Once again, another year and another NSI takes place over the board this time at Overseas Family School.
1364 players signed in for the event making it a record turnout. It is massive and my congratulations and thanks go to the organising team of arbiters and helpers who worked hard to ensure minimal delays to get each round going. The playing conditions were good with the only regret that the zonal prizes could not be given out at the prize-giving.
A few of my private students took part and I share their results :
In the Secondary section, Ray Ee (my oldest student) managed 6/9 pts and came in 23rd (just outside the top 20) in the U16 while Daniel (who just started a week ago) did well at 18th on 6/9. Wen Chen was placed 43rd on 5.5/9. Ryan played right after returning from a school camp and fatigue set in the first day, but fortunately he picked himself up to finish 5.5 pts in 45th position. Damien went on vacation and did not take part.
Renee was placed 17th overall in the U12 Girls and came back strongly despite a 2/5 performance on the first day, winning all her games on the second day. I was glad when she heeded my advice to rest rather than cram for the 2nd day. Though she started lessons with me not too long ago, she was able to make good progress with only the nagging urge to move fast.
Kyan showed good form on the first day scoring 4.5/5 but was bogged down with a loss and a draw on the second. 7/9 was normally a decent score to come in top 10 but not this time - there were unknown names that emerged like Caleb Ng, Liu MuZhou among the other favourites like Siddarth Sai and Poon Yu Rui. Yu Kai Yi was noticably absent this year. The loss to Gabriel Jean Bonnet plus the draw with Vir Ravi was painful and unnecessary after reviewing the games.
Lucas was placed 63rd on 6/9. He had finally overcome his nervous disposition scoring a good win over Max Neo. The month-long preparation on his openings and tactics exercises,in addition to playing regularly online paid off. Going forward he should be more confident in taking on tougher competition with the same focus seen at the NSI.
Jacob came in at 58th on 6/9 despite giving a walkover and got a point from a walkover. The 3/4 on the second day gave him the much needed confidence to stay in the game. Aaron could only score 2 pts and it was evident he was falling behind in his understanding of the lessons. Hence I suggested that I continue with Jacob going forward.
4 students did not play in the National Schools this year on my advice - they were not ready to face the competition as I started rather late in January and February. Another had signed but had to leave for vacation.
With the exception of Aaron the rest did well to score above 5 pts in the competition. I am heartened that they had practiced playing online and/or reviewed their notes to finish in the upper half of their category. Constant review of the games in correcting opening inaccuracies plus improving their thought process is perhaps the most beneficial in ensuring their good performance in future competitions.
I trust that many would see the benefits of playing over the board games regularly if they wish to perform at future competitions. Currently there are locations such as the Bishan, Fernvale,Queenstown and Tanglin CCs that offer this in addition to the Asia Square meetup. Playing certainly helps in cementing the knowledge that one acquires during lessons when applied in practice. I can't stress this enough.
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