The third competition day of the 7th International Masters Xiangqi Tournament – Phuong Trang Cup 2025 unfolded with breath-taking emotional contrasts. While the morning session marked a strong assertion of status by Vietnam’s leading masters, the afternoon witnessed a powerful “uprising” from the Chinese guest team, pushing the standings into a fiercely interlocked, razor-thin situation.

Round 4: Internal clashes and the caution of the “Xiangqi Savants”

Before entering Round 4, Grandmaster Nguyen Thanh Bao was displaying devastating form with three consecutive wins. Closely chasing behind was the 2.5-point group consisting of Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang and young prodigy Hua Chen Hao (China). Meanwhile, reigning World Champion Lai Ly Huynh, together with elite masters Cheng Yin Lung, Wang Jia Rui, Xu Wen Zhang, and others, were poised to break through with 2 points. The focus of the morning session converged entirely on the top boards, where championship contenders directly “neutralized” one another.

Nguyen Thanh Bao – Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang: “Veteran cunning curbs youthful all-round strength”

This was not merely a battle of calculation, but a collision between two fundamentally different Xiangqi philosophies. On one side stood “Western Venom” Nguyen Thanh Bao – the embodiment of a free-spirited, explosive style with a “win-or-die” mentality, always concealing spontaneous, life-snatching tactical blows. On the other was “young Quang” Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang – a representative of the new generation: systematically trained, deeply assisted by opening engines, featuring smooth piece coordination, flexible transitions between attack and defense, and especially a remarkable ability in rapid tactical handling.
Nguyen Thanh Bao opened with the “Immortal's Finger”, then quickly shifted Cannon 8 to the center (Cannon 8–5), clearly signaling his intention to seize the initiative. Unfazed, Nhat Quang responded with Soldier 7 advance and deployed the  "Sandwiched Horse Defense", establishing a balanced counter-attacking setup.
The middlegame became extremely tense as both sides continuously exchanged material. After the trade of one Chariot each, the position remained roughly balanced. The turning point arose when Nhat Quang, instead of choosing the safe simplification with Cannon 1 to 3 to oppose cannons, opted for Elephant 3 retreating to 5. This move inadvertently exposed a fatal weakness, allowing Thanh Bao to activate Chariot 1 to capture Horse 2, initiating sustained pressure and suffocating his opponent’s maneuvering space.
Despite resilient and stubborn defense, at the critical moment the pressure exerted by “Western Venom” forced Nhat Quang into a decisive mistake. Instead of Horse 5 advancing to 3 to capture Cannon 8 (corner cannon) and relieve the siege, he played Chariot 6 to file 2 to capture a cannon. This move led to a severely inferior position and the loss of a horse. With no chance of turning the tables against an overly seasoned Nguyen Thanh Bao, Nhat Quang was forced to sign the scoresheet in resignation after three hours of fierce combat. This victory allowed Nguyen Thanh Bao to continue occupying sole first place.

Hua Chen Hao – Lai Ly Huynh: “Demonic hands meet a copper wall”

Hua Chen Hao – prized disciple of the “Ten-Time Champion” Hu Ronghua – brought to the tournament a distinctly unorthodox style. He is renowned for bizarre transformations, willing to sacrifice material for initiative right from the opening, and possessing “demonic hands” that overturn conventional theory. Opposite him stood Lai Ly Huynh: composed, scientific, with profound middlegame and endgame foundations and machine-like precision in piece coordination.
With the Red pieces and first move, Hua Chenhao employed “Immortal's Finger” followed by Central Cannon. Unexpectedly, Lai Ly Huynh deviated from mainstream theory by adopting the “Advanced Soldier with Cannon Support” setup, combining Flying Elephant and Chariot 9 advancing then shifting to file 3. This was a rare and deeply researched sideline, even causing Hua Chenhao himself to become cautious and perplexed.
Despite his aggressive reputation, when facing the “lofty mountain” that is reigning World Champion Lai Ly Huynh, Hua Chen Hao opted for a safe approach to preserve his scoring advantage (leading Huynh by 0.5 points). Lai Ly Huynh exerted great effort to “force complications” and search for winning chances, but against the opponent’s airtight defense, he had to accept a draw.

