The agony of defeat and the thrill of victory...How Singapore's youngest GM did it in style

“There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” Malcolm X.

This  quote by the late great human rights activist is very apt in 17 year old Siddharth's case in the game which earned him his final GM norm from the uber-strong Sharjah Masters event. The seeds of how he won the crucial round 8 game against world class GM Esipenko were sown in this very very tragic loss by Siddharth a year ago.  He had ambushed Indonesian IM Medina Aulia in the same French advance variation in the final round of the Lim Kok Ann International Open. Back then, Siddharth was in fine form and was poised to win the strong event but...

Thus the chance to win a strong International Open went a-begging after attaining such an awesome attacking position.

To his credit, when the opportunity arose to play the same idea again, this time round, Siddharth was not going to fritter it away, even against a world class (Esipenko is World No 34 at 2703) adversary. SCF CEO, GM Kevin Goh sent me a text at 9pm to tell me that 'Sidd is playing the game of his life!' and as I logged in to watch, indeed, it was a brilliant sustained attack - although there is a nagging fear of 'deja-vu' re-occurring from the Aulia loss...

What a way to complete the GM title! Hearty congratulations to the Jagadeesch family. Siddharth's father noted that  -

"We received great support from all corners but there are 2 friends i won’t forget during the ups and downs past several years .
1. Peck Seah for her fearless support , ability to treat a child as a child and being an angel guardian 
2. ⁠Li Wen ( FM Goh Zi Han's mom ). We met only a few times but her empathy , the way she conducts life, always helped turn around the lowest moments .

Friends are everything in life .

Singapore Chess Federation gave a big lift . They were Sidd’s big brothers critiquing him for quick draws and pulling him out of his hibernation . Big thank you to the chess hearts in SCF - the entire SCF team !

And to the entire Singapore chess community - thanks for your love"

So there you have it...and I can throw in the famous ABC Wide world of Sports slogan

The thrill of Victory, The agony of Defeat, the human drama of athletic competition...