The tournament was held from May 29 to June 6 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in standard chess format. Each player has 90 minutes for the game, with a 30-second increment per move. From move 41 onward, an additional 30 minutes are added to each player’s clock.
In continental chess tournaments, competitors typically consume significant time making their moves. Games often conclude with players having only a few minutes, or even seconds, remaining on their clocks.
However, during the fourth round of the tournament, Phuc delivered a shocking performance. The fifth-ranked Vietnamese player finished the game in 43 moves, with over 1 hour and 48 minutes left on his clock. His lightning-fast win was the result of thorough preparation, allowing him to play the match that required almost no calculation.
Phuc, who has an Elo rating of 2450, played white against Vetokhin (2549). He opted for the classic Italian Game, steering the match into the Two Knights Defense. By the fourth move, the Russian Grandmaster had already spent over three minutes on a single response. By move eight, Vetokhin’s clock had dwindled to 58 minutes, while Phuc still had 1 hour and 31 minutes, with a slight advantage.
As the game continued, Phuc executed his moves with computer-like precision. By move 14, he had secured a winning advantage, and by move 24, he held a dominant position. He continued to play at a blistering pace, seemingly having memorized the entire 43-move sequence.
Speaking to Read after the match, Phuc explained that he felt relaxed and understood his opponent well, having previously faced him at the 2023 youth championship in Italy.
“Vetokhin didn’t play the openings I had prepared,” Phuc said. “But he played an opening I had seen in a game two years ago.”
The match Phuc referenced is believed to be a January 2025 clash at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament in the Netherlands, where Chinese prodigy Lu Miaoyi, playing white, defeated former U20 World Champion Kazybek Nogerbek.
Phuc’s game mirrored Lu’s exactly until the 18th move, at which point white had already established a winning advantage.
The 17-year-old noted that his rapid play drew a large crowd of spectators.
“After the game, the organizers took me to the security room,” he recounted. “They carefully checked me with scanners to see if I was using any electronic devices. The result showed no cheating. I’ve encountered this situation many times because of quick wins, so it wasn’t surprising.”
The victory propelled Phuc to the top of the tournament standings, amassing 3.5 points after four rounds. In the fifth round, he played black and drew against Indian Grandmaster Pranav Anand (Elo 2596), which pushed him down to second with 4 points.
Alongside Phuc, the men’s event features Dau Khuong Duy and Dinh Nho Kiet, who currently have 3 and 2.5 points. In the women’s event, Luong Phuong Hanh and Nguyen Thanh Thuy Tien both sat at two points.
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