Siglap South CC Chess on 2nd Dec 2018

Today probably marked the lowest attendance (only 7 players incl. myself) at Siglap South CC. Still, not the end of the world. We will make the best out of things.

I only played 1 proper game with a kiddo today. My play felt decent, although as usual, the opening feels shaky =) There are, however a couple of positions which I'm not sure I agree with the engine's evaluation. If you dear reader could help me out, that would be great!

Feeling "lazy" today, I shall try a different way to review my game. I go straight into the engine's one-click tactical analysis, followed by my own thoughts on the game.

My own thoughts and queries

• Is 7...Be7 that I played really that bad compared to engine's recommended 7...Nf6 ? I really don't get it!

Position after 7.Bg5, which the engine's one-click tactical analysis recommends 7...Nf6 and did not evaluate 7...Be7 very well for Black.

• 12...Qxd1 was a genuine mistake. Initially, I thought I can just trade Queens and play 13...Bxc2. But I didn't like facing 14.Rd7. On hindsight, I think 12...Qc7, aiming at the "over-extended" White pawn on e5, is best.
• Even though the difference is small, 13...Rfd8 played instead of 13...Rad8 allows Black's King to be centralised ...Kg8-f8-e8/e7. If 13...Rad8, the Rook on f8 only has 1 square to move to.
• I guess this is indeed my typical pattern in games I draw / won (survive the opening phase, the slowly climb from there). Nothing to boast, but also nothing to be ashamed of.

I also did some basic opening run-through with another fellow player making his debut tournament soon. Maybe I sound a bit critical, but his opening repertoire as Black is sorely inadequate. Some examples:

"Sicilian Defence"

1.e4 c5 and not knowing what to do with the Black pieces against 2.c3 Alapin variation, 2.Nc3 closed Sicilian, 2.d4 Smith Morra Gambit and other "funny" second moves like 2.Ne2. He is only ready to face open Sicilian 2.Nf3...

"2 Knight's Defence"

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 Not that the 2 Knights Defence is a bad opening, but playing it this way shows Black doesn't know his stuff. Here, he probably needs to play something like 5...Na5 And this complication could've been easily avoided by simply opting to stick with Giuoco Piano with 3...Bc5. 

"Ruy Lopez: Exchange variation"

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 This is not losing but already Black is drifting astray. 4...dxc6 was much better, immediately opening up the Bishop on c8 for free. Black will benefit in open positions with the Bishop pair. 

We also tried out other lines arising from 1.e4 e5, like Bishop's Opening King's Gambit (which I don't play at all). Yet again, Black continues to get into very bad positions. And he even admitted to having no experience against the Scotch opening. What will he do facing these positions in the tournament is everyone's guess.

The conclusion is simple and clear: Black is not actually ready to play 1.e4 e5 or 1.e4 c5. Yes, the player "likes" it and may have been playing it for a long time, but really, the player doesn't actually know enough to play it decently well. I guess he only has 2 options:

(a) Bite the bullet and fix these holes bit by bit (a good solution in the long run but probably the results would be terrible in the short run);

(b) Sidestep the problem by playing something simpler first (But this only sidesteps the problem rather than actually going about to fix it in the long run) 

This is not meant to ridicule anyone, but rather seek to demonstrate these useful learning points / food for thought (which applies to my own as well):

• Playing the same opening consistently does NOT automatically make you an effective specialist in that opening. If you keep playing the same stuff without trying out or think of the different variations that the opponent may throw at you, it simply means you have inadequate experience in these other variations you've never seen. (For instance, playing 1.e4 c5 and only expecting to face 2.Nf3 the open Sicilian is, to me, one-dimensional to the extreme.) And the best way to quickly get a glimpse of various opening variations? Play more blitz games! Or specifically request for your training partner to throw different ideas at you, or to have a bigger pool of training partners.

• It is so much more valuable to find an opening that suits your own playing style. I sincerely hope this player isn't blindly following trends at elite level chess (which often starts with 1.e4 e5 or 1.e4 c5). 1.e4 2.Nf3 is indeed most played, but it doesn't mean Black can ignore White's alternatives.

