Vietnamese Chess Player Lại Lý Huynh Eliminated After Losing All Four Matches in China Tournament

Vietnamese Xiangqi prodigy Lại Lý Huynh has been eliminated from the highly regarded Xuân Khâu Đại Diệp Bôi tournament in Zhengzhou, China. The player, who was a surprise entrant in the second season of the event, failed to secure a single victory, losing all four of his matches.

The tournament features a unique "đả lôi đài" (arena knockout) format, where each of the three players in a group is given four "lives." A loss deducts one life, and running out of lives results in elimination. Huynh, known as "Nam phương công tử" (Southern Gentleman), struggled to adapt to this format.

On the opening day, Huynh lost all three of his initial matches. He faced Tào Nham Lỗi twice and Vương Vũ Bác once, depleting his lives quickly. Although he showed flashes of brilliance in a subsequent rematch against Vương Vũ Bác, even holding a significant advantage at one point, a critical error in the endgame cost him the match.

This early exit marks Huynh's second setback in a similar knockout-style tournament this year, having also been defeated in the Tửu Tổ Đỗ Khang Bôi earlier in the year. The Xuân Khâu Đại Diệp Bôi boasts a substantial prize pool of nearly 1.2 million yuan, making it one of the most lucrative events in top-tier Xiangqi.