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A Sang TRENH
at the 1999 World Cup in Shanghai
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Two veterans, A Sang TRENH and Thi Huong LE, are Vietnam's men's and women's Xiangqi champions for the year 2000. This means that both will likely play internationally during the next year.
They won gold medals in tournaments held simultaneously in District 5 of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) between March 8 and 16. The fields were made up of regional qualifiers from throughout the country, 38 men, and 20 women. Both TRENH and LE represent HCMC, Vietnam's strongest chess community. Both came in as reigning city champions.
TRENH finished ahead of Nhi MONG, one of Vietnam's emerging top players. TRENH beat MONG with a blistering sacrificial attack. The women's silver medal went to Hanoi's Thi Hong Hanh NGUYEN, but the tournament darling was 16-year-old bronze medallist, Thanh Phuong LY of HCMC. Her victims included 1999 champion, Thi Ngoc Giao CHAU.
TRENH previously won the national championship in 1996. According to Mindzine analyst, Phuc NGUYEN, he is the most talented of Vietnam's top players, and has an awesome ability to win stakes games at odds. He finished 10th in the 1997 World Cup, and sixth in the 1999 World Cup. I don't know his age, but he is clearly past the prime age for competition.
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GM Thi Huong LE
at the 1999 Ho Chi Minh
City Championships
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LE won Vietnam's first four women's championships, beginning in 1994. She holds a grandmaster title, but had disappointing scores in the 1995 and 1997 world women's championships.
The April issue of Vietnam's national chess magazine, Nguoi Choi Co ("Chess Player") gives the prize lists, but no details about scores. It mentions last year's champions among those whose poor results are "hard to understand". Hanoi's top player, Cao Khoa DAO, failed to win a prize. CHAU finished sixth.
All of Vietnam's other previous champions also stumbled. GM Thanh Minh MAI, a five-time winner, came ninth. A Minh Truong, winner in 1997, finished out of the money. Hai Binh HOANG, the 1998 women's champion, also finished ninth.
A national go tournament was held in parallel with these two tournaments. Eight players from throughout the country competed for the right to represent Vietnam this June at the world amateur go championships in Japan. May Duy LE of HCMC was the winner.
Prize Winners
Men
1. TRENH A Sang (Ho Chi Minh City)
2. MONG Nhi (Ho Chi Minh City)
3. DIEP Khai Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City)
4. TRAN Dinh Thuy (Ba Ria/Vung Tau)
5. LAI Viet Truong (Hanoi)
6. HOANG Trong Thang (Ba Ria/Vung Tau)
7. TRAN Quoc Viet (Ho Chi Minh City)
8. PHAM Quoc Huong (Hanoi)
9. MAI Thanh Minh (Ho Chi Minh City)
10. TON That Nhat Tan (Danang)
| Game score (women) |
Notation |
| NGUYEN Thi Hong Hanh - LE Thi Huong |
WXF |
Algebraic |
| NGO Lan Huong - HOANG Hai Binh |
WXF |
Algebraic |
Women
1. LE Thi Huong (Ho Chi Minh City)
2. NGUYEN Thi Hong Hanh (Hanoi)
3. LY Thanh Phuong (Ho Chi Minh City)
4. NGO Lan Huong (Ho Chi Minh City)
5. NGUYEN Phi Liem (Hanoi)
6. CHAU Thi Ngoc Giao (Binh Dinh)
7. NGUYEN Thi Thanh Nga (Ho Chi Minh City)
8. HO Thi Thanh Hong (Binh Dinh)
9. HOANG Hai Binh (Binh Dinh)
10. VU Thi Thu (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Bill Brydon
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