THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

Thought I'd just highlight the importance of technical knowledge in chess training, as expounded by GM Grivas in his training lecture to his German students reported here . Of the 6 segments he mentioned in his course agenda for the day, 1/6 is devoted to psychological factors about understanding yourself, your diet and how it affects your well-being in playing. The other 5/6 is strictly devoted to learning the game.First on this list - Building a Repertoire; Chess Literature . I  I am sure that the FIDE Senior Trainer takes this seriously to put it on top of the list of topics Openings today determine the course of the game and working with chess literature towards improving our understanding of the game cannot be over-emphasised enough. I had a strong hunch he will dwell on this subject on personal characteristics and how they affect the choice of an opening, working with the classic games to understand the development of a particular opening etc.  We can only await t...

There are many cases I have encountered in Singapore when I am hired to give chess lessons weekly but the students see no improvement. Though I have strongly recommended that the student plays 1 game a day or if possible, 4 games a week (15 mins per side). Months passed, but progress is slow. Why is this so? Ironically, many of the parents whose children are learning chess do not play chess themselves. Hence, they are not aware of what it would take for one to progress. That's practice. Without constant practice, whatever is learnt will soon be forgotten. So far, most of the students that have dropped out of my radar have not been playing regularly and their interest waned in due course. So I hereby urge parents, before they sign their kids for chess, to first examine the child's timetable: Does the child have time for practice? Can this be enforced? If not, it would be a waste of time and resources to expect any form of progress or understanding. The same goes for learning a l...

Here's a nice photo from the old boys gathering for the Kasparov dinner held last year   There were others who did not join in the photo,  however, our turnout was still much better than the ACS side (ha ha!)   Perhaps its time to rekindle the "friendly" rivalry between the 2 chess school super-powers? Maybe a 30 board annual face-off?! ORA - ACS OBA Challenge ?? Itching for some action :-)

This can also apply to professions whereby you are conferred a title not just by your own efforts, but also by the intervention of others who will test you. In the realm of sport,  table tennis, tennis, badminton players and boxers come to mind. Not so golfers and bowlers, as they would need to conquer the pressures imposed by their competitiors to perform. Their competitors would not have any physical part in how they swing the club or deliver the ball. If one takes a outsider viewpoint of the business of grooming a GM, clinically it is possible. Just equipt the candidate with the knowledge, send him to as many competitions to learn the tricks of the trade, preferably losing enough to learn what not to do, and VOILA! You get an International Grand Master. Is that it? Those who have tried, (not me of course) and failed would have had their own understanding of their failure. However, I would not say that they should be in any way criticised for not helping others achieve the same a...

Overall, it was a successful tournament for me as a coach - several of my students finished in the prize winners' list, some deservedly, some not. Thought I'd like to highlight the deserving ones here: What I like about this boy was the focus and concentration he puts in every of his games. He had tough positions against the top boards, lost mainly due to his inability to handle the clock situation (most of his games finished near the 2 min mark). However, he hardly lets slip a winning game, which I'd say is commendable. If I were to describe him in one word - Phlegmatic. With more tournament exposure and diligence at his game, he should be a reckoning force in the U12s very soon.   N had a rather good tournament, though his moves are often one-move triggers befitting at his age,. His dogged determination showed once again. Though a whole Rook down in one of his games, he managed to checkmate his opponent with a lone Bishop in a rather peculiar position. Credit must go to h...

Well, that's the scene from yesterday's tournament at Thomson CC. Though entries were slow, eventually we've got 23 Junior Section entries and 18 Senior Section players which is not too bad. The tournament started promptly with no zero start rule imposed, which was a relief to many. 10am would be a good time to get things going, as the majority were able to get to the venue on-time. Lunch in the form of coupons for consuming at the Target Cafe (food is good there), plus10 prizes each section. The top 5 get trophies and a book from my collection. The results for the top 10 finishers are: SENIOR SECTION                    JUNIOR SECTION 1  Jarred Neubronner    6.0 pts   Nathan Mar      7.0 pts 2  Jimmy Ng             5.5 pts   Adrian Yeo...

