10th and Final Round of QCD Adults Team Chess League 2018

Ever since I took the painful decision to reduce my visiting frequency to the Singapore Chess Meetup (I wanted to dedicate my time for chess self-study), I have been posting at reduced frequency as well. Other than coming up with some ad-hoc posts when I have the inspiration to do so, I only cover other chess sessions I have (Sunday sessions @ Siglap South CC and the QCD league). 

This is practically the last non-Siglap South CC coverage I have for now... Let's end it with a bang! Today, I ended up being the weakest link in my team. All my team mates won their games, while I was fortunate enough to have Caissa's blessings to hold an objectively lost game once again. Of course, divine intervention and luck aside, I also have my nerves to thank for not losing (what to do when you are down on time AND in a bad position?). I will share some newbie tips for fellow newbie players seeking to improve their chess play. And as usual, if you have some tips or comments, please feel free to share -- I am so grateful for all the feedback received to date!

Before we dive into the game and pictures, I have reverted to the using chess.com's interface. No doubt that the chessbase interface has way more functionality I like. However, I don't know how to customise the colour themes-- I like the new blogger theme very much, and chess.com's interface colour scheme is much better suited as compared to chessbase's. Oh well, it is very difficult to strive for 'perfection' isn't it. Will have to live with the imperfections until a solution is found! 

A Self-attempted Review Without the Use of Database / Engines 
(Should my opponent, Mr Goh, remember the exact move order/moves, please let me know where I recorded wrongly!

Okay, time to reveal what I got correct and wrong through the checking with the engine/database!

What the Engine and Database "Says"

• Based on the engine's top evaluation and database's #1 popularity, 6.c4 is fine (4K+ games). Though statistically, 6.b3 (1K+ games) scores a couple percentage point better. Both options are still employed in 2018, so both should be sound.
  

• Oh yes, I forgot this point which I thought in the game. After 7.Nb3, I was debating between 8.b3 and 8.Qd3. I decided to go with 8.b3, since again, following the general guidelines, I should not commit a piece to defend a pawn whenever I can help it. Also, I thought 8.Qd3 exposes the White Queen a little too much. And both are the engine's #1(8.b3) and #2(8.Qd3) choice.
  

• After 11...a6, 12.a4 is indeed 1 of the top engine options (though not the only one). Another alternative I like is 12.Rfe1. Now, the f1 square is vacated for White's light square Bishop to fight over b5 (discouraging ...b5)
  

• After 11...b5, 12.Rfd1 was indeed suggested as 1 of the best options as well. This is probably better than 12.cxb5 played as 12...axb5 gives Black the powerful resource of ...Ba6 for free. Exchanges are never "innocent" in chess!
  

• 15.Ba1?! is really quite bad. But the supposed correct alternative isn't easy for me to see: 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Nd4 to press on the c6 square for equality (or 15...Nxc5 16.Nd5 to encourage exchange of pieces to strive for equality).
  

• I'm not sure the move order from after 24.Nd4 to 38.Qc2 is correct, so I'm not pointing out some of the tactics. (but the position is obviously lost for White). After 38...Qxc2 39.Rxc2 Nxa4 40.Rxc5 Naxc5, 41.Kf1 could've been punished by 41...Nxd2 (leading side exchange pieces not pawns!) 42.Nxd2 Kf7. The point being, White King is kind of imprisoned (c3 d3 squares are cut off, and Black will try to slowly but surely push up the King and pawns.
  

• Indeed, after the desperate 44.Nc2, the engines also recommend that Black not go for the exchange of pawns, but just retreat 1 of the Knights to defend the pawn on b4. And 42...Nc6 is better than 42...Na6 because after 42...Nc6, the d3 square is still kept away from the White King.

Personal Conclusions / Learning Points: 

• Cannot blame the opening for the bad game. I misunderstood the demands of the position. This was really another lucky escape.
  

• My natural playing style is quite telling: If I can limit my opponent's options, I excel. On the other hand, I'm terrible in more dynamic positions with many options for both sides. I feel that it is important to know the type of player you are, so that you can work on your strengths / weaknesses more effectively. 
  

• When I can't find a good defence, it is often better to look for counter-attack than defending passively (Problem came 1 after another following the extremely passive 15.Ba1).
  

• On the bright side, we simply have to learn from our mistakes. I need to be more cautious against this thematic ...b5 pawn break. 
  

