Chess: Tuan Minh and Thien Ngan crowned national blitz champions

The 2021 National Chess Championships kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on March 21, with Tran Tuan Minh and Nguyen Thien Ngan claiming the men’s and women’s blitz titles, respectively.

Tran Tuan Minh from Hanoi wins the men's blitz event at the 2021 National Chess Championships.
Tran Tuan Minh from Hanoi wins the men's blitz event at the 2021 National Chess Championships.

On the men’s side, no. 5 seed Tuan Minh (Hanoi) showed stable form, earning 7.5 points from nine matches and taking the top honour thanks to having better auxiliaries than teammate Le Tuan Minh.

Despite being considered the odds-on favourite for the crown, top seed Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son did not live up to expectations. He performed well in the first seven games but slipped in the remaining two with successive defeats against Le Tuan Minh and Ngo Duc Tri, settling for seventh place overall with six points.

No. 2 seed Cao Thanh Sang (Lam Dong) and no. 3 seed Tu Hoang Thong (Ho Chi Minh City) also performed below par, ending up in 15th and 53rd position, respectively.

The women’s competition saw brilliant form of young talents. 16-year-old Nguyen Thien Ngan (Thai Nguyen) – 2019 world U14 champion – clinched the gold medal with eight points in total, half a point clear of 20-year-old runner-up Nguyen Hong Anh (HCM City). In particular, she was invincible in the first eight games, including wins against seniors in the national team such as Nguyen Thi Mai Hung and Pham Le Thao Nguyen, before losing to 16-year-old Luong Hoang Tu Linh (Bac Giang) in the last round.

Nguyen Thien Ngan from Thai Nguyen Province wins the women's blitz chess title.

Top seed Pham Le Thao Nguyen settled for sixth place overall with 6.5 points.

The annual championship has brought together 130 players from 15 cities, provinces and sectors nationwide, who are battling for the men’s and women’s titles in the blitz, rapid and standard chess categories. It aims to select prominent members for the national teams in preparation for upcoming international competitions, including the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which are to be hosted in Vietnam later this year.

The tournament will continue today with the rapid matches (on March 22-23) before concluding with the week-long standard competition.