HA NOI — Viet Nam’s top chess player Le Quang Liem jumped up three positions to 29th place in the men’s standard category, according to the International Chess Federation’s December rankings.

It is the first time since May, the HCM City-born player Liem rejoined the top 30 players in the world, earning an Elo of 2718.

Viet Nam’s number 2 chess player, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Can Tho, dropped one place to 157th place with Elo rating of 2629. Meanwhile, Hanoian Tran Tuan Minh ranked 978th with an Elo rating of 2478.

Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who successfully defended his world title remained atop the rankings. — VNS