With no chess club in their school, these girls took the initiative – and won at Singapore nationals

SINGAPORE: Ng See Jen is no stranger to facing obstacles when it comes to her passion for chess.

As a younger child, she was the only girl at open competitions. There were times she was shouted at by losing opponents. Once, she was told to stay home and play with Barbie dolls.

But See Jen has stuck with the mind sport since picking it up in primary school about six years ago.

"It is good for your mind and it helps strengthen your thinking," she said. "It has many benefits."

So when the Secondary 1 student found out that her new school, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls', did not have a chess co-curricular activity (CCA), it was just something else to overcome.

"Honestly, she only wanted an opportunity to continue her passion," said See Jen's father Ng Junsheng. "My guideline was very clear to her. If you really want it, you've got to start the ball rolling."

His daughter promptly canvassed the school for fellow chess players and created a WhatsApp group.

In there were some familiar faces: Ko Yi Xuan, See Jen's former primary school teammate; and Chia Choy Ann, a Secondary 4 student she'd seen at competitions.

The next step was to write to her principal.

In a detailed email, See Jen laid out her case for the formation of a chess interest group, stating its objectives, activities and benefits among others.

"Chess has proven to be an excellent platform for developing critical thinking, problem-solving and strategic planning skills; all of which align with our school's emphasis on holistic education and character development," she wrote.

"We believe that establishing a chess interest group will provide students with a valuable platform to grow intellectually and socially while fostering a vibrant school culture."

"We need the support of the environment around us to continue our development as chess players," she added.

"LONELY" WITHOUT A TEAM

CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School once had a mind sports CCA; but with interest declining, it was merged with another CCA before eventually shutting down a few years ago.

This was due to "dwindling enrollment", said Ms Winnie Tan, who became school principal at the start of this year.

"All CCAs need teachers in charge and there are only a limited number of teachers in the school. It's also about how you spread the teacher deployment."

The CCA's closure was a downer for Choy Ann, who started playing competitive chess in Primary 1.

"I didn't have a chess club CCA in primary school. A lot of my friends who I trained together outside (with) were all from chess clubs. They had a lot of "chess friends" in school," she said.

"In secondary school, I always wanted to experience (this) also."

Endorsed by her alma mater Cedar Primary School, Choy Ann participated in a number of competitions, but it didn't feel the same as being part of a team.

"I feel very lonely when I compete on my own in individual tournaments because when you win, you're the only person celebrating ... When you lose, you're also the person who has to face it on your own," she said.

Enter See Jen, whose email to Ms Tan is still remembered by the principal for the maturity on display.

"What was interesting and what intrigued me about the email was that she already had a plan ... It wasn't that she was aiming for a CCA (to be formed) straight away, she knew that she probably had to gather enough people first," she said.

Interest groups are different from CCAs, and consist of students who informally come together to pursue passions. 

"If the interest group grows bigger for us to consider seriously whether it's big enough to start a CCA ... that's really what we are open to," said MS Tan.

One suggestion by See Jen was for the group to be endorsed by CHIJ St Nicholas to represent the school at the National Inter-School Team Chess Championships in September.

This, the school had no issues with.

"This is not new to us. We support our girls; in fact many of them are out there ... (competing) in other sports which the school may not offer as a CCA," said Ms Tan.

POWERED BY "PASSION"

After getting the go-ahead for the tournament, See Jen worked on putting a team together. In addition to Yi Xuan and Choy Ann, she roped in Primary 5 student Faith Yeo, who she also knew from the competition circuit.

On their own time, the quartet trained and planned their board order - the predetermined arrangement of players in a competition.

"I was a bit nervous because we were in the U16 category and I thought it would be very difficult, because we would be playing against older people," said Secondary 1 student Yi Xuan.

Choy Ann, the veteran of the group, said her job as senior was to "brief them on what to expect among all the participants who joined the tournament".

At the competition, the girls faced a total of six teams, winning five of their match-ups and losing one to emerge as national runners-up.

The group had hoped to win as they were the top seed based on the average international rating of their members. Nonetheless, there remains a sense of pride of what they have achieved, added Choy Ann.

"I'm very proud of everybody because I think it's very brave of them - knowing that you're going to be facing people who might be more experienced than you, they still were willing to play together with me," she said.

Their competitors were surprised that the St Nicholas girls even managed to form a team.

En route to their second-place finish, they were also crowned zonal champions, with Faith and Choy Ann also picking up individual awards.

"You can count on each other to win the games as a team. The awards that we won are shared by all of us ... because everybody contributed. I think that makes it extra special," Choy Ann said.

While she will soon graduate and move on to Eunoia Junior College, she said she would be pleased for her juniors if St Nicholas starts up a chess CCA again.

"I would definitely be happy if the school decides to revive mind sports, and if my juniors ever need help, I'll always be glad to come back and help them."

For now, interest in chess within the school remains fledging, with fewer than 20 people in the WhatsApp chat group See Jen started.

But the girls, with their principal's blessing, hope to introduce chess to their peers at a year-end showcase.

"We are the living example (that) passion can carry you very far. You don't necessarily need so many resources just to keep you at the top," said Choy Ann.

"Individual passion and the innate drive to just want to continue doing what you like, and what you are good at, is enough to carry you to the top."