Player profile
A sourced Xu Yinchuan profile covering six national individual titles, the 2007 World Championship, seven Wuyang Cup victories, the 2006 man-machine match, selected games, GIF replays and video commentary.
Career record at a glance
Player and method
Born in Huilai, Guangdong in 1975, Xu Yinchuan is one of the greatest xiangqi players in history. He won the national individual championship six times (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2009), claimed the 2007 World Xiangqi Championship, and holds seven Wuyang Cup titles, second only to Lu Qin's eleven. In 2006 he drew 2-2 against the Inspur Tiansuo supercomputer in a historic man-machine match.
Six national titles, the nickname "Young Jiang Taigong" and the 2006 man-machine match all have public records behind them. This page keeps facts, sources and editorial interpretation separate.
The profile includes six images covering a Wikipedia portrait, Wuyang Cup events, the man-machine match, archival photos and livestreaming.
Fact layer
The timeline below verifies the dated milestones first, then explains how they connect into a career path.
Xu Yinchuan was born in Huilai County, Guangdong Province. Guangdong is one of China's most productive regions for xiangqi talent, and the local training environment exposed him to high-level competitive practice from an early age.
Xu won the national junior championship, attracting attention from the xiangqi community. He entered the Guangdong provincial team and trained under coach Cai Furu, alongside senior student Lu Qin. This mentor-student lineage shaped his playing style.
At just 16, Xu entered the national individual championship for the first time. Though he did not win, his composure and precision beyond his years were evident. The Guangdong team's training system and competition with Lu Qin provided the foundation for his growth.
Xu won the national individual championship, establishing himself among China's elite players. This victory launched a peak period that would last over a decade.
XQipu: Xu Yinchuan public player record ↗Xu first competed in the Wuyang Cup, an invitational tournament limited to past national champions. The Wuyang Cup would become his most successful event—his seven titles rank second all-time behind Lu Qin's eleven.
Xu won the national championship again, solidifying his position at the top. His style was maturing, and the "Immortal Guide" opening was becoming his signature weapon.
Xu won his third national title and earned the right to challenge defending chess king Lu Qin. The mentor-student showdown became the year's most anticipated matchup.
XQipu: Xu Yinchuan public player record ↗Xu competed at the 6th World Xiangqi Championship in Shanghai. After falling short in 1997, he returned with stronger psychological resilience and precise endgame technique, ultimately claiming the world title.
World Xiangqi Federation: past championship results ↗Xu won his fourth national championship. His rating had been among China's top players for years, and his opponents now included both Lu Qin and a rising generation of players.
As the core of the Guangdong team, Xu helped the squad win the national team championship. The Guangdong team, with its dual-star configuration of Xu and Lu Qin, remained one of China's strongest.
Xu won his fifth national championship, a rare return to the top in that era. Known for calm precision and exceptional endgame technique, he earned the nickname "Young Jiang Taigong."
Sohu Sports: 2006 national individual championship report ↗In a historic match held in Beijing, Xu represented human players against the Inspur Tiansuo supercomputer. The match ended 2-2, demonstrating human strengths in complex judgment and psychological play.
Sina Sports: 2006 man-machine match report ↗Xu claimed the world championship at the 10th World Xiangqi Championship. The decade-long journey from his 1997 near-miss to the 2007 triumph was one of persistence and steady improvement.
World Xiangqi Federation: past championship results ↗Xu won his sixth national championship, tying him with the all-time record. From 1993 to 2009, sixteen years of sustained dominance at the highest level.
Xu launched the "Yinchuan Explains Chess" Bilibili channel, using live streaming and video commentary to reach a wider audience. With over 100,000 followers, he has become one of xiangqi's most influential cultural ambassadors.
Bilibili: Yinchuan Explains Chess official channel ↗Xu's career spans over three decades. Six national titles, a world championship, and seven Wuyang Cup victories place him among the greatest xiangqi players in history. He now promotes xiangqi through streaming, commentary, and public events.
Career in context
Xu was born in Huilai, Guangdong. He won the national junior title at 13, then joined the Guangdong team and trained under Cai Furu alongside senior teammate Lu Qin. They later became both teammates and long-term rivals.
Baidu Baike and XQipu public records ↗From 1993 to 2009, Xu's six national individual titles spanned sixteen years. Event cycles and rising rivals changed the field during that period. Returning to the top across that span tells us more than the total alone.
General Administration of Sport records ↗The Wuyang Cup's entry requirement—only past national champions—makes it a concentrated field. Xu's seven titles rank second all-time behind Lu Qin's eleven. From his 1993 debut through multiple triumphs, the tournament tracks his growth from a newcomer into a mature title contender.
