We met Lam, a calm and brave girl with confident eyes, when she was back in Vietnam from the 17th World Chinese chess (Xiangqi) Championship in Malaysia. At the competition, Lam bagged the gold medal in the girls' U16 standard Chinese chess. “I am really happy to bring home the second gold medal in the global arena. Previously, at the World Xiangqi Championship in Canada, I grabbed the gold medal in the girls' U12 standard category. The prizes serve as motivation for me to train hard and achieve higher results in the coming time,” Lam shared.

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Young chess player Dinh Tran Thanh Lam

Together with two world gold medals, Lam pocketed many gold medals at the Asian Youth Xiangqi Championships, national championships and other tournaments. Attentively, in 2018, at the Asian Open Youth Xiangqi Championship, Lam won a hat-trick of gold medals in the standard, rapid, and blitz categories for U10 girls. For six consecutive years, she has claimed gold medals at the national youth chess championships.

Lam’s love for Xiangqi was passed down from her father, Chinese chess coach Dinh Tri Diem Loc. When she was a little girl, her father took her to Xiangqi classes and tournaments. Gradually, she consecutively conquered national and international tournaments, becoming a key young athlete of Ho Chi Minh City’s Xiangqi team.

Coaches and players on the same team as Lam all have special respect and love for her. She has the right attitude for her job and a strong desire to subdue new heights.

Reportedly, player Thanh Lam is a student in grade 9/4 at Hau Giang Secondary School in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. She has been an excellent student for eight years in a row. She wishes that there would be more and more youngsters participating in Chinese chess competitions, contributing to the development of the country's sports. At present, Lam is training hard for national and international events in 2023.

Translated by Quynh Oanh