Ambition of Vietnamese chess

With 6 top national chess players including Nguyen Thanh Bao, Lai Ly Huynh, Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang, Nguyen Hoang Yen, Le Thi Kim Loan and Nguyen Thi Phi Liem, the Vietnamese chess team is considered by experts to be one of the forces capable of competing equally for the highest positions with host China and the rest of the continental chess team at this ASIAD.

After many changes, the Chinese chess team is now not only a team consisting entirely of former and current national champions of recent seasons. The return of "Tay Doc" Nguyen Thanh Bao - who was crowned Asian Youth Champion in 1998 and World Runner-up in 2009, both in China - has added significant strength to Vietnamese Chinese chess. He was part of the team that won the 2022 World Standard Chess Men's Team Gold Medal, the 31st SEA Games - 2022 Men's Rapid Chess Men's Team Gold Medal, and he also brought home the 32nd SEA Games - 2023 Standard Chess Bronze Medal and the 2023 Vietnam Championship.

Tham vọng của cờ tướng Việt Nam - Ảnh 1.

Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Thanh Bao won gold medals at two consecutive SEA Games. (Photo: DONG LINH)

It is impossible not to mention Lai Ly Huynh, who owns 4 championship titles and 5 national runner-up titles in standard chess since 2013. Stable performance over a decade has also helped this player from Ca Mau play a key role in the team. In the last 2 years alone, he has added 4 major titles to his huge collection of achievements, including the 2022 World Standard Chess Men's Team Gold Medal.

Taking on the responsibility of leading the national team after a turbulent period, coach Hoang Dinh Hong said he was very lucky to have a "dream team" for the second time in his coaching career. If the quartet of Trenh A Sang - Nguyen Thanh Bao - Nguyen Vu Quan - Nguyen Hoang Lam caused many difficulties for the Chinese team in the late 2000s, now the trio of Nguyen Thanh Bao - Lai Ly Huynh - Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang promises to continue to stir up the chess arena at the 19th ASIAD.

"Entering the tiger's den and stroking the king of the jungle's beard", fans have assessed the upcoming competition in Hangzhou of the Chinese chess team in the Vietnamese sports delegation, whose main goal is to compete for the men's team gold medal with the Chinese team. The withdrawal of "king of chess" Vuong Thien Nhat from the Chinese team does not seem to have much impact on the host team's goal of winning all 3 gold medals at the Asian Games because the Chinese chess force is very strong.

However, with the strong chess skills and stable performance of the trio Bao - Huynh - Quang, opportunities can still come to the Vietnamese chess team. Since the 32nd SEA Games, these three players have had many opportunities to compete with Chinese masters, in which Nhat Quang won the Ta Hiep Ton Cup tournament, while Thanh Bao and Lai Ly Huynh have just worn the shirts of Hang Chau and Zhejiang clubs to participate in the 2023 Inter-level Giap Tournament (China team championship).

In the women's individual event, the trio Hoang Yen, Kim Loan and Phi Liem are also likely to compete for the highest rankings. Hoang Yen just won the runner-up position at the 2023 Asian Chess Championship, so she is very confident in her tour in China, the cradle of contemporary world chess.

TV copyright price increases, Vietnamese fans suffer

Once offered at a price of 15 million USD in early August, in recent days there has been information that the price of the 19th ASIAD television copyright has been reduced by half, to only about 7 million USD. However, this is still an extremely high price that up to now, no station or television copyright business unit in Vietnam has announced its ownership, even though there are only a few days left before the official opening of the Games in Hangzhou, China.

The asking price is too high, not to mention transmission fees and taxes, so relevant units in Vietnam seem to be "overwhelmed" by the prospect of difficulty mobilizing resources from businesses to participate in supporting the purchase of ASIAD television copyright, especially in the current difficult economic situation.

Thailand has just announced that it owns the television copyright for the 19th ASIAD and will broadcast it for free on 11 television channels and other platforms so that people can cheer on the country's sports delegation at the 19th ASIAD (Thailand sent nearly 950 athletes, competing in all 40 sports).