Vietnamese chess player, 16 years old, unexpectedly qualifies for the Chess World Cup

Bành Gia Huy is set to mark his first participation in the 2025 Chess World Cup, becoming Vietnam’s youngest player to compete in this esteemed event.

The young player born in 2009 (16 years old), Bành Gia Huy, was surprisingly announced to take part in the 2025 Chess World Cup, held from October 31 to November 27 in Goa, India. This is the biggest event of the year in the global chess community, gathering 206 players competing in a knockout format, with total prize money reaching 2 million USD.

Initially, Vietnam’s chess team had only one spot secured, which belonged to Lê Quang Liêm due to his performance at the 2024 Olympiad.

However, after some top players like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alireza Firouzja withdrew, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) revised the participant list based on Elo ratings.

Lê Quang Liêm (ranked 22nd in the world) was moved up to a higher Elo group, freeing up his Olympiad spot, which then opened the door for Gia Huy.

Born in 2009, Bành Gia Huy currently holds the title of International Master and made a name for himself by winning the 2024 national standard chess championship. He is also one of the youngest players ever called up to the national team, competing at the Olympiad alongside veterans like Quang Liêm, Trường Sơn, and Tuấn Minh.

With an Elo rating of 2,440, Gia Huy ranks 7th in the country and has already achieved one Grandmaster norm. His next goals are to earn two more norms and surpass an Elo of 2,500 to officially become an International Grandmaster.