Lausanne, Nov 21, 2013: With the World Mind Games approaching from the 12th to the 18th of December, five sports await you in Beijing; Bridge, Chess, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi (Chinese Chess). Some of the world’s best players will represent these sports during the 7 days of competitions.
The Social and Cultural Programme will enrich the event and expand its reach to students of local Beijing schools and universities. Students will be given the opportunity to interact with the world’s top Mind Sports players and learn from them.
Each of the participating sports will be represented by ambassadors who will promote their sports and be strongly involved in the Social and Cultural Programme. See below the ambassadors of Bridge, Chess and Draughts who have been nominated by the respective International Federations. The Xiangqi and Go ambassadors will be announced next week.
BRIDGE: Fulvio Fantoni to promote Bridge as Ambassador at the 2013 World Mind Games
The World Bridge Federation nominated Fulvio Fantoni as the Ambassador of the sport at the 2013 World Mind Games.
The Italian international bridge player is a six-time World Champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), and the WBF first-ranked player as of 2008. Fulvio Fantoni won 6 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals in World Championships, 3 Gold Medals in European Championships, 5 European Champions Cups. He is the only player, together with the American Robert “Bobby” Wolff, winning 5 different World Championships. In September 2013 in Bali, he was awarded a Declarer Play of the Year by the IBPA (International Bridge Press Association).
Fantoni’s regular partner is Claudio Nunes, the second-ranked World Grand Master (April 2011). They play “Fantunes”, for their surnames, an innovative bidding system characterised by natural but forcing one-level opening bids in all four suits.
The third edition of SportAccord World Mind Games takes place from 12-18 December 2013 in Beijing. This unique multi-sport event highlights the great value of Mind Sports. The world’s best players will deliver top-level performances and create new valuable experiences based on intelligence, strategy and exercise of mind. Rado and Samsung are the official partners of SportAccord World Mind Games.
Wang Wenfei will promote Bridge as the representative for China
She has been playing international bridge at the highest level since 1993 when she was a member of the winning team in the Qualifying Zonal Event, the first of seven victories, a very impressive record.
The first of these victories was followed by silver medals in the 1996 World Women’s Teams Olympiad (now the World Bridge Games) and the 1997 Venice Cup. She had excellent results in the 2000 and 2001 World Women’s Team Championships and then won another silver medal in the 2003 Venice Cup. Next came a silver medal in the World Women’s Pairs, a bronze in the 2007 Venice Cup and silver in the World Bridge Games National Women’s Teams.
Her victory and gold medal in the 2009 Venice Cup and the corresponding rank of World Women’s Grand Master, ensured her position as a member of the top echelon of women bridge players.
CHESS: Alexandra Kosteniuk appointed as the Chess Ambassador 2013
Alexandra Kosteniuk, the 12th Women’s World Chess Champion is the Ambassador of 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games.
She has been appointed by the World Chess Federation. Ms Kosteniuk is a committed promoter of Chess and intends to increase the interest in the game around the world. As the Ambassador of SportAccord World Mind Games, Ms Kosteniuk will internationally promote the event for its unique combination of five Mind Sports; Bridge, Chess, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi. She is dedicated to raise the awareness, enlarge the audience and attract ever more mind games players worldwide. Alexandra Kosteniuk’s official website www.chessqueen.com
The third edition of SportAccord World Mind Games takes place from 12-18 December 2013 in Beijing. This unique multi-sport event highlights the great value of Mind Sports. The world’s best players will deliver top-level performances and create new valuable experiences based on intelligence, strategy and exercise of mind. Rado and Samsung are the official partners of SportAccord World Mind Games.
Ju Wenjun will be the Chinese Ambassador representing Chess
Ju Wenjun, born January 31, 1991 is a Chinese chess player, who holds the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster. In December 2004, Ju came joint second in the Asian Women’s Chess Championship in Beirut. In October 2007, she finished joint fourth in the 2007 China Women’s Zonal 3.5 Tournament in Tianjin.
In August–September 2008 at the Women’s World Chess Championship she was knocked out in the second round by Antoaneta Stefanova 1.0-3.0. Two years later in the Women’s World Chess Championship 2010 she reached the quarter-finals. In June 2010 she won the Women’s Chinese Championship with 8/11.
In July 2011 she won the 1st Hangzhou Women Grand Master Chess Tournament ahead of reigning Women’s World Chess Champion Hou Yifan undefeated with 6.5/9.
In October 2011 she took the second place at the Women’s Grand Prix in Nalchik with 7/11, ranked only after her compatriot Zhao Xue, getting her third Grand Master norm and thus, should be ratified as a Grand Master.
She was the No. 3 ranked girl chess player (under-20) in the world on the January 2011 Top 20 Girls FIDE rating list. She was on the FIDE Top 20 Girls list from January 2007 to 2011.
DRAUGHTS: Darya Tkachenko to advocate Draughts as a World Mind Games Ambassador
As a professional draughts player she is four-times World Champion and twice European Champion.
From her 4 World titles, one she won in a tournament while the other three by winning a title match. She is the only player to win all matches she has played.
In the 2013 World Championships in Ulaan-Batar, she finished second. In 2005, she won the Open Tournament in Prague, the only woman to win a top open tournament.
Zhao Hanqing – the Draughts Ambassador from China
Zhao Hanqing was a Go player before deciding to study international draughts in 2008. She made a very quick progress in her new sport. In 2012, she won 2nd place in the Asian Championship in Malaysia. After this and in only one month’s time, she went on to winning the World Championship Juniors Girls in the Netherlands. —- Sportaccord
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