Skip to main content

CHESS AFTER WORK?

No, this is not a scene in Europe or the US..

It's right here in Singapore!  That's right. And you thought chess is only played by kids here :-)



Well, the adult scene is thankfully kept alive thanks to the efforts of Bradley Loh, a FIDE-rated enthusiast who sets up the boards and tables for the regular meetup group to play at the Asia Square Tower 1 foyer from 6.30pm till 9.30pm Wednesdays. As I had no teaching to do, I thought I'd pop by to check out the action.

There were about 18 or so players who milled in and out of the event, many of whom I do not recognise. However once seated, the action was fast and furious. The lighting was good though I'd wish the PSI was lower than the 100+ then. I introduced myself to Bradley and being every good organiser he whisked me to an opponent to blitz in less than 30 seconds. It was a good mix of locals and foreigners playing blitz, skittles and there was a puzzle set up and the winner gets a mini-bottle of red wine. I soon met up with R my ex-student and he got the right answer but graciously shared the bottle.

One encouraging sign was that there was a lady who came and played till it was time to close. No clocks. But the moves were good. Others were more into blitz and 10 minutes. Well, to each his own.

Looks like a good hangout for those who haven't played for ages to come on down and pick on players your own size.

If you need information on this meetup, please click here.

Comments

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

PETER LONG (1961 - 2025)

  My first encounter with Peter was in the 1983 Parkway Master's tournament where he was a player. Having lost a game against his compatriot Eddy Kwan, he was upset and wanted someone to accompany him to a meal. For the whole hour he was ranting all about his missed opportunities till the food came. That was one episode which made him realise that he could be better off as a trainer rather than a player. The next time we met, he was beamingly showing off his proteges, the Kumpulan Remaja (or National Junior)squads which comprises several of Malaysia's then top juniors. They played a few matches and swept away most of our crop. That was when his coaching endeavours truly paid off. For years he was corresponding and commenting on the local scene (both in Singapore and Malaysia) as a columnist for the New Straits Times. Emcompassing a sharp and sometimes barbed style of writing, he was controversial at times and soon realised that journalism was not for him. Which again led him to...
Post a 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