Player Profile: Kevin Goh

Full Name: Kevin Goh Wei Ming

Peak FIDE Rating: 2501 (April 2020)

Active Since: 2000

Federation: Singapore

Player Description:

Known as much for his sharp calculations as for juggling spreadsheets (yes, he once balanced a finance career while chasing Grandmaster norms), Kevin is the kind of chess player who proves that you don’t need to sacrifice everything... except maybe a bishop or two.

Kevin Goh is a trailblazer for Singaporean chess. He is Singapore’s first male grandmaster in over two decades when he earned the GM title in April 2020. 

A multi-time national champion and consistent Olympiad representative since 2004, Goh stands as a pillar of chess development in his nation. Aside from competing at a strong international level, he's also deeply involved in nurturing the game at home. As the CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, he’s pioneering outreach initiatives like teaching chess in prisons and steering the FIDE world event organization in Singapore.

Career Scorecard:

Games played - 872 - (W-D-L | 434 - 241 - 197) 

Games Played as White - 430 - (W-D-L | 218 - 131 - 81)

Games Played as Black -  442 - (W-D-L | 216 - 110 - 116)

World Championship Cycle Appearances: 

As of June 2025, Kevin Goh Wei Ming has not participated in any FIDE World Championship cycles, such as the Candidates Tournament or World Cup.

National Championships:

Singapore Chess Championship - 7-time winner (2006–2009, 2012–2013, 2017)

Olympiad Medals:

Since 2004, Kevin Goh Wei Ming  has represented Singapore in 7 Chess Olympiads

Tournaments Won:

1. ASEAN U18 champion, 2000

2. Dual GM norm success in Budapest and Kecskemét, 2011

3. Key Norm at Prof Lim Kok Ann GM Invitational, 2018 -  2nd Place

Memorable Games: [2-3 most notable performances]

1. Ricky Rismanto vs Wei Ming Kevin Goh, Singapore Open 2004 - 

This was a sharp and aggressive Sicilian Defense (B42 – Kan Variation) where Kevin Goh, playing Black, showcased a deep understanding of dynamic pawn breaks and kingside attacking motifs. After provoking weaknesses in White’s kingside, he launched a decisive sacrificial attack that culminated in a textbook checkmate.

2. Sinclair Wilkinson vs Wei Ming Kevin Goh, Calvia Olympiad 

In this well-played encounter, Kevin Goh demonstrates clean positional play and converts a Queenside imbalance into a dominant rook and passed-pawn endgame. A clean, controlled win that showed off Kevin Goh’s solid technique and smart endgame play.