Quang Liem and Nikita

In the early hours of January 28th (Vietnam time), Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem (elo 2705) drew with Russian player Vitiugov Nikita (elo 2694) in what was considered an "early final" of the Tradewise Gibraltar International Chess Tournament held in Gibraltar, United Kingdom.

This match attracted a great deal of attention from chess enthusiasts because Quang Liem and Nikita were the two leading players after winning all five of their first games. Much to the delight of their fans, the direct confrontation between these two players in the sixth game was incredibly intense.

Chess player Le Quang Liem - Photo: TGCF

Quang Liem had the advantage of playing with the white pieces (going first) but did not risk a massive attack. Meanwhile, Nikita also prioritized a safe position. Both players thought very carefully before each exchange decision, so there were almost no mistakes in defense. After 59 moves, Nikita only had a Rook left while Quang Liem had only one Knight more. But for the next 26 moves, Quang Liem pressed hard but still could not overcome Nikita, so they had to settle for a draw, ending the match after 86 moves without a clear winner.

With this result, Quang Liem continues to maintain his top position in the standings after 6 games with 5.5 points. Nikita is close behind Quang Liem with the same 5.5 points but trails Quang Liem in tie-breaking criteria.

In the seventh round, Quang Liem will face a huge challenge when he clashes with the tournament's top seed, Ivanchuk Vassily (Ukraine - Elo 2758).

According to Tuoi Tre - DT