The championship is being held in Shenzhen, China, from July 16 to 25, bringing together more than 900 young players from 30 Asian countries and territories. Vietnam is represented by 80 players, making it one of the three largest delegations at the tournament.
On the opening day of competition, Vietnamese young chess players delivered outstanding performances to secure two gold medals. In the Boys' Under-18 category, Pham Tran Gia Phuc defeated a strong field of competitors to claim the championship title. Born in 2009, the International Master (IM) has previously won the World U8 Rapid Chess Championship and continues to establish himself as one of Vietnam's brightest young talents.
The second gold medal was captured by Nguyen Vu Bao Chau in the Girls' Under-10 category, marking the young player's most significant international achievement to date and further demonstrating the strength of Vietnam's youth chess development system.
In addition to the two gold medals, the Vietnamese team also earned four silver medals and two bronze medals, placing Vietnam among the leading nations in the medal standings after the rapid chess competition.
The Asian Youth Chess Championship is one of the continent's premier youth chess events, featuring competitions in standard, rapid, and blitz chess under the nine-round Swiss system. Besides individual medals, the tournament also awards team trophies and offers talented young players the opportunity to earn official titles awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Following its successful performance in the rapid chess event, the Vietnamese Youth Chess Team will continue competing in the blitz chess competition, aiming to add more medals before the championship concludes.
HY