Tran Thi Diem Quynh: Good at chess, excellent student.

(Baonghean)Among the high-performance sports of Nghe An province, chess was the first to make its debut in 2014, participating in the 2014 Central Region Youth Chess and Xiangqi Tournament held in Thanh Hoa in early February. Of the 6 gold medals won by the Nghe An chess team, female athlete Tran Thi Diem Quynh contributed one gold medal in the blitz chess event. Remarkably, this athlete is only 13 years old and also boasts an excellent academic record.

Tran Thi Diem Quynh won first prize at the 2014 Central Vietnam Youth Chess and Xiangqi Tournament.

The first impression upon meeting this young athlete is her chubby, gentle face with bright eyes, and her fluent and confident way of speaking. Born in 2001 into a family with a tradition of academic excellence, with both parents working in the transportation sector, Diễm Quỳnh has been very eager to learn since childhood. In the summer of 2008, at the age of 7, Diễm Quỳnh was enrolled by her father in chess classes at the Vietnam-Germany Children's Cultural Center. There, Quỳnh quickly demonstrated exceptional talent in this intellectual sport and was selected for the chess team of the Provincial Sports Training and Coaching Center.

Diem Quynh shared: "Playing chess requires flexible thinking and decisiveness. I don't have any secrets, I just diligently absorb what my teachers teach, the valuable experiences from those who came before me, and learn how to analyze and read the game. I also really enjoy playing chess with many people to train myself in perseverance and resilience in facing different situations. When I have free time, I often go online to play chess online, and watch news about athletes who have won prizes in international, national, and regional competitions." Chess coach Tran Van Son from the Provincial Sports Training Center commented: "Diem Quynh is a young athlete with a great passion for chess. During training, she is very hardworking and has a higher willpower than her peers. She is very intelligent, persistent, and tenacious. In some training sessions, she can sit for 3 to 4 hours thinking about how to play a difficult game in the exercises assigned by her coach."

Thanks to her talent, passion, and hard work, Diem Quynh's achievements in chess have steadily improved. In 2009, while in second grade, Diem Quynh participated in her first major tournament, the Central Vietnam Open Youth Chess Tournament held in Quang Binh. At this tournament, she won one gold medal in standard chess and one silver medal in blitz chess. That same year, she participated in the National Youth Chess Tournament. Although she didn't win any medals, this was a valuable experience that helped her gain valuable experience in major competitions. A year later, at the same tournament, Diem Quynh won one silver medal in standard chess and one silver medal in rapid chess. In 2013, she won one gold medal in blitz chess and one bronze medal in the team event. Furthermore, at the Phu Dong Sports Festival at the provincial and city levels, she consistently won first place. In particular, at the 2012 National Phu Dong Sports Festival held in Can Tho, Diem Quynh won two gold medals in both standard and rapid chess, and was selected as one of the best athletes of the tournament.

Not only is Diem Quynh an outstanding athlete, but she is also a diligent and excellent student. Currently, Diem Quynh is in class 7G at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School (Vinh City). For six consecutive years, she has been an all-around excellent student, and in the 2009-2010 school year, she won third prize in the city-level online math competition (Violympic).

Currently, Diem Quynh is training with the Vinh City chess team in preparation for the Phu Dong Sports Festival, Cluster 3 (held in Nam Dan), leading up to the provincial-level Phu Dong Sports Festival in March and the National Youth Chess Championship. Diem Quynh shared: “With great encouragement from my family, especially my parents who are always there to motivate, help, create opportunities, and support my hobby, and with the care and guidance of the coaches at the Provincial Sports Training Center, in the future I will continue to strive to develop my abilities to maintain the achievements I have made and may even improve to become an international chess master.” Mr. Tran Thanh Hai – Diem Quynh's father – said: “The family respects her hobby because chess is also a sport that trains thinking skills, but we still want her to maintain the quality of her academic studies. If she decides to pursue chess as a career in the future, the family will wholeheartedly support her so that she can fulfill her passion.” Although the road ahead is still long, with determination, we hope that Diem Quynh will continue to demonstrate her talent and intelligence, contributing to the overall achievements of the province's sports.

Minh Quan