The Chinese women's chess team has moved up to third place after beating Armenia at the Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy.

Chinese prodigy Hou Yifan and woman grandmaster Zhao Xue each posted a victory over their Armenian rivals, while Wang Yu lost to Elina Danielian.

Following the victory, China soared three spots to reach number three with 20.5 points, three points shy from leader Ukraine.

In another Sino-Armenian showdown, Chinese men suffered a 2.5-1.5 loss in a marathon competition lasting four hours.

With 27 points, China maintained second place in the standings, two points behind leader Armenia.

The players will enjoy a rest day on Friday. The Chinese women next play Greece in the coming 11th round, while the men's team takes on France.

(CRI English June 1, 2006)