Hot: Le Quang Liem draws with German player in round 5 of World Cup Chess

Vietnam's No. 1 chess player Le Quang Liem shared points with German player Alexander Donchenko in the first leg of round 5 of the 2025 Chess World Cup in India.

The mind game between Le Quang Liem and Alexander Donchenko

With one day off before the 5th round of the 16 best players at the 2025 Chess World Cup, Alexander Donchenko (elo 2,641) and Le Quang Liem (elo 2,729) have carefully prepared for their encounter.

Le Quang Liem has not yet won or lost with German chess player Alexander Donchenko in round 5 of the 2025 Chess World Cup.

PHOTO: FIDE

With the advantage of holding the white pieces (going first), Alexander Donchenko deployed an aggressive and proactive chess position, true to his playing style. To reach round 5, this player defeated many strong opponents, including the 4th seed Anish Giri (Netherlands), so Le Quang Liem was very cautious.

Holding the black pieces (going last), Vietnam's number 1 chess player Le Quang Liem plays slowly, steadily, and precisely, waiting for opportunities. Winning all previous matches at the 2025 Chess World Cup while holding the black pieces gives Le Quang Liem confidence when playing against Alexander Donchenko.

Alexander Donchenko maintained his form, holding Le Quang Liem to a draw in the first leg of round 5 of the 2025 Chess World Cup.

PHOTO: FIDE

German player Alexander Donchenko launched a sharp attack, but Le Quang Liem also made moves that were rated by the computer as highly accurate. Therefore, after 31 moves of intellectual competition, these two players accepted a draw because the game was too balanced. With this result, Le Quang Liem and Alexander Donchenko will play again in the return match tomorrow. Whoever wins the return match will advance to the quarterfinals. If they continue to draw, Le Quang Liem and Alexander Donchenko will move on to the next day of competition with a series of rapid and blitz tie-break matches to determine the winner.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nong-le-quang-liem-bat-phan-thang-bai-ky-thu-duc-o-vong-5-world-cup-co-vua-185251114200713263.htm