Painful path to pinnacle for chess grandmaster Kevin Goh

Thirteen years after chess player Kevin Goh began his journey to reach the pinnacle of the game, his efforts finally came to fruition this month, when he became Singapore's first male grandmaster in over two decades.

Only three Singaporeans have previously been named grandmaster by the International Chess Federation (Fide). It is the highest title a chess player can attain.

China-born duo Wu Shaobin and Zhang Zhong earned the title in 1998, before they became citizens, while Wong Meng Kong achieved the feat in 1999.

Goh, 36, told The Straits Times he was driven by the will to prove that an amateur like him, who juggles a career as the chief financial officer of oncology company Lucence, could achieve it.

Out of about 1,700 players who attained grandmaster status, Goh estimates that only 20, including him, do not train full time.

"The obstacles and hurdles to overcome are extremely difficult... it's hard to put into words," he said.

"At one point of time, I was stuck at (the second-highest rank of) international master, and the gap was so big I thought I might never get to grandmaster."

To be a grandmaster, an international master, a rank he reached in 2007, must attain a high performance ranking at three events with at least three grandmaster opponents from the federations of three different countries, called "norms".

He must also reach 2,500 in the Elo rating system, which he did when he climbed to 2,501 on March 3 after defeating top Myanmar player Wynn Zaw Htun.

After earning his first two norms in 2011 and 2012, he took a year-long break in 2013 to focus on his career, a move he called a "huge mistake" with regard to his grandmaster ambitions. He lost momentum, and spent lots of money and time taking leave from work to travel the world competing in search of the third norm and ranking points.

He recalled "painful moments" of coming close, only to choke, even breaking down in tears after one loss in Hungary.

However, the seven-time national champion and three-time SEA Games bronze medallist kept plugging away and earned his third norm in June 2018. He received the official grandmaster recognition on April 1.

Even though he has made history, he was modest about his achievements, considering himself "very normal... not much smarter than anybody else".

He wants to help guide up-and-coming local players climb the international rankings.

"If the Singapore (chess) federation is able to identify young, talented players, I would be very pleased if I could play a part in helping them grow," he said. "I've made many mistakes over the years, and I feel I would be able to share my experience and give advice to them."

He also hopes to use his newly attained status to help those whose livelihoods have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and plans to launch a #ChessAgainstCovid charity drive that will involve online events and programmes.

"The goal is to rally enough support from within the chess community and from friends and corporate sponsors to raise $100,000 for needy families to help them weather the storm," said Goh.

"Ultimately if I can do my part to achieve that goal, my grandmaster title will be even more special."