Viet Nam wins world xiangqi championship titles
VGP — Viet Nam won five gold medals from the World Xiangqi (Chinese chess) Championship and Forum which wrapped up on October 29 in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Lai Ly Huynh (right) and Nguyen Thanh Bao play each other during the World Xiangqi Championship in Malaysia. They win men's team standard title, helping Viet Nam successfully top the world for the first time.
National leading master Lai Ly Huynh topped the podium twice to be one of the most successful athletes of the tournament.
He was given the gold in the rapid xiangqi event after beating Tony Fung Ga-zen of Hong Kong in the last game and bagged US$5,000 bonus.
Earlier, Huynh and teammate Nguyen Thanh Bao secured a men's team standard Chinese chess title.
Individually, Bao finished at third position and earned a bronze medal, while Huynh stood at fourth.
Their combined result made them the best in the team event, helping Viet Nam to top the world for the first time in history.
Earlier, Dinh Tran Thanh Lam triumphed in the girls' U16 event. Nguyen Tan Phat won in the boys' U16 class. Nguyen Trac Hoang Thy championed in the girls' U12 category.
The team also secured two silvers and two bronzes in the junior events.
The world championship drew the participation of nearly 130 athletes from 17 teams to compete for eight sets of medals from October 24-29 in Kuching City./.