Yangcheng Evening News ↗Xu's "Yinchuan Qilu" column in Yangcheng Sports is unique in xiangqi literature. Using first-person, literary prose, he annotates his own games, quoting the Romance of Three Kingdoms and Sun Tzu to explain strategy. The writing transforms dry notation into engaging narrative.
XQipu: Yinchuan Qilu column ↗In August 2006, Xu faced the Inspur Tiansuo supercomputer in Beijing. The 2-2 draw showed that human strengths in complex judgment and psychological play remain difficult for machines to replicate.
Sina Sports report ↗Xu fell short at the 1997 World Championship. Two years later in Shanghai, he returned. His self-description—"a slow horse can reach a thousand li if it keeps going"—captures the persistence that defined his career.
World Xiangqi Federation records ↗Xu and Lu Qin shared the same teacher, Cai Furu. They were teammates on the Guangdong squad yet fiercest competitors on the national stage. Their rivalry defined an era of xiangqi.
Public player records ↗The five-game sample includes wins and a draw, spanning domestic and international events. Xu's candid notes on his own mistakes and his opponents' best moves make the games more than move records, giving later readers something to learn rather than just something to watch.
Sachess editorial selection ↗In 1993, 18-year-old Xu earned his first Wuyang Cup entry. He later recalled: "I never imagined I could become one of them—even with a spot, breaking through among so many champions seemed nearly impossible." Yet he won his very first appearance, beating Hu Ronghua and other established masters. He modestly credited "the veterans not being familiar with my style," but the chess world recognized that a teenager defeating a field of champions required more than luck.
Yangcheng Evening News: 30th Wuyang Cup ↗Guangzhou Cultural Park's center stage was the Wuyang Cup's spiritual home and Xu's personal "home ground." He described the experience as carnival-like—walking from the White Swan Hotel to the park, fans greeted him along the way; a thousand or two spectators watched the giant board, applauding every strong move. "When you play a good move, the audience cheers—that kind of warmth makes you want to play your best," Xu said. In editions held elsewhere, his performance dropped noticeably. This rare bond between a player and a venue speaks to how deeply xiangqi is woven into Guangzhou's cultural fabric.
Yangcheng Evening News: 30th Wuyang Cup ↗In the 2002 Wuyang Cup semifinal, Xu lost the first game to Jiangsu's Wang Bin. Under the two-game format, Wang only needed a draw with Black to advance. Nobody expected Xu to recover. But he refused to concede. The night before the second game, he stayed up searching for a winning plan. The next day, he seized the initiative, pressured Wang into errors, and completed the comeback. "Everyone thought it would be a draw," he later said, "but I found a crack at the last moment and forced the win." The final that followed felt, in his words, like "smooth sailing."
Yangcheng Evening News: 30th Wuyang Cup ↗After stepping back from top-level competition, Xu launched the "Yinchuan Explains Chess" Bilibili channel, streaming four times a week to audiences of hundreds of thousands or even millions. He repeatedly urges viewers to slow down: "Xiangqi isn't that complex, nor that simple. It's a process of training logical thinking—you can only see the real variations when you slow down." Xu has said he "never considered himself especially gifted, just extremely focused on things he enjoys." This emphasis on concentration is less a boast about innate talent than an argument for a discipline anyone can cultivate. He has also written books and produced teaching materials, hoping to reach broader audiences through multiple channels.
Yangcheng Evening News: 31st Wuyang Cup ↗In May 2025, 50-year-old Xu returned to compete at the 31st Wuyang Cup after years away from top-level play. Though no longer at his competitive peak, fans traveled from across the country to watch—one rushed from work in Foshan without eating dinner, another took a high-speed train from Shenzhen, a third spent three consecutive evenings at Cultural Park. "Whether Xu advances or wins no longer matters," one fan said. "As long as he puts on a compelling game, we're satisfied." Another put it bluntly: "Winning and losing don't matter to Xu anymore—just standing on the Wuyang Cup stage is his value."
Yangcheng Evening News: 31st Wuyang Cup ↗Some fans and commentators use the phrase "Ghost Kongfu" (鬼魅残功) for Xu's endgame technique. It is a descriptive nickname, not an official title. In the five selected records, the useful question is more concrete: how does Xu keep calculating after exchanges simplify the position, and how does he turn a small inaccuracy into counterplay?
