Vietnam’s grandmasters to vie for Chess Olympiad 2024 top places
Vietnam will send its strongest masters to compete for team titles at the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024 September 10-23 in Budapest, Hungary.
Grandmaster Le Quang Liem, who is working in the US, will fly to Budapest to join his teammates.
The world No 16 will lead the team which includes GMs Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Le Tuan Minh and Tran Tuan Minh in the Open category, and Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Vo Thi Kim Phung, Le Thanh Tu and Luong Phuong Hanh in the women's class.
Young players Banh Gia Huy and Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong are also registered to checkmate at the competition which is considered the world championship.
According to the rules, players will compete in the Swiss-system tournament's 11 matches until September 23.
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) said the championship was growing with every tournament and the Budapest event was the largest so far.
"The record-breaking 193 teams in the Open section and 181 squads in the Women's competition will gather in the Hungarian capital from September 10-23 to battle in the biggest team chess event of the biennium," FIDE said.
"Notably, several women's teams - Liechtenstein, Guernsey, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Nauru, and the Cayman Islands - will make their debut in Budapest.
"In a historic move toward inclusivity, the 2024 Chess Olympiad will welcome a team of refugees, as officially approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This groundbreaking decision aims to promote diversity and support displaced individuals, reinforcing chess as a tool for positive change."
In the Open, Vietnamese GMs will face strong rivals such as Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So of the US, Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India, Wei Yi and Yu Yangyi of China and Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
In the women's pool, title favourites will be those from Georgia, India, China meanwhile Poland and Azerbaijan are considered potential medallists.
"Bringing together acclaimed heavyweights and rising stars from all across the globe playing for their national teams, the Chess Olympiad is an event like no other. We are in for an eleven-day magnificent spectacle showcasing chess brilliance in Budapest," FIDE added.
Vietnam did not take part in the previous event in 2022, which saw Uzbekistan take the men's title while Ukraine topped the women's podium.
