HÀ NỘI — Master Phạm Trần Gia Phúc won a gold medal at the first World Cadets Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, which concluded in Belarus on Monday.

Phúc earned eight points from nine matches and triumphed in the U8 rapid event, which had attracted around 150 masters.

Savva Vetokhin of Russia and Mikeris Vingris of Lavia came second and third, respectively. They had the same points, but their parameters were not as good.

Phúc, who topped the Asian U8 event in April in Uzbekistan, also bagged a silver medal in the blitz category.

The HCM City-born player won eight points, the same as the host’s Andrei Rudnev, but he ranked second because of parameter differences.

Việt Nam also pocketed two other silvers, won by Hồ Ngọc Vy in the girls’ U8 and Vương Quỳnh Anh in the girls’ U12. Meanwhile, Mai Hiếu Linh and Thái Ngọc Tường Minh finished third in the girls’ U8 and U10, respectively. All were in the blitz pools.

Earlier, Linh grabbed a bronze in rapid chess after her teammates Nguyễn Linh Đan amd Nguyễn Thiên Ngân came third in the girls’ U10 and U12 categories.

The first championships for cadets were organised from June 2 to 4, which saw the participation of 649 competitors from 24 countries and territories. Việt Nam sent 19 masters to Belarus who competed in the U8, U10 and U12 for girls and in the open categories. — VNS