The Speed Chess Championship 2025 started on October 13, however, the match between Le Quang Liem and hikaru Nakamura (USA) took place on October 17 and ended on the morning of October 18 (Vietnam time).
Speed Chess Championship 2025 is a prestigious tournament, attracting 16 top players including Alireza Firouency, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Wesley So, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Le Quang Liem, Arjun Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik, Jose Martinez, Le Tuan Minh and Hans Niemann.
Players compete in a knockout round. Round 1 takes place from October 13 to October 30. The players will play 11 games in the fast-paced and light-chess versions. First, the two sides will compete in a 5+1 fast-paced game, followed by a 3+1 fast-paced game and then a 1+1 bullet.
If the two sides have a draw, they will continue to play a quick tie-break to determine the winner. If they continue to draw, chess under Armageddon will be held to decide the final result.
Facing hikaru Nakamura, Le Quang Liem won the first game in the 5+1 fast-paced chess format. However, after that, the American player maintained his dominance over Le Quang Liem and won many key victories. In the end, the match ended with a score of 13.5-11.5 for Hikaru Nakamura.
Losing in round 1, Le Quang Liem stopped. Grandmaster Le Tuan Minh also competed in round 1 (October 14) but lost 8-16 to Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja (France).
