SEA Games 2023: Ngo Lan Huong defies pain to become Singapore’s first women’s xiangqi champion

PHNOM PENH – Midway through her final women’s standard individual game against compatriot Fiona Tan on Saturday, Singapore xiangqi (Chinese chess) player Ngo Lan Huong had to request painkillers.

The 44-year-old later told The Straits Times she had been experiencing body aches after having issues adapting to her hotel room pillow.

Despite that and the stuffy conditions inside the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Ngo prevailed, with her victory against Tan taking her tally to eight points with three wins and two draws. That was good enough for her to be crowned Singapore’s first female SEA Games xiangqi champion.

Vietnam’s defending champion Le Thi Kim Loan took silver with seven points (two wins, three draws), while third-placed Malaysian Jee Xin Ru and fourth-placed Tan shared bronze, as the Singaporean improved on her sixth-placed finish at the last Games.

Ngo, a former world champion who finished third in the 2022 world championships, said: “I’m still nervous, but I’m very happy to bring glory to Singapore.

“The body aches are quite uncomfortable and it was quite hot in the middle of the hall, but that didn’t distract me. I’m more averse to loud noise than other things, so I still managed to focus.”

Ngo, who was born in Vietnam, started representing her country of birth at 14 after learning how to play from her elderly neighbours, and she has over 20 years of professional playing experience. She married former Singapore player Anthony Kng in 2012, moved to the Republic in 2015 and became a citizen six years later.

While raising their daughter – the eight-year-old currently has no interest in the game – Ngo stopped competing for almost seven years before she was convinced to make a comeback when xiangqi made its SEA Games debut in Hanoi in 2022, when she won bronze.

Xiangqi is a two-player strategy board game that is similar to international chess.

Ngo said the turning point happened in her fourth game against Vietnam’s Dam Thi Thuy Dung when she made a move to open up attacking opportunities for both players and ended up winning.

She said: “I took a risk and went for it. That win helped put me in a good position to win gold. In the final game, in which both Fiona and I could win gold with a victory but also lose it with a draw, I think she was nervous and made some mistakes which I capitalised on.

“I’m in better form this year and did better to adapt compared to last year, when I felt more rusty. I like to think and come up with solutions, and returning to competition has helped me rediscover my love for xiangqi.”

Like Ngo, the Asian Games in September were also on Alvin Woo’s mind as he tried to defend his men’s standard individual title.

After three wins and a draw, he needed to beat Vietnamese Nguyen Thanh Bao to be sure of gold. However, Woo played a more conservative game to draw with his opponent, leaving him with a chance to retain his crown if Vietnam’s Lai Ly Huynh lost to Sim Yip How of Malaysia. But that did not materialise and the Vietnamese won gold on countback after also finishing on eight points.

Woo, 39, explained: “I was sitting on a silver and hoping for a gold. If I went on the attack and lost, I would be placed lower.

“Considering I didn’t make the cut for the Asian Games and am appealing, I thought of the bigger picture and didn’t want to risk dropping to a bronze. With the silver, I hope I can convince the selectors to approve my appeal.”

Teammate Ng Junyang finished fifth, and Singapore will now turn their attention to the rapid team and blitz team events on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Team manager Loh Jun Yu said: “It is not easy for them to play in sweat but they exemplified mind over body to win medals in the first two events. We hope this encouraging start is a good sign of more good news to come.”