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The 8th HD Bank chess open will be held from 9th to 16th March 2018 in Ha Noi the capital city of Vietnam. HD Bank open is the strongest annual event held in Vietnam. Because of its excellent playing conditions and huge prize fund, this event has always attracted strong players from across the globe. Let's have a look at what this tournament has to offer us!
Ha Noi, located on the banks of the Red River, is one of the most ancient capitals in the world, the HD Bank open will take place in five-star Army Hotel, to play a tournament in the great place like this is always fun.
The Army Hotel | Photo: Official Page.
Round 1 starts March 10th. There are four days with double-rounds.
There are two categories in which this tournament will be conducted, Masters and Challengers.
Master Category: For players rated above 2100 and women rated above 2000.
Challenger Category: For players rated below 2100 or unrated.
The Vietnamese superstar and world-class player GM Le Quang Liem (2737) will be present here to defend his title, he has already won this championship three times in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Will he be able to win it for the fourth time?
GM Le Quang Liem with the 2017 edition's Championship Trophy | Photo: Official site
Chinese super GM Wang Hao (2712) will be the second seed of the tournament. He has many championships under his belt including strong opens like Sharjah and Al-Ain classic. He is a strong contender for the title.
GM Wang Hao (2712) | Photo: Chinese chess federation
Indian contingent will be led by former national champion GM Sethuraman SP (2646).
GM Sethuraman SP | Photo: Amruta Mokal
Future of Indian chess GM Aravindh Chithambaram will be here to follow his great performance from Sunway Sitges Open 2017.
GM Aravindh Chithambaram | Photo: Amruta Mokal
The strong player from far west Argentinian GM Sandro Mereco (2632) will be the 5th seed.
GM Mereco Sandro | Photo: Alina l'Ami
What really attracts these top grandmasters is the huge prize-money!
Fifty-five thousand US Dollars (US$55,000) will be the total prize fund, which includes 26 main prizes. Prizes shall be awarded are as follows:
1st: $15,000; 2nd: $6,500; 3rd: $4,500; 4th: $2,500; 5th: $1,600; 6th: $1100; 7th: $1000; 8th: $900; 9th: $800; 10th: $700; 11th: $600; 12th: $500; 13th to 16th $300; 17th to 20th $250; 21st to 26th $200.
To encourage female participation and to boost women chess, organizers have declared prizes for top six women participants. The prize money is as follows:
1st: $5,000; 2nd: $2,500; 3rd: $1,500; 4th: $700; 5th: $500; 6th: $300;
Best U16 $200. Best Seniors >60 $200.
Main Prizes: 1st: $1,200; 2nd: $800; 3rd: $600; 4th: $500; 5th: $350; 6th: $250.
Best women: 1st: $500; 2nd: $300; 3rd: $200.
Best U12: $150. Best Seniors >60: $150.
There are great chances to achieve your IM/ GM norm in this tournament as many strong players are going to play here. Last year a total of 85 titled players took part including 29 GMs, 9 WGMs, 26 IMs and 3 WIMs.
As you can see top 20 players are above 2500 rating, a solid performance will ensure you a norm.
| No. | Name | FED | Rtg | ||
| 1 |
|
GM | Le Quang Liem | VIE | 2737 |
| 2 |
|
GM | Wang Hao | CHN | 2712 |
| 3 |
|
GM | Sethuraman S.P. | IND | 2646 |
| 4 |
|
GM | Mareco Sandro | ARG | 2632 |
| 5 |
|
GM | Gordievsky Dmitry | RUS | 2630 |
| 6 |
|
GM | Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son | VIE | 2630 |
| 7 |
|
GM | Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. | IND | 2617 |
| 8 |
|
GM | Wen Yang | CHN | 2608 |
| 9 |
|
GM | Zhao Jun | CHN | 2599 |
| 10 |
|
GM | Bernadskiy Vitaliy | UKR | 2588 |
| 11 |
|
GM | Karthikeyan Murali | IND | 2585 |
| 12 |
|
GM | Rozum Ivan | RUS | 2582 |
| 13 |
|
GM | Narayanan.S.L | IND | 2573 |
| 14 |
|
GM | Bogdanovich Stanislav | UKR | 2560 |
| 15 |
|
GM | Pichot Alan | ARG | 2552 |
| 16 |
|
GM | Krysa Leandro | ARG | 2548 |
| 17 |
|
GM | Lei Tingjie | CHN | 2541 |
| 18 |
|
GM | Vishnu Prasanna. V | IND | 2526 |
| 19 |
|
GM | Sivuk Vitaly | UKR | 2524 |
| 20 |
|
GM | Tran Tuan Minh | VIE | 2522 |
For all players based on March 1st, 2018 FIDE rating list, the entry fee is as follows: Registration is free for GM, IM, WGM, and players with a FIDE Rating of 2500 and above. For Master category, the entry fee is as follows:
For Challenger category: $50 for players rated from 1900 to 2100 and $75 for others.
Known as the lake of the returned (or restored) sword, Hoan Keim Lake lake marks the historical centre of ancient Hanoi.
Hoan Keim Lake | Photo: www.touropia.com
This is one of the temples of Confucius and home of the nation’s first university. Originally built in 1070, the temple is meant to honor all scholars.
Temple of Literature | Photo: Touropia
The old quarter is a mesh of the old and the new, as antique narrow streets snake between old brick buildings, covered in modern motorbikes and street vendors.
Ha Noi old quarter | Photo: www.ndh.vn
Arguably one of the most incredible destinations in all of Vietnam is Halong Bay. Although it is over 160 km (100 miles) east of Hanoi, it is definitely worth the journey.
Halong Bay | Photo: Robert Balwin
The scenery of Tam Coc is the first thing you’ll notice.
Tam Coc is just 90 minutes south of Hanoi | Photo: Vietnampackagetravel.com
Just 25 km (15 miles) outside of Ha Noi, on the other side of the Red River, is Bat Trang. The village itself is ancient, dating back more than 1,000 years, and it is known for its ceramics.
Bat Trang pottery village | Photo: Dalat Trip
This story originally appeared on ChessBase India and is reproduced with permission
