THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

I have some enquiries for the online class. Mostly about schedules. I am currently working on having it on Mondays or Tuesdays from 8pm, but this is flexible as the session is just an hour long. Let me know what works and we can come to a consensus. A little explanation perhaps on why I chose the topics. Some may think they have no takeaways in terms of chess knowledge as there is little technical content offered in the session. My rationale is that there are lots of how-to videos available on Youtube ( if you know how to pick them) that it makes no sense to repeat them. I would rather show you how to access them. If you have questions or wish to seek advice on your improvement, I can certainly answer them or point you to the right source. Having accessed many books and YouTube clips on chess gives me a wide catalog on what is good to address your issue.  Hope you try this out ! I am planning a 10 day vacation in late Oct so hopefully we can start this going before that.

The idea that there could be someone who wishes to take a byte size 1 hr lesson when available is mooted in my mind for some time. This will take place over Zoom, so there is no limit on how many students can attend.   Hence I am launching this Group Class for anyone who is attracted to come in to learn for 1 hour - something for everyone so not just targetted for any level but definitely not over 1800 online rating.  Date Topic Session 1 Board Awareness and Board Vision Session 2 What to watch on Youtube? Session 3 How to study Chess Books Session 4 Playing online for improvement P1 Session 5 Choosing an Opening Repertoire that suits you Interested parties feel free to leave your comments, email me at jfan2003@gmail.com for more information regarding payment and attendance. Please leave your name or your child's name and your contact number in the email.  Currently planning for the class to take place Mondays or Tuesday evening from 8pm. Naturally I will take note o...

 Yes I have received word that the Club can open at the CC once it is officially reopened sometime between June-July 2025. I am once again calling out to volunteers who are interested in help in opening the Club on Fridays. This will allow the Tanglin CC facility to stay open. If not I shall have to surrender it which is a great pity. So if you are interested please drop me a line at johnwongfk63@gmail.com. We can work out a roster system so that you need to appear every Friday. 

  My first encounter with Peter was in the 1983 Parkway Master's tournament where he was a player. Having lost a game against his compatriot Eddy Kwan, he was upset and wanted someone to accompany him to a meal. For the whole hour he was ranting all about his missed opportunities till the food came. That was one episode which made him realise that he could be better off as a trainer rather than a player. The next time we met, he was beamingly showing off his proteges, the Kumpulan Remaja (or National Junior)squads which comprises several of Malaysia's then top juniors. They played a few matches and swept away most of our crop. That was when his coaching endeavours truly paid off. For years he was corresponding and commenting on the local scene (both in Singapore and Malaysia) as a columnist for the New Straits Times. Emcompassing a sharp and sometimes barbed style of writing, he was controversial at times and soon realised that journalism was not for him. Which again led him to...

 After reviewing the games of the 3 students, my general observations is: UNDERSTANDING OF THE OPENING VARIATIONS     It is unfortunate that the students started with me only in 2025, so they had very little time to digest the opening notes given to them. The only way to bring their understanding to speed is to play several 5 + 5 (ie 5 min + 5 sec increment) games, review them with the notes and do it again. Owing to pressure from homework, this was not entirely done. Hence the opening positions ended with the first 12 moves in favour of the opponent. Trying to equalise from an inferior position is not an easy task. My opinion is to avoid getting into such positions in the first place. This can be done with some time reviewing the opening moves with the LiChess opening explorer to uncover the better lines to play. CHOICE OF THEORETICAL OPENINGS   Fanciful openings adopted by the current GMs are of course fun to watch and games from these openings are commen...

 The NSI took place at Our Tampines Hub on 15 - 16 March 2025 - a huge venue, but deemed cramped owing to the record turnout of 1728 participants and twice the number of parents and accompanying persons. So big was the crowd that the escalators on Lobby A (closest to the tournament hall) broke down each day owing to the weight stressed upon them! Walkways were crowded with mats and every seat was occupied. Hopefully a better solution to the crowd can be found in terms of holding areas for the accompanying parents/persons, or to simply separate the Primary and Secondary sections as was done last year.  The report as follows: U10 I had 2 students who took part, both joined my fold this year so they were relatively new in terms of OTB chess and did most of their chess-playing online. A few sessions of OTB sparring at Tanglin CC helped in Gabriel's preparation as he could manage the clock better. Luke had his OTB games at the SCF squad. Both finished reasonably given that Gabriel ...