Top Vietnamese chess player Lê Quang Liêm. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

HÀ NỘI — Top Vietnamese chess player Lê Quang Liêm lost to a relatively unknown rival, Nie Xinyang, in the fifth round of the 2019 Chinese Chess League Division A on Tuesday.

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

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

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

Liêm 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