Qatar, 2 January 2026 – Vietnam’s top chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem has retained his position among the world’s elite, remaining 18th globally in the first official FIDE rankings of 2026.
According to the latest ranking list released on January 1, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed that Le Quang Liem has begun 2026 ranked 18th in the world, maintaining his status as the highest-ranked Vietnamese chess player. The grandmaster closed 2025 with a slight but important Elo increase, rising from 2729 to 2731, reflecting a year of solid and consistent performances at the international level.
In 2025, Le Quang Liem delivered one of the best results ever achieved by a Vietnamese player at the Chess World Cup, advancing to the fifth round of the prestigious event. This deep run significantly contributed to his Elo gain and helped him remain firmly inside the world’s top 20. Toward the end of the year, he also competed at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Doha, Qatar. Although he did not finish inside the top 10 in either format, Le Quang Liem still recorded the strongest overall results among Vietnamese male players at the tournament.
One notable absence in his 2025 schedule was SEA Games 33, where Le Quang Liem did not compete, a decision that drew some regret from fans but did not diminish his international standing. Instead, his focus remained on high-level global tournaments that directly impact FIDE rankings and long-term professional objectives.
Looking ahead to 2026, Le Quang Liem is expected to continue participating in several major international competitions as he aims to further improve his Elo rating and maintain Vietnam’s presence among the world’s chess elite. His consistency over the past decade continues to serve as a benchmark for Vietnamese chess on the global stage.
In the same FIDE rankings, Vietnamese grandmaster Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son is placed 164th in the world with an Elo rating of 2600, while Le Tuan Minh ranks 203rd with an Elo of 2585. Both players also represented Vietnam at the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha, underlining the country’s growing depth in elite-level chess.
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