Vietnam secures three slots at Chess World Cup 2015
By Hoang Quynh, Thanh Nien News
HO CHI MINH CITY – Monday, March 16, 2015 06:00
Three Vietnamese players have secured the top places at the regional qualifying round for the Chess World Cup 2015 held in Ho Chi Minh City from March 7-15.
Le Quang Liem won a ticket in men’s category after defeating Laylo Darwin of Philippines on March 14, despite he still has one more game.
According to Coach Lam Minh Chau, Liem earned seven points after eight games and secured a safe leading position.
“Liem did not have a good start but played much better in later matches. He has changed his strategy with more risky moves which made the games more interesting” he said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son defeated Torre Eugenio of Phillippines in the last game on March 15 to secure the second place in men’s category.
In women’s category, Son’s girlfriend Pham Le Thao Nguyen secured the region’s only spot for World Cup with 7.5 points after six wins and three draws.
The zonal qualifying round attracted 64 players competing in 9 rounds to select two players in men’s category and one in women’s category to compete at the Chess World Cup 2015.
The Chess World Cup 2015 will be hosted by Baku, Azerbaijan from September 10 to October 4 with 128 players competing in the single-elimination chess tournament.
Source: http://www.thanhniennews.com