FOR 11-year-old Yap Jin Xuan, success is all in the scheduling.
By strictly balancing her studies with her free time, the SJKC Tiram pupil has found a winning formula to excel not only in the classroom but also on the basketball court, badminton court and at the chessboard.
Jin Xuan was among the top players at the 4th Chess Clinic and Rakan Muda Rapid Chess Tournament at Sekolah Rendah Agama Bersepadu in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Baru, with over 165 participants from schools across the state.
“I enjoy playing chess as it helps me to stay focused. Since last year, I have been going for tournaments not just in Johor Baru, but also in the districts such as Kluang,” she said.
For businessman S. Deva, 50, enrolling his 12-year-old twins, Kashwant and Kashwint Dave, in chess was a strategic move to pull them away from the screen.
He wanted to break their habit of watching endless cartoons and playing games on their mobile phones.
“These days, there are many distractions for children and this is something worrying. That is why I got them involved in chess since they were six years old,” he said, adding that the two boys from SK Impian Emas were also active in other sports such as taekwondo, badminton and robotics.
Deva, whose 18-year-old eldest son is also a chess player, believes parents must nurture healthy interests from a young age.
He sees this guidance as vital for helping children adapt to a rapidly evolving world driven by robotics and artificial intelligence.
Eleven-year-old Adam Akmal didn’t mind the 70km journey from Simpang Renggam to join the tournament.
Having played since age eight, he views these out-of-district competitions as more than just games.
“Each time we travel for chess, it’s like a mini family vacation,” said Adam, who has competed in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.
An aspiring software engineer, he sharpens his chess skills for at least one hour every day through online matches.
Eight-year-old Rayhhan Singh of SK Sri Tebrau found his first opponent at home, having learned the game from his 73-year-old grandfather.
Noting the boy’s deep passion for the game, his father Jaspal Singh, 41, said they enrolled him in more tournaments to boost his confidence.
“Besides chess, my son has also started dabbling in golf, hockey and football,” Jaspal added.
Johor Baru District Chess Association chairman Narayanan Krishnan, the event organiser, described the chess clinic as a timely warm-up for the upcoming District School Council (MSSD) chess tournaments.
“We had many students using the clinic to clarify the rules and laws of the game,” Narayanan said, noting the high level of engagement from both primary and secondary school participants ahead of the official competitions.
“To date, our association has produced three major national champions: Mohd Kamal Abdullah (1988 and 1989), Rentitha Narayanan (2014) and Ainul Mardhiah Mohd Afif (2024 and 2026),” he said.
