In 2015 he finally made his first norm and last December, Yeoh Li Tian made back-to-back International Master norms at two tournaments in Australia, fulfilling the norm requirements of 27 games.
Recently, I did an interview with him to find his thoughts, his preparations and how he sees his future chess career.
JL: You recently finished your SPM examinations and straight after flew to Australia to play two tournaments. What expectations if any did you have when you were invited to these two tournaments?
LT: Frankly speaking I didn’t expect much before these
tournaments. As it was right after SPM examination,
I didn’t have time to prepare for my opponents beforehand as if they were round
robin tournaments. Hence I was just aiming for IM norms before these tournaments. I
was actually quite confident on the chances as my performance has always been
stable and seldom become rusty even if I have not played in any tournament for
a long time. It turned out to be correct as I got my IM norms with one round to
spare in both tournaments.
JL: How did you prepare for these tournaments?
LT: As mentioned above, I didn’t prepare for any of the 2
tournaments due to my SPM examination. However, in a round robin tournament, I
will normally first check the age and rating of my opponents to estimate their
strength. I will then check the required points to achieve IM (maybe GM in
future) norm and set a target score (win or draw) for each game, based on my
colour if possible. After completing all these only I will start to prepare on
a particular opponent by his opening and try to find out which type of position
he/she normally loses in.
JL: Which game did you like the most from these two
tournaments?
LT: I like some of my smooth wins against lower rated
opponents, but I think the most interesting game is my game against Patrick
Gong in the Lidums Young Master. (Game below)
JL: Any stories you want to tell us?
LT: There was really not much interesting moment in Australia. It was all about mind duel during the game and resting my mind after the game. I was hosted by a local family in Adelaide and they were really friendly. We actually saw a wild koala on a hill road while getting back home.
JL: How old were you when you learnt the game?
LT: Around 2-3 years old. I must be literally “playing” with the chess pieces at that time.
JL: How much time do you spend on chess?
LT:It really depends on my other activities. At the very
least, I will spend some time daily to follow the current tournaments to keep
my chess-mind awake. I will put it as 10 hours per week.
JL: Young talented chess players often make their IM
titles even before the age of 14. Why did it take you until 17 years old?
LT: The first factor is of course being an amateur player.
Even though I focused in chess as much as in academic, it is still a big
disadvantage to not work on chess full time compared to those young
professional players. Besides, there are also not many suitable sparring
partners in Malaysia as chess is not a mainstream sport. There are also few
problems with myself such as easily distracted when I face difficulties during
training.
JL: How much the computer plays in your chess
preparations? Do you bring it to you every tournament?
LT: Computer definitely plays a crucial role in my chess
preparation. Basically all my preparations require computer, including checking
opponent’s basic information, database and opening. Computer is a necessity for
me in all important and big chess tournaments. I only leave it at home in event
like MSSM [Note: MSSM is an annual schools chess competition in Malaysia] or rapid events.
JL: Who is the player you admire most?
LT: I really admire Magnus Carlsen. Sometimes I simply
couldn’t understand how he wins such drawish position against strong players. I
really hope I can learn that skill.
JL: What is your career that you think you most likely be
in. Is it chess?
LT: To be honest I don’t plan to have a profession related to
chess. I may contribute to chess in future, but definitely not full time. I am
interested in actuarial science, computer science and engineering.
JL: What subjects are you good in or like at school?
LT: I am really good in mathematics compared to my peer. I
like math, physics and chemistry in school. I like part of biology but I have
never obtained good results in biology.
JL: What advice will you give to others who wish to
pursue their ambition to be a good player?
LT: Study midgame and endgame. I can see many players and
coaches focusing too much in the opening. Trying to win fast by trapping your
opponent in a sharp opening can never bring a player to high level.
JL: Are you going to be world champion :)
LT: As far as I am concerned, no. It is pretty impossible to
reach the elite without doing chess full time.
JL: Thank you for your very informative answers. I believe other young chess players as well as chess parents will find it very useful
