Vietnamese GM draws closer to Swiss chess title

Liem played white and scored a little advantage at the start, before gradually extending that advantage in midgame.

Meanwhile, a pressured Naiditsch failed to keep his composure, quickly surrendering after 39 moves.

After six encounters, Naiditsch is still seeking his first win against Liem.

This is Liem’s third consecutive win at the tournament, which earned him 4.2 Elo. After six games, he won four and lost two. His real-time Elo rating is 2,728, which put him at 21st on world rankings. His performance is equal to a player with an Elo rating of 2,802.

With 34 points, Liem remained in first position with three more points than second placed Andrey Esipenko. The last game is considered the final, with Liem to play Esipenko, and only needing a draw to win the title. If Liem loses the match, he is still guaranteed second place.