The 17-year-old chess player has risen to the top of the elite Chinese chess scene.

Meng Fanrui, the 17-year-old player who defeated Lai Lihuang a month ago, has risen to the top of the current Chinese chess rankings.

Chess prodigy Mạnh Phồn Duệ - Photo: CN

According to reports from Chinese media, 17-year-old chess player Meng Fanrui has risen to the top of the Chinese chess rankings with a score of 3,105 points, setting a historic milestone for the world of top-level Chinese chess.

It's important to know that China is the absolute king of Chinese chess. The Chinese chess rankings are not much different from the world rankings.

In September, that throne was somewhat challenged when Lai Ly Huynh won the men's singles title at the World Xiangqi Championship, held right here in China.

This defeat, although predictable (due to a series of top-level grandmasters in China facing imprisonment for match-fixing), still caused a stir in the mainland chess community.

A month later, the Chinese chess community had somewhat successfully "avenged" themselves, and the person who unexpectedly helped them achieve this satisfaction was a young, inexperienced player – 17-year-old Meng Fanrui.

"Little prodigy" is the nickname given by Chinese media to Meng Fanrui, the youngest member of the new generation of "prodigies" in Chinese chess (named after the very popular movie " Nezha: The Devil Child Reborn " in recent years).

At the 2025 Asian Mind Games held last month, Mạnh Phồn Duệ brilliantly defeated Lại Lý Huynh and many other senior players to win the rapid chess championship.

After that, Meng Fanrui went on to win a series of other major tournaments in China, most recently the Tian Tian Xiangqi Cup, one of the top chess tournaments in mainland China.

This achievement propelled the 17-year-old to the top of the Chinese chess rankings, creating a historic milestone as a player who had not yet reached adulthood was able to surpass numerous grandmasters.

Doan Thang, who lost to Lai Ly Huynh in the final of the 2025 World Championships, only ranked 11th. Meanwhile, Hua Van Chuong, who defeated a series of Vietnamese masters in the recent Phuong Trang Cup, ranked even lower, at only 37th.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-thu-17-tuoi-vuon-len-dung-dau-lang-co-tuong-dinh-cao-20251229174427449.htm