• The objective badness aside, I like all my psychological and mental strength aspects of the game. This self-taught advice, I find really useful (despite being common sense): Everyone feels bad when they have a bad position, and everyone feels scared when their time is low. It's natural human feelings. BUT feeling bad and scared won't improve the situation! If you keep panicking, the clock will just continue to tick. This is why for the strong, seasoned players, they handle bad positions and time pressure much better than normal casual players. And to improve in these qualities, you simply have to keep playing competitively WITH A CLOCK. Can't emphasise this enough when I see fellow players with ambitions to improve keep playing casually without a clock -- you won't get a sense of training in terms of time management. If your preference is indeed to "play well where time pressure is not a determinant factor", why not go and play online correspondence chess instead? I really don't think this works very well for (competitive), over-the-board chess. Fairness is another issue when no clocks are used, when 1 side uses disproportionately more time (which I used to be extremely guilty for). 

Enough of the boring, 'technical' stuff. Now, the social element of the tournament!

The 4 players of team 8.c4! in tonight's concluding round (from left to right): Arun, Mark Liew a.k.a. Dr Chessdad, LPK and myself. It is our 4th team victory scored. Our team had achieved vast improvement over the course of a year. Comparing our achievements:

Team Results
In 2017, we only managed 1 draw (because 2 of the opponent's team players did not turn up, but then the 2 players who played for team 8.c4!, including yours truly, lost their games) and lost all other 7 team encounters, ending the tournament at 14th place out of 14 teams ^o^

In 2018, we actually won 4 of the 9 rounds played (the draw doesn't count to me, since we received a bye), and ended in the 12th position out of 17 teams. 

 

As for my individual result, even though I still failed my target (for any tournament, my personal target is always to score 50%), I can say there were notable improvements results-wise as well.

In 2017, I scored 1.5 out of 7 (1 win, 1 draw and 5 losses, -4). This has improved to 3 out of 8 (1 win, 4 draws and 3 losses, -2). And the rating average is "nonsense" -- I definitely faced stronger opponents this year compared to the last.

If you noticed, our team has made zero changes over the 2 seasons. If I am not mistaken, we are the only one. 

A Special Shout-out to "Sunday Chess Uncle"

A post-event selfie with "Sunday Chess Uncle", Mr Eric Lim. The nickname "Sunday Chess Uncle" arises from his consistent attendance at the Sunday Chess sessions at Siglap South CC (3pm-6pm). If not mistaken, his attendance is equal if not even higher than mine -- I absent myself when I'm unwell or when I participate in some of the local tournaments. The only time I recall he missed the Sunday session, was when he went on a cruise. In any case, I'm really grateful for his support, coming all the way just to see the league, cheer for my team and I, as well as helping with the games setup and clearing up after the tournament. He also praised me for playing on in dying seconds consistently, although that is something tourney players would need to do -- its either play on under time pressure, allow time forfeit, or just resign the game. You choose =)

As a form of reciprocity, I did share with him my thoughts of the following position, from the game he played with Weng Chew, founder of the Cashew Chess Club (Fridays, 8pm onwards at Cashew RC Zone 5) at Singapore Chess Meetup (Wednesdays, 6:30pm onwards at Asia Square Tower One)


On further thoughts, I may have been wrong in saying this is my last "coverage" of the 2nd season of the QCD Adults Chess League. I may still want to talk about the end of season dinner and prize presentation that will be tak place -- once again, I'm really grateful to our sponsor, the QCD Group, for their generosity.

In addition, I am really trying to contain my excitement to interview whom I personally regard as the MVP of the 2nd season of the QCD league (this decision has been made before the start of tonight's concluding round). I have actually shared my views in private with my chess friends, and have received numerous feedback from quite a number -- some agree with my choice, some disagree. Which is all good. We all have our own ways to determine whom we admire the most. Out of respect for the organisers, I will not state my choice publicly before the official MVP is announced, but I don't think identifying a different MVP is really that bad. This is quite often in many sporting events -- fans have their own MVP in their hearts even if the official MVP award winner happens to be someone else. I do think I have the same right to be different in my views -- and I am quite sure I can convince my readers, or at least explain, why I chose this player as the MVP on my books. Stay tuned!

A Shout-out to People Interested to Play in Next Year's QCD Adults Team Chess League
Last but not least, a big shout-out to fellow chess players interested in playing in the QCD Adults Team Chess League from next year onwards. Here are some of my introductions and suggestions for your consideration:

• In this season, I have helped in the formation of 2 brand new teams, namely (i) the Asia-Squared Bishops and (ii) Marinus Deep. Truth be told, A LOT of them are players from the Singapore Chess Meetup, or they saw our postings online on the league, so if you are interested, do start sourcing for your potential team mates here.
  
