Two GM-norms and four IM-norms in Quang Ninh, Vietnam

The Quang Ninh GM/IM/FM Tournaments, held from 13th to 19th May 2024 in Ha Long, Vietnam, have proven to be a success beyond the wildest dreams of the organisers! In GM A, young Vietnamese FM Pham Tran Gia Phuc, with his take no prisoner approach that had earlier announced him at the BCC Open as a player playing well above IM strength, took first place with 7/9, in the process earning a GM-norm. Pham faced his biggest challenge in the final round, and rose to the challenge against fellow FM, Banh Gia Huy, the current Vietnam national champion and who also needed to win to get a GM-norm.

Top seeded Indonesian GM Novendra Priasmoro also finished on 7/9, taking the early lead and was seemingly cruising along to a comprehensive victory till pegged back by draws in games he may have been a little overconfident. Thailand’s only IM, 18-year-old Prin Laohawirapap also made it to 7/9 and got the other GM-norm, his first in his third try in this series that has been organised by GM IA Bui Vinh in Hanoi and Ha Long since 2022. Prin who was coming off underwhelming performances at both the BCC Open and the Thailand Olympiad Qualifying where he respectively lost 42 and 18.4 points, battled his way through the entire event, and attributed his success to a change in his approach.

In the weeks leading up to Ha Long, Prin read a lot of Dvoretsky and focused on working hard at solving the exercises given out to advanced students at Killer Chess Training Academy’s Killer Homework Club. No less than four players got IM-norms, but unfortunately that included none of the four Indians taking part. In GM A, of course FM Banh with 6/9 exceeded the IM-norm requirements and FM Masruri Rahman who did not come close to fighting for a GM-norm still saw his 5.5/9 which included a tense last round win over Vietnam veteran GM Tu Hoang Thong to be sufficient for an IM-norm.

Philippine FM Christian Gian Karlo Arca got off to a great start in GM B, but fell back in the second half, his winning score of 6/9 only good enough for an IM-norm and there was more joy for Vietnam when CM Dinh Nho Kiets’s 5.5/9 was also sufficient for an IM-norm.

All the Winners

With that a truly memorable event in beautiful Ha Long has come to an end but for many of the players it is on to play at the Hanoi GM/IM Tournament from 21st to 29th May. The Quang Hinh GM/IM/FM Tournaments, was played in five seperate groups, and which saw a total of 72 players from 11 countries.

Quang Ninh’s Chess Trainer Couple

GM IA Bui Vinh has now organised no less than 10 of these GM/IM/WGM/FM events and the Quang Ninh GM/IM/FM was the first in Ha Long and possibly the most ambitious to date. Hanoi is 135 km and a three-hour drive from the scenic Ha Long, a UNESCO Heritage site that has long been Vietnam’s most popular choice for a vacation. So local help was needed and so stepped in one of his closest friends, GM Nguyen Anh Dung, Vietnam’s third grandmaster after GM Dao Thien Hai and GM Tu Hoang Thong.

Like his predecessors (Bui Vinh the fourth!), Anh Dung is a member of that early generation of Vietnamese talent which lived, played, and trained in Hungary, his stint beginning in 1998 and ending in 2001 after becoming a grandmaster. In recent years playing has taken a back seat to his work as a trainer, being a native of Ha Long, and so works as the Head Chess Coach of the Quang Ninh Province Sports Centre. These are government mandated positions in Vietnam which has such chess programs in place in all their provinces and major cities and today are complemented by private chess academies and clubs Le Thi Phuong Lien who he fell in love during national team training and married in 2004 has been an invaluable help in this work with her strong administrative, communication and organisation skills, and is the other trainer!

Anh Dung has had many successes playing in competitions. In 1993, he became an IM by winning the Asian Junior Championships in Qatar and one year later in 1994 he was listed in the top 20 strongest juniors. In 2001, he won the Zone 3.2 Championship and got a place in the world championship qualifying cycle where he manged to beat Sergei Rublevsky in the first round. Especially memorable was the Calvia Olympiad 2004 in Spain where he not only won the Silver medal on second board but also where his wife was able to join him! Anh Dung and Thi Phuong Lien have two daughters. The elder is Nguyen Le Cam Hien, 17-years-old, winner of the World U-8 Championship in 2015, now currently sitting for her school exams. Her parents believe that she will become a WIM or even a WGM, while the younger, 11-years-old, has no interest in chess. No less than seven of Quang Ninh’s best young players, of course also the students of Anh Dung and Thi Phuong Lien are also participating in the FM group of this international chess tournament in Ha Long from May 14th to 19th, and are thoroughly enjoying the experience in their home city while at the same time getting invaluable exposure to strong competition.

Final standings in GM1

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Final standings in GM2

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Final standings in IMA

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Final standings in FMA

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Final standings in FMB

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