# A Dragon Wakes Up in Hong Kong: World Team Rapid Day 2

> China's all-Chinese team Dragon Chilling is the only unbeaten side after Day 2 of the FIDE World Team Rapid Championship in Hong Kong, powered by 13-year-old Wang Zihao. Magnus Carlsen lost twice as favourites WR Chess crashed to 11th. Day 3 decides the title on June 19.

_By PrimeChess Team, Chess for Everyone · Jun 19, 2026_

# A Dragon Wakes Up in Hong Kong

A team of chess players from China is doing something special right now. They call themselves "Dragon Chilling." And after two long days of play in Hong Kong, the dragon is wide awake.

Here is the simple story of the most exciting chess in the last 24 hours.

## What is happening?

This week, Hong Kong is hosting the **FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships**. It is a big event. Almost 50 teams are playing. Each team has six players. The rules are kind and clever: every team must include at least one woman and one "everyday" player who is not a professional. So world stars and normal fans sit side by side.

The games are fast. Each player gets only 15 minutes, plus a few seconds after every move. There is no time to be slow. You think, you move, you hope.

The prize money is huge — half a million euros. But more than money, every team wants to be called the best in the world.

## The dragon takes the lead

After eight rounds, one team stands above the rest. **Dragon Chilling** is the only team that has not lost a single match. They have 14 points and the top spot.

This team is special for another reason. It is all from China, and it has two of the best women players on Earth: Ju Wenjun, the women's world champion, and Lei Tingjie. They also have a former men's world champion, Ding Liren.

But here is the surprise. The dragon's real heroes are not the famous names. One is Yu Yangyi, who won his first five games in a row. The other is a 13-year-old boy named **Wang Zihao**, born in 2012. This young player has scored 6.5 points out of 7 games. Imagine being so young and beating grown masters. The chess world is watching him with wide eyes.

## A 177-move battle

The day's best fight was between Dragon Chilling and another strong team, Kazchess. On the top board, Ding Liren played his old friend Richard Rapport. Years ago, Rapport even helped Ding win the world title. Now they were enemies for one day.

Their game went on, and on, and on — **177 moves**. That is one of the longest games you will ever see. In the end, Rapport won. But it did not matter. Dragon Chilling won the rest of the boards, so the team still took the match. Sometimes you lose a battle but win the war.

## A hard day for the world's best

Now for the biggest shock. The favorite team is called WR Chess. It has Magnus Carlsen, the world number one, and other giants. Everyone thought they would lead.

Instead, they fell apart. Carlsen lost two games in a row — first to India's Arjun Erigaisi, then to a player rated far below him, Shant Sargsyan. WR Chess lost two whole matches and dropped to 11th place. The mighty had a very bad day.

Here is how the top of the table looks:

| Place | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragon Chilling | 14 |
| 2 | Team MGD1 | 13 |
| 3 | Barys | 12 |
| 4 | Kazchess | 11 |

One sweet moment: Alireza Firouzja turned 23 years old and celebrated by winning all four of his games. A perfect birthday gift to himself.

## What comes next?

The third and final day of the rapid event begins on Friday, June 19. Dragon Chilling leads, but four points and four rounds is not a safe lock. Team MGD1 and Barys are close behind, and one bad round can change everything.

That is the beauty of chess. The board does not care about your fame. It only cares about your next move. So we wait, and we watch, to see if the dragon keeps its crown.