Baidu Baike and XQipu public records ↗Xu Yinchuan and Lu Qin are often described as the "Lingnan Twin Dragons," a label tied to Guangdong's strong results across more than two decades. They trained under Cai Furu but played differently—Lu preferred direct tactical pressure, while Xu was known for patience and endgame precision. Their partnership gave Guangdong a durable team strength, while the national individual events and Wuyang Cup repeatedly turned them into rivals. The record is most useful when read as a contrast in style, not as a claim that one pair won every event.
Public player records ↗
Fact layer
Xu won the national individual championship six times (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2009), tying the all-time record.
Xu won the men's individual title at the 10th World Xiangqi Championship, the crowning achievement of his international career.
The Wuyang Cup invites only past national champions. Xu's seven titles rank second all-time behind Lu Qin's eleven, making this his most dominant stage.
Xu's rating was consistently among China's top three, peaking around 2680-2700, making him one of the highest-rated players of the 2000s.
As the core of the Guangdong team, Xu helped the squad win multiple national team titles alongside fellow star Lu Qin.
Xu represented humanity against the Inspur Tiansuo supercomputer, drawing 2-2 and demonstrating human strengths in judgment and psychological play.
Xu won multiple Asian Cup titles, serving as a key scorer for China on the continental stage.
From entering the professional team in 1988 to active streaming in the 2020s, Xu's career spans over three decades.
Current-status note
The profile cross-checks General Administration of Sport records, World Xiangqi Federation results, event reports and public game databases. Six national individual titles, the world championship and seven Wuyang Cup titles are the core figures that can be cross-checked; Asian Cup, team-event and other tournament details should be read against the original event records.
Sample note
Xu is known for his "Immortal Guide" opening but excels in Central Cannon, Fei-Xiang, and multiple systems. His approach emphasizes practicality and flexibility over rigid theory.
Xu's middlegame calculation is renowned for precision. He finds optimal responses in complex positions with a style that is steady yet sharp, creating threats in seemingly quiet positions.
Xu's endgame skill is widely regarded as among the finest in modern xiangqi. He finds precise winning paths in highly simplified positions, a product of decades of accumulated practice.
From the 1997 World Championship near-miss to the 2007 triumph, Xu demonstrated exceptional psychological strength. In high-pressure situations like the man-machine match, he remained composed.
Xu's style is neither purely aggressive nor purely defensive—he adapts to the position. He can orchestrate elegant attacks and defend tenaciously when behind.
Seven Wuyang Cup titles and six national championships prove Xu's command across different formats—slow chess, rapid, and knockout alike.
These are editorial reading cues built from the career record and five selected games. They are not official ratings, engine scores, or a complete statistical model.
The flexible Pawn 7+1 opening allows adaptation based on the opponent's response. Xu's deep study of this system creates frequent surprises in practice.
Xu's 3-pawn Central Cannon prioritizes horse development before choosing an attack direction. The final against Lu Qin used this system.
The Five-Eight Cannon develops both flanks. The semifinal against Tao Hanming showcased Xu's deep research in this formation.
Fei-Xiang appears conservative but conceals tactical depth. Xu's game against Zhao Guorong showed his command of this system as Black.
The Over-river Chariot is a classic attacking method. Xu's game against Zhao Ruquan demonstrated his creative approach to this well-trodden system.
Xu's opening choices always connect to a broader strategy, adapting to opponents, events, and tournament situations.
Sample note
These five games were chosen as a focused 1997–1999 sample: they cover different openings, wins and a draw, with complete records and a study question for replay.
Enable JavaScript to load the in-page replay board here, or open the endgame puzzle set。
1997 · Xu Yinchuan won
This 58-ply Wuyang Cup first-round game features Xu playing the Fei-Xiang as Black against Zhao's first-move Fei-Xiang. Zhao's opening inaccuracies allowed Xu to execute a decisive knight sacrifice at move 13, a "mantis stalks cicada" tactical blow.
Study path: Study lesson: watch how Xu struck decisively when his opponent's setup loosened, and how the knight sacrifice converted a positional edge into a winning attack.
1997 · Opponent won
This 128-ply Minbai Cup final saw both sides trade all chariots early, reducing the game to a horse-cannon endgame of deep mutual precision. Xu's detailed column annotations explain the opening evolution and the psychological tension between mentor-student rivals.
Study path: Study lesson: compare how two players from the same school handle a simplified position, and how the game shifted from combat to equilibrium after the chariot trade.
