Hoang Bao Tram, Asian chess gold medallist

Hoang Bao Tram was born on January 9, 1987, in a poor family within the ancient Imperial City of Hue, where her parents earn living making rice vermicelli. 

At the age of three, Tram was very interested in the black and white chess pieces of her elder sister, Hoang Thi Vui, who is now an important player of the Thua Thien-Hue chess team. Having been aware of her three-year-old sister’s interest in chess, Vui spent her time instructing her sister’s first movements. Tram amazed all the members in her family with her ability to learn what her sister has taught.

Hoang Thi Vui introduced her sister to teacher Bao Tai, coach of the Thua Thien-Hue chess team. After the first training days, Mr Tai was amazed at his little student’s ability and proposed to add Tram to the list of the province’s talented team. Tram made progress after a short time of training. At the age of eight, she won the gold medal at the women’s under-10 competition of the national junior tournament in 1995. At the National Congress of Sports and Physical Education in the same year, she was named as the young outstanding competitor. The gold medals at the national junior championships in 1997 and 2000 also went to Tram’s medal collection. Tram also bagged home the bronze in the women’s under-10s at the World Junior Championship in France in 1997. Moreover, she played an important role in the success of winning bronze medals at national tournaments three times in a row from 1998 to 2000 of the Thua Thien-Hue women’s team.

At the 2001 Asian Junior Championship, which has just ended in India, Tram was the only player to win all nine games, bagging home the gold medal in the women’s under-14s. Her most interesting game was the one she played against master Emgatsara from Uzbekistan. At this game, Tram won an uphill victory. She had an impressive win over the tournament’s third seed, Talanbaieva from Kirgizia, at the fifth game.

Tram is not only a talented chess player but also an excellent pupil, winning love among her teachers and friends. She is now a pupil of Grade 8 of the Thong Nhat Junior Secondary School, in Hue city.

By QUANG HUY       
Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper