Top Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem. — Photo: VNN

Although holding the white pieces, Grandmaster Liem (who has an Elo rating of 2704) was defeated by Xinyang (Elo 2350) after 42 moves.

Liem is competing for China’s Jiangsu team in this event, while Xinyang plays for Fengdu. Liem is considered Jiangsu's top player.

With Liem’s loss, Jiangsu fell to Fengdu 1.5-3.5 in the final.

Liem will next face Wang Hao of Guangdong in the sixth round.

The 2019 Chinese Chess League Division A is a 12-team double round-robin competition featuring most of the top Chinese players. It takes place from April to November, with 22 rounds in six three- to four-day sessions.

VNS