Chess @ Hanoi SEA Games, Round 5

First, just a little comment about the Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son-Yeoh Li Tian game from the fourth round two days ago. Methinks, the Vietnamese has too much respect for our Malaysian player or else the grandmaster wouldn't have offered our international master such a quick draw. The choice of opening itself was the clue. Philidor Defence? That's truly drawish.

Puteri Munajjah

Meanwhile in this morning's fifth round, Li Tian giving away another half-a-point in a very short draw continues to perplex me. Game over in about 48 minutes. Where's the fight? Is he truly keen on defending his title and bring back the gold? It's a question that only he himself can answer. But drawing in 13 moves with little fight may not be the answer, unless it is a deep strategy that escapes me. There were dismal displays by Lye Lik Zang and Tan Li Ting in this round. Lik Zang's style is too unorthordox and cavalier for his own good. Seasoned opponents are likely to pick him apart. The only other lining in this round was Puteri Munajjah's draw.

Here are the standings of the Open and Women's sections at the halfway stage of the Standard Chess competition, that is, after the fifth round:

Rank after Round 5

Rk. SNo Name                                 FED         RtgI         Pts. 

1 10 IM Ervan Mohamad                 INA         2367 4,0

2 1 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son VIE         2641 3,5

3 3 IM Yeoh Li Tian                         MAS 2523 3,5

4 6 IM Tin Jingyao                         SGP 2499 3,0

5 7 GM Gomez John Paul                 PHI         2442 3,0

6 9 IM Quizon Daniel                         PHI         2384 2,5

7 5 GM Priasmoro Novendra         INA         2501 2,0

8 4 IM Wynn Zaw Htun                 MYA 2508 2,0

9 12 CM Laohawirapap Prin                 THA        2210 2,0

10 8 IM Nay Oo Kyaw Tun                 MYA 2385 2,0

11 2 GM Tran Tuan Minh                 VIE         2533 1,5

12 11 FM Lye Lik Zang                         MAS 2358 1,0

Rk.          Name (FED)                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts. 

1 WIM         Citra Dewi Ardhiani Anastasia (INA) * 0 1 1 ½ 1 3,5

2 WGM Vo Thi Kim Phung (VIE)                         1 * 0 ½ 1 1 3,5

3 WIM     Fronda Jan Jodilyn (PHI)                         1 * 0 ½ 1 1 3,5

        IM     Sukandar Irine Kharisma (INA)             0          1 *         ½ 1 1 3,5

5 WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram (VIE)                 0 ½ * 1 1 1 3,5

6 WGM Frayna Janelle Mae (PHI)                 0 ½ ½ * 0 1 2,0

7 WCM Prommuang Araya (THA)                      ½ 0 0 * 0 1 1,5

8 WFM Tan Li Ting (MAS)                                 0         0      0 1 * ½ 1,5

9 WGM Gong Qianyun (SGP)                                0 0 0 1 * ½ 1,5

10 WIM Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa (MAS)         0 0 0 ½ ½ * 1,0

[Event "31st SEA Games 2021"]

[Site "Quang Ninh Exhibition Of Urban Planning & Expo"]

[Date "2022.05.13"]

[Round "5"]

[Board "2"]

[White "Gomez John Paul"]

[Black "Yeoh Li Tian"]

[Result "1/2"]

[ECO "D12"]

[WhiteElo "2442"]

[BlackElo "2523"]

[EventCountry "VIE"]

1. c4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Ng6 hg6 8. a3 Nbd7 9. b3 Bd6 10. g3 Ne4 11. Bb2 f5 12. Bg2 Qe7 13. Qc2 Ndf6 1/2-1/2

Position after 15....Qb8

[Event "31st SEA Games 2021"]

[Site "Quang Ninh Exhibition Of Urban Planning & Expo"]

[Date "2022.05.13"]

[Round "5"]

[Board "6"]

[White "Wynn Zaw Htun"]

[Black "Lye Lik Zang"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "D10"]

[WhiteElo "2508"]

[BlackElo "2358"]

