There was little doubt why the Soviet Union was so dominant in chess  the government poured money and other resources into programs that cultivated players. Yet even after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia remained the world’s leading chess country. Its strength might be a vestige of the Communist-led system, or of the country’s historical affinity for the game.

If there is one nation that seems able to displace Russia, it is China, which created its own state-run chess-training program about two decades ago.

China has already narrowed the gap, finishing ahead of Russia in some team competitions and producing several women’s world champions. One measuring stick of China’s progress has become its annual match with Russia.

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This year’s competition, which ended on Monday, was epic. The two teams of five men and five women played a total of 250 games.