Grandmasters to vie for Chess Olympiad 2024 top places

Chess 

Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm and teammates will take part in the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024 on September 10-23 in Budapest, Hungary. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will send its strongest masters to compete for team titles at the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024 September 10-23 in Budapest, Hungary.

The former world blitz chess champion Lê Quang Liêm, who is working in the US, will fly to Budapest to join his teammates.

The world No 16 will lead the team which includes former U10 world champion Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn and grandmasters (GM) Lê Tuấn Minh and Trần Tuấn Minh in the Open category and powerful Phạm Lê Thảo Nguyên, Võ Thị Kim Phụng, Lê Thanh Tú and Lương Phương Hạnh in the women’s class.

Young players Bành Gia Huy and Bạch Ngọc Thùy Dương are also registered to checkmate at the competition which is considered the world championship.

According to the rules, players will compete in the Swiss-system tournament’s 11 matches until September 23.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) said the championship was growing with every tournament and the Budapest event was the largest so far.

“The record-breaking 193 teams in the Open section and 181 squads in the Women’s competition will gather in the Hungarian capital from September 10-23 to battle in the biggest team chess event of the biennium,” FIDE said.

“Notably, several women’s teams – Liechtenstein, Guernsey, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Nauru, and the Cayman Islands – will make their debut in Budapest.

“In a historic move toward inclusivity, the 2024 Chess Olympiad will welcome a team of refugees, as officially approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This groundbreaking decision aims to promote diversity and support displaced individuals, reinforcing chess as a tool for positive change.”

In the Open, Vietnamese GMs will face strong rivals such as Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So of the US, Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India, Wei Yi and Yu Yangyi of China and Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

In the women’s pool, title favourites will be those from Georgia, India, China meanwhile Poland and Azerbaijan are considered potential medallists.

“Bringing together acclaimed heavyweights and rising stars from all across the globe playing for their national teams, the Chess Olympiad is an event like no other. We are in for an eleven-day magnificent spectacle showcasing chess brilliance in Budapest,” FIDE added.

Việt Nam did not take part in the previous event in 2022, which saw Uzbekistan take the men’s title while Ukraine topped the women’s podium. VNS