The finals of the 74th Singapore National Chess Championships concluded on 12 February 2023. This tournament, with a total prize fund of S$15,000, spanned over three long weekends, with one round held each day.
The National Championships has a rich history dating back to 1949 when it was first won by the founder of the Singapore Chess Federation, Professor Lim Kok Ann. Over time, the Championships have created many legends, most notably Mr Tan Lian Ann, who has won this tournament a record-breaking ten times in his career. This year's edition was arguably the strongest in history, with GM Tin Jingyao (pictured below) as its top seed.
Tin Jingyao, a 5-time national champion, has made waves on the local and international chess circuit of late and was the pre-tournament favourite, but Grandmaster Kevin Goh Wei Ming, the defending champion Andrean Susilodinata and Singapore's top female player Gong Qianyun were also gunning for the title. Singapore's first Grandmaster and a 4-time Champion, Wong Meng Kong, also made a surprise return from retirement, making this the first tournament in Singapore history to feature all 3 Singaporean homegrown Grandmasters.
The tournament also allowed young players to participate through a series of qualifiers. The youngest candidate to qualify was 7-year-old Ashwath Kaushik (pictured above), well-known on the local scene for giving players older than him a difficult time over the board. Ashwath is more than half the size of his fellow competitors; he brings around a booster cushion to be placed on his seat so that he can see the board and move the chess pieces.
This year's Championships also saw the Women's Category merging with the Open in a combined event for the first time in 13 years. Woman Grandmaster Gong Qianyun (pictured above), who recently emerged 13th in the World Rapid Chess Championships, quipped, "I like to challenge myself and enjoy playing against male GMs and IMs - for me, it is less stressful compared to playing with ladies." She also has the following advice for female players playing in a field dominated by men: "Just focus on the game itself - do not get distracted by other things, and you will not be intimidated by your opponents."
At the end of a long and grueling tournament, it was GM Kevin Goh (pictured above) who emerged as the champion, winning his 8th National Championship title. Gong Qianyun also became a 9-time National Woman's Champion by finishing as the highest finisher among female players. However, she admitted that the path was far from easy. Qianyun said, "It was a difficult tournament competing with many young and promising players, and fortunately for me, I managed to pull through with a narrow margin over my competitors."
"I believe many of these young players will continue to improve, and next year's tournament will be even stronger."
By winning this title, Qianyun also gains custody of the Chan Lai Fung challenge trophy for one year, named after WIM Chan Lai Fung for her accomplishments in Singapore chess and her generous contribution to Singapore Chess in many ways.
Final standings
Open:
1st - GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming
2nd - IM Enrique Paciencia
3rd - GM Tin Jingyao
Women:
1st - WGM Gong Qianyun
2nd - Saravanan Durga
3rd - Lauren Rice
You can find complete tournament results here:
https://chess-results.com/tnr719719.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&fed=SGP
Text: Kevin Goh CEO, Singapore Chess Federation
