Le Quang Liem (elo 2729) led Donchenko (2641) into a rook endgame, with White down one pawn. However, Black's pawn structure was weaker, leading the computer to assess the position as balanced. The 34-year-old player seemingly took a risk to play for a win, ultimately losing another pawn, which put him in a losing position from move 45. Despite this, Le Quang Liem did not give up easily.
 |
Le Quang Liem during his match against Donchenko in the return leg of round five of the Chess World Cup in Goa, India on 15/11. Photo: FIDE
The Vietnamese representative tried to play quickly to pressure Donchenko on time, hoping for a mistake. In standard chess, grandmasters rarely miss a two-pawn advantage in a rook endgame. However, Donchenko failed to see the optimal moves, making a critical error on move 69.
 |
The board after 69.Rf6. Le Quang Liem had just delivered consecutive checks with his rook on g6 and f6, posing a question to Donchenko on whether to move his king to g2 or e2.
 |
King g2 was the correct choice, as Black could move their rook to g3 to block the check, then freely advance the pawn for promotion. Donchenko seemingly missed the rook g3 move...
 |
...so the German player decided to move his king to e2, a blunder that cost him the win.
 |
Le Quang Liem could have played his rook to a6, threatening checks on a2, forcing Black's king to the first rank. At this point, Black's pawn push would not be fast enough.
 |
Even if Donchenko managed to advance his pawn to h2, White's rook could still deliver continuous checks to force a draw on a1 and a2.
 |
In the game, Donchenko chose a different approach, moving his rook to b4 to check first. This move, however, only brought White's king closer to Black's pawn. Subsequently, White's king and rook coordinated to capture the pawn on h4. Both players agreed to a draw after 75 moves.
A loss in this game would have eliminated Le Quang Liem. The draw, however, pushes the match to a tie-break. This marks the first time in this year's World Cup that Vietnam's top player must compete in a tie-break. The outcome of the 15/11 match proved to be a dream result for Le Quang Liem.
Donchenko, 27, is having an exceptional tournament, having consecutively eliminated two players already qualified for Candidates 2026: Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum. His error on move 69, however, cost him the chance to eliminate Le Quang Liem as well. Despite this, Donchenko still has an opportunity to advance in the tie-break against the Vietnamese representative.
The tie-break begins at 4:30 PM sunday, 16/11, Hanoi time. According to tournament regulations, if players draw 1-1 after two standard games, they proceed to a tie-break with two rapid chess games, each player having 15 minutes plus 10 seconds (15+10) per move. If the aggregate score remains 2-2, they continue with two 10+10 games.
If the score is 3-3, two 5+3 games are played. Should the match still be undecided at 4-4, two 3+2 games will follow.
In the event of a 5-5 tie, the match is decided by an armageddon game. White has 4 minutes plus 2 seconds, while Black's time is determined by their "bid" during an auction, also with 2 seconds added per move. The player who bids less time gets to play as Black. If both players bid the same amount, a coin toss decides the color. In an armageddon game, a draw results in a win for Black.
The Chess World Cup occurs once every two years, featuring a knockout format with 206 players competing for three spots in Candidates 2026. This year's tournament runs from 1/11 to 27/11 in Goa, India, with a prize fund of USD 2 million.
Xuan Binh
