Since the Tanglin Open in 2022, the notion of running a regular Chess Club during the renovation of my Thomson Chess Club beckoned me. There was a regular vacant spot on Friday nights at Tanglin CC from 6-10pm so I jumped at it.
The room can fit 14 players comfortably but can take up to 18 if more than half the players are kids.
Here we practice mainly longer time controls starting from 15 mins + 10 secs to 1 hr + 30sec increments. All games played here are with increments. I do not advocate playing 0 increments in this Club because it is detrimental to chess improvement and thinking.
With the constraints set, it is not possible for Tanglin Chess Club to accomodate post beginners - for that I am sure that there are other Clubs which have more room and can take in newbies to the game. So the minimal that I ask for is for one who knows how to play and can record a chess game.
Friday nights are often rather quiet once the games start, everyone takes their game seriously and it is almost like a tournament setting (except that the games are not rated). Scoresheets are provided free. After the game is over, I encourage the players to go over each game with their opponents to learn from each other. Occasionally I would give my 2 cts worth over the theory of the opening limited by my theoretical knowledge.
We have a regular mix of adults plus younger kids from 9 who are able to play quietly so there's no issue of bad behaviour. It is this optimal playing condition that keeps the regulars coming back for more. I do encourage some of them to visit other clubs to change some "blood" once in a while or there will not be any freshness in terms of the opponents they played. However, most still continue to flock back to the fold.
Currenly Jean is sharing responsibilites with me in opening the Club but I am most willing to have 1 more in running this Club. We are not getting younger and I seriously hope the younger adults who are passionate about the game to come forward.


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