  No, I do not earn any commission from the sponsors for forming a new team(s), LOL. But I did make a lot of new friends in my course of 'work'. What can be more fulfilling than helping to serve the local chess community within my means possible? =) I'm not playing favouritism here, but want to mention 2 of them in particular, namely, Anthony the true gentleman (he reminded me to press the clock in the midst of a tournament! For that, I have covered him before in some of my earlier blog posts, and Yan Han, the current facilitator / captain (sorry I don't know what's the official title at the current cohort!) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Intellectual Games Club (IGC): Chess Section. I was the captain in the pioneer batch ^o^

• It will definitely help if you can give a little bit information of yourself (on top of information like your contact number -- everyone communicates via what's app, your FIDE ID if you have one), like your chess history (e.g. do you play in tournaments? If so, how frequent?) , your ambition in the league (whether you just want to enjoy playing chess again with fellow chess enthusiasts, or you want to join with goal of winning a top prize). This would greatly help facilitate the formation of teams as we also minimise, if not avoid severe mismatches within a team. 

• "House rules" apply in this unrated tournament. The fastest way to clarify is to actually ask any existing teams to help explain. Only the captain of each team will be added to a what's app group with the chief arbiter for the tournament. Crucial information will flow in this chat group from time to time. Captains also vote on certain matters should the need arise, certain issues require every team to agree. Based on current format over the past 2 seasons, the captains are also expected to submit their team line-up (teams have the flexibility to arrange their players in any order of the board, i.e. board #1 need not be the strongest player). 

• Hope to see you there! 

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner

p.s. My team mate, Mark Liew, a.k.a. Dr Chessdad, also has a chess blog with similar theme -- in my own words, "created by newbies, for newbies". We are seeking to improve our own chess play as we document our journey and share our thoughts tips on how we think fellow newbies, esp. fellow adult players, can improve. I do find his content much more organised than mine, so do check it out if you are serious in improving. He is also a FIDE certified instructor in Singapore.  (Mark, I'm sorry if this isn't how you see it, if not, just forgive me okay!)

Maiden Attempt to use Chessbase on NUS IGC Puzzle Position =)

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that dr_chess_dad, my very good chess friend, got some inspiration / motivation from me to take up chess blogging again.

Below is my attempt to marry between my attempt to use of Chessbase publishing function (farewell for now, chess.com, you have been useful to me at no cost, but I do prefer the Chessbase interface for this particular purpose) with today's puzzle position shared by NUS Intellectual Games Club.

I'm glad I got it right, both the puzzle position and the use of the Chessbase interface.

Puzzle Instruction: White to Play and Draw

[Event "NUS IGC Puzzle Position"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.09.24"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Yujing,Ong"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/8/4n3/R6p/4b2P/5RKP/4k3/1q5N w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "8"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.24"] {[#]} 1. Ra2+ Ke1 (1... Qxa2 2. Rf2+ Ke3 3. Rxa2 Bxh1 4. Ra5 Nf4 5. Ra3+ Nd3 6. Ra5 Nf4 7. Ra3+ Nd3 8. Ra5 Nf4 9. Ra3+ $11) (1... Bc2 2. Rxc2+ Ke1 3. Rcf2 $16) 2. Re3+ Kf1 (2... Kd1 $2 3. Nf2+ Kc1 4. Re1#) 3. Rf2+ Kg1 4. Re1+ Qxe1 $11 { Draw by stalemate.} 1/2-1/2

Please let me know should you have any comments or feedback (e.g. whether you prefer the chessbase interface or chess.com's interface). Once again, thank you for your time reading this -- do consider checking out dr_chess_dad's blog as well as the NUS Intellectual Games Club !

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

How not to play chess @ Siglap South CC 23rd Sept 2018

Lost a couple of games today. Most important but valuable loss was game #2 to William -- 1 bad move just spoilt a favourable game immediately. Oh well, it will do me good to have a better sense of danger in future! Kudos to him climbing back from a very bad position at one point.

Also, played a number of "experimental" games with Seng Chin, a regular attendee and chess friend has a very strong tactical feel of the position. What's important was not the exact moves / move orders (certain games I will never play that opening), but  the realisation that "quiet" play (i.e. the way I play) in a dynamic position is akin to courting death. Especially in opposite side castle positions, it is largely about who is faster in executing his attacks. I also come to the realisation that sometimes, a speculative sacrifice (to me, 1 that I cannot calculate to the point of a clear win, despite the features of the position looking very promising) is demanded by the position. I simply can't take my time and find the optimum "nice-looking" move.

