The HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament has helped boost Viet Nam’s reputation in international chess. — VNS Photo

As the annual HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament begins in Ha Noi, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), has visited Viet Nam for the first time and said he has high expectations of current generation.

After being held in HCM City for the last seven years for the first time the event moves to Ha Noi.

Ilyumzhinov, the man in charge of world chess, commended the contribution of the HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament and HDBank’s efforts to raise Viet Nam’s profile in international chess.

At the event’s opening ceremony on March 10, he said: “With what the HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament has achieved, I believe that in the future Viet Nam will gain even more success, even in FIDE’s World Chess Championship, as Viet Nam is now more than capable of such feats.

“With its rich history in chess, Viet Nam has become a very significant member in international chess. The success of your chess players is a clear evidence of it. The young generation has achieved brilliant results in various championships.”

Vice president Vu Duc Dam hailed FIDE’s help in developing chess in Viet Nam. — VNS Photo

At a meeting with Ilyumzhinov, Vice President Vu Duc Dam thanked FIDE for its efforts to promote chess in Viet Nam, saying it is “one of the few sports where Viet Nam has reached international levels.” He hoped that in future FIDE would not just stop at training chess players in the country, but also provide arbiters, share its organisational experience and train teachers and coaches at sport universities. More school competitions should be held to attract more people to the sport, he said.

The vice president instructed the Viet Nam Chess Federation and Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism to work with FIDE to organise more chess tournaments and events to promote the sport in the country.

Ilyumzhinov said Viet Nam already has lots of good professional players achieving great results in international tournaments. A major event such as the HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament is necessary to hone the skills of Vietnamese players, he said. He promised that FIDE would continue to assist Viet Nam’s chess development, help add chess to school curriculums and assist Việt Nam with organising tournaments.

Ilyumzhinov also called on Nguyen Thien Nhan, the HCM City Party Committee Secretary, on March 8. The two hailed the development of chess in the country both professionally and in schools, and the role of large tournaments like the HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament in honing the skills of professionals like Le Quang Liem.

Ilyumzhinov promised that FIDE would help HCM City develop chess, saying it would aid in FIDE’s goal of increasing the number of chess players from 600 million to 1 billion by 2020.

Recognising HDBank’s contributions, FIDE expressed hope that the annual tournament would continue to be held in future with more participants and exciting matches.— VNS