Vietnamese chess masters go undefeated at Sharjah Masters

During the third match which took place on March 24, Liem (Elo rating 2715) successfully beat his opponent, Venkatesh from India (Elo rating 2517), after 57 moves.

The strong showing from Liem helped him rank among the top five leading chess players in the medal tally. His next fixture will take place against Eduardo of Venezuela (Elo rating 2639) in the fourth match of the competition.

Alongside Liem, his teammate Nguyen Anh Khoi (Elo rating 2484), held Zubov of Ukraine (Elo rating 2605) to a draw over 52 moves, despite holding the black pawn.

The 17-year-old chess master earned a total of 2.5 points over the course of 3 matches, 0.5 points lower than the leading group of the tournament.

He will next face off against Ganguly Surya Shekhar of India (Elo rating 2633) in the fourth match of the tournament.

The Sharjah Masters 2019 has attracted the participation of 150 chess players from across 30 countries and territories, playing according to the nine-round Swiss system.

The tournament, which is being held between March 22 to 30, features 33 grandmasters, including 14 with an Elo rating of 2600+ and three players with a rating above 2700. A prize fund of US$60,000 is up for grabs, with the champion receiving US$15,000.