What did Chinese media say about Lai Ly Huynh's historic victory?

On the evening of September 27, Chinese media shared about the historic victory of Vietnamese chess player Lai Ly Huynh at the 2025 World Chinese Chess Championship.

Chinese media said that Lai Ly Huynh's (left) victory was a special exception - Photo: Thang Long Ky Dao

The victory of Vietnamese chess player Lai Ly Huynh at the 2025 World Xiangqi Championship is not only a golden milestone for Vietnamese sports , but also a rare event that attracts strong attention in the international Xiangqi community, especially in China - the homeland of this sport.

Lai Ly Huynh's victory is a special exception.

The most prominent view in articles and comments on major Chinese sports news sites such as Sina Sports and Tencent Sports is to position Lai Li Huynh's victory as a "big surprise" and a "different highlight".

Many newspapers use objective but regretful words such as "regrettable" or "missed appointment" when talking about the failure of the home representative.

For a sport where China has always prided itself on absolute dominance, seeing the first-ever men's individual standard chess championship won by a non-Chinese player was seen as an unexpected event.

Lai Ly Huynh in the moment of singing the national anthem before receiving the gold medal - Photo: LĐCTVN

However, the Chinese media focused on analyzing Ly Huynh's performance. They noted the Vietnamese player's careful preparation and sharp tactics, especially his steely determination when facing great pressure from the home opponent Doan Thang in the final match.

Reaffirm the strength of the home team

Along with reporting on Lai Li Huynh's championship, Chinese media simultaneously emphasized the overall strength of the national team at the tournament. This is considered a strategic move to ease regret and reaffirm China's leading position in the world chess community.

Reports repeatedly reiterated China's achievement of winning a total of 6 gold medals in other events of the 2025 World Chess Championship (including rapid chess, blitz chess, and team events).

The outstanding number of medals achieved was used to prove that despite a regrettable defeat in the most important event, China's chess position was not shaken.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truyen-thong-trung-quoc-noi-gi-ve-chien-thang-lich-su-cua-lai-ly-huynh-20250928004337665.htm