Vietnamese Grandmaster Le Quang Liem won the World Open chess tournament which concluded in Philadelphia, the US, on 7 July.

Vietnamese Grandmaster Le Quang Liem (Photo: tinmoi247.net)

After nine matches, Liem (Elo rating 2,713) was tied for first with 7.5 points alongside American Jeffery Xiong. The winner was decided by a blitz match between the two. Xiong had the advantage of playing with the white pieces but Liem forced him into a draw after 36 points. Liem received bonus points for playing with the black players and was declared champion.

This is the first World Open title for Liem. He walked away with 15,000 USD for the title and a bonus of 500 USD for winning the tiebreak.

Earlier, the Ho Chi Minh City-born player won the Asian Continental Chess Championship in China and the Summer Chess Classic in the US.

Liem was the top seed of the World Open event which drew 227 players, including 36 Grandmasters.

(Source: VNA)