Vietnamese chess prodigy earns int’l master title at 16

Kiet clinched the milestone by drawing with Indian International Master Ravi Teja in the ninth round of the Hanoi Grandmaster and International Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2026, completing his third and final IM norm.

Earlier in the tournament, the 16-year-old defeated Grandmaster Tu Hoang Thong and drew with another grandmaster, John Paul Gomez.

The performance earned Kiet 18.4 Elo rating points, lifting his rating to 2,344.4, meeting the threshold required by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for the IM title.

International Master is the second-highest title awarded by FIDE, ranking below Grandmaster. 

According to statistics published by Chess.com at the end of 2025, there were about 1,000 active grandmasters worldwide and roughly 3,000 international masters.

Kiet's promotion places him among an estimated 5,000 top-ranked chess players globally.

Vietnamese chess officials said the achievement highlighted the teenager's potential to follow in the footsteps of leading Vietnamese players, including Grandmaster Le Quang Liem.

The milestone comes shortly after another landmark for Vietnamese chess. 

In late 2025, Luong Phuong Hanh, 42, was awarded the Grandmaster title, becoming the seventh Vietnamese woman to achieve the sport's highest rank.