Quang Liem vs Wesley So

After defeating Kirill Shevchenko 4.5-2.5 in the Banter Blitz semi-final on the morning of July 8, Quang Liem entered the final to meet the number one seed Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Before the world number seven player in Blitz, Quang Liem lost 1-5 and finished second.

The winner of the Banter Blitz will be selected to participate in either the Champions Chess Tour or the San Fermin Mundial. Duda chose Champions Chess Tour, so the San Fermin Mundial spot belonged to Quang Liem.

San Fermin Mundial with a prize fund of $ 60,000, part of the Bull Racing Festival system in Pamplona, ​​Spain. In addition to Quang Liem, San Fermin Mundial 2021 brings together seven players including Chess King Magnus Carlsen, Dinh Lap Nhan, Levon Aronian, Wesley So, Eduardo Iturrizaga, Jaime Santos and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Due to the impact of Covid-19, only Carlsen went to Pamplona to compete, the remaining seven players can play at home in an online format from July 10 to July 11.

Eight players will compete in a knockout. In each Banter Blitz match, the player plays eight games of 3+2 blitz (three minutes for the game, two more minutes after each move). The player with at least 4.5 points will move on. If they draw 4-4, they play two more games of blitz. If there is still a tie, the right to go ahead is determined in Armageddon – White has five minutes, Black four minutes, no extra time after each move, Black moves on if it wins or draws.

Quang Liem will meet Wesley So – Filipino-American player – in the quarterfinals, scheduled to take place at 3 am on Sunday 11/7, Hanoi time. If So, Quang Liem will meet Magnus Carlsen or Iturrizaga in the semi-finals.

Xuan Binh