Vietnam top chess teams at SEA Games 31

The Vietnamese chess team topped the medal tally of the sport at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) held in the northern province of Quang Ninh with seven gold medals.

Le Quang Liem and Le Tuan Minh win one more gold medal for Vietnam in In the men’s team blitz chess event. (photo: VNA)
Le Quang Liem and Le Tuan Minh win one more gold medal for Vietnam in In the men’s team blitz chess event. (photo: VNA)

In the men’s team blitz chess event on May 21 morning, Le Quang Liem and Le Tuan Minh defeated their rivals from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar in five matches to win one more gold medal for Vietnam.

The Indonesian team bagged silver and the Philippines and Malaysia teams shared the bronze.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese players Pham Le Thao Nguyen and Pham Mai Hung had to share bronze with the Malaysian team in the women’s team blitz chess event on the same day. The gold went to Indonesia and the silver to the Philippines.

The team blitz chess is the last event of the sport in SEA Games 31, with the participation of 22 players from six countries.

Head coach of the Vietnamese chess team Lam Minh Chau attributed to the results to great efforts and the team spirit of Vietnamese players during the event.