The selected players are Nguyen Thanh Bao, Lai Ly Huynh, Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang, Nguyen Hoang Yen, Le Thi Kim Loan and Nguyen Phi Liem.
According to the Sports Authority, a total of 320 athletes from Vietnam will attend the ASIAD in September, competing in 31 sporting events, including Xiangqi.
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Decades ago, Vietnam's No. 1 Trần Nga Sang said : I play Xiangqi like "evil-possessed"
by Ge Wanli（葛万里）
Yangcheng Evening News
12th August 2002
From the appearance alone, if Zheng Yasheng, who is thinly built walks on the streets of Guangzhou, no one would think that he is not a native. The writer Ge Wanli was curious when he had dinner with the Vietnamese team members yesterday and learned that Master Zheng is indeed from Guangdong and can also speak Cantonese.
Although Zheng Yasheng（郑亚生）has repeatedly stated that he speaks Cantonese poorly, this has not prevented him from clearly telling the media about his experience as "Vietnam's number one Xiangqi Master".
"I came across Xiangqi very accidentally, I could almost say very suddenly, as if I had "fallen for evil-possession". Zheng Yasheng's opening conversation made everyone laughed.
He explained with a smile that when he was 17 years old, one day he watched his neighbour friend Zhang Yaming（张亚明）playing the game, he was quite fascinated just by watching it.
At that particular moment, he realized instantly that the variations and combinations, the possibility of change and choice were so fascinating and unpredictable, that he became interested in starting playing.
"Since then, I have been playing as if there is no tomorrow, even neglecting my business and focusing just on the game. Playing in a Xiangqi café every day, and at nights too. Then, when my chess improved sufficiently, I went out to seek for masters players to practice, and yet more practice!" Zheng said.
Zheng Yasheng said that it was thanks to lot of actual over-the-board playing that his chess skills could be rapidly improved. From the beginning when Zhang Yaming could give him odds of a Knight, he has now progressed so much that he won the Vietnamese national championship for three consecutive years (2000, 2001 and 2002), and became the first international grandmaster of Vietnam by winning third place in the Asian Leading Players Tournament and 4th place of the World Xiangqi Championship 2001 respectively.
Zheng Yasheng, 40 years old now, has two daughters who are still at school. He told reporters that although Vietnam does not yet have professional Xiangqi players, he can basically make ends meet on tournament prizes and bonuses, and from coaching and a championship allowance (US$100 per month) from the government. He also said that there are many Xiangqi masters in the country, and if you slacken or inattentive for a moment, you will be caught up quickly, so if you want not to fall behind, you must constantly be able to compete with other masters.
As the main player of the Vietnamese team, Zheng Yasheng's opponent on the evening of 7th August was "China's number one Grandmaster" Xu Yinchuan（许银川）. Speaking of Xu Yinchuan, Zheng Yasheng immediately looked a little excited, and his eyes full of admiration. He nodded towards Xu Yinchuan, who was sitting opposite and said, "Xu Yinchuan and Lu Qin（吕钦）are superstars. I came here mainly to learn, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to learn from Master Xu. Xu's Xiangqi is solid, his skills are comprehensive, especially there is no weakness."
Speaking of this when, at the same moment, a fan took out a small chess set, laid out an endgame on the table, and asked Xu Yinchuan for some playing hints. As soon as Zheng Yasheng saw it, he immediately stood up and walked quickly to Xu's side to listen to the endgame's analysis. Watching carefully at his focused expression, the reporter had another visual understanding of the meaning of what he had repeatedly said about his "obsession" and "learning from the master".
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Source : Yangcheng Evening News
12th August 2002
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