Vietnamese chess prodigy triumphs on Thai soil

Heading into the final round, the teenage contender faced Lithuanian chess Grandmaster Titas Stremavicius with composure.

The young Vietnamese chess player had previously achieved his second Grandmaster (GM) norm.

A draw in the decisive game brought his final tally to an impressive seven points out of nine, including five wins and four draws.

The competition for the title proved exceptionally tight.

No fewer than nine players finished level on seven points, turning the outcome into a matter of tiebreak calculations.

With a superior tiebreak score of 51.5, Duy edged out his rivals to claim the championship.

The victory not only brought him the top prize of some US$3,000, the largest payout of his career to date, but also propelled his Elo rating to 2,521.

In chess, Elo refers to a system used to calculate a player's relative skill level.

This milestone is particularly significant under the regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which require players to surpass a 2,500 rating and achieve three GM norms to earn the prestigious Grandmaster title.

Having now crossed the rating threshold and secured two norms, Duy stands just one qualifying performance away from officially becoming a Grandmaster.

Apart from Duy’s victory, fellow competitor Pham Tran Gia Phuc delivered a solid performance with 6.5 points, gaining 11 Elo points and reaching a rating of 2,450.

Other Vietnamese participants, including Tung Quan, Vu Anh, and Nho Kiet, each concluded the tournament with five points after nine rounds.

The 23rd edition of the Bangkok Open took place from April 11 to 19, attracting 241 players, including 16 Grandmasters.

The tournament followed a nine-round Swiss-system format.

Each game allowed 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, with an additional 30 minutes for the remainder and a 30-second increment per move.