The former world blitz chess champion beat International Master Khademalsharieh Sarasadat of Iran in the sixth match of the Masters pool which gathers more than 252 competitors.
No 9 seed Liem will next play Grandmaster Grandelius Nils of Sweden who is currently second.
GM David Navara of the Czech Republic is on top. Grandmaster Vladislav Artemiev of Russia is in third.
The Gibraltar International Chess Festival is the most popular open-chess tournament in the world. The 2019 edition takes place from January 22 – 31 at Hotel Caleta, attracting many players.
VNA/VNP