‘A Surprise Talent’ 6-year-old Chess Prodigy from Dong Nai

Young chess player Le Minh Quang. Photo: NVCC

Entered the list of young athletes of the province when he was only... 5 years old

Young chess player Le Minh Quang, born in 2019, is currently a first-grade student at Lac Hong Bilingual School in Tran Bien Ward. He is the younger of two brothers and began playing chess in 2023, inspired by his older sibling. Recognizing his passion and love for the game, the family arranged for a private tutor to provide Quang with formal training.

Le Thanh Phong, Quang’s father, shared: “Although he is still very young, he is deeply passionate about chess. Quang can sit for hours at the board, even thinking about chess while eating. To nurture that passion, our family decided to invest in his development by bringing in a tutor to give him structured training so he can reach his full potential.”

Le Quang Minh (right) won a bronze medal in the 2024 Central Region Youth Chess Tournament. Photo: NVCC

In addition to his chess achievements, in June 2025, Le Minh Quang won a gold medal in the National Mathematics Competition organized by the Hong Kong Mathematics Organization HKIMO.

Five-year-old chess player Le Minh Quang shared: “My teacher, Truong Le Thanh Dat, is the one who inspired me and nurtured my passion for chess. In addition to team practice sessions, I take extra lessons with him whenever I have free time or on weekends.

I also organize my schedule to study school subjects like English and Vietnamese, and to practice the piano. I try to complete all my classwork during the afternoon self-study sessions at school,” Quang said.

Le Minh Quang and his family at the 2024 Central Highlands Youth Chess Tournament. Photo: NVCC

Mr. Le Thanh Phong, Minh Quang's father, added: "Our family is very happy that Minh Quang was officially signed by the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center to become an athlete of the province. However, this is also a great pressure for him. From now on, he will have to try harder to practice and compete more determinedly to bring achievements to his home province. As for the family, we will also try to create conditions and support Quang to have the best possible conditions and training space."

It is his passion, professional ability and efforts to practice in the environment of the provincial youth team that have helped Le Minh Quang achieve many impressive achievements.

The journey to prove his talent

After a period of active training under the guidance of the Dong Nai Chess team coaches, including coach Nguyen Thuy Duong, player Le Minh Quang gradually improved his professional skills and quickly achieved many achievements.

Le Minh Quang on the podium receiving the gold medal in the U7 boys’ blitz chess event at the 2025 National Chess Clubs Championship. Photo: DVCC

In May 2024, five-year-old chess player Minh Quang earned his first national-level achievements when he and his teammates won three medals at the 2024 National Club Championship, held in July in the former Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. The medals included two silvers in the U7 team rapid chess and super blitz chess events, and a bronze in the U7 team blitz chess category.

In August 2024, Quang won his first individual silver medal in the U6 blitz chess event at the Central Highlands Youth Chess Tournament and his first individual gold medal in the U7 boys’ category at the 2nd Dong Nai Chess Open Tournament. Later that year, he continued his strong performance with a silver medal in the U6 team rapid chess event and a bronze medal at the Northern Open Chess Tournament, held in the former Bac Giang Province.

Young chess player Le Minh Quang wins three gold medals and one silver medal at the 2025 National Youth Chess Championship. Photo: NVCC

In 2025, the achievements of Dong Nai’s young chess prodigy became even more impressive. After nearly a year with the Dong Nai youth chess team, Le Minh Quang began making his mark, winning gold medals at tournaments ranging from provincial to regional, national, and international levels.

His first career gold medals came at a regional event, the Central Youth Chess Tournament held in February 2025, where he claimed two individual golds in the U6 standard chess and rapid chess categories, along with an individual silver in U6 blitz chess.

Le Minh Quang celebrates with his teammates and coach Nguyen Thuy Duong at the 2025 National Youth Chess Championship. Photo: NVCC By June 2025, Minh Quang further proved his talent, emerging as a standout of the Dong Nai junior chess team by winning two gold medals in the U7 individual bullet and blitz events, along with a silver in the rapid event at the 2025 National Chess Clubs Championship - The Grand Ho Tram Cup in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. His performance contributed to Dong Nai chess’s overall tally of 3 gold, 6 silver, and 13 bronze medals. Young chess player Le Minh Quang on the podium with the championship trophy for the U6 boys’ rapid event at the 2025 National Youth Chess Championship. Photo: NVCC   Just over a week later, the six-year-old prodigy from Dong Nai continued to shine, capturing three championship titles and one runner-up finish at the 2025 National Youth Chess Championship - Doppelherz Cup in Ninh Binh. Minh Quang claimed two gold medals in the U6 boys’ individual rapid and blitz events, one team gold, and a silver in the U6 boys’ standard event. These outstanding results made him the most successful player of the tournament, contributing significantly to Dong Nai Junior Chess’s impressive overall performance. The team finished 6th out of 54 delegations with a total of 5 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze medals - the best result ever achieved by Dong Nai at a national youth championship. Le Minh Quang with his teammates on the podium after winning the team gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Age-Group Chess Championship.Photo: NVCC   The most outstanding achievement in Le Minh Quang’s career to date came at the 2025 Southeast Asian Age-Group Chess Championship, held from July 1 to 11 in Malaysia. At this tournament, the young prodigy from Dong Nai won an impressive total of six medals: five golds and one silver across three categories. Specifically, he secured gold in both the individual and team U6 boys’ rapid events, a double gold in the individual and team U6 boys’ blitz events, and added a team gold and an individual silver in the U6 boys’ standard event. Minh Quang’s medal haul contributed to the remarkable overall results of the Dong Nai contingent, which helped the Vietnamese youth chess team finish first in the overall standings with 18 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals. Minh Quang on the podium receiving the individual gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Age-Group Chess Championship. Photo: NVCC Le Minh Quang celebrates with coach Nguyen Thuy Duong after winning two gold medals at the 2025 Southeast Asian Age-Group Chess Championship. Photo: NVCC Unfortunately, at the 2025 National Junior Chess Championship - Greenbia Kidsmore Cup, held from July 19 to 27 in Hai Phong, Minh Quang was unable to reach the top podium, earning two bronze medals in the U6 boys’ individual standard and blitz events. Le Minh Quang (far right) with his teammates and coach Nguyen Thuy Duong at the 2025 National Junior Chess Championship – Greenbia Kidsmore Cup. Photo: NVCC Sharing his approach to competition, young chess prodigy Minh Quang said: “When I feel tense during a match, I take deep breaths and drink water to stay calm. I do get a bit nervous when facing strong opponents, but I try to stay composed and play my usual game. My biggest goal for the future is to become a grandmaster, just like my idol, Kasparov.” Speaking about his student, his coach Nguyen Thuy Duong said: “He has a strong personality, learns quickly, and, most importantly, has an excellent memory. With structured training and a supportive environment, he can certainly achieve even greater success in the future.” Behind Le Minh Quang’s success so far is the significant support of his family. His parents have accompanied him to all competitions, from domestic tournaments to the 2025 Southeast Asian Age-Group Chess Championship held in Malaysia. “Whenever he enters a competition, I always encourage him and remind him to play carefully, remembering what his coaches have taught him so he can apply it and aim for the medals he wants to achieve,” the coach added. With his recent achievements, combined with his dedication and exceptional passion for chess, Le Minh Quang is expected to become a key player for Dong Nai chess in the coming years and, further down the line, to join the national team in major international competitions. By: Huy Anh   Translated by: Thu Cuc - Minho