Chess Giants Phillipines did not get a single gold medal. Instead it was Vietnam who swept all the 8 gold medals from the recent SEA games. It was a painful lesson for the Phillipines despite the money and effort poured into their chess program. Excerpts taken from : The Manila Bulletin Online

"Their chess program, which has been going on for decades, has bore fruit," said Torre, referring to the practice of Vietnam of sending promising young players to Hungary for training. GMs Dao Thien Hai and Nguyen An Dung, Vietnam’s top two players, are products of the Hungarian program.

The Philippines is one of few countries in the world without an international chess open. As a result, many local players are being deprived of getting or improving their FIDE ratings. Had the money was used to kick start an open tournament, many local players would have benefited, erasing perceptions that only top players get all the chances.

So that's the secret to Vietnamese success! Sending junior players to international tournaments (namely Hungary). I guess we Malaysians are lucky to have the international DATMO (Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open) for our local players. Even with the relatively high entrance fees, it's worth paying to enter and gain experience from the tournament. After all, flying off to Hungary would be much more expensive for sure.