Junior Match of Friendship Finished in Harbin

The Chinese team won 34-30.

The 4th International Russia-China Junior Match of Friendship was held on August 3-5, in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province. 8 Russian young sportsmen (6 boys and 2 girls) arrived in China to play against their peers. 

The Opening Ceremony was attended by Deputy Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sport of Heilongjiang province Li Feng, Head of the Chess Office of the Department of Physical Culture ans Sport of Heilongjiang province Liu Xiangli, Deputy Director General of the Timchenko Foundation Igor Baradachev, Vice-President of the Chinese Chess Association Tian Hongwei, and Head of the Harbin Chess Association Yang Baoseng. Igor Baradachev and Li Feng made the first moves of the Match.

On August 3-4, the teams played 8 rounds of rapid chess. The total score is 34-30 in favour of the Chinese team. 

A special guest of the event, the European Champion Maxim Matlakov, gave a 16-board simultaneous exhibition. 

Two Chinese girls managed to defeat the grandmaster, while the Russian children made six draws. Among them were Kamilla Bayburina and Ekaterina Nasyrova, the prizewinners of the All-Russian tournament among the chess players from the countryside (2016). 

The tournament was attended by the representatives of the Russian diplomatic mission. The second Secretary of the Russian Embassy in China Anna Jangel and Vice-consul of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Shenyang Pavel Silayev took part in the Closing Ceremony.

The Match of Friendship is a project which contributes to the development of not only sports, but also of cultural and social connections as well. Every year the participants get acquainted with the sights and culture of the region where the Match is being held. 

This year, the Russian team visited the main sights of Harbin: Saint Sophia Cathedral, the Central Avenue (which the Russians call "Arbat"), the Bridge across the Sungari River, and the Opera House, a recently built architectural masterpiece.  

Deputy Director General of the Timchenko Foundation Igor Baradachev draws conclusions: 

- The Match of Friendship has become a traditional event for both Russian and Chinese sportsmen. Young chess players of both countries aspire to take part in it. This time the Chinese team was stronger than the Russian one, but there are no losers in the Match of Friendship. The main victory for us is that young chess players from Russia and China have been participating in it for 4 years, thus strengthening the dialog between the two countries. 

In 2018, the Match of Friendship will be played in Russia.