As many as 85 chess masters from 14 countries and territories will compete in the fifth HD Bank International Open Chess Tournament from March 17-23 in Ho Chi Minh City, announced the Organising Board on March 10.

Host Vietnam has the largest contenders with 44 while the Philippines will send 17 competitors to the nine-round Swiss-style tournament.

Chinese grandmaster Li Chao with an Elo rating of 2,721 is believed to be a challenge for Vietnamese grandmasters Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, with Elo ratings of 2,676 and 2,659, respectively.

Other strong competitors are Russian Alexsander Rakhmanov, Filipino Sadorra Julio Catalino and Gomez John Paul, and Indian Padmini Rout.
The tournament’s prizes total 35,000 USD, with the first prize winner getting 12,000 USD.-VNA