Lai Ly Huynh competes in the world chess final with Chinese prodigy

(NLDO) - With a better score than host China's "prodigy" Meng Fan-rui, Lai Ly Huynh is in the finals of the World Chess Championship for the second time.

On the night of September 25, Lai Ly Huynh finished the 8th game with a draw with famous player Li De-zhi (Le Duc Chi, Malaysia), achieving 13 points. Vietnam's number 1 player has been undefeated since the beginning of the group stage (5 wins, 3 draws) and is anxiously awaiting the result of the internal battle between the two home players, Meng Fan-rui (Manh Phồn Due) and Doan Thang (Doan Thang).

Lai Ly Huynh holds Li De-zhi to a draw, wins ticket to world final

The match between the two young talents of Chinese chess also ended in a draw, helping Doan Thang win the first ticket to the final with 13 points and a very high bonus coefficient. The remaining final spot was decided between Lai Ly Huynh and Manh Phon Due when both also had 13 points. As a result, Lai Ly Huynh won the right to play in the match for the world championship when he was 1 point ahead of the 17-year-old "prodigy" Manh Phon Due.

The Vietnamese chess community anxiously awaited the results from Shanghai for hours before bursting into joy with player Lai Ly Huynh after the Jury considered all the secondary indicators.

This is the second time in his career that Lai Ly Huynh has won the right to enter the finals of the World Chess Championship.

Lai Ly Huynh and Doan Thang were tied in the second game.

In 2023, when the tournament took place in the US, Lai Ly Huynh lost to famous chess player Manh Than (China) in the final match, receiving a silver medal. This time, Lai Ly Huynh is expected to make history for Vietnamese chess when he faces Doan Thang in the final match taking place on September 27. In the group stage, Lai Ly Huynh and Doan Thang tied in the second game.

Final and round 9 schedule for bronze medalists and other rankings

Doan Thang is an outstanding talent, representing a new generation of Chinese chess players. Except for his international competition experience, he still cannot compare to Lai Ly Huynh, a rare talent who helped Vietnamese chess conquer many historical milestones in international playgrounds.

The 2025 World Xiangqi Championship will be suspended for one day to make way for rapid chess competitions, open to all players, regardless of gender or age. This is an opportunity for Lai Ly Huynh, who was crowned champion at the tournament held in the US in 2023.

The competition starts at 8am on September 26 (Vietnam time) and ends with the final match. The competition format is 10-minute rapid chess, with a 5-second time limit. The players are divided into 8 groups from A to H, with a maximum of 20 players in each group. The groups will compete in 5 rounds according to the Swiss system, with the top 2 players advancing to the knockout round until the champion is chosen.

In round 9 (competing on September 27), Nguyen Thanh Bao will meet Alvin Woo Tsung Han (Singapore) to accumulate more points for the medal competition in the standard chess team event. In the youth age groups, Chu Duc Huy has the opportunity to finish in the Top 6 of the U12 male age group; the same goes for Do Manh Thang.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lai-ly-huynh-tranh-chung-ket-co-tuong-the-gioi-voi-than-dong-trung-quoc-196250926080851944.htm