THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

Day 2 was rather eventful, with unexpected losses mixed with some tough wins.  Adrian was the first to go down, then Sam. Mitchell managed a planned draw as his opponent didn't know how to navigate the intricacies of the Queen's Gambit and exchanged pieces to a draw. In the afternoon, things turned for the better after I reminded them to slow down. Nicholas won his second game through sheer grit, zeroing his opponent through the crosshair in the endgame for a nice checkmate.  Adrian won through a neat sacrifice which got him the exchange and won with a backrank mating motif netting a piece but the opponent allowed the checkmate. Sam took the game in stride and ground down his opponent Jarrel who blundered towards the end of the 2nd hour. Hopefully they will all settle in and let their talent shine through in the games tomorrow. To lose a game in 8 moves then struggling till move 40 is not my idea of a game. I have stressed time and again knowing the lines to avoid any such mish

You can download the entry form here

1.       The tournament is organized by the Thomson CCMC and the games shall be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess for Rapid Chess (G/25). Players may choose to play in the SENIORS (no age limit) or   JUNIORS (Aged 12 and below) section. 2.       ELIGIBILITY : This tournament is open to members only. Players paying the entry fee shall be made members of the Chess Club and are entitled 1 year membership with immediate effect. 3.       VENUE : Thomson Community Club Hall, 194 Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574339 4.       PAIRING : Swiss System of  7 Rounds,  time control  25 minutes each side to finish. 5.       SCHEDULE: 15 th January Sunday 10.00 am to 5.50 pm . Please report  by  9.30am. Walkover time for Round 1 is  25 minutes.  Prize  Giving Ceremony  at 6.30pm. 6.    PRIZES : A minimum of 5 prizes shall be given for each section. Tie breaks will resolve the placing of each prize winner. Merit prizes may be added if number of entries exceed 60. ENTRY FEE  : $10 for child

It's the time of year when plans are made for the forthcoming year ahead, reminding ourselves how we can improve upon the happenings past. Looking back, some of the students have made significant strides in their performance, but will need the January SCF rating list for verification. Others have moved, though slower, but are surely playing better when I first worked with them. My resolutions for my students for the New Year will be: To score minimum 4.5 pts /7  for all 7 rd Swiss tournaments they participate To ensure that they spend either 4 hours a week on chess-playing or equivalent of 50 puzzles a week, with   the cooperation from parents To help them gain about 30 rating points per tournament For the better students, they should prepare for the top 5 spots in the local major age-group tournaments. Achievement in chess does spur confidence in the child, however we must always emphasise that all good results come from thorough preparation and hard work. To inspire the child to

Shi Hao and Hui Ling took part in this and did very well. Shi Hao scored 5.5/7 (losing only to Tyler Lian in the first round) and came in first  while Hui Ling came in 4th in their category. Training coupled with practice to reinforce their knowledge is by far the best way to achieve rapid progress, which is measured by their rating performance ( 1473 for Shi Hao and 1361 for Hui Ling). Oliver Cheok took part in the above 1400 and scored 5th position with 4.5, losing to Tommy Tan and Aloysius Chia.