He will not be the only Briton fancying his chances on the tables in Las Vegas this December, but Ha Dang prefers games of pure skill rather than blind luck.
The 33-year-old has booked himself a place at the Microsoft Excel world championships by seeing off more than 40 rivals in the inaugural British competition, a feat that has left him “astounded and privileged”.
Dang will head to Sin City to represent Britain against hundreds of others for the title of “world’s best spreadsheeter”, with a $5,000 (£3,690) prize and a personalised championship belt up for grabs.
The stockbroker, who works for a Leeds-based company, won the national title this month despite only learning about competitive Excel tournaments last year.
He said: “Growing up, I have always been into working with spreadsheets but I did not find many peers with whom I could exchange my formulae and Excel tricks.
“It was a delight when I discovered that there is actually a worldwide competition on how to use spreadsheets better and faster, and it is truly amazing to be recognised by that community as a champion of a local chapter.”
Players in Excel tournaments complete complex, pre-set equations and puzzles using formulas and shortcuts before their time runs out. It has become a burgeoning form of esport – competitive multiplayer video games – in the past few years.
Jaq Kennedy, the founder of the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC) UK, which hosts the British chapter of the world championships, said Dang was a revelation and hoped his appearance in Vegas, alongside the reigning world champion, Michael Jarman, would help attract more Britons to give it a go.
“Ha beat out the second place in last year’s world championship and another who trains for hours every night, and he only picked up the sport this year,” Kennedy said. “That is an incredible accomplishment and shows what natural talent and drive he has.”
“I think we’ll have even more UK attendees in Vegas this year,” she added. “There are a lot more competitors locally that are hungry for more competition, to learn more Excel, and to make friends in the Excel community.”
Dang, who came to the UK from Vietnam more than a decade ago for university, said that being able to represent the country that took him in was something he felt immense pride in.
“I’m really proud to be able to represent the UK, especially as I got my citizenship just earlier this year,” Dang said. “I cannot stress how grateful I am for the opportunities that this country has given me, it has allowed me to have a steady life, a job and support. I can’t express my gratitude enough and I feel the least that I can do is to represent it well.”
Despite the pressure, Dang said he was not scared, but excited for the new experience and hoped he could “inspire the next generation of Excel users and esports competitors” who may come after him.
“I can’t wait to fly to Vegas and meet everyone, to explore and to just continue to get better,” he said. “Not just better in my professional life but in my personal life as well. This is huge and I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
