Lê Quang Liêm matches his career-best performance

09/11/2025 07:29:00 ScoreStream

Vietnam's leading chess player Lê Quang Liêm maintains steady performance at the 2025 Chess World Cup.

Vietnam's number one chess player Lê Quang Liêm kept up his solid form by defeating Jeffery Xiong (USA, Elo 2,649) with an overall score of 1.5-0.5, thereby advancing to the 4th round of the 2025 Chess World Cup and equaling his best career result in this prestigious tournament.

In the second leg of the 3rd round held on the evening of November 8 (Vietnam time), Quang Liêm played White and adopted a tight opening strategy. Although he faced some difficulties in the middlegame with his bishop in a passive position, the Vietnamese player remained steadfast with a defensive counterattack approach.

After exchanging queens, the game transitioned into an endgame with opposite-colored bishops — a scenario that prevented the American opponent from creating any breakthroughs. Both players agreed to a draw after 40 moves, just enough for Quang Liêm to secure progression without needing tie-breaks.

Lê Quang Liêm tái lập thành tích tốt nhất sự nghiệp 737740

Earlier in the first leg, Quang Liêm played Black and delivered an excellent victory over Xiong, concluding the match with a final score of 1.5-0.5. This achievement marks the third time in his career that he has reached the 4th round of the Chess World Cup, following his appearances in 2013 and 2019. However, unlike previous editions, this year's tournament has more participants, so the 4th round corresponds to the round of 32 rather than the round of 16.

According to the schedule, the 4th round will begin on November 11, where Quang Liêm will face the winner of the match between Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania, Elo 2,655) and Karthik Venkataraman (India, Elo 2,576). This pairing will be decided by tie-breaks on November 9, followed by a rest day for the players.

If he passes the 4th round, Quang Liêm may meet Matthias Bluebaum (Germany) or Alexander Donchenko (Germany) in the subsequent round. Notably, the top contender Anish Giri (Elo 2,769) was eliminated early after losing to Donchenko, leaving Quang Liêm’s bracket without any opponents rated above 2,700 Elo — opening up his best chance yet to advance further.

To qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which selects the challenger for the world chess champion, Quang Liêm needs to finish in the top 3 of the 2025 World Cup. In a special case, if Gukesh Dommaraju– the reigning world champion – also reaches the semifinals, the player ranked fourth will be granted a spot in the Candidates.

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