Quang Liem back closer to Super Grandmaster title
Vietnamese chess star Le Quang Liem moved up 13 notches to 52nd position in the latest world men’s rankings, announced by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on April 1 – a big step towards resuming his super grandmaster title lost a few months ago.
Liem’s promotion resulted from his three consecutive championship titles won last month at the Zone 3.3 qualifying round of the 2015 World Chess Championships and the 2015 HDBank International Open Chess Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, and the President’s Cup in the US.
Liem played a total of 18 matches and earned an additional 17 Elo points. With a new Elo rating of 2,693, he is just seven points away from the rank of super grandmaster and runs the high possibility of fulfilling this goal in the near future.
Liem will join the national team at the Asian championships in May before competing at the 2015 World Rapid and Blitz Championships the next month. The 2015 World Chess Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan in September will be also a good chance for Liem to accumulate Elo points to reclaim the super grandmaster title.
Liem’s teammate, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son also jumped 10 places to stand 81st in the world with a new Elo rating of 2,662.