HCM CITY – Top seed Le Quang Liem won the sixth round in the men's event at the Asian Continental Chess Championships after overcoming Kazakhstan's Rinat Jumabayev in HCM City yesterday.

This important win enhances his opportunity to win the tournament. With four wins and two losses, he has earned four points, one point less than leader Parimarjan Negi, who beat China's Yu Yangyi in the sixth match.

Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son is in the same situation as Liem, having defeated China's Ju Wenjun after 54 moves yesterday and earning four points after six matches.

In the seventh round, Liem will meet China's Liu Qingnan and Son will compete against China's Wan Yunguo.

In the women's event, Nguyen Thi Thanh An extended her undefeated run in drawing with China's Ding Yixin. At present, she has 4.5 points, one point less than leader Sukandar Irine Kharisma from Indonesia.

Another Vietnamese chess player, Hoang Thi Bao Tram, lost to China's Zhao Xue after 36 moves, ending on 3.5 points.

An will try to beat China's Tan Zhongyi while Tram meets India's Swathi Ghate in the next round. – VNS