SINGAPORE – On chess player Kenneth Tan’s office desk is a rectangular paperweight that has followed him through the various stages of his career over the past 30 years.

It has not just been a tool to keep his table neat, it has also helped the 57-year-old navigate the challenges he has encountered throughout his working life.

Inscribed on this paperweight are the words “Unicorns v Dragons Chess 1988 Best Oxford Game”. It was a trophy he received while representing Oxford University in the 1980s and although his school lost to Cambridge University in that match, it remains a prized possession for him.

Even as the game took a backseat after his graduation as he turned his focus to his career, the paperweight is one way that chess has stayed deeply entrenched in his life.

It is a reminder of the lessons he has gleaned from the game, which he has been able to apply in his various jobs with the military to banking and now private equity and entrepreneurship.

He said: “Sometimes when things get more complex or complicated, the simplicity of a chess board with 64 squares helps streamline difficult issues into simpler problems...

“Work gets complex and the training you get in chess helps quite a bit. From my perspective, chess teaches you to weigh your options at every move, whether you’re winning or losing.

“The ability to sieve through options in every position is a life skill.”

In the last 36 years, Tan “informally” participated in international competitions at the South-east Asian level. His daughter also picked up the game in the early 2000s.

But he made serious preparations for the Nov 29-Dec 5 Singapore International Open, after being inspired to take part by the Republic’s hosting of the World Chess Championship, which began on Nov 23 and will end on Dec 15.

Organised in conjunction with the world event is the Singapore Chess Festival comprising two major tournaments: the Singapore International Open and the National Age Group Championship involving both local and overseas players.

The International Open features 579 registered players, including 43 grandmasters, battling it out at the Resorts World Sentosa over a week.

Tan’s friends and family questioned his decision to try and qualify for the Singapore International Open, knowing how much training it would require. But he was undeterred.

He said: “I think number one, it’s some...