The Vietnamese women’s team defeated Iran 2.5-1.5 in the eighth round, climbing to eleventh position at the 2014 Chess Olympiad in the Norwegian city of Tromso on August 10.

Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (Elo 2325) beat Atousa Pourkashiyan (Elo 2352) after 42 moves.

Hoang Thi Bao Tram (Elo 2329) and Pham Le Thao Nguyen (Elo 2331) had two draws with Iranian competitors.

Luong Phuong Hanh (Elo 2171) clinched a victory over Hakimifard Ghazal (Elo 2232) after 32 moves.

With 12 points from eight games, Vietnamese women now rank 11th and they have the chance to enter the top ten as they have three more games to play.

In the next round, they will take on Romanian rivals currently in sixth place.

Meanwhile, spectacular performances by GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Elo 2634) and his team mate Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy (Elo 2507) earned the Vietnamese men’s team a 3-1 victory over Iran on the same day.

Son’s triumph over Elshan Moradiabadi (Elo 2598) instilled confidence in other Vietnamese players. Despite a loss at table 4, Huy came back impressively to secure wins at the three remaining tables, helping Vietnam seal the important victory over Iran.

The Vietnamese men’s team now ranks 24th and obtains 11 points. They will meet Peru in the ninth round.

VNA/VNN