VietNam Culture: Liem

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Aeroflot champ Liem wants to be No 1

Le Quang Liem (C) is gifted with teddy bears and flowers by fans on his return to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on February 21, 2010

Grandmaster Le Quang Liem of Vietnam, who defended his championship title at the 2011 Aeroflot Open last week in Russia, returned home to a warm welcome at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City Monday.

The 20-year-old player had an interview with local media.

What are your targets this year?

They are to take part in some elite chess tournaments including the Dortmund Sparkassen event in Germany in July, World Cup in Russia in August, and the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia in November.

In addition, I will also join some other international tournaments wearing the jerseys of Germany’s Bremen chess club in March, France’s Every Grand Roque in April and China’s Qingdao Yucai in June.

I target to lift up my Elo ratings to 2,700 this year. [Now, his is 2,689.]

And other long-term targets?

It is to take my Elo ratings to the world’s top 30 and 20 and the number one in the world.

I have another task of completing my university program. I am now a freshman of finance and banking at the Saigon University.

Is it a trouble to follow at the same time two targets?

I take all my free time from chess competition for my banking studies. It’s difficult but I will improve.

What kind of support do you need from local and central sports departments to improve your world rankings?

I’ve met difficulties in legal documents to travel abroad for competition. I wish to have an official passport [granted to government officials on overseas missions], instead of ordinary passport to facilitate my travel.

For example, while competing at the Tata Steel chess tournament held last month in the Netherlands, coach Lam Minh Chau and I had to travel far away to another city for our visas to enter Russia as the Russian Embassy in Vietnam was on holiday for the Lunar New Year festival.

It would not cost that much time with an official passport.

How is your chess training now?

I mainly learn chess by competing with rivals on the Internet as no coach or expert in Vietnam is qualified to train a grandmaster.

What do you plan to do on your birthday on March 13?

As previous years, I celebrate it with my family and friends.

The Vietnamese government has given financial support to Liem for overseas competition.

As for international open tournaments, Ho Chi Minh City Sports Department is in charge of covering costs for his competition trips. Other events like the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Sea Games, Vietnam Chess Federation will cover his expenses.

Liem eager to play for German team

HA NOI — International Grand Master (IGM) Le Quang Liem has agreed to compete for Germany's Bremen chess club from next month, Liem's father Le Quynh confirmed yesterday.

Liem, 20, will leave for Germany for March 18-19 following the signing of a two-month contract with the Bremen club, allowing Liem to compete in the German Chess tournament.

The HCM City-born grandmaster will receive payment from US$700-1,400 for each game he plays, excluding win bonuses, accommodation and air tickets.

"Liem was offered a contract by a Spanish chess club after he won the Russian International Chess Festival – Aeroflot Open in Moscow last week, but he previously signed with Bremen and French team Evry Grand Roque. Chinese Qingdao Yucai also invited Liem to play in the China's Chess League Division A, however, the agreement has yet to finalised," Quynh told Viet Nam News yesterday.

As the German Chess tournament is played monthly, the HCM City's player can travel forth and back between Viet Nam and Germany according to the German fixtures.

The 20-year-old will also play for the Evry Grand Roque Club in the French Chess League Top 16 this June when athletes will finish their match in a nine-game format over two weeks.

The International Grand Master is the first player to win the Aeroflot Open twice in a row, which has earned him an elo rate of 2,689 in March's World Chess Federation (FIDE) rankings and a place in the world top 50.

"It's not the first time a Vietnamese player has competed abroad. Over the past years, Vietnamese players have played for Chinese teams on short-term contracts," said the Viet Nam Chess Federation (VCF)'s vice chairman and general secretary Dang Tat Thang.

"A clutch of top athletes including Le Thanh Tu, Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Dao Thien Hai and Pham Le Thao Nguyen have played for Chinese teams. They both improved their skills and income from competitions abroad," Thang said.

He also added the federation always gave the green light to chess players wanting to compete for foreign clubs.

Liem was conferred the International Grand Master title following the Chess Olympiad in Turin in 2006.

The IGM said he had to overcome the pressure of his new found success to improve his world rankings at international tournaments this year.

Liem, who is a first year student at the Finance and Bank faculty of HCM City University, has to arrange time between his college studies and competitions.