Without further ado, here are today's 2 games worth replaying. Do note that White is trying to pick up from the wrong thinking and biases, so that his thought process can be better improved. In some ways, this may be viewed as "how not to play chess", a negative demonstration of sorts. Also, the points and thoughts in the opening phase of the game are not meant to get White a substantial advantage. Rather, it is meant to help me get into the type of positions I like to play. They are not the same thing, so don't be too surprised if you don't like the way White plays the opening!

Game 1 (Timed, 15+10)
Self-reflection with no use of Engine
Suggestions Based on Engine or Database Review

• Instead of 8.Bd3, it may be better to play 8.cxd5 -- If Black replies with 8...exd5, White can inflict an Isolated Queen Pawn in Black's camp. If Black plays 8...Nxd5, then Black's light square Bishop remain closed within its pawn chain.

• The judgement of leaving the a4 square for Na4 was on-point. Good!

• White's post-game judgement is correct, in that 20.Bxd5 is simpler to 20.e4 that was played.

• Even though not engine-best, 21.Kf1 does the job.

• Overall, White played better, and deserved the win =)

Game 2 (Untimed)
Self-reflection with no use of Engine
Suggestions Based on Engine or Database Review

• White was guilty of going on auto-pilot even at the 2nd move -- Admittedly, 1...Nc6 is a rather rare move. Instead of 2.c4, which invites 2...e5, Just play 2.d4 instead of 2.c4 for simplicity's sake! And White continued to forgot that Black has ...e5 until move 5 or move 6, lol.

• Other than somehow being blind to the possibility of ...e5, White's "little" choices in the opening were actually more or less correct, and the post-game review that 13.Nc5 was rash without 13.b4 was on-point. In essence, White has the luxury of time to wait and prepare for things, rather than going for 13.Nc5 immediately. 

• The easiest way to simplify the position seems to be 21.Rad1, simply fighting Black head-on over the open d-file (instead of 21.Qc4+ that was played). Because with the White Queen on c2,it is still looking over the weakened f5 pawn. If Black plays something like ...Qh6orh5, White can just play h4 to stop the mating idea on h2. Of course, 22.h3?? deserves to lose. 

Overall Impressions

• Despite the poor results today, I am actually liking what I see today -- I feel like I got the better position out of the opening play (with the exception of being blind to ...e5). 

• Admittedly, I have not been doing as many tactical puzzles as I wish, and my tactical sense seems to have waned a bit. But man, my time and energy resources are finite. I do feel that I am improving in my opening play, even just a little. At least, I feel more comfortable, confident and not feel like struggling as I usually feel.

As always, all comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

Overtime Report: Sunday Chess @ Siglap South CC, 16th Sept 2018

What a day it was! We went crazily overtime (usual hours 3pm-6pm) till 8:20pm! This time round, there were so many games played, my DGT smart board had to let go of the games played earlier (only games making up of the last 500 moves or so were kept in the records)!

Still, I will keep to my usual style, feature my personal games played, followed by a record of the other games captured. I will try to do more in-depth analysis of my own games, of course.

Long game played (without clock) -- this game lasted 3 hours or so!
Self-attempted quick review without the use of database or engine



Key learning points from the database / engines

Position after 10.g4 Bg6 11.h4 (which I thought was good for White after the game)

• After 11.h4, it is not the end of the world for Black- there are a couple of possible replies, the easiest being 11...h5! to stop the h4-pawn from opening up the Kingside. Now, if 12.Nxg6 fxg6, there will be some immediate pressure against White's Bishop on f4, Black has a semi-open f-file for the Rook on f8, White has some weaknesses on his Kingside while Black has faster development. All these should be more than adequate compensating factors to negate the weakness on e6 -- at the very least, White has no immediate way to exploit it, and eventually Black may even be able to play ...e5 if necessary to challenge White's centre  and open up the position further. In a nutshell, 11.h4 would have been a inaccuracy -- 11.Nxg6, which my opponent played in the game, is correct.

Position after 11.Nxg6 fxg6 12.Bg5 Nd7 13.Qf3

• 13...Nd7, which was played (too slow), was no good. In response, the engine recommended White to play 14.h4 immediately attacking on the Kingside. Instead, the engine strongly recommends Black to exploit the fact that his development is faster and open up the position with an immediate 13...e5! White has no time to gain a pawn on f6, and will need to be very careful in address the opening up position.

