Le Tuan Minh was nearly dominant in the blitz chess event, which concluded this afternoon, 15/11. The 29-year-old secured 10,5 out of a maximum 11 points, winning 10 games, drawing one, and suffering no defeats. His only draw came against runner-up Zhao Shenxi of China. Notably, Le Tuan Minh defeated all four other grandmasters he faced.

Le Tuan Minh during a chess match at the first Asian Mind Games, held at Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore, on 15/11. Photo: *Nguyen Minh Thang*.

Despite a blitz Elo rating of 2,582, Le Tuan Minh's performance rating soared to 2,715, earning him an additional 17,5 rating points. He finished a commanding 1,5 points ahead of silver medalist Zhao Shenxi and bronze medalist Tin Jingyao. Top seed Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia placed fifth with 7,5 points.

Le Tuan Minh's victories in both rapid and blitz chess were not a major surprise, despite him not being the top seed. Vietnam's third-ranked player frequently competes in online rapid and blitz chess, gaining valuable experience against top players worldwide. Other competitors at the Games did not possess Le Tuan Minh's online chess prominence.

Le Tuan Minh, aged 29, is Vietnam's third-ranked player with a standard chess Elo rating of 2,598, trailing Le Quang Liem (2,729) and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (2,600). However, for the past year, Le Tuan Minh has not competed in standard chess, resulting in his temporary removal from FIDE lists. He will rejoin the official rankings once he resumes playing standard chess.

The first Asian Mind Games 2025 took place in Singapore from 13/11 to 15/11, featuring five disciplines: Xiangqi (Chinese chess), chess, Go, bridge, and speedcubing. In chess, Vietnam's representatives secured both gold medals. Meanwhile, in Xiangqi, China dominated by winning all six medals.

Xuan Binh