Ning Yunlong  – The Amateur Who Played Like a Grandmaster

Yunlong Ning is a casual chess enthusiast from China who served as the indispensable "recreational player" for "Mr. Birdie and Friends."
While the other five roster positions were held by world-renowned chess grandmasters and masters, Ning anchored the final slot to officially meet the FIDE tournament requirement.

📋 Player Profile

• 🏅 FIDE Rating:
  Holds an official FIDE Rapid Rating of 1927 – comfortably below the tournament's maximum 2000 Elo limit for amateur board representatives.
• 📅 Birth Year:
  Born in 1990, making him an adult club-level competitor rather than a young prodigy.
• 🆔 FIDE ID:
  8623660

🏆 A Historic Tournament Performance

Despite being labeled a "recreational" amateur on paper, Ning played like an absolute grandmaster during the event:

• 🥇 The Ultimate MVP:
  Shocked the field by putting up an astonishing 11/12 score on the bottom board.
• ⚔️ Giant Slayer:
  In a vital penultimate round, Yunlong Ning secured a clutch victory against the tournament-leading squad, Dragon Chilling.
  His upset win single-handedly counteracted a loss from teammate Carissa Yip, catapulting "Mr. Birdie and Friends" into the sole lead of the World Championship heading into the final round.

💬 Without his historic, dominant run on the amateur board, the team would have never been in contention for a world title podium finish.

💰 Final Prize Payouts (Top 3)

• 🥇 Dragon Chilling (1st Place):
  €110,000 ≈ RM 521,829
• 🥈 Team MGD1 (2nd Place):
  €70,000 ≈ RM 332,073
• 🥉 Hexamind Chess Team (3rd Place):
  €50,000 ≈ RM 237,195