Taking place from August 21 to 30 in Can Tho City, the National Excellent Chess Championship 2022 competing for the Nam A Bank Cup featured 227 best players from provinces, cities and industries, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Lam Dong, Ninh Binh, Army, Dong Thap, Quang Ninh, Thua Thien Hue, Ba Ria– Vung Tau, Ninh Thuan, Ben Tre, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Lao Cai. Of which, the number of players competing in the Khmer and ASEAN chesses (to select candidates for the 32nd SEA Games) is 39 players.
In the end, in the fast chess event, Hanoi players competed very successfully with 2 leading positions in the men’s group. The 3rd seed – Tran Tuan Minh showed excellent performance when he won 8.5 points after 9 games (8 wins, 1 draw), convincedly winning the gold medal; Le Tuan Minh won silver medal with 7.5 points. The 2nd seed in Vietnam – Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Can Tho) won bronze with 7 points.
In the men’s blitz event, Le Tuan Minh (Hanoi) won the gold medal with the same 7.5 points but a higher coefficient than Pham Chuong (HCMC). In the super blitz chess event, Le Tuan Minh (Hanoi) completed a double gold medal, while his teammate Tran Tuan Minh won silver medal, Nguyen Hong Nhung (Hanoi) won 8.5 points after 9 games to win a convincing gold medal in the women’s group.
In the men’s standard chess event, 4 players had the same 7 points after 9 games, but the gold medal belonged to Pham Chuong (HCMC) due to his highest coefficient, Nguyen Van Huy (Hanoi) won silver medal, 16-year-old player Nguyen Quoc Hy (HCMC) won bronze medal. The first seed, Tran Tuan Minh ranked 5th overall with 6.5 points. The second seed, Nguyen Duc Hoa (Army) ranked 8th.
Khmer chess was first included in the competition program featured 39 players, including many famous players such as Dao Thien Hai, Cao Sang, Vo Thanh Ninh, Hoang Nam Thang, Duong The Anh, Bao Khoa etc. After 9 games, Bao Khoa (Kien Giang) won gold. In the women’s group, gold belonged to Vu Thi Dieu Uyen (Kien Giang).
In the ASEAN chess event, Nguyen Quang Trung (Bac Giang) suddenly overcame a series of “elder” players such as Cao Sang, Bao Khoa, Vo Thanh Ninh or Hoang Nam Thang to win gold of the men’s group. The women’s gold medal belonged to Pham Thanh Phuong Thao (Hai Phong), while Vu Thi Dieu Uyen (Kien Giang) – who previously won the Khmer chess gold medal – won the silver medal.
This is the first time the tournament has put into competition the ASEAN and Khmer chesses to select the best players to prepare for the 32nd SEA Games to be held in Cambodia in 2023.
X.L