14-year-old Vietnamese talent Dau Khuong Duy defeated five-time Speed Chess Champion Hikaru Nakamura in a dramatic 3|0 blitz game on Chess.com on Thursday, December 4, 2025.
The result, a full-point win by Duy against Nakamura’s 3401 blitz rating, came in Round 11 of the “3|0 Thursday” weekly event.
A Calm, Mature Performance Under Fire
The game was anything but calm. Nakamura entered with his trademark aggressive Sicilian Defense, pushing early …g5 and …h5 to create chaos on the kingside. But instead of panicking, the young Vietnamese IM stayed composed, absorbed the pressure, and gradually took over the position.
After a series of precise tactical shots, 26.Bxg5, 29.Rxe4, and 32.Qxc6, Duy seized the initiative and never let go. What impressed many viewers most was not just the tactics, but the poise: even as both players fell under 20 seconds, the 14-year-old stayed cool and converted his advantage in a 95-move marathon.
Vietnamese fans on social media praised Duy for his endgame maturity, noting how he kept pushing without blundering in a position where even grandmasters crumble under time pressure.
A Rising Star Already Making Noise
The upset wasn’t a one-off miracle. Duy is already well-known in Vietnam as a former U12 World Champion, and more recently as a consistent force in Titled Tuesday, Chess.com’s most prestigious weekly blitz event.
Earlier this year, he turned heads by finishing 4th place in a Titled Tuesday, scoring an incredible 9/11 against a field that included Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and a dozen elite grandmasters. His performance cemented him as one of the brightest young blitz specialists in Asia.
Thursday’s 3|0 event added yet another highlight to his fast-growing résumé.
Duy finished with 8/11, placing 10th overall, above several 2700–2800+ blitz giants.
Nakamura: Tough Day at the Office
For Nakamura, the loss was part of a rough event where he ended with just 7/11, placing 21st and losing multiple games. Still, losing to a teenager rated over 3000 online is nothing unusual in the modern blitz landscape, but losing this way, in a tactical slugfest where the kid kept his nerve, is what made the game memorable.
Many fans joked that Vietnam had produced yet another online blitz monster in the footsteps of GM Lê Quang Liêm and GM Lê Tuấn Minh.
Why This Win Matters
For Vietnam, this is more than an upset. Duy’s victory shows:
- He can already beat elite world-class blitz players.
- His nerves under time pressure are exceptional for his age.
- Vietnam continues to rise as a global chess power, especially online.
If he continues this trajectory, Duy could soon become a regular contender in elite online events, and potentially a future classical superstar.
A Star Is Born?
The win over Nakamura wasn’t just a lucky punch. It was the kind of composed, technically sound victory that makes coaches and grandmasters raise their eyebrows.
As one fan wrote after watching the full broadcast:
“This kid doesn’t panic. Lê Quang Liêm and Minh Lê finally have a true successor in online blitz.”
At only 14, Dau Khuong Duy is no longer just a “Vietnamese prodigy.”
He’s quickly becoming one of the most dangerous young blitz players in the world.
And on December 4th, he proved it by taking down one of the greatest speed-chess players of all time.
I’m Xuan Binh, the founder of Attacking Chess, and the Deputy Head of Communications at the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF). My chess.com and lichess rating is above 2300. Send me a challenge or message via Lichess. Follow me on Twitter (X) or Facebook.