15-Year-Old Chessable Author Huy Wins Vietnam Chess Championship
FM Banh Gia Huy has booked his spot at the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad for team Vietnam after winning the country's national championship in March. Huy has since crossed the 2400 FIDE rating threshold, leaving him one norm shy of the coveted IM title.
Held in the nation's capital of Hanoi, the Vietnam Championship attracted 56 of the country's top players, including three GMs and four IMs. However, Huy rose above them all to finish =1st on 7.5/9, eclipsing GMs Nguyen Duc Hoa and Tran Tuan Minh on tiebreaks.
| Rank | Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | FM | Banh Gia Huy | 2390 | 7.5 | 1.5 | |
| 2 | GM | Nguyen Duc Hoa | 2340 | 7.5 | 1 | |
| 3 | GM | Tran Tuan Minh | 2465 | 7.5 | 0.5 | |
| 4 | CM | Dinh Nho Kiet | 2187 | 6.5 | 0 | |
| 5 | GM | Nguyen Van Huy | 2356 | 6 | 0 | |
| 6 | IM | Tran Minh Thang | 2336 | 6 | 0 | |
| 7 | Dang Anh Minh | 2064 | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 8 | FM | Dang Hoang Son | 2333 | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 9 | IM | Dao Minh Nhat | 2268 | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 10 | CM | Pham Xuan Dat | 2160 | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 11 | Nguyen Tung Quan | 1823 | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 12 | FM | Hoang Canh Huan | 2361 | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 13 | IM | To Nhat Minh | 2331 | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 14 | Nguyen Nam Kiet | 1997 | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Nguyen Dinh Trung | 1947 | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Nguyen Hoang Duc | 2027 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 17 | IM | Pham Chuong | 2332 | 5 | 0 | |
| 18 | CM | Nguyen Phuoc Tam | 2179 | 5 | 0 | |
| 19 | Nguyen Huynh Tuan Hai | 2106 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FM | Tran Ngoc Lan | 2115 | 5 | 0 |
A first-round draw against 1951-rated Duong Vu Anh was a suboptimal start for the 15-year-old. However, after this, Huy was virtually unstoppable. A scintillating 26-move win over Nguyen Tung Quan in the ninth and final round where he uncorked a devastating sacrifice 25.Rxg7+!! showcased his attacking aptitude.
Hailing from a country with evidence to support it being one of the most underrated in the world, Huy's rise to the 10th spot in his country has required sacrifice, resilience, and over 250 FIDE-rated games over the last four years. Yet, while training and playing tournaments, Huy has also found the time to author two Chessable courses, the first of which was published in 2021 when Huy was just 12 years old, titled "Huy's Original Repertoire: Spielmann-Indian."
The course, which has been hailed as "an underrated gem of a course," includes over 100,000 words of analysis on the Spielmann-Indian Defense with special attention paid to an improved version of the Benko Gambit with 3...b5!
In his most recent course (which was released in February), Huy joined forces with power user "Makkapakka" and presented "Outfox The French: The Horwitz Attack For White" which recommends the following setup for White against the popular opening: 1.e4 e6 2.b3 d5 3.Bb2.
While Huy's achievements bode well for the young maestro, they also paint a positive picture of Vietnam's chess future, and two other players born in 2009 or later—FM Pham Tran Gia Phuc and FM Dinh Nho Kiet—join Huy in the top-10 list. For reference, none of these talents can remember anyone but GM Magnus Carlsen atop the FIDE rating list.
As stipulated by Vietnam's Olympiad selection regulations, Huy has earned a spot on the national team that will compete in Budapest at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in September alongside GMs Le Quang Liem, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, and Minh. With double GM norms on offer at Olympiads, Huy will no doubt put his best foot forward for his country.
