HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm won the World Open chess tournament which concluded in Philadelphia, the US on Sunday.
After nine matches, Liêm (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 Liêm forced him into a draw after 36 points. Liêm received bonus points for playing with the black players and was declared champion.
This is the first World Open title for Liêm. He walked away with US$15,000 for the title and a bonus of $500 for winning the tiebreak.
Earlier, the HCM City-born player won the Asian Continental Chess Championship in China and the Summer Chess Classic in the US.
Liêm was the top seed of the World Open event which drew 227 players, including 36 Grandmasters. — VNS
