TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan reached a historic milestone at the World Xiangqi Championship, as Li Sih-yi (李思誼) and Lin Yu-hsuan (林祐萱) won silver in the women’s team event, marking the country’s first team medal at the tournament.

The tournament, held in Shanghai from Sept. 21–27, drew more than 180 xiangqi players from 25 countries, including strong contingents from China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Hsueh Chia-yun (薛嘉昀), chair of Taiwan’s Chess Culture Society, told CNA the achievement holds great significance for Taiwan’s xiangqi community and could help boost the sport’s popularity nationwide.

In the individual competition, Lin delivered a steady performance to finish fourth, the best result by a Taiwanese female player at the World Xiangqi Championship in nearly 20 years.

Ge Jen-yi (葛振衣) and Kuo Sheng-wen (郭勝文) teamed up to place fifth in the men’s team event.

Xiangqi, a traditional board game with a long history in Taiwan, challenges players to capture the opponent’s general (shuai, 帥) while balancing offense and defense. Each move requires strategic planning that shapes the course of the game and overall board control, according to the Chess Culture Society.