Position arising after 17.Qe3

• After 17.Qe3, Black got the overall planning correct -- to do opposite side attack. However, 17...b5 is not effective (Black baited White to play 18.Bxb5, which White did not fall for). Instead, 17...a5! would be more effective -- the pawn can continue to push down the a-file, minimally gaining some Queenside space. Also, generally speaking it is correct to minimise the number of pawn advancements we make in front of our King, to delay engagement with opponent's pawn storm (which delays opening up our own King pawn cover).

Position after 25...d3 26.Bxd3 Qxa3 27.Nc4

• In this position, Black played the safe-looking 27...Qxd3, simplifying the position with a 1-pawn advantage. This was the 2nd best move (around -1 in favour Black). But the very best move here was 27...Qa4!! The point being, that should White continue usually with 28.Nxd6, Black has 28...Nb3! weaving a mating net which will result in gaining of huge material if White avoids the mate. 

• Last but not least, in the final position which Black accepted a draw, Black does have some concrete advantage to press the position. (Whether it is winnable is another story.) While this may seem trivial, energy and stamina is very important, especially in the upcoming SG Amateurs 2018 Tournament. For this 9-round tournament, all but 1 day consists of 2 games! This is definitely very trying for all the players (especially adult players like myself who is out of shape... need to exercise more!)

Overall, I am still quite bad in evaluating "dynamic" positions, poor in assessing imbalance. On the bright side, I do like my ability to simplify complicated positions towards a small advantage to press. But this was played without a chess clock (at the request of my opponent). I wonder if I would play better or worse with the clocks in play -- certain moves, especially 25...d3 and 26...Qxa3, I probably spent around half an hour or so.

2 rapid (15+10) games with another opponent

Key learning points from the database / engines

• Opening-midgame: After 12.Nc3, Black should play 12...Bg4 immediately. Black waited a bit too much. After the moves 12...Rfd8, instead of 13.Qd2, White could've played 13.h3! to prevent this pin for good.

Other than this, everything else from Black was good! Well played, well-deserved win =)

Key learning points from the database / engines

• Opening: Instead of 12.Bb2, better was 12.Nd5 immediately -- It is better to ensure that Black has no ...d5 resource, and then White would have all the time in the world to improve / complete his opening play.

• 16.Qd2 that White played, was excellent! I'm glad I found it during the game on one hand, yet it got me into severe time trouble on the other hand. Still, for learning purpose, I don't mind losing the game to find the correct moves, in a sense.

Just want to make the qualifier that while I admitted I'm annoyed by certain style of play, it is perfectly legitimate. It is my problem to fix. I can't possibly request my opponent to not annoy me with his playing style, LOL. If anything psychologically, it is best to annoy the opponent as much as you can within the legal means. (And I myself am fond of chess psychology as a subject of chess study!)

Other games captured on DGT Smart Board -- I hope the Siglap South CC players would be able to identify their own games for self review purpose. They players would have to identify your own games please! Also, maybe I should teach the players how to record the results after the game.


I'm so happy that the electronic chess set is being put to good use! I was so afraid there won't be much use. Now I'm glad my $500 had been well spent ^o^

Looking forward to another week? month!? year! decade!! lifetime!!! of chess to come ^o^


Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

A Fun Game in 9th Round of the QCD Adults Chess League 2018

1-liner Summary
Even though my team lost 0-4 to a friendly team (a team consisting of many friends), I enjoyed my personal game very much =)

Some background / context before the game
To be honest, I was not expecting to play today -- I was happily doing my non-chess related "Otaku" business of watching games replay, anime series the night before, and I slept at around 1am or so. Unfortunately, 1 of my team mates who was scheduled to play fell sick, so I had to stand in at the last minute.

Still, it was a good playing experience in that I get to experiment my revised opening repertoire as White. Also, the lack of preparations did not account for my loss. If there are things I can attribute for the loss, it would be (i) poor time management and (ii) poor basic chess skills/sense.

And it's been a great pleasure and fun to be paired against Carleton, the founder of the Pub X Chess movement in Singapore! Even though I lost the game, he's definitely 1 of the chess friends I do not mind losing to.

Disclaimer about my games analysis
Please note that I am nowhere a chess expert. My personal thoughts are NOT supposed to be geared towards "how to play chess well". Rather, it is more like how a (fellow) newbie/beginner chess player around my playing strength thinks. A bit like a negative demonstration for learning purpose. Like how we are expected to learn the most from games we lost.

