The 8th HDBank Cup International Open Chess Tournament is set to take place in Hanoi from March 9-16.

This is the first time Hanoi has hosted such an event covering its biggest-ever prize fund of US$55,000.

This year’s tournament is expected to attract strong players from home and abroad, such as Le Quang Liem of Vietnam (Elo rating 2,737), Wang Hao of China (Elo rating 2,712), and Sethuraman of India (Elo rating 2,646).

The tournament will be divided into two groups: Masters (Elo rating from 2,100 for men and 2,000 for women) and Challengers (Elo rating below 2,100 for men and 2,000 for women).

The male champion of the Master category will receive US$15,000. The two runner-ups will be awarded US$6,500 and US$5,000, for second and third.

The female winner will get US$5,000, while the youngest and oldest players, who put in the best performances, will receive US$200 each.

VOV