A video from northern China has gone viral, showing a man refusing to leave a chessboard after his defeat in Xiangqi (Chinese chess). Despite pouring rain in Hebei province, he sat for nearly four hours replaying and analysing his moves, even as his wife urged him to seek shelter. His persistence, or obsession, has drawn fascination worldwide, with many comparing it to the dedication of professional players.Among those who reacted was American Grandmaster Hans Niemann, who shared his own story of determination in unusual circumstances.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Writing on X, he recalled: “In 2019, I was leading the U16 World Youth championships in Mumbai, got food poisoning, lost 3 games in a row. I laid by the pool and it started raining. Then it started thundering, some of my friends tried to drag me inside but I stayed there for hours.”Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri couldn’t resist a lighthearted twist, joking: “In 2019, I won Shenzhen Masters. Don’t think I lost a single game there. Also don’t recall any rain.”But Niemann has also been in the spotlight for more serious reasons. Just weeks earlier, the 22-year-old reignited debate in the chess world with sharp criticism of the American system compared to India’s growing chess culture. “The Indian government and chess federation treats their players like superstars: supporting their development from an early age and rewarding them for their victories. While the American chess federation sabotages their own. The consequences will be very clear in 5–10 years,” he posted.His comments came after a landmark moment in Indian chess. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently awarded Divya Deshmukh a Rs 3 crore prize at the Nagari Sanman Sohala in Nagpur. The 19-year-old became the country’s 88th Grandmaster and the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, defeating Koneru Humpy in a dramatic final in Batumi, Georgia.
