THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

 A short prospectus on the upcoming Zoom Class for Adult Improvers (saves me the effort of explaining to prospective students) Rather than present what many chess content creators have done on Youtube, I would focus on these 5 topics which are relatively left neglected in a chess player's journey towards self improvement. Having been a chess trainer for more than 20 years, my experience about chess improvement as a player hinges mainly on these 5 topics.  BOARD VISION Many do not see the importance of developing good board vision ie the ability to visualise movements on the chessboard OFF the chessboard. Kids in general can't tell where the squares are based on the coordinates and often rely on the printed edges - so it is hardly surprising that they often misplace their Kings and Queens should the pieces be set up on the "wrong" side. That means the White pieces are placed on the 7th and 8th rows instead of the 1st and 2nd. Second, they have difficulty knowing the co...

 Since the Tanglin Open in 2022, the notion of running a regular Chess Club during the renovation of my Thomson Chess Club beckoned me. There was a regular vacant spot on Friday nights at Tanglin CC from 6-10pm so I jumped at it.  The room can fit 14 players comfortably but can take up to 18 if more than half the players are kids. Here we practice mainly longer time controls starting from 15 mins + 10 secs to 1 hr + 30sec increments. All games played here are with increments. I do not advocate playing 0 increments in this Club because it is detrimental to chess improvement and thinking. With the constraints set, it is not possible for Tanglin Chess Club to accomodate post beginners - for that I am sure that there are other Clubs which have more room and can take in newbies to the game.  So the minimal that I ask for is for one who knows how to play and can record a chess game.  Friday nights are often rather quiet once the games start, everyone takes their game serio...

 Till date we have 5 interested participants for the class. Just 1 more to make the minimum, but hey, the more the merrier :-) Please feel free to drop me a email at jfan2003@gmail.com with the heading "Zoom Class for Adult Improvers" if you are keen to join. We are likely to start in May.

 1897 registered for the NSI this March 16-17 @ the OCBC Arena. A new venue, with good access by public transport. This sets another National record for the number of participants in a National Chess event. Good news, but perhaps a good reflection point. 2 students took part in the U10 category - Gabriel scored 5/9 and had a won position against Shaun Yeo before he blundered his Queen in time trouble. He also managed to draw against Leanne Tan (39th), both commendable achievements given that this is his first NSI. He is now fired up to do more for his game and I am happy that he has now adopted the habit of reviewing his games after play. This will go a long way towards improvement. Jarell just joined me not long ago - he was not familiar with the coordinates and had difficulty recording his games. Nonetheless he picked up 5.5 pts this year finishing 125th out of 467 players.  My ex students also fared well, one scoring 5 pts while the other was the U10 Champ.   For ...

 It's a new venue this year, so many are worried how to get to the OCBC Arena on time.  Here's some information from my recce trip this morning - hope it helps! By CAR Enter by Carpark C from the main road passing McDonalds on your left (if coming from Stadium Boulevard) till the roundabout circus. Turn left to Carpark C and park along C1-9. There is an escalator from C7 and a lift opposite the escalator. Once on ground level turn left towards the entrance of the OCBC Arena. Head towards Hall 1 DROPOFF You can drop the children off by entering the dropoff instead of turning towards Carpark C. This is near the Circle Line MRT Stadium exit (far left). Turn left and walk towards the Arena Hall 1 BY SCHOOL BUS Buses should proceed to the Coach Bay and alight the students. After getting off walk towards Berth 9 and left right to the Arena Hall 1 MRT Stadium MRT on Circle Line is closest to the OCBC Arena. Exit B is closest to the OCBC Arena. Those coming from the North East please ...

 So far I have only received 3 interested players. Waiting for more.  We may not be able to start January 20 - those who have written to me, please wait a little longer thanks. As the Chinese saying goes " 万事起头难 “ it will take a little more effort to promote my Zoom class. Nonetheless I will persevere. For those who are keen please go to my post  https://chessaddict63.blogspot.com/2025/12/zoom-group-class-for-kids-2026.html  for details. You may also Whatsapp at 97985479.