Andy Dinh
![]() | This article needs to be updated.(August 2015) |
Andy Dinh | |
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![]() Dinh at the RISE 2019 Conference | |
Born | April 19, 1992 |
Nationality | American |
Title | CEO of Team SoloMid |
Relatives | Dan Dinh (brother) |
Esports career information | |
Games | League of Legends |
Playing career | 2009–2013 |
Role | Mid laner |
Team history | |
2009–2011 | All or Nothing |
2011–2013 | Team SoloMid |
Andy Dinh (born April 19, 1992), also known by his in-game name Reginald, is a Vietnamese-American entrepreneur and former professional League of Legends player. He is the founder, owner, and CEO of Team SoloMid (TSM), an esports organization most well known for its League of Legends team in the League Championship Series (LCS).
As a former player, he was the first mid laner for TSM.
Professional gaming career
Dinh began playing League of Legends in the Closed Beta in 2008. Playing alongside his brother, Dan Dinh, he quickly became one of the most recognizable players in the game's sprouting player base. Andy and his brother then formed one of the earliest competitive League of Legends teams, team All or Nothing, during the League of Legends closed beta in September 2009.[1] Around this time, he also founded the SoloMid website, one of the first websites dedicated to League of Legends, which also doubled as a website for his team. In early 2011, after disagreements between himself and Dan Dinh, All or Nothing disbanded and Andy "ReginaId" Dinh went on to found the TSM team as its mid lane and captain. At the Season 1 League of Legends World Championship in 2011, TSM took 3rd place and $10,000.[2] Team Solomid made many appearances at several independent tournaments, including a second-place finish at Intel Extreme Masters Season VI and a first-place finish at Major League Gaming's Providence tournament.
Going into League of Legends Season 2, Team SoloMid suffered losses while facing the Russian-based team Moscow 5 at Intel Extreme Masters Hanover and Kiev events. Following these defeats, notable founding member Christian "The Rain Man" Kahmann resigned from the team citing differences in interests and Team Solomid subsequently picked up Marcus "Dyrus" Hill to fill the empty spot, as he was already living in the TSM house.[3][4] After these changes, Dinh and Team SoloMid went on to win several North American events during spring and summer. Following a 1st Place victory at the North American regionals, TSM became one of the teams playing at Riot Games's Season 2 World Championships in Los Angeles, where they were defeated 2-0 by Azubu Frost and placed 5th-8th with a prize of $75,000.[5] Two months later in December, they placed 9th-12th in the IGN Pro League Season 5 to win $1500.[citation needed]
Reginald retired from competition at the end of 2013. He made a brief appearance as TSM's mid laner in Week 7 of the 2014 NA LCS Spring Split due to Bjergsen returning to Denmark to renew his United States visa.[6]
Accusations of workplace bullying
Several current and former employees and players of TSM have accused Dinh of workplace bullying, including verbal abuse. Riot Games and TSM both launched their own investigations into the accusations in late 2021. However, accusations had arisen as early as 2011.[7]
References
- ^ "Clan All or Nothing - League of Legends Community". Na.leagueoflegends.com. October 15, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "Season One Championship". Season-one-championship.na.leagueoflegends.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "League of Legends: Rain Man leaves TSM gaming house". SK Gaming. April 11, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "Team SoloMid Announces Roster Change - SoloMid.NET Forums". Solomid.net. March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "Season Two World Championship | LoL Tournaments". Tournaments.leagueoflegends.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ Turton, William (February 28, 2014). "Reginald to sub for Bjergsen this week". onGamers. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (January 11, 2022). "Riot Games Is Investigating a Top Esports Team Founder Over Bullying Allegations". Wired. Retrieved January 11, 2022.