This year's NAG returned to One Tampines Hub and totalled 692 entries from 22 countries. The seats in the hall were not opened so parents would have to watch the games from the viewing gallery 1 floor above the auditorium. The flooring was carpeted to avoid any scratching on its surface which is costly.
Fewer of my students took part this year, while some just joined me and were not ready. Overall I am satisfied with their performance, although there were incidences which I felt they could have done better. But that's the reality of competition - preparation and performance go hand in hand in delivering the desired results. Determination and will also play a part.
U10
Dennis is my only entrant to the U10 NAG. He is diligent and works hard, but sadly disappointed by the touch-move blunders which I attribute to insufficient OTB play. He was outplayed once but then mainly due to insufficient preparation on his part, plus moving too soon without thinking and committing his own destruction. Finishing 5/9 and 60th/192 players clearly shows room for improvement which will mostly be centered on playing more OTB with slower time controls.
U12
I had a short stint with Kaymer who I felt was severly handicapped with his knowledge of his openings. Had we started earlier this year he would have had a better chance of finishing higher. He is capable of converting advantageous positions if he got them. His last game loss against Wang YuChen knocked him out of the podium finish with 5.5/9 and in 39th/186 players.
As he is in P5, his days of working intensively on his game are numbered as PSLE approaches.
Others in the schools I taught fared well, especially the Tao Nan U10 students who finished in the top 50, the best performance being Bang Ling on 6.5pts at 16th. The U10 category was hotly contested with several Northland Primary students, many of whom wore their school uniform even though they paid their entry fees themselves. The school spirit was strong amongst them , ably supported by their school coaches Dino and Reggie who analysed their games after each round. That is the reason I feel why they deserve to be overall Champion school for the years as each Northland pupil strives to give his/her best given the support and encouragement of the chess club administration headed by Mr Chang.
December promises to be another busy month for chess, with the World Chess Championship (another post by itself), the Toa Payoh CC and other tournaments organised (for those not making any travel plans) to end the year on a high.
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