Grandmaster Le Quang Liem: The journey to break limits at the Chess World Cup

Before round 5, Tuoi Tre Online readers are invited to review Le Quang Liem's ​​entire World Cup chess journey so far and analyze the upcoming opponent of Vietnam's number 1 chess player.

Le Quang Liem broke his own personal best at the 2025 Chess World Cup - Photo: chessbase India

Le Quang Liem's ​​spectacular victory over Indian player Karthik Venkataraman at the FIDE World Cup 2025 on the evening of November 12th was not only a personal triumph but also a historic achievement for Vietnamese chess.

Grandmaster Le Quang Liem has officially surpassed his own limits and those of Vietnamese chess at the most fiercely competitive arena on the planet.

Overcome your own limitations.

In the history of Vietnam's participation in the Chess World Cup, the best achievement for Vietnamese chess before the 2025 tournament is reaching the fourth round. And the person who set this milestone is none other than Le Quang Liem.

Prior to the 2025 Chess World Cup, Le Quang Liem came very close to the fifth round twice, but both times he was eliminated in disappointing fashion.

The first time was in 2013. Liem reached the fourth round, but was defeated by a very strong opponent, former world runner-up Peter Svidler.

Le Quang Liem was the last Asian player to be eliminated in the fourth round of the tournament. The way Quang Liem exited the competition earned the respect of top world players like Francisco Vallejo Pons, Alexander Grischuk, and even Peter Svidler.

Then, in 2019, Liem once again advanced to the fourth round, and his opponent was another top name in chess, Levon Aronian - a player whose highest ranking was world number 2. At that time, no surprises were possible for Le Quang Liem and Vietnamese chess.

Le Quang Liem (left) was unable to spring a surprise against the reigning champion Levon Aronian in 2019 - Photo: FIDE

Now, the victory against Karthik Venkataraman at the 2025 World Cup not only propelled Le Quang Liem into the round of 16, but also helped the 34-year-old player break his personal record and set the all-time best performance for Vietnamese chess at this tournament.

Advancing to the fourth round demonstrated the remarkable transformation and steely resolve of Vietnam's number one Grandmaster. This also elevates Vietnamese chess to a new level on the world chess map.

Opponent in the round of 16

After the matches on November 12th, Le Quang Liem's ​​opponent in the Round of 16 (Round 5) was also revealed. It was German Grandmaster Alexander Donchenko, who brilliantly defeated his compatriot in standard chess, just like Liem had done.

Alexander Donchenko (Elo 2641), a German Grandmaster of Russian descent born in 1998, is a talented and rapidly rising chess player. He is currently one of the top players in German chess and is considered a formidable opponent for Le Quang Liem.

Alexander Donchenko (left) is one of the intriguing dark horses at the 2025 Chess World Cup - Photo: chessbase India

The 27-year-old chess player made a strong impression by creating one of the biggest upsets at this year's Chess World Cup, defeating Grandmaster Anish Giri (Elo 2759, a Dutch player in the top 10) with a score of 1.5-0.5. This was a knockout victory against a superstar, confirming his form and dangerous potential in the tournament.

With a peak Elo rating of 2,684 (August 2023), Donchenko is a player with a solid and versatile playing style, and is recognized as one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament.

Liem is facing the biggest opportunity of his career to compete for a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament (the tournament that selects the challenger for the World Chess Championship) if he can finish in the top 3 of this year's World Cup.

Le Quang Liem and his opponent in the round of 16, Grandmaster Alexander Donchenko (Germany), will have a day off to prepare before the first leg of the round of 16 takes place on November 14th at 4:30 PM.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-kien-tuong-le-quang-liem-hanh-trinh-pha-vo-gioi-han-o-world-cup-co-vua-20251113101408537.htm