The three-day event was organised by the Chinese Xiangqi Association and the Kunshan Xiangqi Association. It brought together leading players from eight countries and territories, competing in two groups.
The Vietnamese team, consisting of captain Nguyen Hoang Kien (General Secretary of the Vietnam Xiangqi Association), Vo Minh Nhat, Ha Van Tien and Phi Manh Cuong, were drawn in Group B, together with Japan, Singapore and the Philippines. Meanwhile, Group A was made up of Chinese Taipei, Germany, Malaysia and hosts China.
Vietnamese players convincingly won the group stage with two wins and one draw before beating Germany 5-1 and Malaysia 4-2 to qualify for the final match, where they brilliantly defeated hosts China 4-2 to be crowned the champions.
The overall triumph earned the Vietnamese team 60,000 Chinese Yuan (roughly US$8,700) in prize money. More importantly, the victory against a home team of xiangqi will help to enhance Vietnam’s position in world xiangqi as well as boost the confidence of Vietnamese players’ in future tournaments.
