Grandmaster Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn during the ninth game of the men’s standard chess category on May 15. VNA/VNS Photo Anh Tuấn

Thanh Nga

QUẢNG NINH — Grandmaster (GM) Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn brought home the first gold medal for Vietnamese chess on May 15.

Sơn beat 11 rivals to triumph in the men’s standard chess category with seven points after nine matches.

In the last game, Sơn defeated Lye Lik Zang of Malaysia after 39 moves.

Before entering the ninth game, Sơn was leading the category though several opponents were tied with him on six points. The Vietnamese player clearly showed his determination to take the first gold medal for Vietnamese chess. He played firmly and took advantage of Zang's mistakes.

The opportunity opened for Sơn when one of his two competitors, Ervan Mohamad of Indonesia, drew earlier.

This victory helped the Vietnamese player rise to the No 1 position in the men's group, putting pressure on Yeoh Li Tian of Malaysia and Laohawirapap Prin of Thailand. Li Tian was competing directly with Sơn for the title as well as maintaining the GM standard, so his determination was great.

The two players were drawing at the time Sơn finished the game. The Malaysian player seemed not to be able to keep his composure anymore, the more he played, the more impatient he became. In the end, Li Tian couldn’t make the correct decisions and gave the victory to the Thai player.

The silver and bronze medals in this category went to Mohamad of Indonesia and Tin Jingyao of Singapore, respectively.

Sơn’s gold medal is a good start for Vietnamese chess after the lack of success at the SEA Games 30.

On the women’s side, Citra Dewi Ardhiani Anastasia of Indonesia took gold and Anastasia’s teammate Sukandar Irine Kharisma got the silver medal. The bronze medal went to Vietnamese Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm.

These three players had the same points from seven games but their tie-break was different.