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| Female chess grandmaster Nguyen Thi Thanh An is leading the 2013 Chess World Cup qualifying round after finishing her first five matches undefeated in the Philippines on January 25. |
Two matches between four Vietnamese players—Thanh An against Thao Nguyen and Bao Tram vs Mai Hung—also finished in draws, while another female Vietnamese player Nhu Y shared the points with Indonesian rival Monica Chelsie Sihite.
In the sixth round of the tournament, An will face Medina and Hung will play Balkhuyat. Tram’s opponent will be Nhu Y, and Nguyen challenges the host nation’s Bernadette Galas.
In the men’s category, GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son could not overcome the Philippines’ Laylo Darwin and lost his first position to Fillipino Wesley So after the latter defeated Mongolia’s Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa.
Three other Vietnamese competitors’ matches ended in ties—Nguyen Duc Hoa vs defending champion Suanto Megaranto from Indonesia, Nguyen Van Huy vs the Philippines’ Bitoon Richard, and Tran Tuan Minh vs. Cao Sang.
Dao Thien Hai suffered a shock loss to Mongolian Gombosuran Mukhgal.
In the next round, all Vietnamese players will take on representatives of the host nation. The matches include Truong Son vs Mark Paragua, Duc Huy vs Laylo Darwin, Van Huy vs Pascua Haridas, Cao Sang vs Mari Joseph Turquezal, Thien Hai vs. Sarip Rogar, and Tuan Minh vs Rogerio Barcenilla.
