Le Tuan Minh becomes Vietnam’s 13th chess grandmaster

Le Tuan Minh has become Vietnam’s 13th chess grandmaster (GM) after achieving the last required GM norm at the 50th annual World Open 2022 in Philadelphia, USA.

Le Tuan Minh wins the men's individual blitz chess event at the recent 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam. (Photo: vnexpress)
Le Tuan Minh wins the men's individual blitz chess event at the recent 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam. (Photo: vnexpress)

Tuan Minh (Elo 2527), 26, finished unbeaten with seven points after nine rounds of play, achieving a performance rating of 2683.

He also encountered four grandmasters in the tournament and opponents from more than three federations. All these requirements helped the Vietnamese player earn the last norm for the GM title.

The 2022 World Open took place from June 30 to July 4 with the participation of 225 chess masters. Tuan Minh concluded his campaign as the co-leader, alongside other prominent players such as Jeffery Xiong (US, Elo 2688). He won an additional 13.3 Elo rating points from the tournament.

Tuan Minh is the second Vietnamese player to finish as co-leader on the World Open playground, after chess star Le Quang Liem, who won the 2019 tournament with 7.5 points.

Thus far, Vietnam has a total of 13 chess grandmasters, namely Dao Thien Hai, Tu Hoang Thong, Nguyen Anh Dung, Cao Sang, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Le Quang Liem, Bui Vinh, Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy, Nguyen Duc Hoa, Tran Tuan Minh, Nguyen Anh Khoi, Nguyen Van Huy, and Le Tuan Minh.

According to the FIDE regulations, to become a grandmaster, a player must achieve an Elo rating of at least 2500 at any point in their career, while clinching three grandmaster norms.