In the 9th round of the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024, held in the early hours of September 21 (Vietnam time), the Vietnamese men's chess team went head-to-head with the English team.
On the first board, Grandmaster Le Quang Liem, playing with the black pieces, faced Grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov, and the game ended in a draw. On the second board, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son also drew his match against Michael Adams. However, on the third board, Grandmaster Tran Tuan Minh suffered a defeat at the hands of Gawain Christopher Bernard Jones from the English team.
Despite the challenges, Grandmaster Le Tuan Minh stood out as the key player, securing a critical win to ensure an overall tie for the Vietnamese men's chess team. Le Tuan Minh played aggressively, forcing Grandmaster Luke James McShane to defend his position. However, McShane couldn’t withstand the relentless pressure from the Vietnamese player and eventually had to accept defeat.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw between the Vietnamese men's chess team and the English men’s chess team. Following this result in the 9th round, Vietnam is now ranked 10th on the overall leaderboard. With only two rounds left in the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024, India, the US, and Uzbekistan currently lead the standings.
In the women's category, the Vietnamese women’s chess team faced Bulgaria in the 9th round with a lineup consisting of Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Vo Thi Kim Phung, Luong Phuong Hanh, and Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong, securing a 2.5-1.5 victory. The Bulgarian women's chess team is notably the reigning European champion. With this win, the Vietnamese women's chess team has temporarily climbed to 11th place in the overall standings. Kazakhstan, India, and China currently hold the top three positions.
