Historic Partnership Between Super Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm and Team Flash
Recently, the Vietnamese chess esports scene witnessed a historic collaboration as Super Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm officially joins Team Flash to compete at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. Lê Quang Liêm has long been recognized as the top chess player in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Currently ranked 14th in the world, he has just returned to professional competition after ending his role as Chess Coach at Webster University, USA, in late April.
Meanwhile, Team Flash is one of Vietnam’s leading esports organizations, operating with a professional environment and ambitious goals on the international stage. As chess increasingly becomes part of the global esports ecosystem, signing a world-class player like Super Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm clearly shows Team Flash’s direction to expand Vietnam’s esports development model. This move will open new competitive arenas for Team Flash and allow them to reach audiences who love intellectual sports, helping realize the organization’s long-term vision.
Team Flash’s Serious Investment in Chess Esports
With the signing of Lê Quang Liêm, Team Flash hopes to inspire a younger, dynamic audience to engage more with intellectual sports like chess. Their journey at EWC 2026 can be seen as a first step to prove the competitiveness of a Vietnamese esports organization on the world’s elite stages.
For Liêm personally, this is not only an opportunity to continue representing Vietnamese esports but also to experience a new atmosphere. Unlike traditional chess tournaments held in absolute silence, esports events feature audiences who freely cheer and passionately support.
This certainly creates pressure for players but also acts as a catalyst for Liêm to conquer new heights, embodying the spirit of “Making Gamers Heroes”—turning players into heroes. This concept expands to “Unlimited Intelligence, Heroes Across All Arenas.” Whether on the traditional wooden chessboard or the digital screen, peak efforts and brilliant minds deserve to be honored as true heroes.
At the upcoming EWC 2026, the opponent Lê Quang Liêm most looks forward to facing is the “Chess King” Magnus Carlsen. Their head-to-head history features tense, emotional battles of minds. A memorable victory over Carlsen at Oslo Esports 2022 fuels his confidence heading into their next world-stage rematch.
Facing fierce challenges ahead, Vietnam’s top player shared: “My partnership with Team Flash is a milestone and very meaningful step where both sides can synergize strength, support each other, and create new values. I hope Vietnamese fans will accompany, encourage, and cheer for me and Team Flash players at EWC. We will compete at more than 100% capacity to affirm Vietnamese intelligence on the global map.”
In the near future, besides EWC 2026, Lê Quang Liêm will represent Vietnam at the ASEAN Esports Chess Club 2026, held on June 13 in Bangkok, Thailand. The tournament gathers 16 of the world’s strongest players, including 11 from Southeast Asia. He also plans to participate in other major events such as rapid chess, blitz chess, and the mixed chess tournament in Biel, Switzerland.