Vietnam’s number one chess player, Le Quang Liem, achieved a historic victory at the Biel Chess Festival 2024, securing the championship title one round before the tournament’s conclusion. This remarkable achievement marks his third consecutive win at this prestigious event held in Switzerland.
On the night of July 24 (Vietnam time), Le Quang Liem (ranked 17th in the world) triumphed over the top-seeded player Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India, ranked 8th in the world) after 65 moves in the penultimate round of the Grandmaster Triathlon event at the Biel Chess Festival. This victory earned Le Quang Liem four points, securing the championship with a 5.5-point lead over second-place finisher Haik Martirosyan (Armenia).
Before participating in the Biel Chess Festival 2024, Le Quang Liem had taken a significant break from major international tournaments to focus on his coaching role at Webster University in the United States and managing the SPICE chess academy. His decision to compete in the challenging Grandmaster Triathlon event, which includes rapid, blitz, and classical chess, showcased his experience, calmness, and precision.
Le Quang Liem performed impressively throughout the tournament. After the five rapid games, he scored five points, trailing Haik Martirosyan by two points. In the ten blitz games, Le Quang Liem scored 6.5 points, just 0.5 points behind Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. However, in the crucial classical chess segment, Le Quang Liem’s exceptional performance allowed him to break away from the competition and secure the title before the final round. His victory at the Biel Chess Festival 2024 marks him as one of the rare players to achieve three consecutive wins in this event. Following his victory, Le Quang Liem expressed his desire to match the record of four titles held by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) from 2013 to 2016.
The Grandmaster Triathlon championship at the Biel Chess Festival 2024 awarded Le Quang Liem a prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs (approximately 286 million VND). Additionally, he gained 10 elo points, moving up one rank to 16th in the world with a total elo rating of 2,741.
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