1997 · Xu Yinchuan won
This 110-ply Axin Cup semifinal features Xu's Five-Eight Cannon against Tao's Screen Horse. Xu made three consecutive waiting moves (33–35), a "stillness before the storm" approach that masked a brewing attack. The final chariot-horse-cannon combination proved decisive.
Study path: Study lesson: sometimes not moving is braver than moving—three pauses set up a winning attack that Tao could not defend against.
1999 · Xu Yinchuan won
This 110-ply Wuyang Cup game against Hong Kong champion Zhao Ruquan showcases Xu's tactical vision. Zhao's river horse seemed well-placed, but it landed right in the crossfire of Xu's rook. Xu's "mantis stalks cicada" metaphor captures the layered tactical nature of the game.
Study path: Study lesson: a "good" square is not absolute—the same position can become a trap when the opponent has a hidden response.
1999 · Xu Yinchuan won
This 94-ply World Championship game saw Xu open with the Immortal Guide while Chen attacked aggressively with pawn sacrifices. Xu described the game as "a fierce battle inevitable" in his column. His precise defense and a critical opponent error sealed the victory—a key step toward the world title.
Study path: Study lesson: observe how Xu maintained composure under immense pressure, converting his opponent's aggression into counterplay.
Featured videos
For easier viewing, Bilibili appears before YouTube.
Bilibili embeds can be unreliable in third-party pages; use the thumbnail or link to watch on Bilibili.
A career documentary tracing Xu from junior talent to repeated world-level titles.
Watch on original site ↗A collection of games from 1993 to 2021, including national events, the Wuyang Cup, world championships and the man-machine match.
Watch on original site ↗A clip from Xu's official channel in which he explains the game he rated most highly that evening.
Watch on original site ↗Xu explains the opening plan he used against Hu Ronghua and what he learned from that encounter.
Watch on original site ↗A sharp meeting between two generations of champions that ended in a draw.
Watch on original site ↗A practical explanation of common plans and defensive ideas in the Through-Palace Cannon system.
Watch on original site ↗A high-stakes match between two elite players, described as a "Mars crashing into Earth" encounter.
Watch on original site ↗A lighter side of the grandmaster—his online streaming moments where opponents repeatedly reject draws.
Watch on original site ↗Key moments
Xu was born in Huilai, Guangdong. He won the national junior title at 13, then joined the Guangdong team and trained under Cai Furu alongside senior teammate Lu Qin. They later became both teammates and long-term rivals.
From 1993 to 2009, Xu's six national individual titles spanned sixteen years. Event cycles and rising rivals changed the field during that period. Returning to the top across that span tells us more than the total alone.
The Wuyang Cup's entry requirement—only past national champions—makes it a concentrated field. Xu's seven titles rank second all-time behind Lu Qin's eleven. From his 1993 debut through multiple triumphs, the tournament tracks his growth from a newcomer into a mature title contender.
Xu's "Yinchuan Qilu" column in Yangcheng Sports is unique in xiangqi literature. Using first-person, literary prose, he annotates his own games, quoting the Romance of Three Kingdoms and Sun Tzu to explain strategy. The writing transforms dry notation into engaging narrative.
In August 2006, Xu faced the Inspur Tiansuo supercomputer in Beijing. The 2-2 draw showed that human strengths in complex judgment and psychological play remain difficult for machines to replicate.
Xu fell short at the 1997 World Championship. Two years later in Shanghai, he returned. His self-description—"a slow horse can reach a thousand li if it keeps going"—captures the persistence that defined his career.
Xu and Lu Qin shared the same teacher, Cai Furu. They were teammates on the Guangdong squad yet fiercest competitors on the national stage. Their rivalry defined an era of xiangqi.
The five-game sample includes wins and a draw, spanning domestic and international events. Xu's candid notes on his own mistakes and his opponents' best moves make the games more than move records, giving later readers something to learn rather than just something to watch.
Study path
Xu's openings are flexible, adapting to opponents and tournament situations rather than following rigid systems.
Xu's endgame technique is widely regarded as the finest of his generation, refined through thousands of practical games.
From the 1997 World Championship near-miss to the 2007 triumph, mental strength was the decisive factor.
The Yinchuan Qilu column records not just moves but professional integrity and strategic thinking.
FAQ
Xu won the national individual championship six times (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2009).
Xu won the 10th World Xiangqi Championship in 2007.
"Young Jiang Taigong" and "Xu the Immortal."
Sources and boundaries
These five games were chosen as a focused 1997–1999 sample: they cover different openings, wins and a draw, with complete records and a study question for replay.
Verification date: 2026-09-14. Third-party database fields may differ; the page treats public records as research entries.
