Tham Nghi Hao and Nguyen Thanh Bao soon won tickets to the quarterfinals.

As expected of the "group of death", the situation in group A was as tense as a bowstring after the fourth round of matches on July 17 when the rankings were still undecided before the final round. Chess player Uong Duong Bac won against former national champion Trenh A Sang to maintain a 4-match unbeaten streak with 3.5 points but still could not secure a place in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the trio Ha Van Tien, Ton That Nhat Tan and Tuong Xuyen (China) all scored 2.5 points, which could completely change the situation of the group.

Uong Duong Bac (left) still has to wait for the last match to get a ticket to the quarter-finals.

In the final match of Group A taking place on the morning of July 18, Ha Van Tien will have a fierce battle with Uong Duong Bac while the opportunity is wide open for both Tuong Xuyen and Ton That Nhat Tan when their two opponents, Trenh A Sang and Nguyen Hoang Lam, have both been eliminated, so they certainly do not have much motivation to fight.

Also with 3.5 points like Uong Duong Bac after an easy victory over Dao Cao Khoa, Nguyen Thanh Bao firmly consolidated his position at the top of Group B with 3.5 points and officially won a ticket to the quarterfinals.

In this group, young player Phan Trong Tin had an excellent match defeating International Grandmaster Ngo Tong Han (Singapore) to rise to second place in the group with 3 points. If he only overcomes Phan Nguyen Cong Minh in the final match, Phan Trong Tin will automatically advance to the quarterfinals without having to worry about the victory or defeat of guest Ngo Tong Han in the match with Dao Cao Khoa taking place at the same time.

Vu Quoc Dat (left) is leading group C.

The situation in Group C is quite interesting when it is not Lai Ly Huynh who holds the top position but instead former player Vu Quoc Dat.

The HCM City player had an important victory over Chu Tuan Hai in the fourth game to rise to the number 1 position in the table. Due to a draw with Hoang Hoc Khiem (Hong Kong - China) in the fourth game, Lai Ly Huynh also had 3.5 points but ranked behind Vu Quoc Dat due to a lower goal difference.

Lai Ly Huynh determined to compete for ticket to continue

Although he only has 2.5 points, Hoang Hoc Khiem still has hope of moving on if he can overcome Nguyen Anh Quan in the final round and wait for one of the two home players, Vu Quoc Dat and Lai Ly Huynh, to stumble in the direct confrontation on the morning of July 18.

Trieu Dich Pham was a bit unlucky when the famous Chinese Taipei player was in a group with two guests and he was the "replacement" when he only got one draw after four matches.

Tham Nghi Hao (left) entered the top 8 strongest players

In Group D, despite not having to play due to being exempted from the fourth round, famous player Tham Nghi Hao (Malaysia) still comfortably won a ticket from this group to the quarter-finals. The match between this guest and Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang (2.5 points) on the morning of July 18 even had the meaning of competing for first and second place in the group.

A surprise can only happen if Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang fails and Nguyen Anh Man (1.5 points) defeats former national champion Dang Cuu Tung Lan, who was officially eliminated after only gaining 0.5 points after three rounds (this group only has 5 players).

The final round of the group stage will take place at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 at the Grandvrio Hotel, Da Nang City.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/tham-nghi-hao-va-nguyen-thanh-bao-som-gianh-ve-tu-ket-20230717193405613.htm