Vietnamese chess dreams of world miracles

Dominating the world arena for 18 consecutive seasons, the power of Chinese chess has recently declined somewhat.

Sending a strong force to participate in the 2025 World Championship held in Shanghai (from September 21 to 27), Vietnamese chess dreams of conquering the number 1 position right in the land of chess, China.

Change medal color

In the history of Asian chess, Nguyen Hoang Lam is the first and only player outside of China to have won the Asian men's singles gold medal in 2011, thereby breaking the 31-year dominance of Chinese chess in the continental arena.

It is hoped that the opportunity will come to Vietnamese chess again in this tournament. Dominating the world stage for 18 consecutive seasons, Chinese chess still possesses a formidable force, but the recent fluctuations with a series of "chess kings" being caught in legal trouble due to negativity have somewhat weakened the strength of chess in this country of a billion people.

Lai Ly Huynh (left) and Nguyen Thanh Bao dream of changing the color of their medals at the world championships. Photo: DONG LINH

Will the two leading birds of Vietnamese chess in this tour, Lai Ly Huynh (World Rapid Chess Champion 2022 and 2023, World Standard Chess Runner-up 2023) and Nguyen Thanh Bao (World Standard Chess Runner-up 2009, World Standard Chess Team Champion 2022, World Standard Chess Team Runner-up 2023) have enough strength to change the color of the medal?

Talented and ambitious, Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Thanh Bao have been continuously recruited to compete by top Chinese chess clubs in recent years. Regularly competing with high-level opponents has helped both Vietnamese players maintain their form, giving them hope of reaching the highest podium in the world arena.

A "once in a lifetime" opportunity

In addition to Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Thanh Bao of Vietnam, the group of famous players mostly of Asian origin such as Cao Yan-lei (Cao Nham Loi), the number one player in mainland China currently playing for the Macau team - China; or Alvin Tsung Han Woo (Ngo Tong Han) of Singapore, Sim Yip How (Tham Nghi Hao) of Malaysia..., including the two "child prodigies" of the host country, Meng Fan-rui (Manh Phồn Duệ, 17 years old) and Yin Sheng (Doãn Thăng, 20 years old) also boldly registered for the gold medal target.

It cannot be helped when "time" and "luck" are coming to everyone. For the first time in history, China's top players, from Wang Tian-yi, Zheng Wei-tong, Zhao Xin-xin, Xu Chao, Wang Yue-fei to Jiang Chuan..., a total of 43 people involved in match-fixing, were all banned from competition for short and long terms, some were even banned from competition for life.

In the women's category, two players, Dam Thi Thuy Dung and Kieu Bich Thuy, are participating in the world tournament for the first time, but their chances of achieving high rankings are very promising. Both of them dream of following in the footsteps of their senior player, Ngo Lan Huong, who won the 2011 Asian Championship, leaving behind a series of defeated Chinese players, including defeating the number 1 star at that time, Chen Li-chun, in the final match.

In addition to the four top players, the Vietnamese chess team also sent many young talents to compete in this tournament, including four men and four women in the U16 group and two men and four women in the U12 group. This next generation is expected to gain experience and even create surprises in the world youth arena.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/co-tuong-viet-mo-ky-tich-the-gioi-196250920194440831.htm