of Yangzhou , who lived in Shanghai. As a result, Hu was appointed to a training group at the end of 1958 because the first national championships were to be held.

Sporting successes

Hu first won the Chinese National Xiangqi Championship in 1960 at the age of 15, the youngest ever winner, defeating Yang Guanlin (1925-2008), a player Hu greatly admired and with whom he would be for the next twenty Years and years of bitter duels.

Then Hu won the next nine national championships in a row, where he shared first place with Yang Guanlin at the next championships, which were held in 1962. These achievements brought him from 1960 to 1979 a series of ten championship titles. (Due to the Cultural Revolution , however, the Chinese national Xiangqi competition was discontinued in 1966 and Xiangqi was not played publicly again until 1974).

In the 1980s, he won the national championships in 1983 and 1985. By the mid-1990s, it was believed that he was past his prime and that the younger generation of top players would eventually replace him. Nevertheless, he won again in 1997 and in 2000.

Hu Ronghua holds the record for most national titles (14), is the youngest champion (1960 at the age of 15) and the oldest champion (2000 at the age of 55) in the history of Xiangqi. He is also the only one who has won ten or more championships.

Success as a trainer

After winning his last championship, Hu retired from competitive Xiangqi but continued to work as a coach. His students include a. Sun Yongzheng and Xie Jing , who either also won the national championship or became grandmasters .

Others

Hu has campaigned for a revitalization of Xiangqi. In 2011, Hu started a reality show called Let's Play Chess to find new students.

He made great contributions to chess theory , including pioneering the Elephant Opening (飞 相 局) and the Back Palace Knight Opening (反 宫 马).

Hu rule of Xiangqi ： Hu developed a new rule of chess; H. the chance to play black is obtained through auctions by two players. The player who bids less time wins the auction. If the game ends in a draw, Black wins. The Hu rule aims to eliminate negative ties in Xiangqi and make Xiangqi attractive to more viewers.

Besides chess, Hu has many other interests. In his early years he was trained in Go for a short time . He also plays a game called Daguailuzi (大 怪 路子), a popular Shanghai local game.

Web links

• Film about Hu Ronghua (Youtube)
• Profile page Hu`s at 01xq.org
• Replayable games by Hu at the World Xiangqi Federation

Individual evidence

1. ↑ CNN