The player who defeated Lai Ly Huynh has climbed to the number one spot in the world of Chinese chess.

Trinh Vu Dong, the player who defeated Lai Ly Huynh in the final of the Wuyang Cup, has climbed to the number one spot in the national Chinese chess rankings, as announced by the Chinese Chess Association (CXA) in April.

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Trinh Vu Dong (right) climbs to the top of the world of high-level Chinese chess - Photo: YCWB

Because the World Chess Federation does not have a specific ranking system, the Chinese ranking has historically been considered equivalent to the world ranking, especially since players from mainland China have consistently dominated the sport.

Furthermore, the CXA ranking system is not country-specific. Any player in the world who participates in tournaments organized by China will have their points counted on this ranking.

A prime example is Lai Ly Huynh - with his remarkable achievement of finishing as runner-up in the 2026 Wuyang Cup, he has climbed to 14th place in the Chinese chess rankings, according to the rankings published in March.

Following the match-fixing scandal, the CXA (China Chess Association) changed its Elo rating system. Now, only the achievements of the most recent year are counted. This method effectively removes top players involved in the match-fixing scandal, such as Wang Tianyi, Zheng Weitong, and Zhao Xinxin, from the national rankings.

From the end of 2025, "child prodigy" Mạnh Phồn Duệ stunned the top-level Chinese chess community by taking the number one spot at the young age of 17.

Meng Fanrui's reign at the top of the rankings came to an end at the end of April, when CXA updated its latest rankings.

Accordingly, the reigning champion of the Wuyang Cup, Cheng Wudong, has dethroned Meng Fanrui thanks to his consistent performance recently.

After the Wuyang Cup, Cheng Wudong climbed to third place, behind only Meng Fanrui and Meng Chen. He earned a total of 1,500 points from winning the Wuyang Cup.

Since the beginning of March, the chess player from Guangdong has continued to maintain consistent form, such as finishing as runner-up in the major tournament, third place in the Tianchang Cup, and third place in the National Team Championship.

After one month, Cheng Yudong's Elo rating increased from 2795 to 3400, officially surpassing Meng Fanrui, who had an Elo rating of 3305, to climb to the number one position in the top tier of Chinese chess. The 2023 World Champion, Meng Chen, was pushed down to third place.

Meanwhile, the reigning Chinese chess champion, Wang Yubo – the winner of the men's singles event at the 2025 National Chess Championship – remains in fifth place on the rankings.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-thu-thang-lai-ly-huynh-leo-len-ngoi-so-1-lang-co-tuong-2026042319184859.htm