Up to now, Lai Ly Huynh is considered by experts to be the number 3 figure of contemporary Vietnamese chess, only behind two famous chess players Mai Thanh Minh and Trenh A Sang, in terms of domestic chess with 5 national championships and a gold medal at the 2022 National Sports Festival. However, if we add international achievements, perhaps no one can surpass the player from Ca Mau who is currently playing for Binh Duong.
Lai Ly Huynh won the gold medal in rapid chess team at SEA Games 31
Chess fans still remember 2016, one of the times when Lai Ly Huynh's chess skills flourished when he competed extremely successfully in the Duong Quan Lan Boi tournament (overseas champion), Han Tin Boi tournament (runner-up), Phuong Trang International Masters Cup (runner-up), Mind Games World Chess Tournament (4th place), and Asian Team Championship (runner-up).
Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Thanh Bao met at SEA Games 32
However, the most remarkable achievement for Lai Ly Huynh is the individual rapid chess championship at the 2022 World Championship held in Kuching, Malaysia. A few days before, he and his famous teammate Nguyen Thanh Bao won the standard chess team championship at the same tournament, bringing Vietnamese chess to the top of the world for the first time. In addition to the rapid chess team gold medal at the 31st SEA Games and the championship at the 2022 National Sports Festival, Huynh has set another memorable milestone in his career.
Lai Ly Huynh defeated Ngo Tong Han in the "final" of standard chess
The uncertainties in the selection of the national team ahead of the 32nd SEA Games seem to have little impact on this talented player. He and his senior teammate Nguyen Thanh Bao are focusing on improving their chess skills through each tournament, waiting for the opportunity to compete at the SEA Games in the category that fans are most interested in – standard chess.
Lai Ly Huynh won the first SEA Games individual gold medal in his career.
Facing a strong lineup of players mostly of Chinese origin, Singapore had Alvin Tsung Han Woo, Malaysia had Sim Yip How and Fang Sze Jie, the Philippines had Hong Jackson Gomez and especially the host Cambodia with two naturalized Hong Kong-China players Chan Keung-on and Yu Kuen-chiu, Lai Ly Huynh and Nguyen Thanh Bao soon realized that the game would not be easy. Both had to discuss tactics for each game, supporting each other to quickly secure their rankings and reach the finish line.
Clip: Lai Ly Huynh after winning the standard chess championship
Lai Ly Huynh after winning the standard chess event
These two home players, along with Ngo Tong Han, competed fiercely with the two Vietnamese players from the beginning, which Lai Ly Huynh acknowledged as creating great pressure for him and Thanh Bao. However, with an undefeated record in all 5 rounds, including an important victory over Ngo Tong Han in the final game, Lai Ly Huynh officially won the SEA Games 32 Standard Chess Championship. Nguyen Thanh Bao also won the bronze medal after Ngo Tong Han, continuing to mark the duo of the best Vietnamese players today in the international arena.
Lai Ly Huynh and the gold medal in standard chess
With their mission completed early, Huynh and Bao will cheer for their teammates in the remaining two events: rapid chess and blitz chess. After the end of the congress, the players will soon gather again to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games in September in Hangzhou, China. This is the most important target of Vietnamese chess in 2023.
Huynh won the gold medal and Bao won the bronze medal in the standard chess individual event.
In 2017, Lai Ly Huynh's performance declined, he failed to win any titles and announced his withdrawal from all international tournaments because he believed he was being oppressed when his name was called up to the national team. Fortunately, the shock passed quickly and Vietnamese chess continued to reap glory from the tireless efforts of this player.
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