Quang Liem set to meet Carlsen at ASEAN Esports Chess Cup event in Thailand
VOV.VN - Vietnamese No.1 chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem could face Norwegian chess star Magnus Carlsen at the ASEAN Esports Chess Cup event to be held in Thailand in June.
The tournament will bring together 11 leading chess players representing Southeast Asian countries, alongside five international players.
Le Quang Liem will compete as Vietnam’s representative, while Carlsen joins the event as an invited player. The two could meet if they are drawn into the same bracket or advance to the later stages of the competition.
The event, which begins on June 13, will be played in an esports chess format in which players compete on computers instead of traditional chessboards. Prize money is expected to exceed VND520 million.
Liem previously defeated the Norwegian grandmaster in 2022. In a recent social media post, the Vietnamese player described the esports format as modern and dynamic, recalling his earlier experience competing in the Champions Chess Tour system.
The 35-year-old grandmaster, currently ranked 20th in the world, said he plans to focus on two major international esports chess tournaments this year, including his qualifying campaign for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Saudi Arabia.
To secure a place at the EWC 2026 finals in August, Le Quang Liem is set to compete at DreamHack Atlanta: Road to EWC, which will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center in the United States from May 15 to 17. He is aiming to finish among the top four players to secure a direct place in the finals.
Following the tournament in the United States, the Vietnamese Grandmaster is expected to return to Southeast Asia to compete at the ASEAN Esports Chess Cup 2026.
He also said the combination of chess and esports could help bring chess closer to younger audiences and offer fans new viewing experiences.
Le Quang Liem recently dropped three places to 20th in the latest FIDE world rankings after competing less frequently in recent months. Earlier this month, he announced that he will step down from his teaching role at Webster University to focus more on competition.
GM Le Quang Liem climbs to world No.17 in latest FIDE rankings
VOV.VN - Vietnam’s chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem has moved up one place to 17th in the latest world rankings released by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), according to the February 2026 list.
