Dr Hsu Li Yang, President of the Singapore Chess Federation
Mr Kevin Goh, CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation
Distinguished guests, Grand Masters, coaches, teachers
Ladies and gentlemen
1. A very good afternoon.
2. An incredible thing about chess is that when two players come to the table with their chess pieces, in an eight-by-eight set on the table, and decide their first move between the white pawns against the black, the eight rows define an immense possibility. There are more possibilities on the chessboard than all the atoms in the universe.
3. When two players sit down and decide on their moves, you would want to make the best move possible. Just like in life, you would want to perform your very best.
4. Life, as you know best, is finite. Yet, all of us are given the agency to make "investments" every single day. There are 24 hours in a day, and if we had to make a decision every hour, we would have to make 24 decisions each day. If we focus on how we can better utilise one hour of our time each day, and dedicate that hour to working on a passion, or advancing project towards success, we will gradually improve our skills and complete more of the task over time.
5. Similarly, if we put aside one hour every day for 365 days, we would have committed 365 hours to sharpening our skills, which will help us perform better and be consistent in our performance compared to those who have not spent their time refining their skills. If we are disciplined and continue to spend one hour daily to improve our skills over a period of three years, we would have dedicated more than 1,000 hours to refining the skill. I have no doubt that everyone who can do this, will succeed in whatever they choose to do.
6. Today, the chess community in Singapore has grown. This achievement is only possible because of the ecosystem and support structures in place that has inspired generations of coaches, teachers, and parents. Chess is a beautiful game. Whether you are nine or 90 years old, you can still play a game and learn from it.
7. I would like to thank everyone for being here today and contributing to the local chess scene. The Championships has achieved new heights with over 1,700 students from over 240 schools participating this year. Chess has brought us together as one community and fostered our resilience to overcome challenges and difficulties.
8. To end, I would like to share that life is full of opportunities and possibilities. I hope that our students will choose to do good, do right, and always choose to do better – not just for themselves, but for their family and community. Congratulations to all student participants.
9. Thank you.