THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

This year passed really fast, with the pace of competitions increasingly punishing as well. With more on my plate, it is necessary to monitor all students closely and with 2015 looming, a heavier schedule means less time for personal recreation. Those who have put in conscious effort had better results especially Sue Lyn, Malcolm, Gavin and Bryan. Gavin trained till May before he stopped for PSLE and resumed right after. Sue Lyn managed to overcome her 2 nemeses this year and I am very proud of her. We look forward to bigger successes next year at the coming AAG in June, by then she should be ready. Those who did not do well in the National competitions this year ought to reflect on how they spent their time. I believe most of the students in this category did not take their lessons to heart and made effort to remember what was covered. Upon going through their games, many mistakes especially in counting and calculation were spotted. Opening variations were not well executed, often the

Sue Lyn decided on participating this event on a whim. It was after the National Rapid and I guess she wanted to redeem herself after the slightly disappointing showing there. She rattled off a series of wins in the first 5 rounds, beating the likes of the Champion, along with Alfred Chua and Elmer Arrocena who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. She also took the Best Women's Trophy ! Though she lost the next 3 games, she managed to compose herself to win the final game and secured 6/9.  If only there was more time spent on reading my opening notes...still, a most commendable effort!

A total of 366 registered for the National Age Group Championships played at the Jurong East Sports Hall. Some foreign entries from India, Malaysia spiced up the competition and gave our local juniors good opportunities to pit their skills against.  The above managed to garner some of the trophies and my congratulations to them for the work they put in their preparations. Gavin lost the playoff for the best Singaporean result in the Under 12, while Cadence was 10th in the Under8. Sue Lyn lost her last game against Amanda Chan, having beaten the other 2 favourites Erica Chin and Kong U-Ham to finish 4th overall. Bryan came in 8th place overall. Caleb and Isaiah not in the pictures Others who took part missed out of the top 10 places but I'm sure they had all matured during the gruelling 4 days. Some took defeat painfully and could not continue, while on the other end of the spectrum, we also have those who did not think much about losing a game. The correct attitude towards treating

Here are some of my students who took part in the Toa Payoh West CC Tournament on 7 December, playing in the Under 7, Under 9 and Under 13 sections. The U13 Section was won by Tan Qi Xuan who I taught for over a year. He was able to focus on his game and between rounds read my opening notes whilst his friends were busy playing with their computer games. Hence his victory was well deserved. Drawing the last game, he scored 6.0 pts out of 7 and took home $55 cash plus a trophy.                                My other students fared well, Arshia winning the Under 7 section with full score, while Christian (3rd in Under9), Rui Yang, Jaryl, Jasper and Joshua (5th placing in Under13) )took home trophies as well. Ju;ius and Teck Yong managed 6th and 7th respectively in the Under 9. Jaryl took a break from chess and resumed his lessons to prepare for this tournament. A 7th placing is a satisfactory result His brother Jasper started in September and managed to score 4.5 pts finishing 6th positi

The following results of my students after 4 rounds of the 2014 National Age Group: Zachary Leong                Boys  U8        2.5 pts Cadence Loh                   Girls  U8        2.0 pts Lee I-Shiang                   Boys U10       3.0 pts Isaiah Ng                        Boys U10       2.5 pts Malcolm Sow                 Boys U10       2.0 pts Naython Tan                  Boys U10       2.0 pts David Tan                      Boys U10       1.5 pts Cheong Sue Lyn            Girls U10       3.0 pts Shannon Ooi                  Girls U10       2.0 pts Gavin Koh                     Boys U12       2.5 pts Caleb Loh                      Boys U12       2.0 pts Jonathan Tan                 Boys U12       1.5 pts Bryan Sow                    Boys U14        3.5 pts Natalie Tan                   Girls U14        0.0 pts Results of course do not tell the whole story; there were instances where some finished their games way before the first hour was through, accepting draws when there was a

Time to dust off my chess collectible playing sets, so why not parade them? The above is the Swedish Tavling's model set that was widely used in Scandinavia during the time I was there during 1989. Its uniqueness lies in the pawns which have a wide base,very stable but hard to execute captures, so not very blitz friendly. The Knights' necks  are angled and gives a nice touch to hold. Not weighted. I have quite a few of these sets which I bought from a warehouse in River Valley Rd when they were closing in 1981. Only $15 a set as they were clearing their warehouse! The laquer is coming off but otherwise still playworthy. These were the top-range French sets made before the Chavet line and were used mainly in the 70's and early 80s. Gave several of them as gifts and only 3 remained.  My Chavet set is not with me but the German Staunton (currently the model used with most DGT boards) is now the de-facto tourament standard. These I got rather cheaply from a sportshop in Peninsu

