GROOMING BLACK TALENT

First black grandmaster feels responsible to help others to reach highest status in chess

- Melvyn Teoh

When Maurice Ashley finally became a grandmaster in 1999, he was the first black person to attain the highest honour in chess.

In the years that followed, Ashley thought his achievement would open doors for many more like him.

But few have followed in his footsteps. Sweden's Pontus Carlsson in 2007 and Zambia's Amon Simutowe in 2009 are among the handful who have achieved the same status.

American prodigy, 15-year-old Brewington Hardaway looks set to join that elite club, having earned his third grandmaster norm at the Sants Open in August.

To become a grandmaster, one must earn three grandmaster norms and achieve a 2,500 Elo rating via the International Chess Federation (Fide).

The 58-year-old Ashley said: "The important thing for me is not being the first one (but) to be the first of many. And I thought that it would happen pretty easily after that. Turns out it didn't, and that has been a source of discontent for me."