#Singapore – International Chess Federation

From Pawns to Queens: A new Chess in Schools Initiative

editor_d — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:08:25 +0000

The Singapore Chess Federation “SCF” is delighted to announce our latest project, “From Pawns to Queens”, a chess in schools initiative in collaboration with Greenwood Primary School. This project aims to trial a large-scale beginner chess programme to promote chess learning among the school’s Primary 1 and Primary 2 students, with the longer term goal to make chess a regular feature in the school’s programmes at all levels, and use chess learning to teach essential cognitive and life skills.

The idea of the name “From Pawns to Queens” stemmed from the literal meaning of teaching our young students how to move all the pieces. Beyond mastering the game, our mission is to inspire children to embrace the concepts of empowerment, growth, and development—both on and off the board. Just as pawns have the potential to become queens through strategic effort and perseverance, we encourage kids to realise their own potential, develop confidence, and grow into empowered individuals.

The project started with a chess camp that took place on the 4th and 5th of November. Each day began with a mass briefing in the school hall, with Woman FIDE Master Dijana Dengler explaining the origin of chess and the absolute basics to 455 Primary 1 and 2 (aged 7 and 8) students. Dijana, a councilor in FIDE’s Chess in Education Commission and a chess teacher at Overseas Family School is highly experienced and skilled at teaching the basics of chess to young children. Her entertaining presentation, with the help of FT Philipp Ziegler, also from Overseas Family School, captivated the audiences who eagerly engaged with her whenever questions were posed.

After 45 minutes, the group returned to their respective classrooms for a more in-depth learning experience. The SCF team, together with 16 volunteers from the chess community, then spent the next 2 hours continuing the teaching process, and allowing the children to experience playing chess against each other for the first time.

The feedback from the school was highly positive. Many of the kids expressed joy at learning the game and wished to learn more after the training camp. SCF hopes to continue our collaboration with Greenwood Primary School in bringing more chess to its students.

The SCF is heartened that the Singapore Chess Community has stepped forward to support this programme. We sincerely thank the following partners:

Greenwood Primary School Team

Principal: Mrs. Tricilia Chua
Vice-Principal: Mr. Tan Kar Wee
Year Head/Lower Primary: Mrs. Sharon Teo
Assistant Year Head/Lower Primary: Mdm Celeste Teo

Chess Academies and teachers

Ms Elisha Paciencia, Ms Ericka Paciencia, Mr Aziz Abdul from Chess Grande
Mr. Osric Mooi
WIM Anjela Khegay
FM Dino Ballecer from Chess Whizdom
Mr. Arlan Cabe from Chess Castle Pte Ltd
Mr. Jedidiah Huang from The Jedi Chess Academy

Chess enthusiasts

Ms Vanessa Mcconville, Ms Dijana Dengler and Mr. Philipp Ziegler from Overseas Family School
Mr. Peter Dengler from London Stock Exchange Group
Students Mr. Andrew Tan, Ms. Eden Pang, Ms. Audelle Sim, Mr. Joash Chan and Ms. Dayana Chin

For more information regarding From Pawns to Queens and other SCF social initiatives, please contact socialprojects@singaporechess.org.sg

FIDE World Championship Match wins Singapore’s 2024 Sports Event of the Year

editor_d — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 17:26:17 +0000

The FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2024, between Gukesh D and Ding Liren held in Singapore, was one of the most exciting events of the year for chess fans around the world. After 13 rollercoaster games, we crowned the youngest undisputed World Champion in history. Although the match took place seven months ago, the excitement and impact continue to resonate.

To that extent, we are proud to announce that the match has been awarded Best Sports Event of the Year (Exhibition/Competition) at the 2025 Singapore Sports Awards!

Reflecting on the win, Kevin Goh, CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, shared:

“We won the Sports Event of the Year! This is easily one of the proudest moments of my career. Grateful to the sponsors, Google, Resorts World Sentosa, FIDE – International Chess Federation, all our partners, the awesome local organising committee, volunteers, journalists, and photographers for putting up a spectacular show.”

Organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Sport Singapore, the Singapore Sports Awards are the country’s highest recognition for sporting excellence. This year’s edition celebrated standout performances and events from 2024, with FIDE’s flagship event named the best in its category.

The award acknowledges not only the exceptional level of play, but also the world-class organisation, media production, and community engagement that made the match a truly global spectacle. Supported by Google and hosted at Resorts World Sentosa, the event helped position Singapore as a hub for premier international sporting events.

Adding to the celebration, Singaporean photographer Chin An Eng was awarded Sports Photo of the Year for a powerful image taken during the match (above). The photograph captures the intensity of the match with both players mirroring each other with their heads in their hands, flags in view, as they navigate the mental tension of the game.

FIDE extends its heartfelt thanks to the Singapore Chess Federation, local organisers, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and fans who made this event such a resounding success. This recognition is a powerful testament to the growing stature of chess on the world stage.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Singapore to host 2024 World Chess Championship Match

KN — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 15:00:45 +0000

The Singapore Chess Federation, supported by the Government of Singapore, has won the bid to host the FIDE World Championship Match 2024. The Match will feature the defending Champion Ding Liren from China and the Challenger Gukesh D from India and will take place between November 20 and December 15, 2024

FIDE received three competitive applications for hosting the World Championship Match – from New Delhi (India), Chennai (India), and Singapore. After reviewing the bids and inspecting all potential host cities for their venues, amenities, event programs, and opportunities, the International Chess Federation has selected Singapore as the host of the World Championship Match.

“We are delighted that for the first time in the history of FIDE, a match for the World Championship will take place in Singapore. Not only is Singapore one of the most iconic global tourist and business hubs, but it is also a thriving chess center with great ambitions and talent,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.

Photo: fairmont.com

“I would also like to thank the other bidders – New Delhi and Chennai. Both cities are renowned chess hubs with a rich history of hosting chess events, and we are confident we will see major chess events there in the future,” Dvorkovich continued.

“FIDE is genuinely happy to bring the FIDE World Championship Match to Singapore. Chess is not just a popular game and sport; it is often seen as the epitome of the human mind’s ability to think strategically, to plan, and to foresee. Singapore embodies these same qualities. It’s a great match for the great Match!” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky said.

“We also expect multinational companies to seize an opportunity and join forces with FIDE and Singapore to make this event truly exceptional,” Sutovsky added.

Singapore’s bid was submitted on May 31, 2024, and the inspection of the venues took place on June 11 and 12. Four possible venues are being considered for the Match, and the final decision on the exact location will be announced in due course.

The Match, which boasts a sensational prize fund of 2.5 million USD, is set to take place between November 20 and December 15, 2024.

About the FIDE World Championship Match

The FIDE World Championship Match is one of the most important and widely watched chess events globally. Held every two years, it features the defending World Champion and the Challenger, chosen through a qualification process culminating in the Candidates Tournament, which includes eight of the world’s top players.

The defending Champion is Ding Liren, who won the title after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023 on tiebreaks. The Challenger is the 18-year-old Gukesh D from India, who won the Candidates Tournament in April 2024 in Toronto.

The World Championship Match will consist of 14 games. The player who scores 7.5 points or more wins the Match, and no further games are played. If the score is equal after 14 games, the winner is decided by a tiebreak.

Singapore Champioship: Kevin Goh and Gong Qianyun clinch titles

KN — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:26:44 +0000

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

Photos: Singapore Chess Federation Facebook Page