CHESS OPENS UP FARHAN’S ‘BLINDFOLD’ TO VISIONS OF GOLD AND GLORY

KUCHING, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- As soon as he was diagnosed with glaucoma at the age of 18, with his sight fading slowly but surely, Perak athlete Muhammad Farhan Norhayalim braced himself for the day of reckoning, admitting that it was difficult for him to accept the fate that befell him.

Two years after the tragedy, the native of Seri Manjung in Perak was determined to rise again with a vision, a vision to immerse himself in the world of chess.

And that's what he did today, winning his first gold medal in the men's B1 (completely blind) standard chess event at the 2024 Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA).

“This is the third time I'm competing in Para SUKMA. Previously, I competed in the B2-B3 category, which is for partial vision impairment. However, I had to switch to the B1 (singles) event after I became completely blind, so it gave me an advantage because I had already memorised the position of the chess pieces and did not need to grope around the board.

“After my first Para SUKMA in 2018, I decided to take the game of chess seriously and focus by learning on my own online and with coaches, in addition to playing with knowledgeable people... even though I often lost at first but my hard work seems to be paying off,” he told Bernama.

Being able to remember where all the pieces are on the board, he clinched gold by winning three rounds and drawing two rounds, while Johor's Muhammad Ammar Ibrahim finished second and Perak's Yeoh Kok Soon third.

Talking about his affliction, Muhammad Farhan, who is now 35, said it was a double blow when the doctor confirmed that he also had diabetes.

“My brother was first stricken with glaucoma, so I have seen what the situation would be with this degenerative disease and the doctor informed me that this is a genetic disease and we are both the first generation,” said Muhammad Farhan, who works as a massage therapist.

Muhammad Farhan and his brother Muhammad Fahmi Norhayalim, who participated in the same event, later presented another gold medal for Perak in the men's group B1 standard event with teammate Yeoh Kok Soon.

The Perak chess squad put on an excellent performance when they won two more golds in the women’s singles B1 standard through Norhayati Sarnoh and the women's group B1 standard.

In addition, the Perak men's team of the P1 standard event (physical disability) bagged two golds for the group and individual categories through Muhammad Nazmi Md Nizam.

 -- BERNAMA