Took 24 days to arrive but well worth the wait! I now own the Dubrovnik 1950 Olympiad chess set that Bobby Fischer uses for his game analysis. His set is not weighted but mine is double weighted. That makes it more a playing set that an analysis set, but still I love the carved knights and the absence of the cross for the King ( suitable for Malaysia and Indonesia). It's got a nice feel when gripping the pieces, the pawns are sturdy and sit promptly when released. Can't ask for a better set. Need to find the right sized wooden board to complete it. Interested parties can find this at www.chessbazaar.com. They are based in India and are reputable.  Will be featuring more of my collected Staunton pieces later.

Yes, we are once again open from 730pm on Fridays starting tomorrow and will remain open each Friday till end of the year.The last Friday session for 2014 is on 27 December. Those wanting to gear up for the coming NAG are advised to come and register with me at jfan2003@gmail.com if you are keen to take part in the endgame league. This is where you can get to play endgame positions with 45 minutes per side, so you can learn to slow down and simulate the NAG environment. The positions (with equal pieces for both sides) will be set up on the day itself. All games are to be recorded. This league will start this Friday and end on 28 November. All registered participants MUST complete the 5 games. We need 6 players minimum to start. See you all tomorrow!

Thomson Chess Club is open to all players from age 7 and beyond, however we have seen declining numbers from adult players over the last 6 months. As convenor, I would have to make some hard decisions over the future of the club sessions. With the convenience of playing over the Internet, it is not a surprise that most adults are beginning to shy away from over-the-board chess. So far the main interested group of chessplayers is the Bulldog team made up of mainly Filipino expats. I laud them for their enthusiasm in wanting to play wherever they can, whenever they can. Such passion existed amongst our local players years ago but sadly with the shift in emphasis on age-group events, the adult scene has been neglected. Though we as organisers try hard to entice the adults to return to club sessions by providing decent playing conditions, it is hard to content with busy schedules, priorities on other interests and lack of motivation on one's part to play chess for its sake. Therefore I

I've made this 1 page image of the 2015 Local Chess Calendar which I think will be useful for players wanting to know what's happening for next year. The information is current as at 11 October though there are notable missing events such as: Public Service Star Games (normally in March) Queenstown Age-Group (normally in April) TCA Junior Chess Championships (held on Good Friday) Queenstown Club Championship  (normally in June) 5th Patrick Tay Chess Challenge (normally on 2nd week July) Queenstown Open Championship (normally end August) Teck Ghee CSC Community Chess Championships (normally September) Toa Payoh West Championship (normally in 1st week December) Cairnhill CC is undergoing renovation and will not be hosting events till further notice from their convenors. The Thomson Chess Fiesta is shifted to March 26 to make way for the Asian Schools' Championships, inevitably so due to the low participation rate from the adults.

2 students, Naython and Isaiah took part in the U10 section of the above tournament. Naython finished 3.5 pts while Isaiah took 2nd place ( 2nd from right in photo) with 6, losing only to Zeke Ng who won. I am very pleased to see Isaiah finally breaking into the 6 pt scoreline, spending his time to find better moves and translating them into winning games. Naython can learn something from this I'm sure.  I've observed many who brought game cards to play while waiting for the next round to start. Isaiah was quietly tucked in a corner reading his opening notes and preparing for the next opponent. The photo above tells you who has spent his time wisely.  My long-awaited sabbatical comes in a week's time and looking forward to preparing materials for my students in the upcoming National Age Group in December, as well as those going for the 1st Johor International Open. 

