Lai Ly Huynh successfully defended the gold medal in the world rapid chess competition.

After missing out on the chance to make history at the 2023 World Chess Championship, Lai Ly Huynh performed impressively at the 2023 World Rapid Chess Championship held in the US. In the first tournament held in 2022, Lai Ly Huynh overcame many strong opponents to impressively win the gold medal.

The 2023 World Rapid Chess Championship will feature about 70 players of all ages and genders from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, England, and the United States.

Lai Ly Huynh had an extremely impressive start. After the first 8 games, he rose to the top of the rankings with 14 points (6 wins and 2 draws). The closest opponent and one that could threaten the leading position of the number 1 player in Vietnam is Yuan Weihao (China) with 13 points.

Yuan Weihao is China's top young chess talent and has just won the gold medal at the U12 World Championship. The final game witnessed a direct confrontation between Lai Li Huynh and Yuan Weihao.

Against a younger and more skilled opponent, Lai Ly Huynh easily led the match to a draw. This result was enough to help Lai Ly Huynh win the world rapid chess gold medal for the second consecutive time with 15 points after 9 unbeaten games (6 wins, 3 draws).

The day before, Lai Ly Huynh won the right to enter the final of the 2023 World Chess Championship. This is the first time that Vietnam's No. 1 player has entered the world finals and his opponent is Meng Chen, the 2023 Chinese chess runner-up. However, he unfortunately lost to Meng Chen and missed the opportunity to win the first world gold medal for Vietnamese chess.

Also in the final game, Vietnamese player Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang defeated Cheng Yin Lung (Hong Kong). This result helped Nhat Quang win the bronze medal in the world rapid chess with 13 points.