Dau Khuong Duy Wins Freestyle Friday With a Dominant 10-Point Score
Vietnamese International Master Dau Khuong Duy claimed his first Freestyle Friday title on November 13, finishing 1.5 points clear of the field after a commanding performance in the chess tournament. The 15-year-old scored 10 points from 11 rounds, turning an early run of draws into a late surge that left his rivals chasing.
A familiar competitor in both Freestyle Friday and Titled Tuesday, Dau had not previously won either event. His breakthrough victory was especially valuable in the race for the Freestyle Chess Championship (FFC): he climbed from 14 to 24 points. That move strengthened his position, although he remained outside the championship’s top eight qualifying places after the event.
The tournament’s leading finishers were Volodar Murzin, Jeffery Xiong, and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, who each scored 8.5 points. Murzin took second on the tournament’s tiebreak system, ahead of Xiong in third and Nguyen in fourth.
Murzin and Kamsky Set the Early Pace
For much of the opening half, the contest seemed likely to become a duel between Grandmasters Volodar Murzin and Gata Kamsky. Both began with four straight wins, separating themselves from the pack and putting immediate pressure on the rest of the field.
Their round-five meeting gave Kamsky the White pieces, but Murzin managed to escape with a draw. That result allowed International Master Dau and Grandmaster Jeffery Xiong to close the gap. The leaders responded in the following round, each winning to return to a shared position at the top. Their victories were notable for the quality of the play: Murzin produced a sharp, well-coordinated attack, while Kamsky also found several impressive moves in a hard-fought game.
Murzin then gained a brief advantage over Kamsky by defeating Grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo. Kamsky, meanwhile, drew his game, and Dau moved into the chasing group by beating International Master Sergey Sklokin-Bagiyan. After drawing twice in the first five rounds, Dau was beginning to build momentum at precisely the right moment.
Dau’s Turning Point: A Bold Castling Move
The key shift came in round eight, when Dau faced Murzin with the Black pieces. Murzin had been among the tournament’s most consistent performers, but this game became his first serious stumble. Dau’s unconventional castling move unsettled his opponent and helped create a position Murzin could not stabilize. He continued fighting for nearly 50 more moves, but Dau converted the advantage and took the tournament lead.
The result marked a turning point for both players. Dau’s confidence continued to grow, while Murzin’s position weakened further in the next round. Dau won with Black against Grandmaster Benjamin Bok, whereas Murzin lost with White to Xiong. A draw between Kamsky and Maghsoodloo left Dau on eight points and Xiong on 7.5, with the pair now at least a point ahead of most of the field.
The sequence showed how quickly a fast-paced chess event can change. In a tournament where every game carries significant weight, one difficult position can alter not only the standings but also the psychological balance among the leaders.
A Piece Blunder Opens the Door to a Decisive Win
Dau and Xiong had already drawn each other in round five, so they met different opponents in round 10. Dau was paired with Maghsoodloo, while Xiong played Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev.
Maghsoodloo appeared to be putting Dau under pressure with White, but the game changed abruptly when he blundered a piece. Freestyle Chess commentator Zachary Saine, known online as “TheChessNerd,” suggested the mistake may have been a mouse slip. Whatever the cause, Dau reacted decisively and gave his opponent no chance to recover, finishing the game in just 21 moves.
Xiong also kept pace by drawing with Yakubboev. The game included missed tactical opportunities on both sides, and Yakubboev had a chance to turn the tables but did not find the necessary continuation. With one round remaining, the title was still technically undecided, but Dau had secured at least a top-two finish and controlled his own destiny.
Final-Round Win Confirms Dau’s Breakthrough
In the final round, Dau faced a Grandmaster seeking to recover from a difficult 0/2 start. Xiong took on Nguyen, while Murzin played WFM Veronika Shubenkova, with a chance to secure third place. Murzin’s game finished first, and Nguyen’s followed soon after, confirming that Dau had already done enough to win.
Dau added a final victory for good measure, becoming the first player to reach 10 points in Freestyle Friday since the tournament returned in early October. His final score was 10/11, an outstanding result in a field featuring numerous Grandmasters and International Masters.
Murzin finished second on 8.5 points, edging Xiong on tiebreaks. Nguyen also scored 8.5 to take fourth. The top four received cash prizes: Dau earned $400, Murzin $250, Xiong $150, and Nguyen $100. Shubenkova won the $100 women’s prize despite losing her final-round game, having accumulated enough points earlier in the event.
Freestyle Friday Results and FFC Implications
Beyond the prize money, the event offered competitors a chance to collect points toward the Freestyle Chess Championship. Grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk remained at the top of the standings with 71 points, followed by Pranav V on 65 and Nodirbek Yakubboev on 64. Sina Movahed, Maghsoodloo, Renato Terry, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Ian Nepomniachtchi occupied the remaining qualifying positions shown after the event.
Dau’s rise from 14 to 24 points was one of the clearest gains of the day. He did not yet break into the top eight, but his victory gave him a stronger platform for future events. Terry, Kamsky, and Bortnyk also missed the tournament’s top-four cash places but earned FFC points by finishing in the top 10.
Freestyle Friday is Chess.com’s weekly tournament for titled players, featuring chess played in the freestyle format, where the starting arrangement of the pieces is randomized. The event begins at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, corresponding to 5 p.m. Central European Time and 8:30 p.m. Indian Standard Time. For Dau, this edition was more than another weekly competition: it was a first major online title, earned through resilience, tactical alertness, and a decisive finish under pressure.
