Vietnam wins big at Southeast Asian age group chess tournament

The Vietnamese chess team returned home on July 11 after winning big at the 2025 Southeast Asian Age Group Chess Championship in Malaysia.

Chess player Nguyen Xuan Phuong competes at the tournament. Photo by Nguyen Vinh

At the end of the tournament, on the medal tally, the Vietnamese chess team won 99 gold medals, 29 silver medals, and 55 bronze medals; second place went to the Philippines with 12 gold medals, 15 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals; third place went to Malaysia with 6 gold medals, 23 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals.

This year's tournament took place in Malaysia with the participation of more than 300 players from 18 countries and regions; competing in the following categories: standard chess, rapid chess, blitz chess. At the tournament, 143 Vietnamese players competed in male and female age groups from U6 to U20; age group over 50. Of which, the group of athletes over 50 won 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal. Vietnamese players from U6 to U20 won 96 gold medals, 27 silver medals, 54 bronze medals.

Chess player Nguyen Xuan Phuong received a gold medal in the standard chess event at the tournament. Photo by Nguyen Vinh

Also in the overall achievements of the Vietnamese team, Hanoi chess contributed 50 gold medals, 7 silver medals, 13 bronze medals. Notably, among these, there are 2 players from Son Tay town (old) (currently living in Tung Thien ward and Son Tay ward), namely Nguyen Xuan Phuong (U10), Pham Xuan An (U8). Nguyen Xuan Phuong alone won 6 gold medals (3 individual gold medals and 3 team gold medals). Meanwhile, Pham Xuan An won 4 gold medals (2 individual gold medals and 2 team gold medals). With this achievement, both will be awarded the title of Reserve World Master (CM).

Three years ago, the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center (now the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center, Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports) had an agreement with the old Son Tay town to coordinate in searching for and training young chess talents in the area with the goal of winning international medals as well as achieving noble titles in world chess.

Chess player Pham Xuan An (second from left) received a gold medal in the standard chess event at the tournament. Photo by Nguyen Vinh

After 3 years of implementation, with the direct deployment of the chess department of the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center, the achievements of the players discovered in Son Tay have made encouraging progress. In the international youth tournaments in the past 2 years, player Nguyen Xuan Phuong has won a series of world, continental, and Southeast Asian medals. By 2025, player Pham Xuan An won the gold medal in the Southeast Asian age group, becoming the second player in the cooperation program between the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center and Son Tay to win an international gold medal.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/viet-nam-thang-lon-o-giai-co-vua-cac-nhom-tuoi-dong-nam-a-708826.html