Grandmaster Le Quang Liem to compete in fifth stage of Champions Chess Tour
Vietnam’s no. 1 chess player, Le Quang Liem, will again have the chance to clash with chess king Magnus Carlsen as he has been invited to participate in the fifth stage of the 2021 Champions Chess Tour, to be played online on Chess24 from April 24 to May 2.
In that tournament, he ranked 10th out of the 16 participants, standing equal with three competitors in the top eight on eight points but missing out on a quarterfinal berth due to auxiliaries. Despite that fact, Liem was consoled as he managed to achieve a draw with Magnus Carlsen for the first time after suffering six consecutive defeats previously.
The official name and player list of the fifth leg has yet to be announced, but, in addition to Liem and Carlsen, the event will at least see the participation of India’s 15-year-old prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who has been invited following his supreme finish at the Polgar Challenge on April 11.
Norwegian chess king Magnus Carlsen has yet to win any stage of the 2020-2021 Champions Chess Tour, having twice settled for second place. In the first four legs, Philippine So Wesley won the first (Skilling Open) and third (Opera Euro Rapid), with the second (Airthings Masters) and fourth (Magnus Carlsen Invitational) claimed by Teimour Radjabov and Anish Giri, respectively.
The fifth stage offers a total prize fund of US$100,000, with the overall champions to be awarded US$30,000. The 16 participating players will compete against one another in a single round robin tournament to decide the top eight for the knockout round.
Top Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem.
This is the second time Quang Liem has received an invitation for the US$1.5 million Tour, following the first time at the Tour’s first stop - Skilling Open - last November.
In that tournament, he ranked 10th out of the 16 participants, standing equal with three competitors in the top eight on eight points but missing out on a quarterfinal berth due to auxiliaries. Despite that fact, Liem was consoled as he managed to achieve a draw with Magnus Carlsen for the first time after suffering six consecutive defeats previously.
The official name and player list of the fifth leg has yet to be announced, but, in addition to Liem and Carlsen, the event will at least see the participation of India’s 15-year-old prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who has been invited following his supreme finish at the Polgar Challenge on April 11.
Norwegian chess king Magnus Carlsen has yet to win any stage of the 2020-2021 Champions Chess Tour, having twice settled for second place. In the first four legs, Philippine So Wesley won the first (Skilling Open) and third (Opera Euro Rapid), with the second (Airthings Masters) and fourth (Magnus Carlsen Invitational) claimed by Teimour Radjabov and Anish Giri, respectively.
The fifth stage offers a total prize fund of US$100,000, with the overall champions to be awarded US$30,000. The 16 participating players will compete against one another in a single round robin tournament to decide the top eight for the knockout round.
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