LAI LY HUYNH: Making Vietnamese chess famous

Lai Ly Huynh's victory in the final match with "child prodigy" Yin Sheng (Doan Thang) on September 27 in Shanghai - China opened a new chapter in the history of Chinese chess in Vietnam as well as the world .

A long way

Becoming a world standard chess champion has always been the dream of every chess player, although everyone knows that the Chinese chess masters have always existed as almost untouchable monuments for decades.

For the first time, the world championship title in men's individual standard chess did not belong to a Chinese player like in the previous 18 years. Once worried when seeing Nguyen Vu Quan win the bronze medal in 2005, or heart-stopping when watching Lai Ly Huynh almost overthrow Meng Chen's championship in 2023, now the Chinese chess community is truly disappointed when witnessing Vietnam's number 1 player Lai Ly Huynh step up to the highest victory podium in the world arena.

The men's individual finals of the 2025 World Championships and all the matches of the ninth round were hastily moved from the Hyatt Hotel to the Shanghai International Convention Center, 35 kilometers away. The organizers were sure that Yin Sheng would complete the championship double after winning the rapid gold medal, so they hastily decided to choose the Shanghai International Convention Center as the coronation venue for the 20-year-old "prodigy".

No one expected Lai Ly Huynh to win and become the new champion of the tournament, he is also the first non-Chinese player to win this prestigious arena. Yin Sheng played extremely well but Ly Huynh was more courageous, dominating the game and forcing the hope of the Chinese chess world to surrender.

To reach this glorious day, the Vietnamese chess village has gone through a long journey, starting from the years 1980-1990, when seniors such as Mai Thanh Minh, Trenh A Sang or Truong A Minh stepped onto the international stage. Not yet reaching the peak, but the shocking victories against the Chinese masters have sown the belief that Vietnamese chess can absolutely enter the top of the world.

In 2005, in Paris - France, Nguyen Vu Quan made a miracle when he won the world bronze medal in the individual category. For the first time, the Vietnamese national flag appeared on the podium of a tournament that was considered a playground for China. Although the medal was not gold, it had a great pioneering meaning.

LẠI LÝ HUYNH: Rạng danh cờ tướng Việt - Ảnh 1. — Lai Ly Huynh has written a beautiful page in the history of Vietnamese chess. (Photo: DONG LINH)

Seize the opportunity

If Nguyen Vu Quan opened the door to the world, Nguyen Thanh Bao was the one who made Vietnamese chess a real rival in Asia.

In 1998, at the age of 20, Thanh Bao caused a stir when he won the Asian Youth Chess Championship in Jiangsu, China. In the final match, he defeated "King of Chaos" Hong Tri - a famous Chinese talent. That victory not only brought a Vietnamese chess player to the highest podium of the Asian Youth Championship for the first time, but also opened up a glorious path in Thanh Bao's career.

"Western poison" Nguyen Thanh Bao has many times defeated big names of mainland China such as "Jade-faced God of War" Tuong Xuyen, or "New Northeast Tiger" Trieu Quoc Vinh... Chinese press once acknowledged Thanh Bao as "the strongest chess player in Vietnam", especially after he won the individual silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou ASIAD - the first tournament to include Chinese chess in the competition program.

Mai Thanh Minh, Trenh A Sang, Truong A Minh, Nguyen Vu Quan, Nguyen Thanh Bao, Nguyen Hoang Lam... have contributed to strengthening the position of Vietnamese chess. This strong development has forced many international tournaments to set the rule of "non-Chinese and non-Vietnamese" (people who are not of Chinese or Vietnamese nationality) to limit the number of Chinese and Vietnamese players, creating balance for players from other countries.

All of these advances were the foundation for "Nam Phuong prince" Lai Ly Huynh to create miracles. This player from Vinh Long quickly affirmed his talent with 6 national championships, many victories in Southeast Asia and Asia.

Having won the World Rapid Chess Championship twice in 2022 and 2023, it was the defeat at crucial moments in the 2023 World Championship finals in the Standard Chess event against Meng Shen that fueled Lai Li Huynh's determination. He prepared for the coronation day by playing for Chinese clubs in the famous Jia-level inter-team tournament, regularly competing with mainland Chinese masters, and then taking advantage of the opportunity when a series of Chinese chess kings were imprisoned to explode in the 2025 world arena.

Undefeated in the group stage, in the final match, facing Doan Thang with the black pieces to go last, Lai Ly Huynh entered the match with all his courage. He patiently defended, pressed the opponent and then launched the decisive blow to win. At that moment, Vietnamese chess officially broke the monopoly of China to have its first world champion in the standard chess category.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lai-ly-huynh-rang-danh-co-tuong-viet-196250928205211415.htm