Donchenko, who has an Elo rating of 2641 and is ranked 82nd in standard chess globally, faced off against Le Quang Liem, whose rating stands at 2729. The two had previously drawn their most recent encounter at the 2024 Biel Chess Festival in the Netherlands.

The German grandmaster entered the tournament in top form, winning all four of his standard time control matches prior to this round.

Armed with the white pieces, Donchenko took an aggressive approach, pressing the initiative early on against Le Quang Liem. His attacking style had previously brought him victory over fourth-seed Anish Giri of the Netherlands. However, this time he was met with the unyielding defense of Le Quang Liem, who stood his ground.

Playing with the black pieces, Liem maintained a cautious yet calculated approach throughout the match. His clever positional play kept Donchenko from capitalizing on his advantage. After 31 moves, both players agreed to a draw.

With this result, the two grandmasters will face off again in the return leg scheduled for November 15. Should that game also end in a draw, the match will be decided through tie-breakers in rapid and blitz formats. The winner will secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

The 2025 FIDE World Cup features 206 male players and offers a total prize pool of USD 2 million. Le Quang Liem earned direct entry into the event by ranking among the top 20 players on the FIDE world rankings.

Dai Nam