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In the women's U-20, top seeded IM Ngoc Thuy Duong Bach did not disappoint for Vietnam. She won gold with a dominant performance. China's Yuze Xu took silver ahead of Vietnam's Thien Ngan Nguyen.
U-20 Girls Gold - WIM Ngoc Thuy Duong Bach (VIE) 8/9
The ASEAN+ age groups also have a senior event, and Myanmar's eligible FM Ko Ko Ohn was the clear winner of the Open 50, the Philippines' Raul Damuy the winner of the Open 65, while New Zealand's CM Helen Milligan not only won the Women's 50 but also took bronze in the Open 50 after battling the men for most of the nine rounds.
Champion in the Open 50+ - FM Ko Ko Ohn (MYA) 8/9
The full standings, results, and games, can be found here.
This year, a regional chess variant that combines all the characteristics of different chess games, invented and adopted by the ASEAN Chess Confederation (ACC) - ASEAN Chess - was reintroduced as an exhibition "or friendly" competition.
Since the rules were formalised in 2010, no less than three editions of the South East Asian (SEA) Games have included this kind of chess as a sport and the leadership of all 10 ASEAN member federations have agreed that this will become a permanent feature of all future SEA Games.
ASEAN Chess Friendly Match 2023
The "friendly exhibition" match very quickly became a serious 18 player tournament with the best of Thai chess (Makruk) playing and the national teams of Myanmar and Cambodia turning up to defend their countries' honours and bragging rights!
Can we hope to see an ASEAN Chess Championship and more regular competitions in the near future?
A ranking list based on the results of the three SEA Games competitions and this "friendly match", probably the only official events so far, will be published, and perhaps even titles will be introduced in the coming years!
| Rk. | Name | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | Sutthithamwasi, Nut | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 2 | Sok, Limheng | 5 | 0,5 | |
| 3 | Saeheng, Boonsueb | 5 | 0,5 | |
| 4 | Dao, Thien Hai | 4 | 0 | |
| 5 | Chea, Sideth | 4 | 0 | |
| 6 | Bin, Kearseng | 3,5 | 0,5 | |
| 7 | Htay, Min Lwin | 3,5 | 0,5 | |
| 8 | Tran, Quoc Dung | 3 | 0 | |
| 9 | Khumnorkaew, Tupfah | 3 | 0 | |
| 10 | Chheav, Bora | 3 | 0 | |
| 11 | Tran, Thi Kim Loan | 3 | 0 | |
| 12 | Hoang, Van Ngoc | 2,5 | 0 | |
| 13 | Duong, The Anh | 2 | 0 | |
| 14 | Ecot, Lourecel | 2 | 0 | |
| 15 | Abelgas, Roel | 2 | 0 | |
| 16 | Nay, Lin Tun | 2 | 0 | |
| 17 | Lwin, Min Oo | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 | Enkhtuul, Altan-Ulzii | 0 | 0 |
In the end, a deserving winner in Nut Sutthithamwasi.
From the table above, even if you did not attend the games, and despite their photos below, Vietnamese GM Dao Thien Hai and Mongolian WGM Enkhtuul Altan-Ulzii will be the first to tell you that it was not easy!
GM Dao Thien Hai (VIE)
WGM Altan-Ulzii Enkhtuul (MGL)
The ACC-ECU also concluded with the conclusion of the FIDE International Arbiters' Seminar and an International Organisers' Round Table.
Takis Nikoloupolulos brings decades of experience as an arbiter at the highest level, as Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters' Commission for 20 years and as a lecturer at hundreds of seminars.
Do we have 50 years of organising top level events in Ignatius Leong and Zurab Azmaiparashvili? Maybe closer to 100 years!
Well over 100 years of organising experience in this photo of participants at the round table discussion!
The ASEAN+ age groups continue with the long-awaited social evening and the Rapid and Blitz events that will determine the remaining winners and overall champions, which will be reported in our final report.
