September 17, 2018
Cambodian claims Chinese chess crown
Cambodia’s Heng Chamnan was celebrated by the kingdom’s sporting officials after claiming first prize at the recently concluded 2018 Sichuan Airlines Cup Global Xiangqi tournament in Chengdu, China.

The invitational tournament for the board game also known as Chinese Chess was held between September 8th-12th with players from over 20 countries including Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Cambodia taking part.

Chamnan, speaking at the welcome ceremony on his return on Saturday, said he had become an overnight fan of the game after initially not taking any interest.

“I never thought I liked the game, he said. ‘It was because of chance. I would go to an old café where my friend introduced me to it. They always made fun of me when I lost and I would get angry with myself and try to improve.”

Xiangqi is believed to be played by more people than any other board game in the world — including the more familiar western-style chess.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50533744/c ... ess-crown/