Hu Ronghua

Who is Hu Ronghua?

Hu Ronghua is considered to be one of the best players of xiangqi, or Chinese chess. He is a native of Shanghai.

Hu first won the Chinese national xiangqi championship in 1960 at age 15. At the time, many commentators thought it was an accident that such a young person could win the national title. However, he went on to win the next ten consecutive national championships in the ensuing years.

In the period from 1960 to 1979, Hu won the championship a total of 13 times, including his 10-win streak. In the 1980s, he won the national championship in 1983 and 1985. By the mid 1990s, people thought that he was past his prime, and that younger generations of top players would eventually replace him. However, he won yet again in 1997 and 2000.

Thus, Hu Ronghua holds the record for the greatest number of national titles, the youngest champion, and the oldest champion in the history of xiangqi.

Hu has advocating for a revival of xiangqi. In 2011, Hu launched a reality show called Let's Play Chess to find an a new apprentice.