Through reviewing and examining the thought process, it is hoped that I can be corrected of my wrong perspectives and work on the important things that can help one play/understand a chess game better. If you dear reader have any thoughts or feedback, please feel free to drop me a comment either on this blog page directly, or feel free to drop me a private message. A big thank you in advance!

The game itself -- this time, on top of the full replay of the game, I will also highlight what I consider as key moments of the game, or situations which demands questions and answers.

Personal attempt at review/analysis of the game (with no use of engine)



Engine-checked evaluation / some learning ideas ("guesses")
(to address some of my thoughts and questions on the positions in the game)

• Based on the position up to move 9.Bd2, Chessbase14 found 1 single game from the freely available Kingbase Database, between Srebrnic, Anna (2283) and Egerc, Josip (2134), 2009, which ended in a draw. However, there is a notable difference in that it was White to move in the position (but in my game with Carleton, it is Black to move), so in a way, Carleton has improvised on this game =) Though in reality, I'm sure both of us are not aware of this game when we played it ^o^ 

Srebrnic, Anna (2283) and Egerc, Josip (2134), 2009, 1/2-1/2 

Position arises after the following moves:

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. g3 c6 6. Bg2 g6 7. d3 Bg7 8. Bd2
Qd8 9. O-O O-O ... White with the move.

• After 12...Qb6, the engine indeed like 13.g4 that I found in my post-game review (+1 in favour White). 13.Bxg7 is also good, but not as good (+0.5). 

Game position after 12...Qb6

• After 12...Qb6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7, instead of 14.Kh2 that was played, the engine evaluation is strongly recommends (not in specific idea), but the general setup of d4, Na4, b3 and e4 to be played by White. Basically, do not self-invoke any weakness, and take centre control with the central pawns. Such a simple, basic notion, yet I couldn't get it right... Oh well, there's lots for newbie to catch up and learn!

• After 17...h6, there was a nice combination that White missed =( I'm not sure if I could've spotted it if I had more time in the bank -- if it was presented as a puzzle that "White to play and win", one would probably have spotted it. Such is the difficulty (and beauty) of a real chess game!

White to play and win!

Diagram position after 17...h6. Highlight the hidden text below for the solution.

18.Qc3+ (18...Nf6 or 18...Kg7) 19.a4 Qb6 20.Ngxe6 with 21.Nd7 Knight fork coming.

• After 17...h6 18.Nxe6 Nxe6 19.Nxe6 fxe6, I played 20.Qc3+ and thought that it may have been easier to play 20.Qc4. While 20.Qc4 more or less forces an exchange of Queens with 20...Qxc4 21.bxc4 Rad8! Black has a free shot to press against White's position (White cannot do 22.Rad1 because of 22...Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rxf2 (the Rook on f1 is needed to defend f2 pawn). In fact, the engine likes my 20.Qc3 played in the game, just that the follow-up was really unsatisfactory! And after 20.Qc3+ Kh7 21.b3 Re6 Now 22.Qc4 is a move as after 22...Qxc4 White has 23.bxc4 (Black has no 2nd semi-open file to threaten White, and White will have time to improve his White King position to defend the f2 pawn, and then the White Rook on f1 is free to play a more active role. Hope the reader can try to visualise!

Game position after 17...h6 18.Ngxe6 Nxe6 19.Nxe6 fxe6, before 20.Qc3+ was played.

• While I considered the idea of 19.Nxb7, it is not that great/perfect for White. The most promising version is 19.Nxb7 Qxb7! 20.Bxc6 21.Qa6 Bxa6 22.Rxa8 and even though White has won the exchange on paper (White has 1 Rook + 2 pawns against Black's 2 Knights) Black will have 4 pieces to play against White's 3, and White's Kingside does look a bit weak. I think I can understand, or at least guess why the engine opine Black to be even slightly better despite White having the exchange.

Diagram position after 17...h6 18.Nxe6 Nxe6. If you were playing White, would you initiate 19.Nxb7!? Would it be a factor if you were under time trouble? Such are the practical questions to think about in a chess game! And nothing is perfectly black and white on whether it is a right or wrong decision. It is still highly playable despite what the engine says, and we play human opponents, not engines!

• Just want to conclude the analysis by saying that 22.f3, which was not played in time, was just a bad time panic ^o^ White could have simply returned the King to g1 (I was freaked out at the thought of Black doubling Rooks on the f-file and didn't know what to do under time pressure, lol!)

