The tournament gathered more than 40 players from Singapore (8 players), India (4 players), England (1 player), Russia (2 players, competing under the name of the World Chess Federation - FIDE), Bangladesh (2 players), Australia (1 player), Indonesia (1 player), Myanmar (1 player), Philippines (1 player) and host Vietnam with 20 players.

At the tournament, player Dao Minh Nhat ( Hai Phong ) won the international grandmasters' tournament; player Wynn Zaw Htunn (Myanmar) won the international masters' tournament; player Doan The Duc won the FIDE masters' tournament.

Players, members of the Organizing Committee and guests.

With the achievements at the tournament, player Dao Minh Nhat won the first international grandmaster standard; player Bang Gia Huy (Hanoi) and player Soham Kamotra (India) won the international master standard. For 14-year-old player Bang Gia Huy, this is also the first international master standard.

Closing two tournaments of the 2023 International Grandmaster Chess Championship, a number of Vietnamese players increased their international elo coefficient, the most impressive of which was Bang Gia Huy with 200 points, reaching elo 2,425, rising to 5th place in the group of Vietnamese players with international elo coefficient on the FIDE rankings. In addition, Vo Hoang Quan increased by 154 points, Nguyen Hoang Khanh increased by 121 points, Lai Duc Minh increased by 114 points, Nguyen Manh Duc increased by 100 points, Nguyen Le Cam Hien increased by 82 points...

Another good news is that 8 domestic referees have met international standards through the 2023 International Grandmaster Chess Tournament system. According to the assessment of international grandmaster Bui Vinh, Chief Referee of the 2023 International Grandmaster Chess Tournament system: “The tournament was organized with the support and sponsorship of a series of businesses and units, including the Hanoi Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Center, which helped athletes, especially Vietnamese players, compete with high results, achieve international grandmaster standards, and increase their international elo coefficients. From there, players have the opportunity to soon qualify for the title of international grandmaster, FIDE grandmaster, which means being able to participate in prestigious international tournaments with requirements on elo coefficients and titles. This tournament has raised the position of Vietnamese chess in the world chess community when it increasingly attracts the participation of many international players”.

In particular, through the 2023 International Grandmaster Chess Tournament, Vietnamese players have the opportunity to achieve the international grandmaster, international master, and FIDE master standards with much lower participation costs than when competing abroad in similar tournaments. In addition, according to Mr. Pham Xuan Tai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports: "The tournament left many good impressions, thereby contributing positively to promoting tourism in the capital."

Article and photos: MINH NHAT