Viral Video: A video reportedly from northern China has left the netizens in awe. In the clip, a man can be seen reluctant to exit the chessboard after being defeated in Xiangqi (Chinese chess). Regardless of the heavy rain in Hebei province, he sat for about four hours replaying and evaluating his moves. His wife also asked him to seek shelter, but he was adamant.
His obsession and relentless pursuit have drawn the attention of people worldwide, including American Grandmaster Hans Niemann. Hans took to X to share his own story of determination, recalling, “In 2019, I was leading the U16 World Youth championships in Mumbai, got food poisoning, lost 3 games in a row. I lay by the pool, and it started raining. Then it started thundering, some of my friends tried to drag me inside, but I stayed there for hours.”
In 2019, I was leading the U16 World Youth championships in Mumbai, got food poisoning, lost 3 games in a row. I laid by the pool and it started raining. Then it started thundering, some of my friends tried to drag me inside but I stayed there for hours. https://t.co/wwFUDF3C6p
— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) August 30, 2025
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Netizens React
The video has quickly gained a lot of traction online, with users expressing their views in the comments section. A user wrote, “This reminds me I’ve never played a chess tournament in a foreign country, never eaten anything but fast food during tournaments, and never played outside, rain or sunshine.” Another commented, “When you are fully immersed in something you love, the noise of the world fades, the body forgets its burdens, and only the essence of joy remains.” Meanwhile, a third user said, “That brings us to the episode in Mahabharata where Dronacharya asks Arjun to look at a mango on the tree. Except for the mango, Arjun doesn’t see anything. Others before him confirmed seeing remaining people, birds on the tree. Concentration & focus!”
