From nothing to winning an international medal
That journey began with the persistent efforts of the coaches, the support of the athletes' families, and the coordination between the local authorities and the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center.
Around 2021, the goal of building a chess team for Son Tay town was set after discussions between local leaders and Dao Quoc Thang, Director of the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center. Accordingly, the center's chess department was tasked with supporting Son Tay in developing its chess movement, while also identifying and training potential athletes to compete internationally.
The task was directly assigned to coach Bui Vinh, who had contributed to the development of the chess movement in many localities such as Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, and Hai Phong . However, when he and his colleagues began their field survey in Son Tay, they clearly saw the difficulties. At that time, amateur tournaments mainly used plastic chess pieces and paper chessboards, and even lacked stopwatches; there was a shortage of coaches, and the conditions for organizing training and competitions were not standardized.
Faced with this reality, coach Bui Vinh chose to focus on investing in training a few outstanding talents, striving to achieve success in national and international competitions to create a ripple effect for the movement. Along with searching for potential athletes, the chess department of the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center also provided standard wooden chess boards and pieces, similar to those used in national tournaments; and collaborated with the Vietnam Chess Federation to open referee training classes and provide training for teachers and chess enthusiasts in the area. Thanks to this, Son Tay gradually built a force of coaches and individuals capable of organizing grassroots tournaments.
During the athlete selection process, Nguyen Xuan Phuong's name quickly caught attention. At nearly six years old, he was chosen for intensive training on the condition that his family transport him to and from chess classes at the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center at 14 Trinh Hoai Duc Street, and later at Khuc Hao Street. The athlete's own efforts, along with the family's perseverance in traveling over 80km by bus or motorbike, have yielded "sweet fruits" from 2023 to the present, with championships in Southeast Asian and Asian age groups. Notably, in 2025, this chess player made a significant mark in Vietnamese chess by winning a bronze medal in the individual blitz chess category for the U10 age group at the 2025 World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. He won two individual gold medals in standard and blitz chess at the 2022 Asian Youth Chess Championship. Also in 2025, chess player Pham Xuan An - also discovered from the Son Tay chess movement - won two gold medals in team rapid and blitz chess in the U8 age group at the Asian Youth Chess Championship.
*The problem of exploiting potential
This achievement not only confirms the correct direction in training but also demonstrates the potential for development of young chess players in the locality.
These results quickly created a strong ripple effect on the chess movement in Son Tay and neighboring areas such as Ba Vi and Phuc Tho. According to coach Do Duc Manh, in charge of the Son Tay Chess Club, in the past two years, the number of athletes regularly training at the club has consistently remained around 25-30 – a number that was previously considered very difficult to achieve. Some families even bring their children from neighboring localities like Vinh Phuc to Son Tay for training.
Alongside the development of the movement, the competition system in Son Tay, aimed at strengthening the foundation for the movement and contributing to the development of tourism in Son Tay, has also been gradually built. A highlight is the Son Tay Open Chess Tournament, first held in 2023, which has become an important professional playing field for young chess players. By 2026, the 4th tournament continues to attract nearly 350 athletes from many localities in the North, demonstrating the growing appeal of this competition.
According to sports officials in Son Tay, the achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of the coordination between the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center and the locality in developing the sports movement, both expanding the mass base and discovering and training talented athletes for the capital's sports.
Nevertheless, coaches believe there is still a long way to go. For chess in Son Tay to continue developing and produce more high-level players, more conditions are needed in terms of training, competition, and community support. But with what has been achieved from 2021 to the present, the flow of chess in Son Tay is being maintained steadily, promising many new achievements in the future.
The 4th Son Tay Open Chess Tournament is proving to be exciting.
The Vietnam Chess Federation, in coordination with the People's Committee of Son Tay Ward, recently organized the 4th Son Tay Open Chess Tournament in 2026. The tournament attracted approximately 330 athletes from 32 delegations representing various provinces and cities in the northern region, including Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Phuc, Lao Cai, and Bac Giang.
Chess players competed in 13 events. These included separate age groups for boys and girls (U6, U7, U8, U9, U11, U13) along with an open category. The tournament adopted the Swiss system format with 7 rounds, each round lasting 15 minutes for each player. Notably, this year's tournament successfully mobilized social resources with the support of Ocean Edu International English System.
At the end of the tournament, the Organizing Committee awarded prizes to outstanding individuals and teams in each age category. According to the Organizing Committee, the results of the Open Division of the tournament will be used to calculate international Elo ratings, which will be published in the April 2026 rankings of the World Chess Federation.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/giu-dong-chay-co-vua-son-tay-737244.html
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