I read with interest a recent interview conducted with a budding national level player and his answer when asked what chess books moulded his play. His reply was that he did not read much chess literature, counting more on a chess server for practice and ChessBase with a decent engine for analysis. I guess this would be the trend for many younger players who based their chess learning with the advent of the Computer Learning age. However, I am more inclined with the conclusions drawn from reading Robin Smith's Modern Chess Analysis. Much as computer-generated analysis can be a powerful tool, using automated analysis without checking can lead to very misleading conclusions. That is because computers cannot understand concepts like creating a fortress where the weaker side may be able to obtain a draw. As computers generally evaluate the position in terms of material, it may still produce analysis to support the stronger side but nothing decisive to overturn the conclusion. Programs ...

Thomson Club Championship details are in the 2 forms below http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18282504/CLub_1.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18282504/Club_2.jpg We have 2 sections, the Seniors (no age limit) and Juniors (12 years and below). Players join as members of our Club by paying the entry fee,which means you play the tournament for free!  You are then welcome to our activities on Friday nights from 730pm.

I find that this aspect of chess is not adequately covered in most chess literature. Much of the books today convey ideas on the ideal execution of plans and concepts, while telling the reader to be aware of traps and resources concealed  in the position. Being aware of the situation is only inherent in the chess-player's mind after he has played many games and analysed the identical positions to note how the pieces can interact favourably or unfavourably. To the beginner and post-beginner, their games are often marred by oversights rather than missed opportunities. Some of the major ones: a.  Missing a significant check b.  Moving a piece from defending a critical piece or square, resulting in loss of the piece or square. Losing control of squares often seems to be taken too lightly I find in younger players. But they have not had the knowledge yet of the consequences, this will correct in due course when the knowledge is imparted. Yet we often hear of coaches' screami...

This year we see the Tigers triumph over the Lions at the annual Singapore vs Malaysia match. The games were well-fought, both teams should be commended for their tenacity and dogged determination.  I was there as usual on both days, catching up with my friends Greg Lau, Michael Yeap whom I had not met since the Merdeka in August. Both are MCF officials now and we exchanged several views on how to take the sport further in our countries. Though both teams are competing for the covet Tan Kim Yeow trophy, the spirit of friendship and camaraderie pervaded so we did not get any major disputes. Malaysia started the match on a loss in the Rd 1 Classical time control, drew level in Rd 2. The turning point came in Rd 3 when they commanded a 10 pt lead in the Rapid round. This raised the hopes of the Malaysians who for the first level reckoned they have a clear shot at beating Singapore. Some nerve-wracking moments in Rd 2 ensued, with several cliff-hanging games and the tension was mainly ...

2011  marks my return to coaching the Victoria School team, back from 2004-7 days when the U16 managed to come in top 6 positions. Some of the older boys were playing for the JCs but they came back for a reunion photograph. My best result was with the 2005 U-16 team (seen battling ACS I below): Here we faced the Champions ACS(I), with none other than Jason Goh (now IM) on first board, the Lee brothers Wei Loong and Wei Cheng. Meeting the challenge was Heng Jun Kai (Sec 2!), Obey Wibinov from Indonesia, Ng Qing Yang and Roy Lau. This memorable encounter ended in a 4-0 whitewash for the VS boys, but what was shocking was not the result, but that at the first 20 moves, all boards were better for the VS boys! Jason had trouble defending the White side of a Benko Gambit, but experience told and Jun Kai fianlly succumbed. After he lost, the rest of the team lost steam and morale and started going under 1 by 1. I had to give them a pep-talk to rally themselves and pull together for the la...

Another new year beckons. We intend to have a good program of tournaments and league games spread throughout the months for all our members, young and young at heart. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP The Thomson CC Club Championship would tentatively be held at Thomson CC Hall , 194 Upper Thomson Road on Sunday 23 January 10am. Entry forms shall be released on this blog and on the SCF Website upon approval. You join the club by paying for a full year membership and play the tournament for free! Prizes are awarded. Lunch provided too. THOMSON CUP INTERNATIONAL  The 5th THOMSON CUP International shall be tentatively be held on 28-29 May, traditionally the last weekend of May. Format remains at 1 hr per side, 7 rounds Swiss. WEEKLY  ENDGAME LEAGUE   JANUARY - APRIL  We shall be starting our Junior Endgame League where they get to replay famous endgames of the masters, specially chosen such that the position is only slightly superior for the winning side. Those taking the inferio...