KUALA LUMPUR: Poh Yu Tian became Malaysia's youngest International Master (IM) in chess at the 8th East Asian Youth Chess Championship (EAYCC) yesterday.
The 15-year-old did so by beating John Dave Lavandero of the Philippines in the final of the Under-18 Open category.
The victory saw him obtain a rating of 2,429 and became the 10th Malaysian to achieve the IM title, and the third from Penang.
Yu Tian's achievements, which included winning the rapid event, as well as participating in the Blitz event, also earned him the inaugural PMX Cup.
At the closing ceremony of the EAYCC, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, Nurul Nuha Anwar, presented the trophy to Yu Tian.
Four other Malaysian players were also "upgraded" by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) at the tournament.
Ainul Mardhiah Afif, who won the under-14 female category, earned the Women's FIDE Master (WFM) title; Kavin Mohan, who finished second in the Open under-14 category, received the Chess Master (CM) title; Chow Yi Chen and Yap Ray Jin, who finished second and third respectively in the Open under-10 category, both earned CM titles.