Other pairings:

The Round 4 landscape also recorded the rise of young Chinese players, as both Xu Wen Zhang and Wang Jia Rui claimed victories. Vietnam’s highlight belonged to former 2017 National Champion Dang Huu Trang, who brilliantly defeated Cheng Yin Lung despite moving second, climbing to joint second place – a true “dark horse” of the tournament. On board 7, reigning National Champion Vu Quoc Dat also returned to the race in time with a crucial win over junior Phan Nguyen Cong Minh.

Round 5: China accelerates – pressure weighs heavily on Lai Ly Huynh

Entering Round 5, the tournament’s harshness reached a climax. Chinese players began to fully unleash their strength, producing spectacular upheavals.

Xu Wenzhang – Nguyen Thanh Bao: “Blazing mutual attack: strength meets strength”

As expected by experts, the clash between Xu Wenzhang and Nguyen Thanh Bao became a feast of all-out attack. Both worship a combative philosophy, using offense as defense.
After just over ten opening moves, Xu Wen Zhang stormed across the river, using doubled Chariots and Soldier 7 to exert heavy pressure on the rear camp’s vital points. Refusing to yield, Nguyen Thanh Bao embraced risk, sacrificing a Cannon to seize an elephant, tearing open the opponent’s left flank and plunging the game into a life-or-death slugfest.
The duel unfolded with profound tactical blows where even the smallest error demanded a heavy price. Regrettably, in the endgame phase, as time ran low, “Western Venom” Nguyen Thanh Bao failed to maintain the necessary composure. A few imprecise moves in critical seconds caused him to squander the advantage and suffer a bitter defeat at the hands of young general Xu Wen Zhang. The top spot officially changed hands.

Dang Huu Trang – Hua Chen Hao: “The dark horse subdued by middlegame-endgame depth”

This was a pivotal encounter as Dang Huu Trang (dubbed the tournament’s “dark horse” after toppling Cheng Yin Lung), riding high on excellent form, faced China’s leading young talent Hua Chen Hao.
In this game, Hua Chen Hao refrained from risky mêlée-style play, instead displaying extremely deep and mature middlegame-endgame technique beyond his years. The Shanghai prodigy coldly dismantled each wave of resistance from Dang Huu Trang and demonstrated razor-sharp timing in decisive moments.
Final result, Hua Chen Hao secured a convincing victory. This win not only extinguished the hopes of “dark horse” Dang Huu Trang, but also helped Hua Chen Hao and his teammates officially establish the “Three-Elite Pincer” formation atop the standings.

Vu Quoc Dat – Wang Jia Rui: “The tank rolls forward relentlessly”

Faithful to his trademark, Vu Quoc Dat once again employed “Immortal's Finge”. However, his opponent – Xiangqi Grandmaster Wang Jia Rui from Zhejiang – revealed formidable depth.
On move 10, when Dat advanced Horse 9 to 8, Jia Rui immediately pushed Soldier 3 across the river, igniting a fierce melee. Despite Dat holding the first-move cannon initiative, Wang Jia Rui mobilized four major pieces (two Chariots, a Cannon, and a Horse) to launch a ferocious assault on the right flank.
Under the storm-like pressure, Vu Quoc Dat was forced into passive defense. After a series of exchanges, Wang Jia Rui gained an overwhelming advantage in both position and time. The “finishing blow” came with the icy move General 5 to file 6 (General stepping out to assist the attack). Facing the unstoppable advance of this “tank”, Vu Quoc Dat could only resign.

Overall landscape of remaining pairings

In this context, Lai Ly Huynh’s victory over Ton That Nhat Tan (with Red) carried immense significance. With 3.5 points after five rounds, the “Southern Prince” is now tightly shadowing the leading group. He stands as the greatest hope, bearing the heavy responsibility of breaking the Chinese “Three-Elite” dominance in the decisive rounds ahead.

In another development, young talent Nguyen Minh Nhat Quang lost momentum in the top-group race after being held to a regrettable draw by Malaysian master Li De Zhi,

At the end of Day 3, the Phuong Trang Cup 2025 is hotter than ever. The elite confrontation between host and guests has officially entered its most intense phase. Vietnamese fans continue to place great expectations on Lai Ly Huynh, who is anticipated to shatter the monopoly of Chinese players in the forthcoming decisive rounds.

Standings after round 5