China takes four golds and 14 medals at World Youth Championships
Four golds, six silvers and four bronzes: China finished the World Youth International Draughts Championships with 14 individual medals. The competition concluded in Xintai on 7 November 2026.
Fourteen individual medals were not the whole of China's return. The hosts also placed second in the rapid and blitz team standings and third in the classical team standings.
The nine-day competition in Xintai, Shandong province, brought together 348 young players from 15 countries and regions. Its programme covered ten age groups and three time controls: classical, rapid and blitz.
Behind the medal tally were ambitions left unfulfilled. One Chinese player who won gold in both rapid and blitz said she had hoped for three titles but had missed out in classical play. She noted how much her opponents had improved. She linked her advantage at the faster time controls to tactical training involving deep calculation. Two gold medals, then, did not mean she had run out of reasons to keep working.