Last year, Liem grabbed a silver medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. — VNS

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Three preliminary jobs before Liem excels at world chess

Le Quang Liem

After brilliantly defending his title at the Aeroflot Open 2011 in Russia last week, grandmaster Le Quang Liem has become a prominent figure in a long-term plan of Vietnam to propel him to the world’s top spot in the future.

Ranking 79th in the world with an Elo rating of 2,664 in the January’s table, the 20-year-old player is estimated to have lifted himself up to an Elo of 2,689 after clinching the title and may surge to the top 40 at this month’s table, to be released soon.

Vietnam Chess Federation Deputy-General Secretary Nguyen Phuoc Trung sent Tuoi Tre a letter explaining the three preliminary jobs that must be accomplished before Liem can dream the impossible dream of becoming the World Chess champion.

First of all, Liem must make an unequivocal decision either to enter the professional sporting career with chess or to go on with his study, as he is a freshman of finance and banking at Saigon University at the moment.

Given the fact that all top-rated sportsmen in the world are professionals, it seems unlikely that Liem can take on both chess and study and excel in either of them, Trung said.

Becoming a professional, Liem will have time to map out a strategic route for training and competition. He can decide which tournament to enter to accumulate knowledge, which one to take to test his new chess strategies and which one to win to hike up his Elo points.

“I believe Liem will have a bright future at the Chess World Cup in 2013 if he chooses to enter the professional sports,” Trung writes in the letter.

Secondly, Liem’s bright future in world chess, however, depends on how the government of Vietnam plans and implements the “national strategy of investment” for Liem.

Vietnam has long struggled to better its status in world sports. Its goal, nevertheless, is simply to get out of the “under-developed zone”, never to reach the top spot and dominate the international world of sports.

It is clear that in the world of professional sports, individual effort alone is never enough to take an athlete to the top position. In Liem’s case, it requires a lot of national support and a careful “national investment plan.”

That is, Trung said, sports leaders of Vietnam should assist with a suitable strategy to help Liem develop his chess talent and scale the height of his sporting career.

Last but not the least is the question of money.

Liem needs all the help of qualified trainers and assisting staff he can get in his daily training and competition.

“He needs money to develop into a world-class player, as we can’t ask him to win all the tournaments he takes part in and use the prize money to cover for all the costs he incurred,” Trung concluded.

liem 2

Friday, February 18, 2011

Top mark for fair play at chess's Aeroflot Open

Le Quang Liem (R) plays against Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in the last round. They finally set for a tie

Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem, 20 and with Elo rating of 2,664, writes his name in the 10-year history of Russia’s Aeroflot Open chess tourney as the first player in the world for crowning the title twice in two consecutive years.

His victory this year came from his talent, of course, and the spirit of sportsmanship of other rivals, according to Liem’s coach, Lam Minh Chau.

Liem and Bulgarian grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov each had 6 points before the last round taking place, but Liem could only manage his best for a tie with GM Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan.

That means Cheparinov would be declared champion if he defeated Russian Nikita Vitiugov in their last game. That even didn’t happen thanks to the sporting spirit of all participants, especially from Vitiugov, who defeated Cheparinov in the last round to stamp out his hope.

Not waiting till the last round, the fair play spirit was actually honored right from the opening round, the coach remarked.

The coach added that Liem’s biggest progress at the tournament was his growing confidence. He showed no fright while staging against high-profile champions of the world and even challenged those rivals with attacks from the beginning.

In the second game against Chinese Deshun Xiu, Liem produced his far-thinking strategy by sacrificing his pawns. Experts later acknowledged his moves outsmarted his rival, forcing him to surrender.

Facing the world blitz chess champion Gata Kamsky of the US in the fourth round, Liem actively staged his attacking formation and sacrificed pawns to assault others. It stunned the wise Kamsky who was later forced to accept a loss.

Liem kept on the attacking tactics to pile up pressure against Ivan Cheparinov in the penultimate round, but he failed this time and it was his only loss at the tournament.

Liem applies the ancient proverb “it’s more difficult to defend than to attack”, and staged assaults after assaults tactically to defend his title and set up a historic record at Aeroflot Open.

Liem will automatically qualify for the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meet in Germany, which is the playing ground of only super grandmasters, meaning those with Elo rating from 2,700.

