The No 1 seed, Grandmaster (GM) Wang Hao of China, won the 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament 2019, which closed on Wednesday (March 13) in HCM City after a week of exciting world-class competition among 304 players.

Arkady Dvorkovich, the new president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), and Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, president and CEO of Vietjet Air, and one of the founders of the HDBank tournament, award prizes to the winning chess players of the ninth edition of the tournament. 

He received the top prize ($16,000) from Arkady Dvorkovich, the new president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

Wang Hao, who was born in 1989, was also the winner of the 6th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament in 2016, and the third-prize winner in the Under-10 division of the World Youth Chess Championships in Spain in 1999.

This year, Wang Hao, who has participated in the HDBank international chess tournaments for the last four years, won the top prize after nine games.

In his first game, he played with International Master (IM) Miciano John Marvin (Elo 2,317) of the Philippines. The game ended in a draw with Hai sharing points with Miciano, a lower-ranked player. The start was not smooth for the No 1 seed.

However, Wang Hao then won all four games with IM Dương Thế Anh (Elo 2,301) of Việt Nam in the second game; IM Nguyễn Văn Huy (Elo 2,428) of Việt Nam in the third game; IM Nguyễn Anh Khôi (Elo 2,484) of Viet Nam in the fourth game; and GM Megaranto Susanto (Elo 2,526) of Indonesia in the fifth game. 

With this series of wins, Wang Hao stayed in the top group with Iturrizaga Bonelli Eduardo (Elo 2,639) of Venezuela and Bogdanovich Stanislav (Elo 2,536) of Ukraine after five games.

In the sixth game, Wang Hao ended in a draw with Iturrizaga Bonelli Eduardo. On the other side, Bogdanovich Stanislav won the sixth game and stayed at the top with 5.5 points, with Wang Hao behind with 5 points.

In the sprint stage of the race to the throne, Wang Hao showed courage and his high level as the only player in the tournament with an Elo of over 2,700 in the tournament.

He scored two wins in games seven and eight with Van Wely Loek (Elo 2,612) of the Netherlands and Bogdanovich Stanislav to reach the top position after eight games.

In the final game on Wednesday (March 13), Wang Hao had a quick finish in a draw with his fellow countryman, Grandmaster Wen Yang (Elo 2,599), after only 11 moves.

He only needed a draw to win the 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament 2019 and become the new king of the competition with a cash prize of US$16,000.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, president and CEO of Vietjet Air, and one of the founders of the 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament 2019, speaks during the awards ceremony on Wednesday (March 13) in HCM City. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Bogdanovich Stanislav also finished a game in a draw with Predke Alexandr (Elo 2,611) of Russia. Wen Yang came in second in the tournament, while Bogdanovich Stanislav placed third.

On the women’s side, Nandhidhaa P. V. (Elo 2,240) of India topped the podium with six points. This was unexpected because her Elo points ranked her at only 13th in the competition.

In the Challenger pool, Villanueva Nelson of the Philippines won the trophy with 7.5 points after nine games. Phạm Minh Hiếu of Việt Nam also had 7.5 points, but his sub-index was less than Nelson’s. Hiếu came in second and Phạm Thị Thu Hiền placed third.

In the tournament, four chess players met the IM standard, including three Chinese players, Xu Minghui, Zhao Yuahe and Xu Yi, and Gukesh D of Indonesia.

Rousing success

The 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament 2019 was a rousing success, attracting 304 chess players, far more than in previous years, and receiving support from the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

After nine seasons, the HDBank International Chess Tournament has had a total of 1,396 turns of players from 41 countries and territories from five continents participating in the competition.

Each year, the tournament sees a growth in the number of players, attracting more participating countries and achieving higher levels of professional quality.

Through the organisation of the chess tournament and the convergence of a world chess village, Vietnamese players now have more opportunities to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the world.

In 2019, the Award’s co-sponsors include the Rex Hotel Vietnam, Oman Investment Joint Stock Company (VOI - Vietnam Oman Investment), Vietjet Airlines, Phu Long Real Estate Joint-Stock Company and HD Consumer Finance Company SAISON.

About the HDBank International Chess Tournament

The International Chess Championship HDBank is the largest international chess tournament organised by Vietnam under the competition system of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

The tournament is organised by HDBank and the Vietnam Chess Federation, with the mandate of the General Department of Physical Training and Sports and support of the HCM City People’s Committee.

After nine seasons since 2011, the HDBank International Chess Tournament has had 1,396 players from 41 countries and territories from five continents participating in the competition.

Through the organisation of the chess tournament and the convergence of a world chess village, Vietnamese players now have more opportunities to rub shoulders with world-class players.

Many successful Vietnamese players who have won prestigious international awards have taken part in the HDBank International Chess Tournament, including Grandmaster Le Quang Liem, ranked in the top 20 in the world and winner of the Fast Chess World Cup; Grandmaster Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, who brought glory to Vietnam at the Asian Chess Championships and the Olympiad; and young players Le Tuan Minh and Tran Tuan Minh, among others.  

With HDBank’s companionship, Vietnamese chess has had the highest achievements in the history of Vietnam chess competitions in the international arena, with 10 finals and a gold medal at table 2 in the Chess Olympiad 2018.

This year, HDBank will present all players a chess piece made of pure copper, a unique gift of the HDBank International Chess Tournament. The piece will be a knight this year.

In line with the development of Vietnam Sports, HDBank will continue to commit to the Vietnam Chess Federation to organise the HDBank International Chess Championship in the next four seasons (2020-2023). HDBank will also continue to sponsor the Vietnam Chess team.

This is HDBank’s strong commitment to the prize in particular and the world chess movement in general. The Organising Committee has also received support from the World Chess Federation in maintaining and developing the HDBank International Chess Tournament.– VNS