China’s xiangqi community despairs over its “worst champion in history”

Wang Yubo’s latest failure has deepened frustration in China’s xiangqi community. The reigning national champion lost in qualifying for the 2026 World Xiangqi Championship, which will take place in Singapore in November, and once again missed the chance to represent China internationally.

Wang, born in 2004, won the national title at the end of 2025. His emergence raised hopes that he could become a new symbol for Chinese xiangqi after several earlier champions were banned amid a match-fixing scandal exposed in 2023. Instead, his form has declined since taking the title.

At the Wuyang Cup early this year, Wang finished second in a group containing Meng Fanyurui, Yin Sheng and Feng Jiajun, scoring nine points but failing to reach the semifinals. The bigger shock came at the Qicheng Cup in May, an international event that also included Vietnam’s Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang. Wang lost in the opening round of the finals to female player Wang Zihan.

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Has he ever represented China and shone at an international event? It is hard to believe this is our national champion.

Chinese xiangqi specialists later criticized a series of losing moves that allowed Wang Zihan to sacrifice a cannon, break through his defense and finish the game. Wang has had some better results, reaching the semifinals of the Xintai Cup in July and successfully defending his Yuanlang Ronghua Cup title. The article dismisses those as second-tier domestic events rather than international tournaments.

In the world championship qualifiers, Wang advanced deep through the winners’ bracket and needed one victory for a place in Singapore. He then lost to rising player Meng Fanyurui. Given another chance in the losers’ bracket, he was defeated by 16-year-old Ru Yichun. On Baijiahao, specialist accounts attacked his record. One wrote, “Has he ever represented China and shone at an international event? It is hard to believe this is our national champion.” Another called him possibly “the worst champion in Chinese xiangqi history,” while acknowledging that Wang had won the national title convincingly.

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Wang Yubo may be the worst champion in Chinese xiangqi history. He was lucky to rise at a time when all the top players had been banned from competing.