VietNamNet Bridge – Le Quang Liem is on track to defend his title at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

Le Quang Liem.

Liem's strongest rivals include six international super grandmasters and eight international grandmasters, including Gata Kamsky of the US, Sergei Movsesian of Armnia, Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia and Maxime Vachier Lagrave of France.

Competitors range from unrated to highly rated taking part in three open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss event.

Liem is among 130 candidates in tournament A, the highest level, competing for a bonus of 20,000 euros (US$29,300) for the title winner who also will be entitled to participate in a round-robin Super Tournament in Dortmund in the second half of July.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an unrated player in tournament C.

The festival will conclude on February 17.

Viet Nam moves up in rankings

Viet Nam climbed two steps in world ranking in February, the world football authority, FIFA, has announced.

Despite no international match since January, Viet Nam still earned 172 points to reach 134th position.

The team is 21st in the Asian region, near their target of being in the top 20 in the continent. Among Southeast Asian competitors in the world ranking, they are third behind Thailand at 120th in the world and Indonesia at 129.

On the women's side, Viet Nam are 34th in the world. Their failure at December's Asian Women's Football Championship put them second in the Southeast Asian area behind Thailand although they are the SEA Games defending champions.

The next ranking will be announced on March 9.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News