American GM Awonder Liang shared his thoughts on whether he can become World Champion. Awonder says he just graduated from college, describes what chess means to him, and believes other players are more talented than him.

Awonder Liang

Awonder Liang

American GM

“Do I have plans to fight for the World Championship title? To be honest… I just got out of college, and now do I have a plan for world domination? I think it doesn’t sound too realistic.

I think why I got back into chess is that there are not that many opportunities for me to do something very hard, or to push yourself a lot. Chess felt like one of those areas where, for the time being, I didn’t want to feel like I left anything on the table.

And the World Champion title… To be frank, is a little bit lofty. I think other players are more talented than me and they’re also working harder than me. They probably have better funding than me… So, it’s an uphill battle.

I’m just trying to be as good as I can, and learn as much about the game as I can.”

23-year-old GM Awonder Liang is USA’s No. 7. He earned the GM title at age 14 and two months, won World Youth Chess Championships in the Under-8 and Under-10 sections, and tied for second place in the 2024 U.S. Championship. Awonder lost a match against fellow American Hans Moke Niemann in April.

Credit: Lennart Ootes