Vietnam leads SEA chess championships

Nguyen Anh Khoi won the championship in the boy’s U12 rapid event, winning seven matches and leading second place Wong Yinn Long of Malaysia by 1.5 points.

He was also runner up to his Filipino rival G. Julius in the boy’s U12 blitz competition with eight points.

Ngo Duc Tri took the boy’s U10 rapid top prize after winning seven matches, while Lu Chan Hung led in boy’s U16 rapid event with 6.5 points after six wins and one draw.

Vietnam dominated the U18 rapid event with Le Tuan Minh coming in first after winning seven matches and Bui Trong Hao, Nguyen Ha Phuong, Nguyen Duy Trung and Che Quoc Huu also ending up in leading positions.

Tuan Minh also secured the championship title with 8.5 points in the U18 blitz event.

Two other Vietnamese players are listed in the top five of the U18 rapid event, including Nguyen Duc Sang in third place and Tran Dang Minh Quang in fourth, while the country has seven players in the top ten of the U14 rapid category and four in the U20 top ten.

It also has at least three representatives in the top five of the U8, U10 and U14 blitz events.

Nguyen Thi Mai Hung won the women’s U20 rapid event with five points after seven matches, followed by Vo Thi Kim Phung, Doan Thi Van Anh and Hoang Thi Nhu Y, all from Vietnam.

In the women’s U20 blitz, Hoang Thi Nhu Y was crowned champion with seven points and Mai Hung placed second with 6.5.

Vu Thi Dieu Ai led both the U16 blitz and rapid events, while Nguyen Thi Thuy Tien gained the same achievement in the U18 group with 5.5 points in the rapid event and eight points in the blitz category.

Eight players represented Vietnam in the top ten of the U18 rapid event and Vu Bui Thi Thanh Van took the championship for the blitz event.

In the over 50 rapid events Dang Tat Thang and Le Thien ranked third and sixth in the men’s event while Lam Tuyet Mai finished second.

The tournament will continue on June 9 with standard events.