When Wang Shixu walks into a tournament hall, few might recognize him. Yet those who have faced him over the board know better than to underestimate the calm 24-year-old International Master from Tianjin, China. Known in chess circles as “Wang Shixu B”—to distinguish him from another player with the same name—he’s quietly become one of the most consistent performers in China’s new wave of young talents.
Early Life and Rise
Born in 2001 in Tianjin, Wang learned chess at the age of eight and quickly showed promise. By his teens, he was already competing at the national level. In 2018, he was officially recognized as a Master Athlete by China’s General Administration of Sport, marking his emergence as a serious contender in the country’s crowded chess scene.
That same year, Wang placed fifth in the Chinese National Team Second Squad Selection Tournament, finishing ahead of several titled players. His rise continued in 2019, when he represented China at the World Junior Chess Championship in New Delhi. Despite being untitled at the time, Wang shocked the field by finishing sixth among 189 players from 51 countries, earning his first Grandmaster norm in the process. It was the performance that first put his name on the international radar.
National Success
Representing the Tianjin team, Wang became a regular fixture in China’s top competitions. In 2021, he helped his team secure second place in the National Team Championship. The following year, he placed third in the National Team Rookie Network Competition and reached the semifinals of the Rising Stars Super Tournament. By 2023, Wang had risen to the top of the China Chess League Division B, finishing first among male players while leading Tianjin to another runner-up finish in the National Team Championship.
In 2024, his team captured the bronze medal at the National Championship, capping off a string of consistent podium finishes that earned Wang a place on the Chinese national men’s team in 2025.
Breakthrough Year: 2025
If there was any doubt about Wang’s international caliber, 2025 erased it. In May, he competed in the Sharjah Masters (B section), scoring a solid 6/9 and drawing against veteran Grandmaster Vladimir Burmakin. A month later, he finished third at the Zonal 3.5 China Tournament, earning qualification for the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
At the World Cup in Goa, India, Wang produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets—defeating 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca, who was not only 200 rating points higher but also playing on home soil. After holding a draw with the black pieces in Game 1, Wang showed fearless precision with white, sacrificing his queen for two rooks and two bishops in the middlegame to outplay Mendonca and clinch victory. The result stunned many observers and highlighted once again how misleading FIDE ratings can be for lesser-known Chinese players.
A Hidden Giant in a Closed System
As many international commentators have noted, Chinese players like Wang often fly under the radar because they rarely play outside domestic circuits. Their ratings—often in the 2400–2500 range—don’t reflect their real strength. “Most of these young Chinese players rarely play abroad,” one chess analyst remarked. “Wang recently drew Yu Yangyi and went +2 while undefeated against eight grandmasters in Dubai. He’s definitely no joke.”
Indeed, within China’s self-contained chess ecosystem, Wang Shixu B has become a respected figure—steady, technically strong, and unshaken under pressure. His style blends classical fundamentals with a modern sense of initiative. He’s not a flashy attacker, but his precision and deep calculation often frustrate more ambitious opponents into overreaching.
Looking Ahead
With a current FIDE rating of 2413 and a peak of 2484, Wang stands on the verge of breaking into the international elite. His World Cup debut has already marked him as a player to watch in the next cycle of Chinese stars. For now, he continues to represent Tianjin and China with quiet determination—building his reputation not through words, but through results.
Fact Box
- Full name: Wang Shixu (王仕戌)
- Born: 2001, Tianjin, China
- Title: International Master (since 2021)
- Current rating: 2413 (November 2025)
- Peak rating: 2484 (November 2021)
- Notable achievements:
- 6th place, 2019 World Junior Championship
- Member of China’s bronze-medal team, FIDE Online Olympiad 2021
- 3rd place, 2025 Zonal 3.5 China (qualified for World Cup)
- Upset win over GM Leon Mendonca, 2025 World Cup
I’m Xuan Binh, the founder of Attacking Chess, and the Deputy Head of Communications at the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF). My chess.com and lichess rating is above 2300. Send me a challenge or message via Lichess. Follow me on Twitter (X) or Facebook.
