The Vietnamese chess team has a good chance to win a medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China next week, thanks to Le Quang Liem’s impressive performance.
The chess team will attend the Games with 11 members, including six male players. Along with Liem, there will be Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Nguyen Duc Hoa, Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy and Cao Sang.
The female members are Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung and Nguyen Thi Tuong Van.
HCM City-based and 19-year-old Liem will carry the biggest hope for the country’s first chess gold medal.
Liem won the prestigious Aeroflot Open chess tournament in March and shared the first place at Moscow Open, then finish second at the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting, an elite chess tournament.
He reached semi-final at the Cap D’Agde rapid chess tournament in France last month.
Another hope is IGM Truong Son, who has had a rather impressive year.
Son finished third at the Aeroflot Open and took second place at the Biel Chess Festival.
He recorded an impressive victory over former world champion Russian Anatoly Karpov at the Cap D’Agde tournament.
Both Liem and Son play in the men’s individual rapid and the team’s traditional chess events.
The team will arrive in Guangzhou on November 10.