 RGPS mustered 2 U11 teams and 1 U9 team for the 55th National Inter Schools' Team Championships at Rulang Primary on 31 August Sunday. The Team 1 comprises P5s  Loh Xin Yin, Isabelle Chiang, Emily Hu and Stephanie Tan with Joyce Ng (P4) as Board 5. While Team 2 has Jessica Chan, Deania Duan, Natalie Tan and Shannon Ooi (the only P4) with Cleo Ng on Board 5. Elizabeth Lek, Mak Wy En, Alexis Ang, Lim XuanQi and Iness Kuma made up the U9  The U11 teams fared averagely scoring 11.0 to 11.5 pts against the fancied opponents like Nanyang Primary, Northland Primary. However, they emerged 2nd and 3rd in the South Zone with SCGS taking 1st place. The U9 girls were South Zone Champions ahead of Overseas Family School.  The girls' were generally disciplined and well behaved throughout the competition though they could have fared better with more practice time on their own. In view of that, their performance was satisfactory. Hopefully we can get a new crop of P3s who can be motivated fur

For the remaining weeks in August, the Club shall be open and welcome all schoolchildren who wish to come Fridays from 730pm to practice and warm up before the National Inter-Schools competition on 31 August. We should be able to cater up to 40 players, of course the equipment is supplied at a first-come-first-served basis, priority given to members. Please bring your own chess clocks if you fear that they are given out. We will have enough sets to go around. See you all Friday! Address:                  3rd Floor Classroom                                 Thomson Community Club,                                 194 Upper Thomson Rd                                 Singapore 574339 Directions:   http://www.streetdirectory.com/sg/thomson-community-club-cc/194-upper-thomson-road-574339/9151_101829.html

I think Nigel Short sums it pretty much in this short interview he gave to the local paper about the state of affairs that had occurred in the concluded FIDE Presidency Elections: http://www.vgtv.no/#!/video/86186/sjakklegende-det-som-skjedde-i-dag-er-en-stor-tragedie The sad fact is that the demon they were trying to exorcise is apparently mainly due to their past misdeed of breaking away from FIDE and creating the PCA to further their own interest. With the series of events from 1994 leading to the downfall of Campomanes, the void was filled in 1995 by Kirsan and since then the chess world has not seen the light of day. In a certain way, the situation parodies what happens in the current local chess scene, where it is near impossible to upseat the incumbent owing to the rules that govern the electoral process. Membership is controlled and therefore no one can get a fair shot at it. Therefore, it would not be surprising to hear rumours that a new world body may be born should the disg

As SCF President seeks to reform chess at the world level by joining Team Kasparov, he will have his hands full from now till the August elections in Tromso. The chess world is holding its breath till then for the advent of long-awaited reforms to FIDE to reach out to the masses and gain bigger exposure for the royal game. Yet however, there are also long-awaited and pressing reforms that need to be addressed at home should chess gain a bigger foothold locally. Though the SCF has aligned the Schools' competition into the format of the ECCA format, there remains a few other aspects that we in the chess community would like to see reformed: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT The current exclusivity of the National Championship, restricted to just players above 2400 (albeit with 2 wildcards) in my opinion should be rescinded. Even if it would cost some players their ELO points to play in the event. I do not think protecting the ELO points of the elite players would help the development of c

The table of rankings for the various sections in the Standard category is compiled by me. Normally I exclude the U08 section as I believe real chess ability is perceivable at the U10 level and beyond. The results of the non-Asean countries are also excluded as I wanted a comparison of our performance against the rest of the ASEAN countries. The legend shows those having played in last year's event in Chiangmai (perhaps in a lower age-group) as marked in bright blue, those playing for the first time in gold. It is fair to say that the gold and silver medalists generally field no more than 1 first timer (with the exception of the Philippines in the Boys U12 and U16 and Girls U12). A bold move but it reaped dividends. Singapore had bronze meals in the Boys and Girls' U10 despite fielding 2 first-timers. Our lacklustre performance was in the U14 where we had an experienced team but finished 4th to Malaysia fielding 2 new players. The same goes for the U16 Boys where both Vietnam a

Looking for 9 adult players minimum to start an adults' league. 1  Time control is 1 hr per side 2  Attendance is not compulsory however we accumulate points by player. 3  All games will be counted from June 20 till September 5. 4  Each player can player the same opponent twice but with different colours each game. 5  Open to all Thomson CC Chess Club members aged 16 and above. Interested players please whatsapp me at 97985479. You can join the club by registering with the CC at the counter on 1st Floor. Membership is $18 for those aged 12 and above, $10 for those below. You need to hold a valid Passioncard before you become a member.