Liem and other participants are commendable for their sporting spirits at the event.

liem phat bieu

Liem (second, L) addresses the audience after crowning the championship title at the 2011 Aeroflot Open held in Russia from February 7-17

GM Liem retains Aeroflot crown

Mind games: Vietnamese International Grand Master Le Quang Liem won the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow for the second time in a row. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Despite a spectacular loss against Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria in the penultimate round on Wednesday, Vietnamese Grandmaster (GM) Le Quang Liem won the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow for the second time in a row.

HCM City-born Liem came back strongly with a solid draw against Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in the final round.

The Vietnamese GM was among 130 candidates with highest FIDE ratings competing in the tournament for a prize of 20,000 euros (US$29,300). Liem finished with 6.5 points following four wins, three draws and one loss.

GMs Nikita Vitiugov and Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia finished runners-up after winning their final matches against Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria and Sanan Sjugirov of Russia, respectively.

The victory means world No 79 Liem qualifies for the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund, Germany, this summer, where he finished second last year behind Ruslan Ponomariov.

Group B was won by GM Tigran Kotanjian from Armenia, who edged out GM Darwin Laylo of the Philippines and GM Nikolai Kabanov of Russia on a tiebreak. Armenia experienced more success in the Group C with David Shahinyan and Tigran Simonian making it a one-two for the Balkans nation.

Liem, 20, also won the 4th Kolkata Open Grandmaster Tournament in 2009, the Zhejiang Lishui Xingqiu Open, and finished equal third in the 8th Asian Continental Individual Open Championship.

In February last year, Liem tied for first in the Aeroflot Open with Konstantin Chernyshov, Evegny Bareev and Ernesto Inarkiev. — VNS

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Le Quang Liem retains Aeroflot title

HA NOI – Despite a spectacular loss against Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria in the penultimate round yesterday evening, Vietnamese Grandmaster (GM) Le Quang Liem won the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow for the second time in a row.

Later yesterday evening, HCM City-born Liem came back strongly with a solid draw against Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in the final round.

The Vietnamese GM was among 130 candidates with highest FIDE ratings competing in the A tournament for a prize of 20,000 euros (US$29,300). Liem finished with 6.5 points following four wins, three draws and one loss.

GMs Nikita Vitiugov and Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia finished runners-up after winning their final matches against Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria and Sanan Sjugirov of Russia, respectively.

The victory means world No 79 Liem qualifies for the Super Tournament in Dortmund later this summer, where he finished second last year behind Ruslan Ponomariov.

The B tournament was won by GM Tigran Kotanjian from Armenia, who edged out GM Darwin Laylo of the Philippines and GM Nikolai Kabanov of Russia on a tiebreak. Armenia experienced more success in the C tournament with David Shahinyan and Tigran Simonian making it a one-two for the Balkans nation.

Liem also won the 4th Kolkata Open Grandmaster Tournament in 2009, the Zhejiang Lishui Xingqiu Open, and finished equal third in the 8th Asian Continental Individual Open Championship.

In February last year, Liem tied for first in the Aeroflot Open with Konstantin Chernyshov, Evegny Bareev and Ernesto Inarkiev. – VNS

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Liem in lead at Aeroflot Open

Making his move: Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem competes at the Aeroflot Open International Chess tournament. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut

HA NOI — International Grandmaster Le Quang Liem took the sole lead at the Russian International Chess Festival (Aeroflot Open) after seventh round play yesterday in Moscow.

Liem has scored six points after seven matches and has remained in the top position in the tournament since the third round on Friday.

The defending champion, Liem, defeated Russian Mikhail Kobalia, 32, who was European Youth Chess Champion in 1994. The victory made Liem the only competitor here not to suffer a loss in the tournament, which follows the Swiss system's nine-round format.

His two draws were against Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia and Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan. Tomashevsky triumphed at the 10th European Championships in 2009 while Kasimdzhanov shocked the chess world by winning the FIDE world chess championship title, beating a string of world-class players.

In their previous match, Liem drew with Kasimdzhanov and lost his Asian Games title to the Uzbek last December.

The HCM City-born Liem will next meet Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria who has earned five points and is among seven players on five points, very close to Liem in the ranking table.

The winner of the tournament will bring home 20,000 euros (US$29,300) and get the chance to participate in a round-robin super tournament in Dortmund, Germany, in late July. The final match is this Friday. — VNS

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Quang Liem leads Aeroflot Open chess tournament

Grandmaster Le Quang Liem

Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem, 20, made excellent performances at the international elite chess tournament Aeroflot Open 2011 in Russia for gaining complete victories at four opening rounds.

Remarkably, the defending champion Liem with Elo rating of 2,664 beat the number 1 seed and world blitz chess champion, Gata Kamsky of the US at the fourth round on Friday.

He had beaten GM Luka Lenic of Slovenia, Deshun Xiu of China, and GM Andrey Zhigalko of Belarus in the three first rounds.

Liem is now the solo leader on the table with four points and is scheduled to meet GM Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia in the fifth round today. He is followed by two Russian grandmasters Mikhail Kobalia and Evgeny Tomashevsky, each with 3.5 points after four rounds.

The Aeroflot Open 2011 is organized in Moscow from February 7 – 18. This year, it is open to chess players of most varied qualification, from unrated to having a very high rating and separated in A, B, and C categories.

The festival has the prize fund amounting to EUR160,000 (US$217,000).

Quang Liem leads Aeroflot event

Vietnamese International Grand Master (IGM) Le Quang Liem took the lead at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow after defeating China's Xiu Deshun in the second round on Thursday.

Taking two points from two rounds, Liem will meet IGM Slovakia's Luka Lenic in the third round.

Competitors have varying levels of skills and are taking part in three open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss system event.

Liem is among 130 candidates in Tournament A, the highest level, competing for a cash prize of 20,000 euros (US$29,300) for the title winner who also will be entitled to participate in a round-robin Super Tournament in Dortmund in the second half of July.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an unrated player in Tournament C.

Ngoc Tu to compete for Gia Lai

Soc Trang's judoka Van Ngoc Tu is completing the necessary procedures to play for Gia Lai, after signing a VND10 million (US$500) a month contract.

Tu is nearly unrivalled at Southeast Asian (SEA) region following the 23rd SEA Games.

The four-time SEA champion officially ended her contract with Soc Trang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism last December.

City to spend $350,000 on youth

HCM City will spend VND7 billion (US$350,000) to train young players this year, mainly in training and competing abroad.

Young talents will also be given top priority, with 16-year-old tennis player Nguyen Hoang Thien, who is competing at the 2011 Tennis Central 18&U ITF Summer Championships in New Zealand, set to receive $30,000.

Thien was ranked 241st in the world according to the latest world ranking table by the International Tennis Federation.

Woman striker hangs up her boots

Do Thi Ngoc Cham, the national women's football team's star striker, has announced her retirement from the sport at just 26 to pursue a coaching career.

Cham, who recently signed on as assistant coach of Ha Noi team, had helped the team win a gold medal at the National Games last December.

Winner of the Golden Ball in 2008, she was the main striker for the national and Ha Noi teams in recent years.

Ha Noi-born Cham began to play competitive football in 1999 when she joined the Soc Son District Sports Centre.

She began to play for Ha Noi in 2001 and a year later was named in the national team for the Asian Games. — VNS

Friday, February 11, 2011

Vietnamese master defends crown

Le Quang Liem is on track to defend his title at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

Liem won his first round match over Andrey Zhigalko of Bulgaria on
Feb. 8 and will meet Chinese Xiu Deshun who beat Romain Edouard of
France next round.

Liem's strongest rivals include six
international super grandmasters and eight international grandmasters,
including Gata Kamsky of the US , Sergei Movsesian of Armnia, Dmitry
Jakovenko of Russia and Maxime Vachier Lagrave of France .

Competitors range from unrated to highly rated taking part in three
open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss event.

Liem is among 130 candidates in tournament A, the highest level,
competing for a bonus of 20,000 euros (29,300 USD) for the title winner
who also will be entitled to participate in a round-robin Super
Tournament in Dortmund in the second half of July.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women
and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an
unrated player in tournament C.

The festival will conclude on February 17.

Liem has recently announced that he will be competing for three foreign teams this year.

Liem is the world No 79 will represent Germany 's Bremen at the
German Clubs Cup, Evry Grand Roque at the French Chess League Top 16 and
Chinese Qingdao Yucai at China 's Chess League Division A in March,
April and June, respectively.

The HCM City-born master is first ever Vietnamese chess master to play for foreign clubs.

Liem will later take part in the World Chess Championships in Khanty
Mansiysk in Russia from August 20 to September 15 and the 26th
Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November.

Liem whose ELO rating of 2,664 is aiming to break into the top 40 with an ELO rating of over 2,700 in 2011./.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Vietnam chess star eyes foreign clubs

Le Quang Liem (L) wins Andrey Zhigalko from Belarus at teh opening round of the 2011 Aeroflot Open Tournament in Russia

Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem is likely to play for foreign teams to compete at international tournaments in the next few months.

Liem said that if nothing changes, he will join overseas clubs namely Bremen of Germany, Evry Grand Roque (France) and Qingdao Yucai (China), to compete in the French Chess League-Top 16 and the China Team Chess League Division A.

The 20-year-old along with his coach Minh Chau flied to Moscow on Tuesday to participate in the 2011 Aeroflot Open Tournament taking place on February 8-17.

He won the Aeroflot Open Tournament in 2010 and was awarded a cash prize of EUR20,000 (US$27,300).

Liem recently attended the Tata Steel Tournament held in the Netherlands, securing fourth place and receiving a cash award of EUR3,000 ($4,100).

This year, Liem will also take part in the World Chess Championships in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia from August 20 to September 15 and the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November.

He currently ranks 79th in the world with an ELO rating of 2,664, and sets a target to enter the world’s top 40 with an ELO rating of over 2,700 this year.

Master defends crown

Making his move: Vietnamese chess master Le Quang Liem on his way to winning his first match at the Aeroflot Open tournament in Moscow. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI – Le Quang Liem is on track to defend his title at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

Liem won his first round match over Andrey Zhigalko of Bulgaria on Tuesday and will meet Chinese Xiu Deshun who beat Romain Edouard of France next round.

Liem's strongest rivals include six international super grandmasters and eight international grandmasters, including Gata Kamsky of the US, Sergei Movsesian of Armnia, Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia and Maxime Vachier Lagrave of France.

Competitors range from unrated to highly rated taking part in three open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss event.

Liem is among 130 candidates in tournament A, the highest level, competing for a bonus of 20,000 euros (US$29,300) for the title winner who also will be entitled to participate in a round-robin Super Tournament in Dortmund in the second half of July.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an unrated player in tournament C.

The festival will conclude on February 17

Liem has recently announced that he will be competing for three foreign teams this year.

Liem is the world No 79 will represent Germany's Bremen at the German Clubs Cup, Evry Grand Roque at the French Chess League Top 16 and Chinese Qingdao Yucai at China's Chess League Division A in March, April and June, respectively.

The HCM City-born master is first ever Vietnamese chess master to play for foreign clubs.

Liem will later take part in the World Chess Championships in Khanty Mansiysk in Russia from August 20 to September 15 and the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November.

Liem whose ELO rating of 2,664 is aiming to break into the top 40 with an ELO rating of over 2,700 in 2011. — VNS

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Liem to defend crown in Moscow

HA NOI – Le Quang Liem is on track to defend his title at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

Liem won his first round match over Andrey Zhigalko of Bulgaria on Tuesday and this afternoon will meet Chinese Xiu Deshun who beat Romain Edouard of France.

Liem's strongest rivals include six international super grandmasters and eight international grandmasters, including Gata Kamsky of the US, Sergei Movsesian of Armnia, Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia and Maxime Vachier Lagrave of France.

Competitors range from unrated to highly rated taking part in three open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss event.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an unrated player in tournament C.

The festival will conclude on February 17. – VNS

Saturday, January 8, 2011

VN Football Federation chief wins AFC seat

The general secretary of the Viet Nam Football Federation, Tran Quoc

Tuan, won a seat on the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee at the 24th AFC Congress that wrapped up on Thursday.

Tuan got 30 votes and was joined by Winston Lee of Singapore (33) and U Zaw Zaw of Myanmar (23). Timor Leste's Francisco Kalbaudi (20) and Indonesia's Nurdin Halid (21) lost out.

The voting was done regionally with each of the four zones getting three members into the Committee.

Liem to compete in the Netherlands

International Grandmaster Le Quang Liem will leave for the Netherlands' Tata Steel chess championship next week.

Master Liem accompanied by coach Lam Minh Chau will compete in the tournament from January 14-30 in Wijk Ann Zee city.

The Vietnamese who is expected to be seeded No 5 will take part in group B against 13 other masters whose FIDE Elo rating around 2,700.

Group A is for contestants selected from the world's top 25, while group C is for masters with Elo rating below that of B Group contestants.

The Tata Steel Tournament is one of the world's most prestigious tournaments, regularly attracting world champions. The winner of group B and C will win promotion for the next tournament. — VNS

Friday, January 7, 2011

Liem slip-up throws tournament open

With Vietnam's top-seeded
Grandmaster Le Quang Liem suffering his first defeat on Jan. 6, the
HDBank Open Cup chess tournament has been thrown wide open.

At the Rex Hotel in HCM City, Liem, the world No 79,
surprisingly lost to eighth-seeded Filipino GM Gomez John Paul in the
fifth round.

Paul now tops the table with five points.

He is followed by Chinese GM Yu Yangyi with 4.5 points and Vietnamese
GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, who is on four points after beating another
Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi on Jan. 6.

The loss has left
20-year-old Liem on 3.5 points. With just four more rounds to go, Liem
may have left himself with too much to do to win his first title of the
year.

Earlier, he had beaten Singapore 's Fernandez
Daniel Howard in the first round and China 's GM Lou Yiping in the
second round, drew with Bitoon Richard of the Philippines, and beat
compatriot Nguyen Duc Hoa in the fourth.

Also on 3.5
points are GMs Cao Sang and Tran Thanh Tu of Vietnam, Richard, GMs
Laylo Darwin and Salvador Roland and IMs Barbosa Oliver and Dimakiling
of the Philippines, GMs Wen Yang, Zhao Jun, and Wang Chen of China .

The week-long tournament has attracted 30 Vietnamese
players and 35 others from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine.

It concludes on Jan. 9./.

Liem slip-up throws tournament open

HCM City — With Viet Nam's top-seeded Grandmaster Le Quang Liem suffering his first defeat yesterday, the HDBank Open Cup chess tournament has been thrown wide open.

At the Rex Hotel in HCM City, Liem, the world No 79, surprisingly lost to eighth-seeded Filipino GM Gomez John Paul in the fifth round.

Paul now tops the table with five points.

He is followed by Chinese GM Yu Yangyi with 4.5 points and Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, who is on four points after beating another Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi yesterday.

The loss has left 20-year-old Liem on 3.5 points. With just four more rounds to go, Liem may have left himself with too much to do to win his first title of the year.

Earlier, he had beaten Singapore's Fernandez Daniel Howard in the first round and China's GM Lou Yiping in the second round, drew with Bitoon Richard of the Philippines, and beat compatriot Nguyen Duc Hoa in the fourth.

Also on 3.5 points are GMs Cao Sang and Tran Thanh Tu of Viet Nam, Richard, GMs Laylo Darwin and Salvador Roland and IMs Barbosa Oliver and Dimakiling of the Philippines, GMs Wen Yang, Zhao Jun, and Wang Chen of China.

The week-long tournament has attracted 30 Vietnamese players and 35 others from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine.

It concludes on Sunday. — VNS

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Two more silvers for Vietnam at ASIAD 16

Vietnam’s sports delegation won two more silvers and four bronzes on
Nov. 16, bringing the total number of medals to four silvers and seven
bronzes after four days of competition at the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD
16) in Guangzhou, China.

One silver medal was earned by international chess grand master Le Quang Liem at the men’s individual event.

Liem
pocketed 7.5 points after nine games, levelling with eventual
gold-medal winner Kasimdzhanov Rustam of Uzbekistan. Liem lost out as he
had been defeated by Rustam in their match on Nov. 16.

Wushu
martial artist Nguyen Thanh Tung took another silver with a combined
performance of taijijan and taijiquan that earned him 18.32 points,
finishing second behind his powerful Chinese rival.

Vietnamese
wushu sanshou artists Vuong Dinh Khanh and Nguyen Minh Thong carried off
two bronzes after being defeated by their Chinese and RoK rivals in the
men’s 70kg and 60kg category, respectively.

Two other bronzes were taken by Ly The Vinh and Duong Anh Vu in the men’s three-cushion billiards individual event./.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Viet Nam optimistic over ASIAD medal chances

by Tien Thanh

Golden opportunity: Nguyen Thi Thanh An will be a leading player in the women's chess division at the Asian Games in China.

HCM CITY — The Vietnamese chess team has a good chance to win a medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China next week, thanks to Le Quang Liem's impressive performance.

The chess team will attend the Games with 11 members, including six male players. Along with Liem, there will be Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Nguyen Duc Hoa, Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy and Cao Sang.

The female members are Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung and Nguyen Thi Tuong Van.

"Because this is the biggest sports event in Asia and only four sets of medals are up for grabs, it will be a fierce competition," said Lam Minh Chau, head coach of the chess team attending the Games.

"With the recent impressive performances from Son and Liem, however, Viet Nam can hope for a medal or a good result, with a little bit of luck," Chau said, adding that China and India were the chief obstacles.

HCM City-based and 19-year-old Liem will carry the biggest hope for the country's first chess gold medal.

Liem won the prestigious Aeroflot Open chess tournament in March and shared the first place at Moscow Open, then finish second at the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting, an elite chess tournament.

He reached semi-final at the Cap D'Agde rapid chess tournament in France last month.

"It is difficult to say anything in advance but I will try my best to bring home our first gold medal in chess," the world No 44 and international grand master, Liem, said.

It would be quite an achievement for Liem, who will be making his debut at the Asian Games next week, if he can win a medal.

Another hope is IGM Truong Son, who has had a rather impressive year.

Son finished third at the Aeroflot Open and took second place at the Biel Chess Festival.

He recorded an impressive victory over former world champion Russian Anatoly Karpov at the Cap D'Agde tournament.

Both Liem and Son play in the men's individual rapid and the team's traditional chess events.

The team will arrive in Guangzhou next Wednesday. — VNS

Friday, October 15, 2010

Grand masters to battle in France

Two International Grand Masters (IGM) Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc
Truong Son will compete in the Cap D'Agde Rapid Chess tournament in
France from October 23-31.

The two top Vietnamese
grand masters will test their skills against formidable opponents,
including Russian giant Anatoly Karpov, Vasily Ivanchuk from Ukraine, Bu
Xiangzhi from China and Judith Polgar from Hungary.

Liem and Son will use the event as a warm up for the Asian Games in Guangzhou , China next month.

Liem, 19, has been in top form since finishing second at the
Sparkassen Chess Meeting that was held in Dortmund , Germany in
July.

He also won the Moscow Open in February.

Last year, the HCM City-born player broke into the world's top 20 FIDE
rankings, and was the only Vietnamese player to make the list of
leading male chess masters.

However, Son and Liem performed poorly at the Chess Olympiad last month.

Son, who became a Grand Master in March 1997 when he was 14 years old,
will face China 's Bu Xiangzhi, an arch rival, in the Cap D'Agde
tourney.

The match will be held next Friday.

After the tournament, the two top players will have a 10-day break before flying to Guangzhou for the Asian Games./.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Quang Liem jumps to 41st place in FIDE ranking

Le Quang Liem

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese chess ace, grandmaster Le Quang Liem has made yet one more stride in his chess career as he jumped to the 41st spot on the September ranking of the world chess federation (FIDE) -- his highest ever placement.

The 19-year-old player, now with Elo ratings of 2,694, climbed up from 55th in the July ranking table after winning a silver medal at the category-20 Sparkassen Chess-Meeting tournament in Dortmund, Germany in late July.

In February this year, he had jumped to the 42nd place after winning the Aeroflot Open title in Moscow, but then slipped back down to 55th.

At the nine-day Frorencio Campomanes Memorial Cup in the Philippines that wrapped up Saturday, Liem and Zhao Jun of China shared the top prize each grabbing 7 points after nine rounds.

Each of them also won a cash prize of US$9,500 for the championship title.

“My target now is to reach the top 30 on FIDE rankings, meaning I need to earn an Elo ratings of at least 2,710,” Liem told Tuoi Tre.

“I will join the Vietnamese national team to compete at the (World Chess) Olympiad in Russia (from September 23 to October 4) and take part in the Asian Olympic Games in China in November,” he added.

Five top players on the September FIDE rankings include Magnus Carlsen of Norway with Elo ratings of 2,826; Bulgaria’s Veseling Topalov (2,803); India’s Viswanathang Anand (2,800); Armenia’s Levong Aronian (2,783); and Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik (2,780).

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Le Quang Liem (C) is gifted with teddy bears and flowers by fans on his return to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on February 21, 2010

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