UvA student Khoi Pham competes in World University Chess Championship: “I missed a few opportunities”
Physics student and International Master in chess Khoi Pham is currently in China competing in the World University Chess Championship. “Chess is a very mental game; it’s incredibly unforgiving. At this level, if you make just one mistake, it’s over.”
Physics student Khoi Pham, 21, started playing chess when he was four years old. “I remember my father playing chess at home. I was fascinated by it. And then I became obsessed, haha. After I kept insisting on playing chess against my father, my parents made sure I joined the chess club at school. After that, I joined a chess club in Amsterdam.”
He is currently in Liaocheng, competing in the World University Chess Championship. Friday will be Pham’s final match. “I’ve played eight games, winning four, drawing three and losing one.” What does that mean for his chances? Pham laughs. “They’re gone.”
Mentally demanding
Had he expected more from himself? “I wasn’t the favourite, but I definitely missed a few opportunities. I feel like I could have achieved more, maybe even won a medal. Chess is a very mental game; it’s incredibly unforgiving. At this level, if you make just one mistake, it’s over. And when you do make a mistake, it can be mentally difficult to deal with.”
The mental focus required in chess also has its advantages. “It’s not a physical sport, so I don’t have to constantly worry about my body. That makes it less restrictive, which means it’s relatively easy to combine chess with studying.”
Pham holds the title of International Master, just below Grandmaster, the highest title in chess. Do his fellow students know he is an International Master? “Yes, I think so. One fun thing was that, at one point during the COVID pandemic, chess became a huge thing. You’d see chessboards open on laptops all over the lecture halls. Suddenly, chess was cool, and people suddenly knew what an International Master was.”
Pham is currently in the final year of his master’s degree in physics. “There’s a lot of overlap between physics and chess: both are very analytical. I’ve also noticed that physics has a competitive element to it. When I come across a physics problem, my instinct is to solve it straight away.”
How will he deal with not winning a medal this week? “Phew, I don’t know. I think I’ll just lie in bed feeling disappointed or something.”
