Vietnam GM edges out world champion at major chess tour

Liem played white in the first game and won after 36 complicated moves. He sacrificed his rook and bishop to remove Duda’s queen, forcing him to surrender.

Duda had to take risks in the second game when he played white, with a more offensive approach. Liem also didn’t defend, going back and forth with Duda. Eventually, Duda upped his attack and won after 68 moves.

In the third match, Liem created an advantage to win, with more knights in the end game, but failed to secure a win. After 68 moves, Liem and Duda shared the points.

The same result occurred in the fourth game, with both players entering a tie-break with two blitz games. Liem won both to claim an overall 4-2 victory.

Duda, a Polish grandmaster, is the winner of the 2021 FIDE World Cup. He’s 15th in classic chess rankings and 12th in rapid chess.

With this victory, Liem earned two more points, boasting current prize money of $20,000.

Oslo Esports Cup is the first major event (third overall) of the grand series Champions Chess Tour, which features eight grandmasters. Of these, four are among the world’s top 15. They will face each other in a round-robin format.

A player will get $2,500 for each point they earn and $7,500 for a win. The prize pool for this tournament is $210,000.

Liem is the first Vietnamese to play a major event of Champion Chess Tour.