The journey to conquer the peak of Dong Nai's youngest chess grandmaster

Born in 2009 and showing his talent since the age of 5, this young man is not only the youngest grandmaster but also the pride of Dong Nai province when he possesses the highest Elo coefficient in the province with 2,266 points (ranked 23rd in the country on the FIDE rankings as of July 2025).

* Passion "shaped" from childhood

Since the age of 5, chess has planted small seeds in Minh Duy's soul. Just 1 year later, when he was 6 years old, that seed blossomed, urging the boy to officially join the Dong Nai youth chess team. Up to now, Duy has participated in training and competing at the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center for a full ten years.

Athlete Tran Ngoc Minh Duy, young chess master of the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center. Photo: NVCC

The milestone in Dong Nai youth team is also the first step, opening a new chapter in Minh Duy's life, where the chess pieces and the chess board become a separate world , full of challenges but also filled with joy.

In just the past 3 years, Minh Duy has won more than 30 medals at domestic and international tournaments. Some notable achievements include: participating in the World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Greece, in which he ranked 4th in the world (blitz), 12th in the world (rapid); individual silver medal at the 2024 Asian Youth Chess Championship in Kazakhstan (the only standard chess individual medal of the Vietnamese youth chess team); individual bronze medal at the 2024 National Excellent Chess Championship; individual champion in standard chess for 2 consecutive years at the National Youth Chess Championship (2023, 2024).

Most recently in June 2025, Minh Duy participated in the Southeast Asian Youth Chess Tournament in Malaysia and won 4 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal, achieving the title of FM (FIDE Mater - FIDE Master) of the World Chess Federation (direct title)...

Along with that, Minh Duy also received many certificates of merit from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; certificates of merit from the Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee; Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department (now the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department) for his outstanding achievements at tournaments...

Athlete Tran Ngoc Minh Duy won many impressive achievements at the 2024 Asian Youth Chess Championship in Kazakhstan. Photo: NVCC

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thien Cac, Minh Duy's mother, shared that Minh Duy has a great passion for chess. Since primary school, Minh Duy has been absorbed in reading books about chess anytime, anywhere, even falling asleep on a page because he was so engrossed in his studies. "His life always revolves around chess. Competing all day seems very stressful, but at night he still spends time practicing, playing chess, and watching chess," Ms. Thien Cac confided.

Minh Duy shared that the secret behind his success is his daily practice efforts and his ability to balance his academic studies with his passion for chess. Despite his busy schedule, Minh Duy always maintains discipline and arranges his timetable scientifically so as not to miss any activities.

Now, Duy spends most of his time studying, practicing and especially watching videos analyzing classic chess games and opponents' matches to constantly improve and learn.

* From fear of failure to the champion with the highest Elo coefficient in Dong Nai

The journey of competition has gone through many games, but for Minh Duy, the two most important qualities in chess are patience and willingness to sacrifice. Sometimes, a grandmaster is willing to sacrifice a chess piece in exchange for a beautiful game, a resounding victory.

Athlete Tran Ngoc Minh Duy competes in the World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil in 2024. Photo: NVCC

In the past, the fear of failure used to be a big obstacle for Duy. However, now Duy is not afraid anymore, every game, whether winning or losing, brings him certain lessons, values and experiences.

Minh Duy humorously shared: "I try every day so that when I lose less and less, it means I win more." That is the spirit of a true "warrior", always ready to face and learn no matter what the outcome is.

To achieve the success he has today, Minh Duy is fortunate to always receive great support and companionship from his family. For tournaments, whether near or far, his family always tries to arrange for him to be present, giving him more motivation. In addition, the dedicated and in-depth guidance from teachers is also a key factor, helping Duy continuously improve and achieve the best results in each game and each exam.

Chess not only trains intelligence but also helps Minh Duy grow up remarkably. From a boy who was always protected by his parents, Duy learned to be independent when he had to compete far from home. Chess has given Duy valuable lessons about confidence, bravery and the ability to face challenges.

"The first time, the second time away from home, then gradually became normal. I learned the routine, overcame my anxiety, learned to become more professional, independent and confident" - Minh Duy shared.

Besides chess, Minh Duy also has a talent for playing the piano. This is also his hobby and joy after stressful hours of competition. Photo: Ha Le

With a burning passion and a spirit of constant improvement, Minh Duy affirmed: "Only when you truly have passion and are willing to put in enough effort to become better will you definitely achieve something worthy. That is also the guiding principle throughout my journey."

In the near future, Minh Duy hopes to be given the opportunity to compete in order to win a medal at the National Sports Festival, bringing glory to Dong Nai. At the same time, this talented boy is also trying to accumulate more Elo coefficients, with the great goal of reaching international master standards next year. Currently, Minh Duy owns the highest Elo coefficient in Dong Nai province with 2,266 points.

Tran Ngoc Minh Duy was selected by the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union to receive the Outstanding Young Face Award of Dong Nai Province in 2025 for his impressive achievements. Photo: TD

With his natural talent, strong will and strong support from his family and coach, Tran Ngoc Minh Duy will certainly go further, continuing to write glorious pages for Dong Nai and Vietnamese chess in the international arena.

"The family is very happy and always supports their child's development in this field. Especially at a young age, Duy has found a subject that matches his passion and strengths to develop. During the development process like that, the child will feel happy in every journey he takes. That is also the happiness of his parents."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thien Cac, Minh Duy's mother, shared.

Ha Le

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/the-thao/202507/hanh-trinh-chinh-phuc-dinh-cao-cua-kien-tuong-co-vua-tre-nhat-dong-nai-1981590/