THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

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.