Chess player Le Quang Liem almost created an earthquake against 'lightning god' Hikaru Nakamura

Lê Quang Liêm - Ảnh 1. — Le Quang Liem almost created a surprise against lightning god Nakamura - Photo: Liem Le

The round 16 match of the Speed Chess Championship (SCC) 2025 between Vietnam's No. 1 player GM Le Quang Liem and World Rapid Chess King GM Hikaru Nakamura ended with the victory belonging to the American championship candidate with a close score of 13.5-11.5.

Although Nakamura dominated the first two segments, in the final Bullet (lightning) chess section, Le Quang Liem almost created an extraordinary comeback that surprised the whole world.

Before the match, the experts were leaning heavily towards Nakamura—who, along with Magnus Carlsen, was the only two players to win the SCC since 2016.

Although Le Quang Liem was the 2013 World Blitz Champion, this was his first time participating in the SCC. With his experience and devastating form, Nakamura was estimated to have a 99% chance of winning this match.

Indeed, Nakamura dominated the first two parts of the match, but no one could have predicted the dramatic developments in the 1+1 chess part. Le Quang Liem almost erased the 7-point gap that Nakamura had created before.

Rapid Chess 5+1: Liem makes the first move (Nakamura 4.5-2.5 Liem)

Contrary to all predictions, Le Quang Liem won convincingly in the first game. He took advantage of the opening, forcing Nakamura to be on the defensive and successfully converted the advantage to win the game.

Nakamura’s experience soon paid off, however. In the second game, Liem nearly won with a bold queen sacrifice. However, he collapsed under the pressure of time. Nakamura leveled the score and began to use his signature speed tricks to repeatedly gain the advantage.

Rapid Chess 3+1: Nakamura accelerates (Nakamura 6.5-1.5 Liem)

The 3+1 chess segment saw Nakamura completely dominate, helping him widen the gap to 7 points.

Nakamura won the first two games in a row. He won the first game when Liem ran out of time on the draw defense, and won the second game in a different horse endgame.

Lê Quang Liêm - Ảnh 2. — Le Quang Liem (white) has blocked the black queen's path - Photo: screenshot

Although the representative from Vietnam tried to hold another endgame to a draw, Nakamura quickly regained the game. The lightning god even had a quick win after only 17 moves.

Nakamura ended the segment with three consecutive wins, bringing the score to 11-4.

Blitz Chess 1+1: Le Quang Liem dominates (Nakamura 2.5-7.5 Liem)

Bullet is Nakamura’s forte, but this segment created an earthquake. Le Quang Liem played explosively and continuously scored points. The huge gap at the beginning of the match saved Nakamura from defeat.

After Nakamura won the first game from a losing position with luck, the Vietnamese player quickly equalized. Most notable was Liem’s four-game winning streak, including a stunning attack checkmate despite his opponent having two queens on the board.

Lê Quang Liêm - Ảnh 3. — Le Quang Liem (black side) won when his opponent had 2 queens on the board - Photo: screenshot

Nakamura only managed to win one game before Le Quang Liem continued his winning streak of the last two games. Liem ended the match with an overwhelming tactical victory in the penultimate game.

Despite losing 11.5-13.5 in the final, Le Quang Liem's resilient and spectacular performance in the Bullet segment affirmed his class and dedicated a historic match to the fans.

The Speed Chess Championship (SCC) is a prestigious rapid chess championship organized by Chess.com, gathering the world's top players in a single-elimination format. Each match is a combination of three speed segments: 5+1 Rapid, 3+1 Rapid, and 1+1 Blitz (Bullet). The player with the highest total score advances. In the event of a tie, a high-speed tie-break is used, using the Armageddon rule to determine the final winner.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-thu-le-quang-liem-suyt-tao-nen-dia-chan-truoc-than-chop-hikaru-nakamura-2025101809145315.htm