Vietnamese chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The result marks another major milestone in the resurgence of his celebrated career following his departure from his coaching role at Webster University in the United States in early May.
Over the past two weeks, he has repeatedly spoken about his ambition to return to elite-level competition and participate in high-profile clashes against the world’s best players.
Among his biggest targets is the chess event at the Esports World Cup 2026, a multi-game esports tournament scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from July 6 to August 23.
This will be the second consecutive year chess has been included in the official competition system of the world’s largest esports tournament, where players compete face-to-face using electronic boards and computers.
To qualify for the finals in August, Liem entered the qualification round ‘DreamHack Atlanta: Road to EWC,’ held at the Georgia World Congress Center from Friday to Sunday.
After three days of competition, the Vietnamese grandmaster achieved his objective.
His crucial victory over Moussard propelled him into the semifinals and officially earned him a place at the Esports World Cup 2026 finals.
Before heading to the Esports World Cup, Liem will also compete in another major esports chess event in Thailand – the ASEAN Esports Chess Cup, slated for June 13.
The tournament will feature 11 top players representing Southeast Asian nations alongside five elite international competitors.
Liem will represent Vietnam at the event, while world champion Magnus Carlsen is set to appear as a guest player.
The two could meet if they are drawn into the same bracket or advance deep into the competition.
It will not be the first encounter between Liem and the Norwegian chess icon.
The Vietnamese grandmaster famously defeated Carlsen in 2022.
Max: 1500 characters
There are no comments yet. Be the first to comment.