Pham Tran Gia Phuc, a 17-year-old Vietnamese chess player, underwent security checks for suspected cheating after a remarkably swift victory against Grandmaster Savva Vetokhin in round 4 of the Asian Individual Chess Championship. The incident occurred at the tournament, held from 29/5/2025 to 6/6/2025 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Gia Phuc finished his 43-move game with over 1 hour 48 minutes (108 minutes) still on his clock, a highly unusual feat in standard chess.

In continental-level standard chess tournaments, players typically use significant time for contemplation. Each player is allotted 90 minutes to complete the game, with an additional 30 seconds added after each move, and an extra 30 minutes granted from move 41. Players often conclude games with only a few minutes or tens of minutes remaining, as running out of time usually results in a loss. Gia Phuc's rapid play, finishing on move 43 with such extensive time remaining, immediately raised suspicions.

Gia Phuc in game one against GM Aleksey Grebnev, at the Dubai Open chess tournament in UAE on 27/5/2025. *Photo: DubaiChess*

Gia Phuc (Elo 2,450), playing white against Vetokhin (2,549) on board 7, employed the Italian opening against the two knights defense. From the fourth move, Vetokhin, the Russian player, spent over three minutes on a single move. By the eighth move, Vetokhin had 58 minutes left, while Gia Phuc maintained 1 hour 31 minutes, holding a slight advantage. Gia Phuc played with precision, requiring minimal thought time. After 14 moves, he achieved a winning position, capturing more material by move 24, with his pieces strongly placed. He played quickly, seemingly having memorized the entire 43-move game.

Gia Phuc attributed his quick play to familiarity with his opponent and preparation. Speaking to VnExpress after the game, he stated, "I felt relaxed and understood my opponent well, having played him two or three times before. The most recent encounter was at the World Youth Championship in Italy in 2023. The openings I had prepared, Vetokhin didn't play. But he played an opening I had seen in a game two years ago". The game Gia Phuc referred to might have been between Lu Miaoyi and former U20 world champion Kazybek Nogerbek at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament in the Netherlands in 1/2025. Gia Phuc's game mirrored Lu's until move 18, when White already had a winning advantage.

Due to his rapid play, a large crowd watched the game between Gia Phuc and Vetokhin. "After the game, the organizers took me to a security room", Gia Phuc recounted. "They thoroughly checked me with scanners to see if I was using any electronic devices. The result was no cheating. I've encountered this situation many times because of quick wins, so I wasn't surprised".

This victory against his peer propelled Gia Phuc into the tournament's leading group, accumulating 3,5 points after four games. In game five, he will play black against Grandmaster Anand Pranav (2,596) at 14h15 today, Hanoi time.

Other Vietnamese representatives at the tournament include male players Dau Khuong Duy and Dinh Nho Kiet, with 2,5 and 1,5 points respectively. In the women's section, Luong Phuong Hanh and Nguyen Thanh Thuy Tien each have two points.

Xuan Binh