BPAFFC hosts Sino–Foreign Youth Friendship Chess Match

Part VI of “Friendship Blooms in Beijing” Home for International Friends Series

On the afternoon of July 2, the Sino–Foreign Youth Friendship Chess Match themed Making Friends through Chess was successfully held at the BPAFFC. Over 40 young chess players from more than 20 countries including China, Russia, Malaysia, Gabon, and Honduras gathered here. Taking chess as a bond, they composed a beautiful chapter of people-to-people exchanges under the theme of Making Friends through chess.

Hosted by BPAFFC, the event received strong support from the Beijing Sports Federation and Beijing Chess Academy, and was organized by the Dongcheng Chess and Card Game Association. Multiple universities and research institutes based in Beijing participated in the event, including Tsinghua University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Minzu University of China, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Capital Normal University, and Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication. Bringing together young chess enthusiasts from different countries, the event served as a cross-cultural exchange platform featuring both professionalism and affinity.

Wang Yu, Party Secretary and Executive Vice President of the BPAFFC, delivered an address. He quoted President Xi Jinping’s remark that “State-to-state relations thrive when there is friendship between the peoples,” and such friendship starts with youth. Chessboards know no language barriers. Every move across the 64 squares sparks a collision of minds, and every game connects hearts. Youth friendship requires no deliberate buildup, as shared interests can closely bind young people together. He hoped that all young participants would take back the friendship gained from this match, and act as bridges between different civilizations to let more people feel the warmth of Beijing and the charm of people-to-people exchanges.

Unlike the tense atmosphere of traditional competitive events, the friendship match was filled with a relaxed and lively vibe of communication. The competition adopted a rapid chess format. Players arranged their pieces on the small chessboard, sometimes lost in deep thought, sometimes moving pieces swiftly.

The AI human-machine chess experience zone on one side of the venue drew a large crowd. Many players queued up to experience the novelty of playing against a high-level AI opponent, honing their skills in battles against algorithms and letting out exclamations from time to time over brilliant moves.

After over two hours of friendly competition, the top eight award-winning players were finalized, including players from China, Honduras, and Malaysia. Wang Yu, Jiao Yutong, Vice President of the BPAFFC, Zhou Jiandong, President of Beijing Chess Academy, Xi Jie, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Sports Federation, and Zhang Ming, President of the Dongcheng Chess and Card Game Association, presented certificates and souvenirs to the winners.

“Friendship Blooms in Beijing” Home for International Friends Series

The “Friendship Blooms in Beijing” Home for International Friends Series, launched by the BPAFFC in 2026, is part of its endeavor to build “four bridges” for people-to-people exchanges, pragmatic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and youth friendship between China and other countries. The goal is to contribute to building Beijing into a city of timeless charm that warmly welcomes visitors from all over the world.