Former world U10 championship Nguyen Anh Khoi won a gold medal at the
blitz event in the U12 category at the Asian Youth Chess Championship
held in Uzbekistan on June 28, radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV)
reported.
Anh Khoi (elo 2.191) is the No 2 seed after the host rival Yakubboev Nodirbek (elo 2.217).
In
the second match, Khoi suddenly lost points while Yakubboev Nodirbek
won in the first five matches and took lead in the tally with five
points, one point higher than Khoi.
However, in the sixth match,
Khoi overcame great pressure to defeat Yakubboev Nodirbek in the direct
round, earning the same points.
In the final match, both
grandmasters triumphed with six points. However, according to the
organising board’s rules, Khoi won the gold medal as he defeated
Yakubboev Nodirbek in the direct round.
This is the first time Khoi has won the blitz championship at a continental tournament.
Vietnam has six other masters competing in the tournament but they have not reached the three ranks.
The
Asian championships have attracted competitors from 13 countries and
territories. They are competing in four age groups each in the open and
girls’ events.-VNA