[EventCountry "VIE"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Qb3 Ra7 7. Bd2 e6 8. c5 Nbd7 9. Na4 Ne4 10. Bb4 Be7 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Bg4 13. Nb6 Nb6 14. Ba5 Ra8 15. Bb6 Qb8 16. Qc2 Bf3 17. Bf3 f5 18. Be4 fe4 19. f3 ef3 20. Rf3 Rf3 21. gf3 e5 22. e4 Qf8 23. Qb3 ed4 24. ed5 Qf7 25. d6 Qb3 26. ab3 Bf6 27. Re1 Kf7 28. Re4 Re8 29. d7 Re4 30. fe4 Ke6 31. d8Q Bd8 32. Bd8 Ke5 33. Kf2 Ke4 34. Ke2 h6 35. b4 g5 36. b3 g4 37. Bh4 h5 38. Bf6 a5 39. ba5 Kd5 40. Be7 h4 41. Bh4 Kc5 42. Be7 Kb5 43. b4 Kc4 44. Kd2 d3 45. Bc5 Kd5 1-0

[Event "31st SEA Games 2021"]

[Site "Quang Ninh Exhibition Of Urban Planning & Expo"]

[Date "2022.05.13"]

[Round "5"]

[Board "7"]

[White "Azhar, Puteri Manajjah Az-zahraa"]

[Black "Gong Qianyun"]

[Result "1/2"]

[ECO "A11"]

[WhiteElo "2059"]

[BlackElo "2358"]

[EventCountry "VIE"]

1. c4 c6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Qc2 e5 5. b3 Be6 6. Bb2 Nbd7 7. d3 Bd6 8. Nf3 h6 9. O-O O-O 10. c5 Bc7 11. e4 Qe7 12. Rc1 Rfc8 13. Nbd2 d4 14. Ba3 Qe8 15. Nh4 b5 16. Rf1 Qd8 17. h3 a5 18. b4 Nf8 19. Nb3 Qd7 20. Kh2 g5 21. Nf5 Bf5 22. ef5 ab4 23. Bb4 Nd5 24. Bd5 cd5 25. g4 e4 26. Kg2 Qe7 27. Rh1 Qe5 28. Qb2 Qf4 29. Qe2 Re8 30. Nd4 e3 31. Bc3 Ra3 32. Nb5 Rc3 33. Nc3 d4 34. Nd5 Qe5 35. Nc7 Qc7 36. Rhe1 Nd7 37. fe3 Re3 38. Qf2 Qc6 39. Kh2 Qc7 40. Kg2 Qc6 41. Kh2 Qc7 42. Kg2 1/2-1/2

Position after 14 Bxd5

[Event "31st SEA Games 2021"]

[Site "Quang Ninh Exhibition Of Urban Planning & Expo"]

[Date "2022.05.13"]

[Round "5"]

[Board "11"]

[White "Sukandar Irine Kharisma"]

[Black "Tan Li Ting"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "C60"]

[WhiteElo "2392"]

[BlackElo "2087"]

[EventCountry "VIE"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 Bg7 6. d4 ed4 7. cd4 d5 8. ed5 Nd5 9. Re1 Be6 10. Ne5 O-O 11. Nc6 bc6 12. Bc6 Rb8 13. Nc3 Rb4 14. Bd5 Rd4 15. Be6 Rd1 16. Rd1 Qh4 17. Bb3 Bd4 18. Be3 Be3 19. fe3 Qe7 20. Nd5 Qe5 21. Rac1 Rc8 22. Rf1 c5 23. Bc4 Kg7 24. b3 Rd8 25. Rcd1 f5 26. a4 h5 27. a5 Kh6 28. a6 h4 29. h3 Kg5 30. Rd3 Kh6 31. Rfd1 Kg5 32. Nf4 Rd3 33. Rd3 Qa1 34. Kf2 Qb2 35. Kf3 Qe5 36. Rd5 Qe4 37. Kf2 Qe7 38. Rd8 Kh6 39. Rh8 Kg7 40. Rg8 Kh7 41. Ng6 Qd6 42. Nf8 1-0

Note: All my stories on this blog are my own and do not represent the views of any chess organisation.