The big dream of a young chess player

With a modest Elo rating of 2,462, Duy had a very difficult start at the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He could only get a draw in the first two games and the third game, and even went home empty-handed.

Summer to remember

However, the young Vietnamese player made a strong comeback, winning 4 consecutive games and causing a "shock" when he defeated grandmaster Denis Makhnev (Kazakhstan, Elo 2,540) in the 8th game. Even holding grandmaster Iniyan Pa (India, 2,586) to a draw in the final game, Duy won a total of 6.5 points after 9 games, ranking 12th overall.

Giấc mơ lớn của kỳ thủ nhí- Ảnh 1. — Dau Khuong Duy won 3rd place at Sparkassen Chess Trophy Dortmund. Photo: SPARKASSEN CHESS

The $1,400 prize money is quite significant for Duy, but more importantly, his impressive performance at the Abu Dhabi Masters 2025 helped the young player from Thai Nguyen raise his Elo rating to 2,489, very close to the 2,500 mark - a necessary condition to be awarded the title of International Grandmaster (GM).

The Abu Dhabi Masters is just one of three major tournaments Duy will be participating in during his two-month Europe-Asia tour in the summer of 2025 with his mentor Luong Trong Minh. At the end of July, Duy placed 8th at the Biel International Chess Festival (Switzerland). In early August, he placed 3rd at the Sparkassen Chess Trophy Dortmund (Germany), earning a prize of $1,750.

If we add the fact that he defended his gold medal at the U14 World Blitz Chess Championship in April in Greece, along with the runner-up position at the U14 World Rapid Chess Championship also in Greece, 2025 has brought many miracles to Duy.

Duy was born in 2011 in Thai Nguyen and started playing chess at the age of 7. His first international achievement was the bronze medal in the 2018 World U8 Standard Chess Championship. In 2020, his family moved to Hanoi so that Duy could have more opportunities to practice and develop professionally.

In the past 3 years, Duy has continuously achieved remarkable achievements: 2023 U12 World Gold Medal, 2023 U18 Asian Team Gold Medal, and National Excellent Chess Championship Champion at the age of 12. Duy was officially awarded the title of International Master (IM) in 2024. In April 2025, he successfully defended his U14 World Blitz Chess Championship title in Greece.

New hope for Vietnamese chess

There is no specific roadmap when all is just to satisfy his passion for chess, Duy still always wishes to conquer all 3 GM standards before the age of 16.

The boy needs two more standards and the Elo 2,500+ mark to officially be awarded the title of grandmaster, in addition to aiming for the Top 3 of the U16 World Youth Championship, and at the same time being eligible to participate in many Asian Grand Prix tournaments.

Duy is considered the most potential young chess player in Vietnam. He always aspires to follow in the footsteps of his senior Le Quang Liem on his journey to become a world super grandmaster. To do this, he must reach the grandmaster dream, which experts say is only a matter of time.

The journey ahead is full of challenges, but with the current momentum, the 14-year-old player can absolutely become the new hope of Vietnamese chess on the world stage.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giac-mo-lon-cua-ky-thu-nhi-196250906204019669.htm