Milestones of NYPS Chess Club
The Nanyang Primary School's Chess Club was founded in February 2001. Although in that year the membership was small (about 20 regular chess club members), NYPS won 2 gold medals at the 53rd National Schools Championships and 2 silver medals in the 19th National Age-Group Chess Championships (NAGCC). In 2002, the membership of the club doubled and NYPS scored at international level: it won the first ASEAN Bronz Medal (Girls-U12), 2 more gold medals during the 54th National Schools Individual Chess Championships (NSICC; Boys-U12 and Girls-U12), and 1 gold (Girls-U11) and 2 silver medals (Boys-U10 and Girls-U11) at the 54th National Inter-Schools Chess Championships (NISCC). They also won 2 bronze medals (Boys-U10 and Boys-U12) at the 20th NAGCC and its representative at the World Youth Chess Championships (WYCC; Greece) finished in top 30 (Girls-U12). It was evident that the growth of the club was part of the bigger picture of chess development in Singapore schools: between 1999 and 2005 the participation in the National School Championships island-wide grew from 200+ to 1200+; the number of schools involved also grew from 20 to 60 in the same period; more than 50 schools founded chess clubs and hired professional (foreign) chess trainers. While the NYPS Chess Club grew, so did the level of the rest of the schools registered. The competition in the national events got more intense. In 2003, the chess boom in the NYPS was even more evident: the club membership jumped to more than 140. At the 4th ASEAN Age-Group Chess Championships (AAGCC; Brunei), the school representatives won 1 gold medal (Boys-U10). At the WYCC, the NYPS students finished in top 50. Internally, at the 55th NSICC Nanyang Primary collected 1 silver medal (Boys-U12), performance outdone by 3 more medals (1 gold-Girls-U10, 1 silver-Boys-10, 1 bronze-Boys-U12) at the 21st NAGCC. During the 55th NISCC, the NYPS teams performed brilliantly: 3 gold medals (Girls-U9, Open - Boys/Girls), 1 silver (Boys-U9) and 1 bronze-Boys-U11). Nanyang Primary School achieved the status as the strongest chess school team in Singapore. In 2004, although the club membership dropped to 120, the good results continued: 3 medals (1 gold-Boys-U8, 1 silver-Girls-U10 and 1 bronze-Boys-U10) at the 56th NSICC; During the 56th NISCC, NYPS won 5 medals (2 gold - Girls-U11 & Boys Open, 2 silver - Boys U9 and Girls Open, and 1 bronze - Boys-U11). NYPS won 4 medals (2 gold-Girls-10 & Boys-U12, 1 silver-Boys-U12, and 1 bronze - Girls-U12) at the 22nd NAGCC; NYPS representatives finished in top 25 at WYCC (Boys - U10) and top 50 (Boys U12). At Asian Youth Chess Championships (AYCC), the Nanyang boys (U9, U11 and U13) finished in top 10, while at AAGCC (Vungtau, Vietnam), NYPS won 1 gold (Girls-U10) and 2 bronze medals (Boys-U8 and Boys-U12). In 2005 the membership rolls were maintained at the same level as in the previous year. NYPS won 4 medals at the 57th NSICC (2 gold-Girls-U10 and Girls-U12, 2 silver-Boys-U10 and Boys-U12, 1 bronze-Girls-U8). At the 57th NISCC, the NYPS teams took home 3 gold medals (Boys-U9, Boys & Girls Open), 1 silver (Girls-U9), and 1 bronze (Girls-U11). It did well at the 23rd NAGCC too, winning 3 medals (2 gold-Boys & Girls-U10 and 1 bronze-Boys-U12). NYPS pupils finished top 10 at Asian Schools Chess Championships (ASCC; U11) and won the gold and silver medals for U-13 (Boys & Girls) category in the same event. At WYCC, the NYPS students finished in top 50 (26th - Girls-U11; 16th - Boys-U13). Such national and international successes motivated both pupils and chess organizers to take chess learning to a new level. Chess at NYPS became one of the most popular CCAs with hundreds of students signing up for courses. Professional chess trainers were hired to conduct weekly training (CCA), manage the chess club, organize chess camps and workshops or assist the NYPS teams in tournaments. Simultaneously, the first attempts to teach chess at school level as part of curriculum for lower primary were made in this period. In 2006 NYPS won 4 silver medals at the 24th NAGCC (Boys-U10, Girls-U8, U10 & U12), 2 gold medals (Girls-U8 and Boys-U12) and 1 silver (Girls-U12) at the 58th NSICC, and 2 gold (Girls-U11 & Open Girls) and 2 silver (Girls-U9 & Boys-U11) medals at the 58th NISCC. At ASCC, NYPS bagged 3 gold medals (Girls-U11 & Girls-U13, Boys-U11) and 1 silver (Boys-U13). At world level, the NYPS juniors did extremely well: finished top 20 at WYCC. NYPS also won two historical medals: a gold medal (Girls-U11) and 1 bronze (Boys-U11) at 2nd World Schools Chess Championships (WSCC). In 2007 NYPS marched forward on its way to build the most impressive chess medals collection a Singapore school could boast. During the 25th NAGCC, NYPS won 3 gold (Girls-U10, Girls-U12 & Boys-U12), 2 silver (Boys-U12 & Girls-U12), and 2 bronze medals (Girls-U8 & Girls-U10). During the 59th NSICC, the Nanyang boys had a dramatic run failing to collect a top medal despite good play. Instead the Nanyang girls brought home the following medals: 1 gold (U9), 2 silver (U9 & U11) and 1 bronze (U13). NYPS bounced back during the 59th NISCC when it won 3 gold medals (Girls-U9, Girls-U11 & Boys-U11), 1 silver (Girls Open), and 1 bronze (Boys Open). In April, 3 NYPS students received chess scholarships as a result of excellent play in the first Junior Chess Development tournament organized by Intchess Asia, the managing company of ASEAN Chess Academy (the only FIDE-accredited chess academy in Asia). At the 8th AAGCC (Pattaya, Thailand), NYPS won an important silver medal (Open). At the end of the ASCC, NYPS earned 3 gold (Boys-U11 & Girls-U11, Girls-U13) and 3 silver medals (Girls-U9, Boys-U9, and Boys-U13). At the 3rd WSCC (Halkidi, Greece), NYPS students finished in top 10 (Girls-U9 and U13) and top 15 (Boys-U9 and Boys-U13). The presence of the very few NYPS pupils at the WYCC (Antalya, Turkey) was without glamour (finishing in top 65). In the same year of 2007, NYPS's chess initiatives came to the forefront once again: the school organized its very first edition of the Nanyang Chess Challenge, an yearly tournament that attracts hundreds of school players; then, the first edition of the ASEAN Youth Team Championship (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) saw two NYPS teams taking the silver in U9 and U12 categories. In 2008, during the 26th NAGCC, NYPS took home 3 gold medals (Girls-U12, Boys-U8, Open), 1 silver (Open) and 1 bronze (Boys-U10). At the 60th NSICC, NYPS won 1 gold (B-U9), 1 silver (Girls-U10) and 2 bronze (Girls-U10, Boys-U7). Better results were achieved in team play during the 60th NISCC: NYPS took home 4 gold medals (Boys-U9, Girls-U11, Open Boys & Girls), and 1 bronze (Boys-U11). From the 9th AAGCC (Danang, Vietnam), NYPS returned home with a silver medal at Open-U14 category and with a sixth place at Girls-U10. At the 4th WSCC (Singapore), NYPS finished in top 10 in the Open categories and won a silver medal (Boys-U7). These eight years (2001-2008) were remarkable in many ways for NYPS Chess Club. Its coffers contain 100 chess medals earned at national and international level (46 gold, 34 silver and 20 bronze). But, with few (notable) exceptions, the generation of players that produced these results has graduated in 2008. Yet, the story of the Nanyang Primary Chess Club is by all means not over. It continues as waves of new young pupils registered to learn the rules of the game. Currently the CCA chess classes gather more than 250 pupils weekly. As it happened back in 2001, quite a number of these young players will learn from their mistakes over the board and will rise as leading players of one of the most feared, admired and respected chess club in South-East Asia: Nanyang Primary School's Chess Club. NYPS Chess Club
24 February 2009
Abbreviations
AAGCC = ASEAN Age-Group Chess Championships
ASCC = Asian Schools Chess Championships
AYCC = Asian Youth Chess Championships
NAGCC = National Age-Group Chess Championships
NSICC = National Schools Individual Chess Championships
NISCC = National Inter-Schools Chess Championships
NYPS = Nanyang Primary School
WSCC = World Schools Chess Championships
WYCC = World Youth Chess Championships
Sources
NYPS Chess Club Archive
Singapore Chess Federation (Online Results Archive)
www.chess-results.com
Acknowledgements
We owe a great deal of gratitude to the parents who archived many great moments of the NYPS Chess Club (including some of the great photographs displayed herewith), and to the former teachers-in-charge who decisively aided the growth of the club over the years. Those who are able to offer us feedback and corrections to the chronicle above, please do not hesitate to contact us.
