The global chess circuit in mid-May 2026 is moving at a breakneck pace, bridging the gap between the hyper-analytical world of super-grandmasters and the raw passion of grassroots open tournaments. Whether it’s elite players re-engineering their entire opening repertoires overnight or local communities packing out playing halls, the game feels more alive—and more fluid—than ever.
Take Vietnam’s top player, Le Quang Liem. Speaking in a recent interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club during round five of the Super Chess Classic Romania, Liem dropped some fascinating insights into where his career and the broader game are heading. Fresh off the plane from the Esports World Cup (EWC) qualifiers in Atlanta, Liem was intercepted by the Grand Chess Tour for a live broadcast interview.
The big question on everyone’s mind, of course, was the recent bombshell regarding the shutdown of Webster University’s historic chess program—a powerhouse that has shaped collegiate chess for well over a decade. Liem, who has been deeply intertwined with the program, made it clear that he isn’t packing his bags just yet. Despite the program’s closure, he plans to remain in Saint Louis to map out his next career moves.
High Stakes and Star-Studded Alliances
For now, Liem’s immediate future is dictated by a brutal calendar. Between now and August, he is locking in for five consecutive high-stakes tournaments, all culminating in the multi-million dollar Esports World Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia. But it’s not all solitary engine grinding. In an unexpected twist that has excited fans, Liem revealed he is teaming up with his close friend and former Webster teammate, Awonder Liang, for the upcoming Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in Hong Kong, scheduled for June 16–22, 2026.
Competing under the brilliantly eclectic moniker “Mr. Birdie & Friends,” the squad is a star-studded lineup of young talent and seasoned precision. Anchored by Le Quang Liem, the roster features Awonder Liang, Benjamin Gledura, Vladislav Artemiev, Sam Sevian, and Carissa Yip. It is exactly the kind of high-octane, versatile group that defines the modern era.
“A player who has spent their whole career specializing in 1.d4 can seamlessly switch to 1.e4 after just a couple of weeks of intense study. It makes scouting opponents a nightmare.”
Even while observing the Grand Chess Tour action in Romania from the sidelines, Liem noted how rapidly top-flight chess is evolving under the influence of modern supercomputers. He pointed to the dynamic play of Grandmasters Vincent Keymer and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who are constantly reshaping their opening frameworks. In the engine era, hyper-specialization is dying. According to Liem, the sheer processing power available today allows elite players to become total chameleons, keeping the game deeply unpredictable and thrilling for spectators.
The Human Element: Grassroots Revival in France
Yet, while the elite rely on silicon gods to reinvent their lines, the soul of the game remains stubbornly, beautifully human. A few thousand miles away in the south of France, that raw human element was on full display. The third edition of the International Ceyreste and Cassis Chess Festival just wrapped up its four-day run, proving that the obsession with the 64 squares is just as potent without supercomputers.
From May 14 to 17, the local salle polyvalente was packed to absolute capacity. The festival drew an incredible field of 216 players, spanning a massive multi-generational gap from a 5-year-old prodigy to an 85-year-old veteran. The atmosphere was electric, welcoming players not just from across the region, but from all corners of the globe, including Sweden, Algeria, the United Kingdom, Monaco, Italy, and Ukraine.
Festival Standings — Open A Winners
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1st Place: Thibault Dudognon (Hay Chess d’Allauch)
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2nd Place: Yannick Gozzoli (Échiquier du Roy René d’Aix-en-Provence)
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3rd Place: Rémy Degraeve (Marseille Échecs)
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Top Female Finisher: Yi Xuan Wang (Riviera Chess Club of Nice)
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Top Under-20 Finisher: Augustin Rodriguez (Union Saint-Bruno)
The event opened with remarks from local officials Sabine Azalbert and Estéban Gomez-Deloche, while Marc Viviani had the honor of handing out the hardware during the closing ceremony on Sunday, May 17. The competitive tension in the playing hall mirrored the intensity of any grandmaster stage.
Whether it is a community hall in France filled with the clatter of physical pieces or a high-tech arena in Riyadh driven by deep engine preparation, chess in 2026 refuses to be confined to a single box. The tools and institutional backings are shifting, but the fundamental drive to outwit an opponent across the board remains universal.
