Vietnamese woman grandmaster triumphs at prestigious French chess tournament

According to the Vietnam Chess Federation, Hanh delivered an outstanding performance, overcoming a field of strong international opponents to secure first place in the women’s category.

First held in 1985, the Cappelle-la-Grande Open takes place annually in Cappelle-la-Grande, France.

Typically staged in the second half of February, the tournament follows a nine-round accelerated Swiss-system format.

Organized by the L’Echiquier Cappellois chess club, the event is hosted at the Palais des Arts in Cappelle-la-Grande.

Over the decades, it has evolved into one of the largest open tournaments in the world, attracting leading chess players worldwide.

For Hanh, this latest triumph marked her second piece of major good news within just three months.

At the end of 2025, Hanh was officially awarded the Woman Grandmaster title by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), becoming the 20th Vietnamese player to hold a grandmaster title, including both Grandmaster and Woman Grandmaster, and the country’s seventh Woman Grandmaster.

Other Vietnamese woman grandmasters are Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Le Thanh Tu, Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, and Vo Thi Kim Phung.

Compared to many of her peers, Hanh’s journey into professional chess came relatively late.

After graduating from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, she worked as an information technology engineer.

For years, professional commitments interrupted her chess career, and only in recent years has she been able to dedicate herself fully to the sport.

To secure the Woman Grandmaster title, she accumulated the necessary three Woman Grandmaster norms and surpassed the stringent Elo rating threshold of 2,300, as mandated by FIDE.

Hanh has been a regular member of Vietnam’s national team and previously won the Eastern Asia Chess Championships FIDE Zone 3.3 Open in 2019.

She has also represented the country at several Chess Olympiads.