Among the players are three of Vietnam’s leading female grandmasters — Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung and Nguyen Thi Thanh An — who are expected to deliver strong performances and vie for top honours at this year’s event. On the men’s side, grandmaster Tran Tuan Minh enters the tournament in good form, while promising young players such as Nho Kiet, Quoc Hy and Gia Phuc have also shown impressive progress in recent months.

According to the organisers, this year’s tournament offers a total prize pool of 28,100 USD. The winner of the men’s standard chess category will receive 2,000 USD, while the women’s standard champion will take home 1,500 USD. Other prizes will be awarded based on ranking and performance across categories.

The competition features three categories of standard, rapid and blitz chess, providing a comprehensive test of skill and endurance for participating players.

In addition to competitors from Southeast Asia, the organisers have opened registration to international teams from outside the region. A total of 23 delegations are expected to take part in this year’s championships./.