Negi Wins Asian Continental Championship
The 11th Asian Continental Chess Championships have reached a conclusion in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The championships ran from 5-13 May, and the main Open event was won by 19 year-old Parimarjan Negi of India (pictured).
Negi won the 9-round Swiss competition despite a last-round loss. He finished level on 7 points with Yu Yangyi of China, but was awarded the title since he had beaten Yu in their individual encounter in round 6.
Negi's championship victory came ahead of a strong Asian field which included Le Quang Liem, Ding Liren, Ni Hua, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Wesley So.
Top seed Le Quang Liem never fully recovered from a surprise first round loss. The full results can be found here. The total prize fund was $65,000, with the winner receiving $6,000.
Parimarjan Negi is ranked India's #5 player, and is also #5 on the junior world rankings.
Irine Kharisma Sukander of Indonesia won the women's championship, and Wesley So won the blitz championship held on the final day.
The top 20 places in the main Open were:
| # | Name | Nat | Elo | Pts |
| 1 | Negi Parimarjan | IND | 2640 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Yu Yangyi | CHN | 2626 | 7.0 |
| 3 | Salem A R Saleh | UAE | 2528 | 6.5 |
| 4 | Liu Qingnan | CHN | 2483 | 6.0 |
| 5 | Barbosa Oliver | PHI | 2550 | 6.0 |
| 6 | Ding Liren | CHN | 2679 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Ni Hua | CHN | 2673 | 6.0 |
| 8 | So Wesley | PHI | 2653 | 6.0 |
| 9 | Wen Yang | CHN | 2550 | 6.0 |
| 10 | Lu Shanglei | CHN | 2522 | 6.0 |
| 11 | Ma Qun | CHN | 2481 | 5.5 |
| 12 | Gomez John Paul | PHI | 2507 | 5.5 |
| 13 | Yu Ruiyuan | CHN | 2511 | 5.5 |
| 14 | Wang Chen | CHN | 2482 | 5.5 |
| 15 | Xiu Deshun | CHN | 2494 | 5.5 |
| 16 | Le Quang Liem | VIE | 2703 | 5.5 |
| 17 | Gao Rui | CHN | 2427 | 5.5 |
| 18 | Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan | MGL | 2516 | 5.5 |
| 19 | Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son | VIE | 2656 | 5.5 |
| 20 | Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | IND | 2528 | 5.5 |
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The playing hall at the First Hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
Picture from the official website.
