‘She is an excellent player’
Wang first female chess champion crowned in NL history
Jjaying (Apple) Wang became the first female winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Chess Championship.
Wang (17), is an international student from Beijing who attends Holy Heart of Mary High School in St. John’s.
The Chess Open 2017 was held Oct. 27-29 at the Guv’nor Inn in St. John’s. Wang only lost one game during the tournament, that defeat coming to Roger Langen.
“There’s a certain air of confidence about somebody who can play chess,” said Langen. “I noticed that about Jiaying right away.”
She will be sharing the title with Langen, 68, who returned to play in the Newfoundland Open after an absence of 43 years.
“She has great calculating skills for one so young,” Langen said. “She is an excellent player and an excellent competitor.”
When Langen was a student at Memorial University in the 1970’s, he played a major role in founding the NL Chess Association.
To promote and encourage participation in the association, he played 21 games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded.
Players in this year’s tournament came from all over including representation from China, Iran, Bosnia, Nova Scotia and Quebec.
“In Newfoundland, the numbers in the chess community fluctuate,” Langen said.
“But with a little method it can grow. I’ll definitely be back next year.”