Chess «National Elite Championship 2026»

   For almost two weeks, Vietnam's strongest chess players - from the reigning champions to this year's newly-minted masters - sit down at the board in Cần Thơ to fight for a place on the national team ahead of the 2027 international season.

   The 2026 National Elite Chess Championship runs from 23 October to 3 November 2026 in Cần Thơ City, with a technical meeting at 4pm on the opening day. It's organised by the Vietnam Chess Federation, held alongside the 2026 National Elite Go Championship at the same time and venue.

   A few things about the format:

• — Separate men's and women's individual titles across four chess disciplines: classical, rapid, blitz and bullet;
• — Two additional ASEAN chess events (rapid and blitz), open to an unlimited number of players per delegation;
• — Strict eligibility for the chess events: ranked 1st-35th at the 2025-2026 national elite/championship events, or a FIDE rating of 2200+ (women) / 2400+ (men), or a national master title or medal earned this year;
• — Swiss system, 9 rounds, seeded by Swiss-manager software using FIDE ratings as of 1 October 2026.

   It's a chance to watch the players who will represent Vietnam internationally next year while they're still earning that spot, not after the roster is already settled. The Cần Thơ Chesskids chess club is recruiting volunteers to help run it, a sign of how much the host city is putting into it.

   The exact venue (which hall in the city) has not been announced by the organisers yet.