Skip to main content

70th NATIONAL SCHOOLS INDIVIDUALS 2018

For the Lower Div Boys I am very proud that Gerrard Lim has retained his composure despite a loss in day 1 to finish 8/9 points and emerge Champion, despite the fact that he had just recovered from HFMD a week ago.

A very happy boy with his trophy
The other pleasant surprise was Ho Ray Ee. He had the luck of the draw on his side bypassing some nemeses but his biggest victory came in overcoming Ethan Lai who was rated 200 points above him.
Finishing 7.5 pts and coming in 4th was his best result. I congratulate him for his diligence and focus which saw him through in the last 3 rounds.


RongXuan was my addition this year but this boy (5th from the left) is a fighter and a fast learner. He was troubled by poor opening play which caused him to suffer early and often succumbed to losses in his games. This time round he had good positions and was able to cash in some good wins. I am very impressed that he can record his games without skipping a move, a skill even some of my older boys lack. The future bodes well for him if he continues to work on the other parts of his game.


Lastly Sue Lyn. She was the least prepared of the whole group but thankfully her talent managed to put her in good stead, surpassing the field with 8.5 pts to win the C Div Girls trophy.


For those who did not manage their expected results, there's Jayden Wong who managed a draw in the last round to finish 4th in the Senior Boys. He was winning against Gabriel Wei but somehow got a draw when a win would have put him in 2nd place. Though 4th is still a good result, 2nd would be a fair one.


Nate worked very hard on his game but was unfortunate in 2 critical games, against Heng Cho Fai and Chong Tian Le. Losing to Zi Han was expected   but there was consolation in the draw against Ashton Chia.  The mixed results from the 2 critical games meant he was edged out of the top 20 in the Junior Boys. He was disappointed of course of his 6/9 result but more importantly work is required to iron out the weaknesses in his play.

Ian Ho secured 5.5/9 while Leonard Loh got 6/9 in the Senior Boys, which in my opinion was a decent showing as was Joven Chow's 6/9 in the C Div Boys. The draw against Derrick Ng was a surprise, as that half-point if converted would propel him into the top 20. 

Finally I come to my latest student Jonathan Kua. For someone who's just started with 4 lessons, he has done well with 5/9. It is heartening to see his confidence boosted with this result and I'm sure he will put in more effort and aim higher at the next tournament. 





Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 14, 2022 at 8:54 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW TO PARK AND GET TO TAMPINES HUB THIS NSI

To get to Tampines Hub the best way from the Central and West, take the PIE and exit at 3B and drive towards  Tampines Ave 2. You can go via Tampines Ave 7 and join Tampines Ave 4, then turn right at the junction of Ave 5. There is less traffic on this route than if you are to come from the Simei Exit and up Tampines Ave 5. The  EW(2) line station  is also quite close. DT32 is not ready yet. As for parking, there is an open car park just after the Hub. Drive past the Hub, turn round the corner and you'll see the entrance on the Ave 5 curve. This is a coupon parking carpark and open-air (60cts 1/2 hr) and has about 200+ lots. The other place to park is across from the Tampines Hub at Block 858-864 which is open to public 7am to 7pm coupon parking. You can enter this carpark from St 83 Block 864 and navigate towards Block 859. If you go round till you see a green sign on your left, the road leads to the Drop Off and North Plaza Carpark entrance.  Proceed straight in to...
Post a Comment
Read more

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

 December draws to a close, ending 2023 and some of my students' journey with me as coach. I had the pleasure to be involved in training Daniel Chan, Er Wen Chen, Timothy Lam, Asher Neo, Wang Yuhan, Toby Herman, Magnus Lim, Eden Harris Yong, Leonard Loh, Emma Lo, Kevin Ng, Damian Tay and lastly Ho Ray Ee, my longest student to stay with me for 6 years. Yes, this may be the largest group of students that left in my years of teaching. Some decided to move on to other trainers (a good sign, as they are seeking other paths to chess improvement) while most I had to end the relationship as coach due to low interest in the game after some months.  As for Ray Ee who joined me  in 2017, I am of course saddened that he is graduating from my fold but yet proud of what he has achieved. His results were consistent, often finishing well (NAG 7th in 2022, 9th in 2019, 4th in NSI 2018). He has also played in the Selangor Open this year , gaining 77 rating points while getting another 31 ...
1 comment
Read more

RIP DR WONG YIP CHONG

I don't really envy myself as a eulogist, but I had to say something for our ex SCF President who served the Federation in the years 1986-87. Among those who served were Choong Liong Onn, Tan Lian Ann, Giam Choo Kwee, George Wong, myself and Lim Chye Lye. Ignatius Leong was then Competitions Secretary. SCF meetings were usually held at Dr Wong's home at Chancery Lane. As a great host, Dr Wong will welcome us in person and before starting the session, he will treat us with the most appetising of tidbits. Afterward, he would insist that we go for supper at the Whitley Road hawker centre, then situated under the Whitley flyover. As a President, Dr Wong often listened to suggestions and gave his insights on the big picture, but left us to iron out the details. His biggest contribution at his time was his submission of a paper to the SNOC on why chess should be rightly labelled a sport rather than a game. He tried hard to impress upon the authorities that being Asian, Singapore shou...
1 comment
Read more