So what does Vietnam’s greatest-ever grandmaster actually play? Le Quang Liem’s repertoire is classical and well-prepared — a mix of sharp, fighting defenses as Black and sound, low-risk structures as White. It fits his temperament perfectly: he’d rather reach a position he understands cold and outwork you than gamble on a gimmick. Here’s the tour (based on his games as tracked by Chess.com), with a link to a full guide for each opening so you can learn to play them yourself.
As Black vs 1.e4: the sharp Sicilian
Le’s most eye-catching choice as Black is the Sicilian Defense — and within it the famously double-edged Najdorf Variation: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6. The little pawn move …a6 looks modest, but it underpins one of the most analyzed, most combative systems in all of chess.
The Najdorf is the opening of fighters — Fischer and Kasparov built careers on it — and it suits Le’s tactical eye down to the ground. Black concedes a little space to grab active, flexible piece play and unbalanced positions where both sides play for a win. It’s not a line for the faint-hearted, but for a player who backs his calculation, it’s a goldmine. When Le wants something more restrained instead, he can fall back on the ultra-solid Berlin Defense of the Ruy Lopez — a “suit of armor” that’s famously hard to break down.
As White vs 1…d5: the Queen’s Gambit
With the white pieces, Le leans on the great classical workhorse — the Queen’s Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4. When Black holds the center with 2…e6, play often flows into the Queen’s Gambit Declined, one of the soundest, most respected structures in the game.
This is exactly the kind of terrain Le loves as White: no cheap tricks, no wild gambits — just a small, durable space edge, harmonious development, and a long positional battle where understanding and preparation beat memorization. It’s a low-risk way to keep the initiative and grind for a win, which is precisely his approach at the board.
As White: the Catalan
Le also draws on the Catalan, a close cousin of the Queen’s Gambit that reaches the same family of positions from a different angle: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, fianchettoing the light-squared bishop to g2.
The Catalan is a favorite at the very top precisely because it offers pressure with almost no risk. That bishop on the long diagonal quietly eyes Black’s queenside for the entire game, giving White durable, long-term squeeze potential. For a well-prepared technician who’s happy to play a long game, it’s an ideal weapon — you can push for a win for fifty moves without ever really being in danger of losing.
Solid against 1.d4, too
When Le is defending against 1.d4 himself, he keeps things principled and classical. Alongside Queen’s Gambit Declined setups, the reliable Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) fits his profile — a rock-solid way to support the center without locking in his light-squared bishop. The common thread across his whole repertoire is the same: reach a sound position you understand, then outplay your opponent from there.
The philosophy behind the repertoire
Notice the pattern. As White, Le picks safe, positional systems — Queen’s Gambit and Catalan structures — that let him press without risk. As Black, he’s willing to enter sharp, combative lines like the Najdorf, because he trusts his tactics and calculation in a fight. It’s a beautifully balanced repertoire: rock-solid when he wants to control, razor-sharp when he wants to swing.
That balance is also why he’s so dangerous in speed chess. His openings lead to positions he knows intimately, so even at blitz time controls he’s rarely on unfamiliar ground — he can play fast because he’s played these structures a thousand times. You can see how it all connects in his playing style.
What his repertoire teaches you
There’s a genuinely useful lesson in Le’s opening choices for casual players:
- Match your openings to your strengths. Le plays sharp lines as Black because he’s a great tactician, and safe lines as White because he loves to grind. Build your repertoire around what you do well.
- Depth beats breadth. You don’t need twenty openings. Learn a couple deeply — the way Le knows the Najdorf and the Queen’s Gambit — and you’ll handle far more games than someone who dabbles in everything.
- A solid White system is worth its weight in gold. A low-risk, pressing opening like the Queen’s Gambit or Catalan means you’re rarely in trouble and often nudging for a win.
Start by learning the plans behind one opening from his repertoire and you’ll already be ahead of most casual opponents.
Keep exploring
See these openings do damage in his best games, learn how he uses them in his playing style, or head back to the full Le Quang Liem profile. Ready to learn one? Start with the Sicilian Defense guide or the Queen’s Gambit guide.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Positions engine-verified for legality · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.