Interestingly, time management, to me, is 1 of the biggest practical issue in a chess game -- yet I have not come across any chess materials that addresses this subject directly. Has anyone come across any chess courses or study materials that actually talks specifically on time management? I think that is more important that some of the "hard skills" or knowledge of chess on a practical basis!

I still have A LOT of things to talk about, beyond my personal game! First and foremost, let's start with pictures which speaks a thousand words (each?)

From Picture's Left to Right: Gabriel, the youngest player on team 8.c4!), myself (newbie_learner, captain of the team 8.c4!) and Carleton, founder of PubXChess, who composed the game with me ^o^

Believe it or not, I got a book and words of encouragement from no other than Kevin Goh Wei Ming, Singapore's current #1 chess player. I'm so sorry that he has been putting up with my poor quality posts, yet super grateful for his tips and pointers at the same time. To think my casual chess blog is actually read by a local chess great! Can't ask for more ^o^

Some other great people and things I wish to shout out to:

• To Wern Jian, thank you for identifying yourself as my elder sister's friend ^o^ I honestly didn't know. What a small (chess) world, and all the best for your upcoming papers!
• To Dr_Chessdad, thank you for sharing with me about the free chess database, and some of the interesting functions and features of chessbase 14. I feel that my chess study, esp. on opening repertoire, is finally making its maiden step towards the right, organised direction.

• To my Singapore Chess Meetup friends (you know who you are) -- hope you have enjoyed this round of the League as much as I did!

• To "you know who you are", I have been looking forward to interview you. Let's do it after the final round! Best wishes to you and your team!

Last but not least, I simple need to try and promote the much awaited upcoming event, Social Chess BBQ ... Pawns and Prawns on 29 Sept 2018 (Saturday) .Thanks to Brad's correction, this is not technically an annual event, or a biannual event, but something that will take place as and when we feel like it and are able to commit to it. But I guess on the bright side, me (wrongly) branding it as the meetup's annual/biannual event would help to catch more newcomers to the meetup group. Surely, this mistake is not as sinful as hard-selling? ^o^

This turned out longer than I'd expected. Thank you for your time and patience!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

A Rollercoaster Game @ Singapore Chess Meetup

I'm drawing quite a number of 'bad' conclusions from this 57 move, 4-hour game (90+30, game both players have < 10 minutes on the clock).

General Description on the Course of the Game

1. Black (me) got into a completely lost position out of the opening.

2. The biggest turning point arise on 22.Nf6+ This checking move turned out to be a blunder allowing Black to turn the situation around.

3. Black played too conservatively despite having a better, winnable position (really too much like a turtle!)

4. In the end, an endgame position unwinnable for both sides arise (after move 36...Rcx5, the evaluation is equal). 

Personal Conclusions / Learning Points

1. Opening play really matters! What's important is to find yourself in a playable position you enjoy playing and understand well. I (Black) failed to do and slipped into a completely lost position within the opening phase of the game. 11...Ne7! is a huge resource and idea I want to drill into my head.

2. Luck does matter in chess ^o^ Can't thank Caissa enough for not losing the game.

3. My play when in a better position is still too timid. This is similar to 1 of the games I played in the QCD Adults Chess League in the earlier half of this year. After defending for some time since the  beginning of the game, the need to switch into an offensive move in the middle is something I don't do very well.

4. Opening play, endgame play was terrible on my part. Can't emphasise this enough.

5. On the bright side, it was not all bad -- notwithstanding the mistakes / blunders made in the bad opening position, at least I didn't fall into any direct / 1-2 move combinations or drop any pieces too easily. Also, I like my own fighting spirit to squeeze the endgame -- even if its an equal / drawn position, there is practical value to play on -- it forces me to understand the demands of the position and play the move (even if just to hold/draw the position).

Special Shout-out to Weng Chew
It was a great game -- you almost had me! With this game, my 100% head-to-head winning record has been broken. More importantly, I actually learned a couple of important ideas from the game, especially in the opening phase -- not just how Black could player better, but also how White could have pressed in such positions. I guess Slav exchange variation is not that harmless after all!

