Phung remains on top of Asia chess championship
Vo Thi Kim Phung of Vietnam sits alone in first place at the Asian Continental Chess Championships’ Women’s Category after her seventh round match on May 18 in China.
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The Women’s International Master (WIM) defeated Women’s Grandmaster (WGM) Tokhirjonova Gulrukhbegim of Uzbekistan. She has six points and maintains the tournament’s leader for the second round in a row.
Indian WIM Ramesh Babu Vaishali sits at second place with 5.5 points. The No 17 seed successfully defeated No 7 IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen who was down to No 6 place.
Phung will play Vaishali while Nguyen--who was on top seat from round one to round five--will meet WGM Gomes Mary Ann of India, who is in fourth place.
Two other Vietnamese masters in the top 10 are WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram, at fifth, and WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, at 10th.
In the Open Category, China’s Wang Hao is on top with 5.5 points. He is followed by fellow countrymen Bu Xiangzhi and Bai Jinshi.
Vietnamese master Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son has the country’s highest ranking, at No 14. The No 10 seed has collected 4.5 points after seven rounds.
Four others from the Southeast Asian country are struggling to earn points. They are all out of the top 15.
