Vietnam to host competition for int’l chess Grandmasters for first time

The 2021 Grand Ho Tram Chess Tournament is set to take place from March 10-17 at The Grand Ho Tram complex in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Vietnam’s top chess player Le Quang Liem (L) and his Indian rival Suri Vaibhav during a game at the 2020 Gibraltar International Chess Festival. (Photo for illustration)
Vietnam’s top chess player Le Quang Liem (L) and his Indian rival Suri Vaibhav during a game at the 2020 Gibraltar International Chess Festival. (Photo for illustration)

It is the first competition for international Grandmasters hosted by Vietnam, organised by the Vietnam Sports Administration under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and The Grand Ho Tram.

The event is expected to draw 22 Vietnamese Grandmasters, eight of them female, who have an Elo rating of between 2200 and 2400 awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE.

Each male contestant will play seven matches while their female counterparts will compete in a round robin format.

The winner of men’s contest will walk home with a prize of VND200 million (US$8,640) while the female champion receives a prize worth VND100 million.