Sofia Confucius Institute Co-Hosts Bulgaria’s First Chinese Character Chess Competition

On November 29, the finals of Bulgaria’s first Chinese Character Chess Competition were held at the China Cultural Center in Sofia. The event was jointly organized by the Confucius Institute in Sofia, the China Cultural Center in Sofia, and the Ningbo Research Institute of Chinese Character Application. The event was attended by: Zhang Yanbo, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria; Yang Tian, Head of Educational Department; Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia; Chen Ying, Chinese Director; Ge Lina, Director of the China Cultural Center in Sofia; Li Zemin, CEO of Huawei Bulgaria; Yang Zhidong, Deputy General Manager; more than 50 teachers and students from the Confucius Institute headquarters and its affiliated Confucius Classrooms and teaching sites.

The competition attracted enthusiastic participation from students in Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Ruse, and other cities. After preliminary selection and semi-finals, 18 students advanced to the finals. After intense competition, Asya Tsonkova and Raya Kirova from the “Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi” Private School in Sofia won first prize. Boris Petrov from the same school and Karina Karpuzova, Plamena Zhelyazkova and Stanimir Kazakov from the Confucius Classroom at “Maksim Gorki” Secondary School in Stara Zagora won second prize. Third prizes went to Asya Tatova from the Confucius Classroom at “Willian Gladstone” Secondary School No. 18 in Sofia; Mariela Atanasova from the Confucius Classroom at “Paysii Hilendarski” Plovdiv University; and Eleonora Popova, Petya Karabulkova, Teodora Belcheva, and Eleonora Nenova from “Maksim Gorki” Secondary School. Five teachers received the Outstanding Instructor Award.

At the award ceremony, Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said in her speech that the Institute had spent a year preparing and organizing the event. The competition aims to elevate Chinese learning from mere “vocabulary memorization” to “cultural perception” and “lifelong interest,” allowing more Bulgarian people to appreciate the charm of Chinese language and culture.

Chinese Character Chess cleverly combines Chinese character learning with intellectual competition, helping students expand their Chinese vocabulary and develop logical thinking, and has been well received by local Chinese learners.

Xinhua News covered the event, and the story was reprinted by multiple Chinese and foreign media outlets.

Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text and photos: Ma Wen
Editors: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen, Chen Chen
English translation: Dima Pironkova