HA NOI — Viet Nam's best chess players are ready for the Chess Olympiad 2010 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia from September 19 to October 4, reported Viet Nam Chess Federation general secretary Dang Tat Thang yesterday.
The competitors include International Grand Masters Le Quang Liem, who finished second at the Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund, last month, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Dao Thien Hai, Nguyen Anh Dung, Nguyen Duc Hoa, and the women Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Hoang Thi Nhu Y, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, Nguyen Thi Thanh An and Pham Le Thao Nguyen.
"The team includes both veterans and youth," said the general secretary. "It will give the young the chance to gain experience and skills.
"The team's aim is to finish in the top 20 of the more than 160 countries taking part in the tournament."
The tournament will also be an opportunity for the Vietnamese players to test themselves against such Asian rivals as China, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Qatar and the Philippines in preparation for the Asian Games in China in November.
It is the 39th edition of the Olympiad and follows the Dresden Chess Olympiad 2008 and precedes the Chess Olympiad 2012 in Turkey.
Viet Nam sent four players, Liem, Son, Hai and Nguyen Van Huy, to Dresden where they finished ninth ahead of such countries as India, Germany, Bulgaria and England.
The German Chess Federation sent six of its best players to contest friendly tournaments in Viet Nam during April. — VNS
