VietNamNet Bridge – On the second day of the HDBank International Chess Cup in HCM City, Vietnam’s top chess player, international grand master Le Quang Liem had a draw and a winning game.

Quang Liem has a good start at HDBank Cup

After two winning matches on the first day, the top seed Le Quang Liem had to share a point with Bitoon Richard (Philippines) in the third game on January 5. However, he defeated Vietnamese player Nguyen Duc Hoa in the fourth game to have 3.5 points, ranking third after Gomez John Paul from the Philippines. Today, January 6, Liem will face Gomez John Paul.

Another Vietnamese international grand master, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, didn’t play well. He got a draw with Vietnamese player Nguyen Van Huy and then trounced Chinese Wang Li on the same day.

With three points, Son ranks 11^th. Two other Vietnamese players – Cao Sang and Tran Thanh Tu – also have 3 points. At the same time, grand masters Tu Hoang Thong and Nguyen Anh Dung have only 2 and 1.5 points.

If Vietnamese female players Mai Hung, Hong An and Thao Nguyen made surprises in the first day, the order was restored in the second day. After defeating international grand masters Tu Hoang Thong and Nguyen Anh Dung, young player Mai Hung was defeated by Gomez John Paul (Philippines) and Lu Shanglei (China) on the second day.

Hong An also had a draw and a losing game.

Coach Lam Minh Chau of the HCM City chess team said that the tournament is very interesting and dramatic at times.

This is the largest annual chess event in Vietnam, which belongs to the competition system of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The tournament takes place from January 4-9 at Rex Hotel in HCM City.

The event attracts 65 players, including 35 from eight countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Ukraine, South Africa, etc.