The Chinese men's chess team has jumped to second place on the tally after sweeping arch rival Georgia away at the Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy.

China whitewashed Georgia 4 nil in the ninth round of the tournament this morning (Beijing time), extending their winning streak to three.

Georgia has proved a worthy adversary for China, beating them four times in previous Olympiads, until China tasted sweet revenge at last year's World Team Championships.

The fresh victory Wednesday morning has placed China second on the standings with 25.5 points, just one point shy from leader Armenia.

Meanwhile, the women's team has drawn top seed Russia to remain in fourth place on the tally.

The win came after a dramatic turn around in the match between Russia's third player and China's 14 year old Hou Yifan.

The Russians looked set to win the match when Hou Yifan requested a draw, but her opponent declined the request.

Undeterred, the teenage prodigy gained the better of the tangled fight that ensued, forcing her rival to resign after 67 moves and winning a precious point for China.

China is now tied with Bulgaria in fourth place on the standings with 18.5 points. Ukraine stands at the top of the table, followed by Russia and Georgia.

(CRI Enlish May 31, 2006)