Vietnamese players have enjoyed a medal bonanza at the Eastern Asian Youth Chess Championship 2017, winning a total of 20 gold medals during the event that wrapped up on Sunday.

Vietnam sent as many as 86 players to the 2nd Eastern Asian Youth Chess Championship, running from June 17 to 25 in Mongolia, collectively winning a total of 52 medals of all kinds.

The championship saw competition in seven age groups, Under 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18, each with three tournaments – standard, blitz and rapid.

Team Vietnam won 20 gold medals, six each in the standard and blitz tournaments and eight in rapid chess, plus 20 silver and 12 bronze medals in other competitions.

U-8 player Pham Tran Gia Phuc scored an impressive hat-trick by winning all the standard, blitz and rapid gold medals in his age group, while three other Vietnamese players also struck gold in two different formats.

Phuc is a familiar name to Vietnamese chess fans.

The eight-year-old topped the U-8 category at the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2017 in Uzbekistan in January, and won another gold medal at the World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2017 in Minsk, Belarus earlier this month.

Phuc learned to play chess at the age of five after being taught by his 13-year-old sister and young chess player Pham Tran Gia Thu.

“Even though he is only eight, Phuc has managed to achieve the best results in the context that he had to play in three different tournaments in one week at the Mongolia championship,” Vietnam’s coach Lam Minh Chau commented.

“This illustrates his real talent and potential and I believe he will continue to improve.”

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