Vietnam defeats reigning champion Uzbekistan in Chess Olympiad 2024

Vietnam’s men’s team has defeated reigning champion Uzbekistan 3-1 in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad Budapest 2024.

This is the second time in history Vietnam won all four opening rounds, replicating their achievement from 2010.

The Uzbekistan four-member team maintained its winning lineup from 2022. It is also the fourth seed in the competition.

Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Elo 2,633) and Le Tuan Minh (2,564), achieved unexpected victories Saturday by defeating two competitors who were ranked higher.

In the two remaining games, Le Quang Liem (2,741) and Tran Tuan Minh (2,571) both drew against the Uzbekistan players.

Vietnam is now ranked fourth in the competition behind India, Spain and China.

In the female category, Vietnam lost 1-3 to Armenia and is ranked 16th, with China, India and the U.S. at the top places.

The Vietnamese men will play their Polish counterparts Sunday evening, while the women will play Montenegro.

The Chess Olympiad takes place in Budapest, Hungary, from Sep. 10 to 23, marking the 100th anniversary of the event. The Open section has 196 teams. The tournament is considered the "Olympics of Chess," attracting most of the world's top players.