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Malaysia has officially welcomed its first chess Grandmaster — 25-year-old Yeoh Li Tian from Petaling Jaya, Selangor!
According to Bernama, Yeoh clinched the prestigious title — the highest achievement awarded to chess players by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) — after emerging champion at the 2025 GM-IM Invitational Chess Championship held in Kuala Lumpur from 28 July to 3 August.
With the win, he achieved 2,500 points in the FIDE rating system, qualifying him for the coveted Grandmaster title.
The title, a lifelong honour, places Yeoh among an elite group of fewer than 2,000 Grandmasters worldwide.
Yeoh, who began playing chess at the age of three, said his journey to attain the title was long and gruelling, marked by sacrifice and perseverance since he was young
"I always tell people that I have no childhood. Since young, like even in primary school, I go to school, come back, do my homework and then I start working on chess," he shared.
Having narrowly missed the chance to secure the title at the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi, however, Yeoh said achieving Grandmaster on home ground has made the moment even more meaningful.
"I felt really relieved and happy to actually get my last 'norm' (a specific criteria set by FIDE) in Malaysia. I hope that it inspires more Malaysians to play chess," he added.
While Yeoh is still weighing his next steps, he hinted at competing in the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand later this year.
"The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) has already approached me for the upcoming SEA Games. I think there's a high chance that I will be playing," said the player, who won Malaysia's first ever gold medal in chess at the 2019 SEA Games:
MCF president Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi hailed Yeoh's success as a historic milestone
He added that the federation is now more determined than ever to nurture and develop more Malaysian chess players.
"I feel the achievement is a new positive and healthy development for the game of chess in the country.
"We do not want this achievement to stop here and if can, we want more Grandmasters from Malaysia to emerge, just like what has been produced by neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines," he said.
