The tournament attracted a record-breaking participation of 2,388 players from 20 provinces and cities across the country. This impressive number marks significant growth compared to the inaugural season in 2015, when only over 300 chess players participated.
Participants competing in the tournament.
The tournament, gathering many strong players, saw a surprising outcome in the advanced division, where 12th seed Pham Cong Minh from the Ninh Binh Chess Club won the championship with 6.5 points from 8 rounds. Tran Vo Quoc Bao (Royal Chess Club) came in second with 6.5 points but lost on tiebreaks. The third-place tie went to Banh Gia Huy (Future Grandmasters Chess Club) with 6.5 points and Nguyen Huynh Minh Thien (Hanoi) with 6 points.
This year’s competition featured a high-quality lineup of players, including International Grandmaster Tran Tuan Minh, three International Masters – Banh Gia Huy, Dau Khuong Duy, and Dao Minh Nhat – along with female International Master Nguyen Thien Ngan. Additionally, three FIDE Masters and three FIDE Master candidates also participated.
Organizers presenting awards to the athletes.
The tournament was divided into three divisions: men’s, women’s, and advanced, with a total of 24 events. A special highlight was the participation of the Hanoi Disabled Chess Team, who were completely waived of fees by the organizers, reflecting the tournament’s spirit of equality and humanity.
Under the supervision of Chief Arbiter, International Grandmaster Bui Vinh, the results from the advanced division were submitted to the World Chess Federation (FIDE) for international Elo rating calculation. The most participated event was the U7 boys’ category with 266 players.
The tournament was organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the Vietnam Chess Federation, with professional management provided by the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center and the Future Grandmasters Chess Club.
The successful organization of the event was supported by major partners such as Chessbase Vietnam, Aristino, Vets, TH True Water, Greenbia, Doppelherz, and Cupxinh, contributing to positioning the tournament as a prominent brand in Vietnam’s chess scene and Hanoi’s sports landscape.
Ha Phuong