National chess changes queen

Gathering almost all the players who have been crowned queens in the past two decades, the 2025 National Chinese Chess Championship brings exciting competitions between the top female players.

The surprise happened right from the qualifying stage (7 games) when the defending champion Nguyen Hoang Yen only ranked 6th, in which she lost the only game to Kieu Bich Thuy ( Hanoi ). She paid this "debt" when the two sides met in the quarter-finals, but then in the semi-finals, Hoang Yen continued to stumble. This time, she lost to her teammate Dam Thi Thuy Dung in the blitz penalty shootout when the two sides had held each other in a standard game and a blitz game.

She lost only 2 games in the whole tournament, but both were decisive games. Hoang Yen could not defend the championship title she had held for the past 2 years. Her dream of making a hat-trick - winning all the medals in standard, rapid and blitz chess for the third consecutive season - was also shattered.

There weren't many outstanding matches, but with stable performance and solid playing style, Dam Thi Thuy Dung was undefeated from the qualifying round to the final. She had a total of 7 wins, 7 draws and became the national queen after 11 years of waiting.

Dam Thi Thuy Dung won the national standard chess championship for the second time. Photo: DONG LINH

If Dam Thi Thuy Dung had to struggle for 11 years to return to the number 1 position in the women's standard chess category, in the men's standard chess category, "Nam Phuong Cong Tu" Lai Ly Huynh won the national championship for the 6th time since 2012 - the time he won the championship for the first time when the tournament was also held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Undefeated in the qualifying stage (5 wins, 2 draws), this player currently playing for Binh Duong continued to show stable performance with an attacking style of play. He successively defeated Nguyen Khanh Ngoc (Da Nang) in the quarter-finals and Phan Thanh Gian (Binh Duong) in the semi-finals, before facing 2023 champion Nguyen Thanh Bao in the final.

In game 1, with the advantage of holding the red pieces first, Lai Ly Huynh took advantage of the opportunity to win. In game 2, he played solidly and tied with Nguyen Thanh Bao, officially winning the 2025 national championship. This is the 6th time Lai Ly Huynh has won the number 1 position, only one title behind the record of 7 times winning the Vietnamese championship of famous player Trenh A Sang.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/co-tuong-quoc-gia-thay-ngoi-hau-196250424215830815.htm