Vietnam’s chess star Le
Quang Liem (C)“Professional” is how Vietnamese chess star Grandmaster Le Quang
Liem, the world no 44, describes the German chess league after playing for
Werder Bremen
club.

It is the longest
running league and arguably the strongest in the world, attracting many top
grandmasters from around the world.

Liem, 20, who only
recently joined the club, played a match each against Remagen and Solingen on March 19 and
20 and won both.

He said he and the
other 15 players in his team were well taken care of by their manager both
before and after matches.

The manager
arranged the competition schedules, flight tickets, legal issues, and transport
in a considerate and professional manner.

In the morning of
Saturday, March 19, Liem was taken from the airport to the club to meet his
teammates before they all traveled by bus to Delmenhorst
club – one of four venues for the league – in Niedersachsen State.

At Delmenhorst, the ground floor was for the
audience who could watch on big screens and comment.

The soundproofed
first floor was where the games were played.

In the eight-game
match, Liem’s Werder Bremen
beat Remagen 4.5-3.5.

After the match,
the entire team went to a restaurant near Bremen for dinner to celebrate the victory,
a team tradition meant to bond members.

On Sunday Werder Bremen played Solingen
and crushed them 5.5-2.5.

On Sunday
afternoon, just two hours after the match, Liem was given a boarding pass for a
flight to Vietnam.

The team manager
had completed the check-in formalities for him.

Most others players
too returned home soon after their matches.

The Bundesliga had
16 teams, each with 16 players, from whom the manager chose eight for every
match, depending on rating, form, and availability.

There were also
women players in the league though there was a separate Bundesliga for women’s
chess.

The season started
in October and ended in April after 15 rounds.

Each playing
weekend normally saw each team play two matches.

Source: Tuoi Tre