Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son is a Vietnamese Grandmaster known for his sharp and tactical prowess, especially in blitz chess. Awarded the prestigious Grandmaster title by FIDE, he has proven himself a formidable opponent in fast-paced games.
Playing Style & Strengths
Nguyen excels particularly in blitz time controls, where his quick thinking and tactical awareness shine. He boasts a phenomenal comeback rate of almost 90% and a very low one-sided loss rate under 1%, showing excellent resilience and precision under pressure. His games often feature deep preparation, averaging over 80 moves in decisive encounters, indicating both endurance and a strategic grasp of complex positions.
Preferred time control: Blitz
Known for tactical awareness and resilience
Strong in endgames, featuring in 87.4% of his games
High White win rate: 55.71%
Competitive Black win rate: 49.27%
Career Highlights & Statistics
Nguyen reached his peak blitz rating of 3120 in early 2020 and achieved an outstanding bullet chess peak rating of 3064 in December 2024. His rapid chess peak was also notable at 2811 in August 2020. Throughout his career, he has amassed thousands of wins across formats, demonstrating consistency and competitive spirit.
Bullet peak rating: 3064 (Dec 2024)
Blitz peak rating: 3120 (Jan 2020)
Rapid peak rating: 2811 (Aug 2020)
Total recorded wins in Bullet: 1884
Total recorded wins in Blitz: 1443
Strong win rates even against higher-rated opponents
Favorite Openings
Nguyen has a distinct preference for Queen’s Pawn and Indian Defenses, leveraging the flexibility and dynamic potential of these openings to outplay opponents in rapid and blitz formats.
Queen's Pawn: Neo-Indian
Indian Defence with e6, Nf3
Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense
Neo-King’s Indian Defense
Reti: King's Indian Attack (KIA)
Fun Facts & Quirks
Nguyen’s favorite time to play is around 3 PM — maybe he gets a caffeine boost or the chess stars align! His opponents know that he's not one to quit easily, with an almost 58% rate of resigning early being more about strategic patience than giving up. And if you lose a piece, watch out! Nguyen has a win rate of over 51% after losing pieces, so the game is never over until it’s over.
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, your recent blitz games exhibit a strong performance with a strength adjusted win rate just above 51%, reflecting solid competitive skills against strong opponents. Over the past six months, your rating has impressively increased by over 1300 points, a testament to your rapid improvement and dedicated training. However, there is a small negative slope in your one-month rating trend, indicating a slight dip in performance that is worth addressing.
Recent Games Highlights
You demonstrated excellent control in several openings including the Four Knights Game and the Alapin Sicilian Defense, showing a strong grasp of these complex lines.
Your tactical awareness allowed you to convert many positions convincingly, often pressuring your opponents into resignation.
Pressure and initiative management are strengths; in your wins, you effectively capitalized on small inaccuracies by your opponents.
Notable games against titled opponents showed your ability to maintain composure and employ strategic plans.
Areas for Improvement
In some losses, stronger opponents exploited weaknesses in pawn structure and piece coordination, especially in complex middlegame scenarios like the Berlin and Alapin Sicilian where timely exchanges harmed your position. Reviewing these positions more deeply could assist in avoiding repeated errors.
Time management is crucial in blitz; ensure to maintain a good balance between speed and accuracy, particularly in tense moments where you faced pressure.
The small recent dip in your one-month trend suggests focusing on consistency—consider revisiting your opening repertoire to shore up lines where minor inaccuracies could be exploited.
Endgame technique can always be refined; several of your wins and losses came down to subtle endgame play. Studying typical endgame themes from your openings will boost confidence and results.
Next Steps in Training
Continue to analyze recent losses in detail, focusing on critical turning points and alternative plans.
Incorporate more targeted endgame study sessions into your routine to improve precision under time pressure.
Play training games with a focus on experimenting with varied plans in the openings where you feel less comfortable, such as the Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense and some Chess960 game variations.
Maintain your physical and mental stamina, as your rating gains suggest you thrive with steady play over the months; avoid burnout with balanced practice.
Summary
Your trajectory over the last six months is remarkable, showing dedication and a high ceiling for further growth. By addressing recent inconsistencies and deepening your opening and endgame knowledge, you will be well positioned to sustain your upward momentum. Keep up the great work and continue to challenge yourself against strong competition!