Also, I take back everything I said in the past about your training methods -- if anything, it is paying huge dividends for you -- I'm glad you found a method you enjoying using which works for you. I'm still working on mine -- but it would be a bit more systematic with a special focus on the opening phase of the game. As you can see, my opening play is really very bad -- I simply need to work on it more so that I don't get into bad / lost positions out of the first 10+ moves in every game. Endgame will be the next area I need to work on... interesting way both sides played it out ^o^

Shout-out to Asia Square Folks Watching (parts of) the Game Live
I'm glad to see so many of you after some time (I have decided to cut down my play time to spend more time on opening preparations in a more systematic way, so I will only be visiting Asia Square on a monthly basis while keeping to my weekly Sunday sessions at Siglap South CC. Was super surprised to see Carleton, the founder of the Pub X Chess movement in Singapore! I just wonder if everyone at the Singapore Chess Meetup knows who he is ^o^

Thank you for helping me pack up my DGT chess set! I hope you guys enjoyed playing with it. Also, I'm really sorry for my misbehaviour towards some of you addressing me while I was playing the game -- Especially for shouting back at Roy -- that happens to be a super critical moment of the game, the "distraction" could not have come at a worst time. But thank you so much for reminding me to bring home my DGT chess board. Please accept my apologies ^o^


Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner

Grinding Chess Games @ Siglap South CC on 9th Sept 2018

Unlike some of the older school of chess players / coaches who opine that fast chess is a waste of time in terms of learning, I actually feel that it is a good way to check out one's familiarity with openings. I played a mixture of a few slow games with several fast games today -- I'm glad for the learning experience, esp. over a couple of positions which I misplayed and got into a severe disadvantage / objectively lost ones.

I guess it may be a bit "boring" to only share the games played, but I guess it's not realistic to have exciting games and days every time, every day =) In addition, I have my opponents to thank -- some openings, I really don't have that much experience with/against. Playing with you guys make me learn the opening / position faster! This was very valuable as I do not (like to) play chess games over the internet.

Also, need to thank my newly acquired DGT Board. Thank you for recording these blitz games for me, so that I can review them afterwards!

Game Collections @ Siglap South CC via DGT Smart Board



Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner

A great experience @ Thomson CC Chess Club on 31 Aug 2018

So I was covering Mr John Wong, a very experienced local chess coach at Thomson CC chess club. I happened to end work early, opening up earlier than the usual opening hour at 7:30pm. Was surprised to see a chess player from Siglap South CC also joining the Thomson CC chess club. As a young kiddo and new player, I believe he is maximising chess time for his development. Which is good.

After going through the game with him, I was surprised to be identified by a group of teenagers. Apparently, they identified themselves as students of my chess friend and coach, and was told to come here to play with me to gain some experience before the upcoming tournament. Naturally, I obliged. The games aside, I think my friend has coached these kids well. Above all, I was really happy to see the enthusiasm in them. They even lamented that they should not have started playing/learning chess at the late age in secondary school. They just remind me of myself, only that I started chess at an even later age. I was also sharing some tips I have, especially on to target his biggest problem at the moment: lack of experience with non 1.e4 openings =)

I am also quite honest about my own abilities. In terms of hard skills in chess, I am not someone you should learn from (at the moment, I self-rank my opening play as the weakest, followed by endgames and then the middlegame -- and even my middlegame is not "great", it's just not as weak compared to the weaker and weakest phases in the game). But I do feel I have some things fellow beginners can learn from, especially on chess psychology / mentality, "matchup" and the likes.

As usual, I do not identify my opponents but myself. I've learned that some of them do look at my blog to review their games (sometimes they did not record their games). Am glad to be of help/service to fellow chess players, however little it may be =)

Game 1: Kiddo vs newbie_learner



Learning Points / Thoughts:

• If you choose to specialise an opening, you really need to know it well. I understand the kiddo has not met 2...c5 so much, so hopefully, he brings this to his coach to find out how to play against it. I think just play 3.e3 and continue will do. At least, this would be how I treat this.

• I love my choice of 9...Qxc5 instead of 9...Qxf3?! If you know a move is bad, instead of insisting on making the bad move, better find an alternative solution!

• The finish-off was not clinical, but from the point of denying counter-play, I think I did decent.

Game 2: newbie_learner vs Teenager



Learning Points / Thoughts:

• As you can see, my opening play is really not great. 5.h4 is not that good and some flexibility seems lost.

• Overall, I am pleased with the way I applied logic in choosing my moves.

Game 3: newbie_learner vs Teenager

Vast improvement after the coach's guidance. I believe I reached a lost position, just bluffed my way through in the end =) 

Learning Points / Thoughts:

• Really cannot survive long enough to play a proper game without any opening knowledge. Maybe it works at an elementary level of play. But after a while, this just stops a player from making meaningful progress.

• On the bright side, at least I can recognise a problem after making the mistake =) 

• I think it makes sense for me to take a break from the training league. I hope to play good (or at least better) games with some fixing of my glaring shortcomings in my play, especially in the opening phase of the game.