On the morning of April 4, at the Lao Cai Provincial Labor Federation Gymnasium, the 2026 National Chess Championship for the VnLink Cup officially opened, gathering a large number of leading chess players nationwide.
The selection of trade union facilities as venues not only ensures professional competition conditions but also shows the effectiveness of exploiting facilities to serve the community.
The tournament is organized by the Vietnam General Chess Federation in coordination with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, attracting 144 athletes from 13 provinces, cities, sectors and clubs nationwide such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Dong Nai, Gia Lai, Thai Nguyen, Lai Chau, Bac Ninh...
The competition space at the gymnasium is scientifically and spaciously arranged, meeting professional requirements well. Many chess players highly appreciate the competition conditions here, helping them concentrate as much as possible to dedicate quality chess games.
According to regulations, athletes compete in 4 categories for men and women including: standard chess, rapid chess, blitz chess and super blitz chess, belonging to the two championship and traditional categories. In the standard chess category, chess players compete in the Swiss system of 7 rounds, selecting 8 men and 8 women with the best results into the knockout round. From here to the semi-finals, the matches are arranged according to the principle of high-ranked people facing low-ranked people, ensuring competitiveness.
Not only is it a top playground, the tournament is also an opportunity for athletes to exchange, rub shoulders, improve their skills, and improve their Elo ratings. Through this, the organizers will select outstanding faces into the national team to participate in regional and international tournaments.
The Lao Cai provincial chess team participated with 10 athletes, competing at home with high determination, hoping to take advantage of the advantage to achieve good results.
The hosting of the tournament continues to affirm the role of the Lao Cai Provincial Labor Federation Gymnasium - not only serving sports activities of union members and workers but also capable of organizing national-scale events. This is also an opportunity for the locality to promote its image, people and cultural identity to friends across the country.
Representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province said that the preparation work is being deployed synchronously from facilities, expertise to logistics, security, ensuring the tournament takes place safely and professionally.
According to the plan, the tournament will take place until the end of April 12, promising to bring many attractive chess games, contributing to spreading the chess movement throughout the country.
