China's women's chess team, spearheaded by grandmaster Zhao Xue, easily took European powerhouse France 2.5-0.5 in day three's competition of the World Chess Championships in Turin on May 23.

 

Following the victory, China tied Russia at 8.5 points and moved to the second place on the rankings, 0.5 point behind Lithuania.

 

On the men's side, the Chinese team triumphed over Slovakia 3.5-0.5 to pocket their third straight victory in the tournament.

 

The men's team joins Russia and Uzbekistan to top the standings at 10.5 points.

 

Chinese men will face tough fourth round competitions as they will challenge top-seeded Russia on Wednesday, while the women's team take on second seed Ukraine.

 

(CRI English May 24, 2006)