Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem, 20, has successfully defended his champion title at the international elite chess tournament Aeroflot Open 2011 in Russia.

 Liem claimed the victory after defeating Mamedov from Azerbaijan in the nine round on February 16, earning 6.5 points.

He is the first Asian grandmaster to win Europe’s leading chess tourney and receive 20,000 Euros in cash prize.

The 2011 Aeroflot Open chess tournament attracted 295 grandmasters from 41 countries around the world who competed in three groups (A, B, and C). The Vietnamese grandmaster played in Group A which included 86 leading competitors with an ELO rating of over 2600.

(VOV)