‘We’re hurt’: Top Vietnamese players refuse to take teammates’ spots in Chess Olympiad following selection controversy

The two top female chess players in Vietnam issued a joint statement on Wednesday evening, affirming that while they remain eager to represent the national team, they will only do so through a transparent and merit-based selection process.

Both emphasized that they met all the requirements regarding ability to compete and to be sponsored, but did not want to receive their spots in the competition by “persuading two other athletes to withdraw,” as suggested by Nguyen Minh Thang, head of the chess department at the Vietnam Sports Administration and vice president of the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF).

“We’re hurt by the federation’s suggestion,” the two players said.

The VCF has recently sparked controversy regarding the selection process for the 2026 Chess Olympiad, when the federation failed to include Nguyen, 39, and Hanh, 43, in the preliminary list of participants for the upcoming tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Despite Nguyen being the top-ranked female player in Vietnam for over a decade and Hanh being the reigning national champion, both were excluded from the tournament for missing a registration deadline by a few hours.

According to Thang, the VCF had provided a 48-hour window for players to register via a group chat on the messaging app Zalo, but Nguyen and Hanh did not follow through with the deadline, so the federation moved forward with other candidates.

In response to the public reaction over the exclusion of the country’s best talent, Thang told Read on Wednesday that the federation would attempt to persuade two of the younger players currently on the list to withdraw so that Nguyen and Hanh can participate.

The Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) intervened following reports of the dispute, clarifying in a statement that the Zalo group chat was just a move by the federation to gather opinions of the athletes for the 2026 Chess Olympiad registration and did not constitute an official selection by the state management agency.

The department noted that the official process requires a formal report to be submitted by the federation, which would then be reviewed by VSA and management units of the athletes before the final list is approved.

“The creation of the group chat on Zalo is the first step in the personnel review process of the Chess Federation, not an official selection decision of the Vietnam Sports Administration,” the statement said.

The VSA also said that to date, they have not received an official report from the VCF regarding the list of the team participating in the 2026 Chess Olympiad.

Following the controversy, the VSA had directed the VCF to provide a detailed report and a full review of its athlete selection procedures. The goal is to ensure that the best players can represent the nation according to established professional procedures, leaving the door open for Nguyen and Hanh to join the team for the tournament in Uzbekistan.

The current preliminary list for the team includes Vo Thi Kim Phung, Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, Nguyen Hong Anh, and Nguyen Binh Vy. While Hung is an experienced player who ranks fourth in the country, others are seen as the next generation of Vietnamese chess.

Under International Chess Federation regulations, participating countries must complete their registration by May 15. Detailed lists of the members must be finalized by July 10, after which any changes to the roster will result in a penalty of €100 (US$117) per athlete.

The 2026 Chess Olympiad, which remains the biggest team competition in the sport, is scheduled to bring together around 200 nations in Samarkand from Sept. 15 to 27.