Thomas Nguyen

Chess Player and Vietnamese Learner

A 3rd year computer science student with a drive for playing Vietnamese Taboo and enjoying the beauty of chess. Join me on my journey of learning my heritage language and pursuing my dream of becoming a chess master!

Chess pieces with Vietnamese color

More about my hobbies

I started learning Vietnamese around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since then, I decided to practice speaking and learning Vietnamese every day.

I love to play all kinds of board and strategy games but Chess is by far my most favorite. I get to make so many cool friends while talking over a few chess games. I like chess because it forces me to really think and have a plan under time pressure.

In the 9th grade, my guitar teacher introduced me to the world of programming when he showed me a program he made in Lisp that simulated the card game Set that we always played in our free time. I decided to study Computer Science in university because I believe programming is a superpower that I can use to make my dreams and imaginations come true.

Kien Giang logo

Learning Vietnamese

Có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim.

Vietnamese Resources

Free4Talk

VNExpress

Vtudien

A bishop

Chess Journey

Starting the 11th grade, I started competing in chess tournaments.

Personal Statistics

USCF Rating: 1738

State Ranking: 41/493

Current Norms: None

OU logo

Computer Science B.S.

University of Oklahoma May 2024

Campus Involvement

Engineering Tutor

Chess Club President

Diversity and Inclusion Program

Personal Projects

In my free time, I like to program useful tools that help me and my friends have a fun experience learning and playing on the internet. My creations range from chess visualization practice, language learning tools, and external game utilities like a chat room service and roles randomizer.