Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem defeats Jeffery Xiong to gain edge in FIDE Chess World Cup round 3

Playing with the black pieces, Liem capitalized on a midgame error from Xiong in a Queen's Gambit Declined opening to seize control and convert his advantage after more than three hours of play. 

The Vietnamese grandmaster finished two pawns ahead to secure a convincing win.

According to computer analysis, Liem delivered a 96.2-percent accuracy rate with 10 high-quality moves, reflecting strong form as he seeks a spot in the next round.

The second classical game of the match will be played at 4:30 pm on Saturday, with Liem needing only a draw to advance. 

The winner of the match will face either Bogdan-Daniel Deac of Romania (Elo 2655) or Karthik Venkataraman of India (Elo 2576) in round four.

The 2025 FIDE World Cup, held from November 1 to 27 in Goa, India, features 206 players competing in a knockout format for a total prize fund of US$2 million, with the champion earning $120,000. 

The top three finishers will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the world title.

Top-ranked players Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana are not participating, having already secured or nearly secured qualification for the Candidates.

Each World Cup match consists of two classical games, followed by rapid and blitz tiebreaks if needed on the third day.