In a very well contested 14th ASEAN+ Age-Group Chess Championships, 426 players were awarded a total of 184 individual and 135 team medals.
Vietnam, the largest team, are the outright winners, with team golds in almost every category.
14 countries with teams were: Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taipei and Vietnam, with one young Russian girl representing the rest of the world.
Players from the Philippines put up a strong challenge, and GM Jayson Gonzales, head of the Philippine delegation was very pleased. “We have brought more players to the championships than ever before, with 39 players, and we have come out with a good result, having surpassed last year’s total of 12 medals.
This is one of the best ASEAN age-group tournaments I have been to, and I have learned a lot that I can put to use when we host next year’s tournament.”
After the games were over, there was dinner, a prize-giving ceremony and a traditional Northern Thai event called khom loi (floating lanterns), symbolic of letting your worries float away.
Full details of the tournament with top-5 places in all categories and medal tables are available on the tournament website along with extensive photo galleries: http://14thaseanagegroupchess.com/
