US competitor claims top prize as Chinese Bridge contest draws to a close

"My first Chinese characters looked all crooked and I was blushing with embarrassment," Do recalled. "But she just smiled and said her first calligraphy was even worse. In that moment, the awkwardness between us just faded away."

Francesco Maria Greco, this year's European champion, found a similar quiet rapport playing badminton with a Chinese grandfather at a Beijing summer camp.

"It was a connection between people from different countries, with different skin colors and languages," he said.