YEOH Li Tian used his grey matter to deliver Malaysia’s first ever Rapid Chess gold in the Sea Ganes yesterday.
Played inside 10 minutes, the game requires speed combined with accuracy to make the right moves.
Li Tian played eight opponents, where he won six games and drew one for 6 1/2 points and he ventured into a tie-break before the gold was his.
For the record, Malaysia have never won gold or silver in the Sea Games.
The players returned with only bronze from the 2011 and 2013 editions.
And after seven years out in the cold, chess clawed its way back into the Philippines Games and Li Tian was the brainiest blitz.
He was a potential to start with, as in 2017 in a South East Asia Zonal tournament he beat them all to a pulp, said team manager Firdaus Ismail.
Not one to talk too much, Li Tian said he expected the gold, and the difficulties he was going to face.
‘I came here expecting gold, and also a torrid time and both came true.
‘I had to venture into a tie-break against a very challenging Vietnamese player to be garlanded with gold,’ said Li Tian.
After being tied at 6 1/2 Li Tien blitz past Nguen Ngoc Truong while another Vietnamese, Nguen Anh Khoi, claimed silver.