As I write in the wee hours, whiling my time till my departure at 6am, 2 things came to my mind surrounding the event - my students and their state of preparation for the tournament, plus my own in analysing their opponents' games based on what's available. We had learnt a lot about the Vietnamese and the Filipinos from the last event in Chiangmai, so I cannot stress the importance of fitness enough to our own boys and girls. The Vietnamese do not display great strength in their games, but they do have fitness and patience on their side. They can make safe moves and wear down anyone past 4 hours of play. Hence we need to be most alert entering into the 3rd hour to ensure no big endgame blunders appear. Many also chose not to follow the book moves but relied on simple opening systems hoping to avoid book preparation. Our players therefore need to know their endgames well in order to match their opponents once pieces are exchanged on their behest.  Our current diet of rapid chess

The Thomson Fiesta saw the birth of 3 new events spawned from the Thomson Cup International of previous years - The Thomson Cup Rapid that attracted 42 players, the Thomson Challengers that garnered 49 players and the Blitz that saw 42 participants, a large number made up of foreign players. This is perhaps the first event in CC chess competition history where incremental time control was used. Perhaps the turnout was a little less desirable but nonetheless, it was a comfortable number in the hall and playing conditions were most conducive for some real chess fights.  For those keen on the results of the Cup Rapid, you can find them here . Cyrus Low did not return to defend his title so Jarred Neubronner came in strong at 9/9 to take the title. For the Challengers , Ling Kay Soon resurfaced after a long absence to win with 7.5pts, giving a gracious draw to the top junior finishing at the top 5 positions, 10 year old Cheong Sue Lyn. I admired her feistiness in grinding out the point and

Participants can have up to Thursday 10pm to sign up for the tournament. I would suggest that you come to Thomson CC personally to make payment if you are afraid that your mailed entries cannot reach the CC in time.

For interested players wanting to play in the Thomson Blitz, it is on June 1 Sunday 9am so we can give away the prizes in line with the other events. This tournament is not rated. Hope to see more enthusiasts in the 1st incremental time control blitz tournament!

The annual Thomson Cup International comes back with a new format THOMSON CHESS FIESTA It is Singapore's first tournament played under incremental time controls at CC level competition. We have decided to take this bold step to drop the 60min per side time control due to problems in FIDE rating compliance. Having the tournament in 25 mins with 5 second increments allows each round to complete within 80 minutes and gives the players 9 rounds of chess instead of the usual 7. This tournament shall be FIDE rated under Rapid Chess. As such, foreign players wishing to participate must obtain their valid FIDE-ID when submitting their entries or it shall be rejected and their entries refunded. In addition, we have added a blitz tournament also based on incremental time control (ie 3 minutes with 2 second increments) to be played Sunday morning from 9am sharp. This will be a treat for those wishing to try out the incremental time controls over the sudden death modes. However, I do advise yo

It has been a while since the Primary and Secondary sections of the National Schools Individuals Championships were played on the same duration. The grand spectacle was officially opened by Mr Lawrence Wong,   Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. My main activity for the past 2 days was primarily focused on getting my students to settle down amidst the hustle and bustle. Once the rounds started I left them to tend to their games, though some parents' however were glued to their childrens' moves. Some even resorting to prompting their kids' responses - this I find perturbing as we should not go beyond winning the game at all costs.  I was tasked to groom the Lower Junior boys from Henry Park Primary and thankfully the efforts paid off with Michael Yeo and Gavern Ong garnering 8th and 12th placing. The others too  made good scores.  Michael and Gavern with their medals I-Shiang managed 8th place in the Junior Boys and I am proud of his achievement. All he needs i

Reading this article will definitely save your children from zero-starting on March 21 and 22! If you are coming via the PIE then TPE, exit at Loyang Ave and drive along till Pasir Ris Drive 3. Turn left into it and once past Downtown East on your right (about 1 km after turn from Loyang), you will see East Vale on your left and once past the river the Sports Hall is on the left turn into Pasir Ris Central. Try NOT to alight your child at the Sports Hall Drop Off (see below). Imagine 975 students and estimated double the number of parents alighting from this driveway! Getting your child there will be a lot faster if you choose alternative drop offs. One is at the side of East Vale and walk across the bridge to the Hall, Do not turn into Pasir Ris Central Rd for I am sure the  will be conjested on that day. The other is to alight at the Pasir Ris MRT station and walk across (about 5 minutes). Another hassle free drop off is to turn left to Pasir Ris Drive 6 right after you past Downtow