>>> Quang Liem to face tough title defence at HDBank chess tournament
With reigning champion Le Quang Liem withdrawing from the tournament last minute due to unexpected illness, Vietnam’s hopes are pinned on Truong Son to retain the trophy in the homeland.
Son lived up to home fans’ expectations winning the opener against To Nhat Minh after 74 moves before taking just 37 moves to overcome Singapore’s young talent Tin Jingyao in the second match later the same day.
With two consecutive victories, Truong Son is joining the leading group along with top seed Wang Hao of China and No. 2 seed Viktor Laznika of the Czech Republic, who easily secured two wins in a row.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thanh An welcomed a meaningful victory on International Women’s Day, surprisingly defeating her male compatriot Nguyen Van Huy in 42 moves and successfully levelling herself with Vietnam’s former No. 1 player Dao Thien Hai.
The No. 2 seed and 2012 champion Ni Hua of China was held to a draw by relatively unknown Vietnamese player Duong The Anh, making it one of the biggest surprises on the opening day of competition.
The 2016 HDBank tournament has brought together over 180 chess masters from 16 countries around the world, with an average Elo rating of 2344, competing for a total prize money of US$40,000 – the highest so far.
Alongside No. 1 seed Wang Hao, who once beat world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, the competition also features renowned international players including 2012 champion Ni Hua (China, Elo 2691), Viktor Laznicka (Czech Republic, Elo 2666), Zhang Zhong (Singapore, 2633) and Vasif Durarbyli (Azerbaijan, Elo 2600).
The event is played following the nine round Swiss system, with the overall winner to receive a stake of US$13,000. Alongside the top 15 scorers, prizes will also be given to the three best female players.
