THOUGHTS OF A CHESS ADDICT

The adult chess scene will soon be revived with the advent of the QCD SG Chess League. This was the brainchild of Mark Liew, triggered by the success of the Singapore Chess Meetup each Wednesday initiated by Bradley Loh. He came up with the idea of forming a regular chess league on Friday evenings to have longer games played amongst the working adults and youths right after NS. The QCD Chess League was in planning since June last year and it was in December that the SCF managed to secure the sponsorship for the event. Venue for hosting the League was a challenge. Several proposals were sought, even the YMCA which was the original premises of the Singapore Chess Club. However owing to costs, we went to Cairnhill CC which was the PA Centre of Excellence for Chess. Thanks to their help, the Chess League has the final green light and we are scheduled to start April 7. Though the $2000 first prize is modest by today's standards, it is a milestone in Singapore's Chess history as the ...

Doubling as Tournament Director and MC left me little time to observe my students' games, so they are left to themselves much of the time. Preparatory work has been done the week before, so all that's left is to wait and see how they would measure up. Overall, I am satisfied with their performance, as most came in within the top 30 in view of the large numbers in the Juniors' ( 244) and Senior's (323) categories. Cheong Sue Lyn missed out with her loss to Eunice Hng despite in a better position at the end when her flag fell, but chess is chess. No excuses. As for the other students,  I congratulate Jayden Wong (7pts) and Ryan Chan who scored 6.5 to earn their places in the HP, while commendations should go to Nathaniel Cheng and new students Ho Ray Ee, Ian Ho, Lock Yan Jie and Caleb Goh  garnering 6 pts. There were a few surprises from those I've coached in the Schools. Singling out from RGPS Madeline Ng ,Arshia Mahajan...

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...

   5 time World Champion Viswanathan Anand revisits Singapore on March 11 spending a day here at the Overseas Family School to promote chess among school children here.  Anand last came in 1990 before his Candidates Match with GM Dreev and gave a simultaneous chess match at Cairnhill CC. I was fortunate to join him at dinner and we shared some interesting stories. One of which concerns GM Eduard Gufeld. Gufeld was trying to sell his latest book on the Benko, said Anand. But he wasn't really interested in the book as he doesn't play the opening. Gufeld tried to lower the price from US20, then 15, then 10, finally gave it to him for free. Anyone who knows the Ukranian grandmaster would know how good a bargainer he was. For him to be on the opposite end, well... Chess Fans in Singapore, do not miss this opportunity to catch the man in person! His books and Chessbase videos are wonderfully produced. See you there