Ye Rongguang facts for kids

Ye Rongguang (simplified Chinese: 叶荣光; traditional Chinese: 葉榮光; pinyin: Yè Róngguāng) is a famous retired chess player from China. He was born on October 3, 1963. In 1990, he made history by becoming the very first Chinese chess player to earn the top title of Grandmaster. He also spent over ten years coaching Zhu Chen, who became a women's world chess champion.

Ye Rongguang's Chess Journey

Early Achievements

Ye Rongguang was born in Wenzhou, a city in Zhejiang, China. He quickly became a strong chess player. In 1990, he took part in a big tournament called the Interzonal Tournament in Manila. He finished in 44th place, showing his skill against many top players.

In that same year, 1990, Ye Rongguang won the Chinese Chess Championship. This made him the best chess player in China. His highest ever rating was 2545 points in January 1991. This rating placed him among the top 100 players in the world at number 97.

Playing for China

Ye Rongguang proudly represented China in many international team events. He played for the Chinese national chess team three times at the Chess Olympiad. This happened between 1988 and 1992. During these events, he played 35 games, winning 19, losing 5, and drawing 11.

He also competed twice at the World Team Chess Championships. These were in 1985 and 1989. In these championships, he played 15 games. He won 8, lost 5, and drew 2. In 1985, he even won a bronze medal for his performance on the 6th board.

Ye Rongguang also played in the Asian Team Chess Championship twice. These were in 1987 and 1991. He played 13 games in total, winning 11, losing only 1, and drawing 1. He won an individual bronze medal in 1987 and an individual gold medal in 1991.

Life Outside Chess

Ye Rongguang now lives in the Netherlands. He is involved in the Dutch Chinese Photographic Society. He holds the position of vice-chairman there. Besides being a chess grandmaster, he is also a grandmaster in xiangqi. Xiangqi is a traditional Chinese board game, similar to chess.