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22-year-old National University of Singapore student Tin Jingyao ended the year with a second-place finish at the III Elllobregat Open Chess tournament in Spain.

His showing at the international event included a stunning victory over American prodigy Hans Niemann — now infamous for being accused of underhandedly ending the winning streak of chess champion Magnus Carlsen.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Tin said the tournament — which saw 175 entrants — might've been his best performance to date.

"This result has been a big confidence boost for me and has shown me that I have the ability to compete with players higher rated than I.

It’s comforting to know that I’ve made progress and I wish to continue improving going forward.”

Referring to his game with Niemann, Tin admitted to being nervous before the match.

Yet that didn't stop him from pulling out "one of my best games in this event in terms of quality of play", reported The Straits Times.

Completing the top three was the 21-year-old Iranian grandmaster Amin Tabatabae in first place and India's Aditya Mittal, 16, in third.

As the runner-up, Tin earned €5,000 (S$7,100).

A breakout year

2022 has represented something of a breakout year for the second-year computing student.

Apart from taking home three medals at the SEA Games in Hanoi — two bronzes and a silver — Tin also became a grandmaster earlier this year, earning the highest title bestowed upon chess players, reported The Straits Times.

At 22, he became Singapore's youngest-ever grandmaster and the fifth local to be granted the title.

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Top image from Sport Singapore and Singapore Chess Federation's Facebook