First GM norm for Poh

After a rather forgettable first year playing in Europe, Penang's chess prodigy Poh Yu Tian entered his second season on the European chess circuit with a vengeance. A year older now at 17, he had obviously learnt his lessons well. The experience of playing stronger opposition, dealing with the inevitable setbacks and adjusting to the demands of tournament chess at this level seemed to have done him a world of good. 

This time, Poh wasn't merely in Europe to gain experience. He was there to make his mark. Over this summer, he played in two tournaments in France and Germany, taking on a succession of grandmasters and established international players. By the end of the two events, he had pushed his rating up to 2493 and, more importantly, secured his first-ever Grandmaster norm.

Poh's European campaign began at the Aix-en-Provence Masters in France, where he was seeded 68th in the tournament for players rated above 2100. He certainly wasn't expected to set the place on fire but that's exactly what he proceeded to do.

Poh started steadily, drawing his first two games. Then he found his stride, winning three games in a row, including a victory over GM Jan Malek, rated 2570. Two more draws followed, this time against Hungarian GMs Gleb Dudin and Gergely Kantor, rated 2577 and 2537 respectively. After seven rounds, he had accumulated five points and was looking good for a strong finish. Then came the eighth round when he ran into French GM Pierre Laurent-Paoli, rated 2536. A mistake cost him the game and ended his hopes of a top-20 finish. But there was still one more round to play and he bounced back by beating GM Maxim Rodshtein, rated around 2600. That victory was worth more than just the point on the scoreboard. It showed that he could put a bad result behind him and get on with the next game. That ability to recover from a setback would prove even more important when he moved on to Germany.

At the Sparkassen Chess Trophy A-Open, Poh again found himself playing against much stronger opposition. He held the highest seed, GM Matthias Blübaum, rated 2689, to a draw and then he defeated GM David Navara, rated 2619. These were the sort of results that showed Poh was no longer simply a promising junior looking for experience. He was capable of taking points from grandmasters who had spent many years competing at the highest level.

But once again, things didn't go entirely according to plan. In again the eighth round, Poh faced Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, rated 2556, and lost. And this time the defeat came with considerably more at stake. With only one round remaining, his GM norm chances were hanging by a thread. He had to win against his final-round opponent, IM Max Hess, rated 2385. Poh had White and opened with the Ruy Lopez, Anti-Berlin. The game developed into a tense middlegame, with both players making inaccuracies under pressure. Then came 47...Ke4?? Hess had blundered. Poh seized the opportunity and never looked back. By move 57, Hess's defences finally collapsed. In a must-win situation, Poh had won on demand. That victory gave him a 2630 tournament performance rating and with it, his first-ever GM norm. It will also push his published rating to 2493 in the next FIDE list, one point ahead of Yeoh Li Tian, Malaysia's first grandmaster.

This first GM norm is obviously the headline achievement, but I think there is something more significant about Poh's performance in France and Germany. Across his last ten games against grandmasters, five in France and five in Germany, he produced a performance rating of roughly 2623, with a positive score against them. He has beaten several 2500-plus players, held his own against opposition rated considerably higher and, just as importantly, shown that he can recover when things go wrong.

That last point may prove particularly valuable. A young player can be perfectly capable of calculating variations and finding good moves, yet still feel nervy when he sees "GM" in front of his opponent's name. Poh seems to be getting over that psychological barrier. After beating Rodshtein, Navara and other strong players, and bouncing back from defeats when it mattered, he should now be approaching GM opposition with considerably more confidence. And that could prove just as important as the rating points he has accumulated.

At 2493, Poh is now tantalisingly close to the 2500 rating required for the Grandmaster title when he acquires all three norms eventually. I don't think breaking through 2500 will be the difficult part. The second and third GM norms are another matter. They will require strong performances in the right tournaments and, naturally, there will be more losses along the way. Chess doesn't hand out titles simply because a player is talented or has one good tournament.

But having watched Poh's progress, I don't think either of the remaining norms is beyond him. He is also now among the world's top ten players in his age group and younger. And the most encouraging part is that he is still improving. Indeed, from what I have seen this summer, he appears to be improving by leaps and bounds.

He isn't a 17-year-old who has suddenly stumbled upon one good tournament. He is a young player who seems to be learning from every experience, including the painful ones. Last year, Europe was largely an exercise in finding out what it was like to play against stronger opposition there. This year, Poh has gone back with a better understanding of what was required, and has started beating that opposition.

As someone who has been involved in Penang chess for more than five decades, I find that immensely encouraging. Poh Yu Tian is no longer just a promising young Malaysian player. He has his first GM norm. He is mere points away from 2500. And, perhaps most importantly, he now knows that he belongs at the table with the grandmasters. The rest is just a matter of finding the right moves.