Le Quang Liem.— Photo: hdbank.com.vn

HA NOI (VNS)– No 1 seed Le Quang Liem progressed in the HDBank Cup International Open Chess tournament ranking in HCM City after victories in two rounds.

Grandmaster Liem yesterday (Mar 21) beat teammate International Master Nguyen Van Huy in the fourth round and Chinese Zeng Chongsheng in the fifth, earning 4.5 points and ranking fourth.

He will next meet Paragua Mark of the Philippines, ranked second, also with 4.5 points.

In top position is IM Wei Yi of China while running third is her teammate Zhou Jianchao, both with 4.5 points.

IM Nguyen Duc Hoa, who ranked first on Tuesday, relinquished his position after one loss and one win on Thursday. He is now fifth with 4 points and will play GM Berkes Ferenc of Hungary.

Vietnamese No 4 seed Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son has lost his chances with only three points in two wins, two draws and one loss. His next rival will be IM Yu Lie of China.

The HDBank Cup will conclude on Sunday with the winner taking US$10,000. – VNS