HE already had two norms and needed one more to complete the set and be declared an International Master (IM) titleholder.
On July 20, Poh Yu Tian, 15, attained his third norm and rightfully earned himself the IM title at the 8th Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship (EAYCC) at Cititel Hotel in George Town.
With an overall rating of 2,429 after the championship, Yu Tian also became the youngest and the 10th Malaysian chess player to win the title, and the third from Penang.
Yu Tian had even more reasons to celebrate that night after bagging the PMX trophy, a special award to honour a Malaysian with an overall best performance throughout the championship.
His outstanding performance among other Malaysian players, winning first place in the U-18 category, champion of the Rapid event, as well as his participation in the Blitz event, qualified him to win the trophy.
With best wishes and consent from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the EAYCC organising committee named the special award after the prime minister himself.
Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Nuha Anwar, presented the trophy to Yu Tian during the closing ceremony.
Meanwhile, during an interview with the reporters, Yu Tian said he headed into this year’s championship with a different goal, which was to achieve the IM title.
“My approach towards the tournament was good, and I would like to thank the organisers, especially the Penang Chess Association (PCA) and the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) for making this happen,” Yu Tian said.
It was learned that Yu Tian started playing chess at the age of seven and has since participated in and won various tournaments.
Yu Tian’s parents, Poh Leong Tat and Low Boon Yuen, who were regarded as his sources of inspiration, were present the night their son made history as the youngest Malaysian chess player to get his hands on the IM title.
“The focus now is for my son to try his best to get the ‘Grand Master’ title.
“To get there, he needs to complete another round of three norms and achieve a rating of 2,500.
“I am confident with the right amount of training and coaching by the experts, my son will certainly be able to achieve this next title on the line,” he said.
Apart from Yu Tian, four other Malaysian players under the International Chess Federation (FIDE) earned titles at the championship.
They are Ainul Mardhiah Afif (Woman FIDE Master – WFM), the winner of the U-14 female category; Kavin Mohan (Candidate Master – CM), second-placed winner in the Open U-14 category; Chow Yi Chen and Yap Ray Jin Chow Yi Chen, who earned CM titles for their second and third place finishes in the Open U-10 category.
PCA president See Swee Sie, when met, said that there is great potential for chess to flourish in the country, especially among the youth, who have so far shown great enthusiasm and promise.
“For example, Yu Tian. He is only 15 and he has achieved the IM title. We don’t have a Grand Master titleholder yet. We are hopeful that Yu Tian will be able to achieve this and make the entire country proud,” she said.
According to her, this year’s EAYCC saw the participation of over 80 Malaysian players.
Other participating countries, such as China and Vietnam, went on to win first and third place respectively in the overall tournament, while Malaysia won second place.
China bagged five gold, three silver, and five bronze medals. Malaysia took home two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, while Vietnam won two gold and two silver medals.
Seri Delima assemblyman Connie Tan Hooi Peng was present during the closing ceremony of EAYCC 2024.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat