Liem draws, Son wins at FIDE Grand Swiss in England

The world former blitz champion Liem tied with Ioannis Papaioannou of Greece after 69 moves.

Vietnam's top chess player Le Quang Liem. (Source: thanhnien.vn)

Grandmaster Liem has Elo rating of 2708, while Papaioannou has Elo rating of 2645.

The result left Liem undefeated in the tournament with a record of six draws and one win.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s other representative, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Elo rating 2638, enjoyed a victory over Ariel Erenberg of Israel, Elo rating 2463, after 44 moves.

Both Liem and Son are on four points after seven matches, leaving the pair just 1.5 points behind the group’s leaders.

Both Vietnamese representatives are in contention to move up in the rankings with four matches still to play.

In the competition’s next match, Liem will play Alexey Sarana of Russia, Elo rating 2655, while Son will take on Nils Grandelius of Sweden, Elo rating 2691.

The tournament runs for 11 rounds until October 22 with the winner taking a slot at the 2020 Candidates' Tournament. The winner of the Candidates' Tournament will earn the right to challenge reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in a match for the world championship in November 2020.

Source: VNA