Looking at the bright side, it is good that the Chinese diaspora has spread Chinese chess throughout the world, thus planting the seeds for expansion of the game's popularity, but Jackson Teoh, captain of the West Malaysia team, considers it unlikely that the sport will be widely played internationally within the next 30 years. Getting there before Go
Wu Ching-kuo, an IOC member from Taipei who traveled to Hawaii to attend the Forshang Cup, is more optimistic. In his opinion, getting the IOC interested in Chinese chess is the best way to pique the interest of the Chinese people and raise the game to the level of an international sport. With a major international competition like the Forshang Cup being held once a year, the IOC can hardly overlook Chinese chess any longer.
What are the chances of getting a purely Asian game selected as an official Olympic event? It would not be unprecedented. Japan successfully promoted judo at the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and Korea's taekwondo will soon become an official Olympic event as well. Says Wu, "There is no reason why Chinese chess can't become an Olympic event."
To become an Olympic event, a sport must first be recognized by the IOC. To obtain this recognition, the sport must have an international association, and there must be at least 75 national teams in the men's division and 50 national teams in the women's division. Furthermore, there must be a national association in each of these countries, and regular competitions must be held every year.
The World Chinese Chess League now has more than 40 member nations. In addition to Southeast Asia, there are also associations in such countries as Australia, New Zealand, and even such European nations as Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, and Finland. This total easily tops the number of nations with Go associations, which is why Wu feels that Chinese chess has a better chance than Go to become an Olympic event. The foreign contingent
According to Kim Laurent, chairman of the Chinese chess association in France, textbooks on Chinese chess have long been available in French and German, and non-Chinese faces can be seen everywhere at Chinese chess competitions in Europe. Westerners have not been playing the sport for very long, though, so they cannot beat the Chinese players.
Jouni Tolonen, vice-chairman of The Friends of Chinese Chess in Finland, reveals that his interest in the game stemmed from a fondness for Chinese characters. He says that all Chinese chess players in Finland are locally born, and that they generally take up the game because they already have an avid interest in Western chess. The Chinese characters on the pieces, however, pose a stumbling block for beginners, and it is difficult to buy a Chinese chess set in Finland, so Western chess sets are often used instead.
In Asia, thanks to the deep cultural ties between China and its neighbors, Chinese chess is already beginning to be played widely even outside the Chinese community. In Singapore and Malaysia, where ethnic Chinese enjoy high social and economic status, Chinese chess tournaments are held throughout the year. Jackson Teoh, captain of the West Malaysia team, reports, "They've been holding Chinese chess tournaments for non-Chinese now for the past five years on national day."
Even in Indonesia, where the use of Chinese characters is prohibited, they can't keep the local Chinese community from playing Chinese chess. To avoid being fined for the Chinese characters normally printed on the chess pieces, the local Chinese have taken to using upright pieces that can be distinguished by shape rather than by the written characters. The piece that normally has the character for "cannon" printed on it, for example, might be crafted in the shape of a missile, while the "horse" is made in the shape of a horse's head, the "chariot" takes the form of a chariot wheel, etc.
As for Vietnam, the captain of the Vietnamese national team swears he is not exaggerating when he states, "Every single day, 20 million people play Chinese chess in Vietnam." In fact, the Vietnamese are even more enamored of the game than the Chinese themselves are. Chinese culture has had a deep impact upon Vietnam, and Chinese chess has long been played there. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a national pastime. Because of Vietnam's long contact with China, there are many Chinese books and written records in the country, and depending on your job, you may just have to read them. This is especially the case for historians. As a result, the Vietnamese have no trouble reading the Chinese characters on the Chinese chess pieces.
In addition to mainland China, Vietnam is a key supporter of efforts to internationalize Chinese chess. In spite of the country's difficult economic situation, the government still provides the members of the national Chinese chess team with a stipend that is sufficient to live on. The situation is far different in Taiwan, where the government takes a laissez-faire approach that some might prefer to describe as a policy of "live and let die." Players here can only heave an envious sigh when told about the conditions enjoyed by their counterparts in Vietnam. Just for the fun of it
Fortunately, though, the Forshang Cup has already improved the situation. It was announced at the most recent Forshang Cup that the IOC will invite the current and previous Forshang Cup champions to participate next year in an exhibition tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Forshang World Foundation has also agreed to sponsor three Taiwanese players in hopes that the financial stipend will enable them to concentrate on their game without worrying so much about job pressures. This development constitutes the first step toward the establishment of a professional Chinese chess system.
There are many who dream of participating in the Olympics, but the players who congregate at the Forshang Cup do not give the impression that they are hell-bent on winning. The players are on friendly terms, and seem more like "cultural ambassadors" than Olympic gladiators.
Although the main character of Shogi Master in the Moonlight goes to extreme lengths for the sake of a win, you don't see that kind of display at the Forshang Cup. While everyone is all business during the matches, as soon as a match finishes the players immediately retrace the moves they have just made and talk about how the match went. Some players take advantage of every opportunity to seek advice from stronger players.
Some emphasize that no one can win at this game all the time, and that the player who understands this truth will be able to lose with grace, secure in the knowledge that a larger world looms beyond the boundaries of the chess board. Mou Haiqin, who has represented America in all three Forshang Cups to date, says that he plays Chinese chess in order to make friends and travel to interesting places. Will the Chungshan Cup return?
While the team members are squaring off in the official competition, an even more exciting battle takes place away from the spotlight. Laughingly referring to themselves as sworn enemies for life, the captains of the Singapore and West Malaysia teams are playing against each other practically non-stop. The two took part in last year's Forshang Cup, but as team captains they've had to stay on the sidelines this year, where they have played 100 games over a period of three days and two nights. Don't these guys ever get tired? Says Jackson Teoh, "It's so rare to run into a true rival. It would be a shame if we didn't take advantage of the chance to play."
Adds Teoh, "We players don't get lonely." Teoh relates that while he was in Taiwan to take part in the Chungshan Cup, he took a chess set with him to places like Hualien and Taitung, playing with people wherever he went. Conversation really gets rolling when talk turns to the Chungshan Cup. Another player who has also participated in the Chungshan Cup states: "I'll have you know that we bought the airplane tickets ourselves!"
Lin Yi-shih, secretary-general of the ROC Chinese Chess Association, hopes to see the Council for Cultural Affairs revive the Chungshan Cup. Says Lin, "Every time I travel abroad, people ask me when there'll be another Chungshan Cup." In Lin's opinion, it would be much easier for Chinese chess to become an Olympic event if both the government and private sector each organized a major international tournament.
The players miss the Chungshan Cup for various reasons. Apart from the fun of competition, San-Don Lee points out that Chinese chess brings together people of different linguistic backgrounds and nationalities and enables them to transcend the boundaries of space and time. This ancient Chinese game creates a living link between all sorts of people.