VietNamNet Bridge – Le Quang Liem could not overcome his Chinese rival in an unexpected draw yesterday, March 20, during the third round of the HDBank Cup International Chess Open in HCM City.

The No 1 seed Grand Master was tied with Chinese International Master Wang Chen, who was seeded No 22.

With 2.5 points after three rounds, Liem dropped to seventh place in the tourney. He will play against teammate Nguyen Van Huy in the next round.

Huy, also an International Master with 2.5 points after his third round, drew against teammate FIDE Master Le Tuan Minh.

On the top of the ranking table is Vietnamese International Master Nguyen Duc Hoa, who has won all three of his games so far. Hoa yesterday defeated Women's Grand Master Wang Jue of China and will next play Grand Master Paragua Mark of the Philippines.

The second and third place went to Grand Master Barbosa Oliver of the Philippines and International Master Wei Yi from China.

Apart from Liem, Grand Master Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Viet Nam was another seed in the top 10. The No 4 seed yesterday improved his performance after a first round loss. Son pocketed two points and jumped to 35th position.

The HDBank tournament this year has lured more than 100 chess masters from 12 countries. They will compete for a total bonus prize of US$30,000.

Source: VNS