I'm actually looking forward to see if the player, after today's session will be able to get his act together before the upcoming tournament. All the best to him, myself, and everyone else!

Thank you again for your time and attention.

Yours sincerely

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

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Training Session Revelations on 1 Dec 2018

Today, my chess friend and training partner for the day, Yogesh, and I had a great training session playing each other at the Singapore Chess Federation (SCF). It is not always available, but we checked beforehand and was lucky enough to secure a vacant room for use.

I was crazy enough to bring down my DGT Chess Board (the truth is, I have donated away all my chess sets to various chess sites (Singapore Chess Meetup, Pub X Chess). I happened to reach SCF slightly ahead of our scheduled time, so I took opportunity to walk around and take photographs of the bulletins. What a great collection of interesting articles!

This kind of looks familiar, doesn't it? =) Click here for the full online article!

World Champion Magnus Carlsen thrashed us with a perfect 16-0 in Singapore. Well, he's the World Champion! To relive the moment, you can refer to this article!

I'm not sure how many of our national champions and aspiring teens and kiddos you can recognise =)

Anyway, back to my training session with Yogesh. Initially, I was hesitant about disclosing this for obvious reason. But with Yogesh's permission and blessings, here it goes!

It's a bit unfortunate that we weren't able to play a full 90+30 game due to practical constraints. As an alternative, we tried a 50+10 (50 minutes initial time + 10 second increment per move) in game 1, followed by a 20+10 in game 2, before we concluded the training session with a untimed "focus training" game.


Game 1
Learning Points

• I really "suck" playing against the King's Indian Defence (KID), but it wasn't all bad. At least there were some "generic" moves made that were good enough. In fact, it may be more important to stick to the fundamentals (e.g. minimise pawn moves on the side one is intending to castle, and initiate quick pawn storm against opponent's King). 
• Got to be more careful as White was the first one who slipped into an objectively lost position, only able to get back with luck.
• It is really easier to play without time pressure. Good time management is important!
• Well, I guess Caissa rewarded me for pressing on. Fighting spirit ^o^ Otherwise, it would've probably been played out as a draw.

Game 2
Learning Points

• It is no good to play a move without understanding, although it can be tempting as the "easy way out" (but if one keeps doing it, it will become too taxing on the memory. I guess the point is to get on with development, and more importantly, by opening up the b-file, get the major pieces to launch a counter-attack against White's b2 pawn. Black will need to find more opportunities to strike against White's Queenside pawns.

Game 3 (This is the most interesting but this is not a proper game because Yogesh is telling me all the major themes in the opening phase move by move) as I try my best to play against the KID once more.

Learning Points

• Really have to thank Yogesh again for guiding me along. Finally a bit of positive experience in the opening I fared the worst by far. (Thank you!)
• If anything, I feel that delaying castling doesn't seem to work well when we can just castle to the side we are supposed to and do whatever we need to do (e.g. opposite side castling implies both sides should initiate pawn storm).
• Also, it seems that knowing the key theme or idea of the opening is so much more important than the exact precise order (at our casual / club level play). 

That's all for now. Thank you again for taking time to look through. Feel free to leave a comment if you have additional ideas / criticisms to share for learning purpose!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing

a.k.a. newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Delayed Coverage on Sunday Chess @ Siglap South CC 25 Nov 2018

I finally gathered enough energy to complete this post! It was interesting in that I "completely collapsed" after the games played, lying in bed skipping dinner from extreme fatigue and lack of appetite. Turns out I was diagnosed with stomach flu. Am glad I only collapsed after the games were played, so that I probably tried my best and there's no excuse for my play =)

In both of these games (untimed), there were positions where I was in a huge disadvantage / very close to losing. Luckily, I managed to turn the tables results-wise. More importantly, it is good to uncover more shortcomings of my own play as part of the overall lifelong learning process!

(I've been experimenting with the manner the games replay are presented. Feel free to let me know should you have any preference!)

Game 1
Personal Thoughts / Learning Points

• Misplayed the opening (I'm more experienced with 3.c4), but no regrets trying out to see how things go in this line. 
• I should have been braver in initiating exchanges to hold equality (this time round, I got paranoid over "bad exchanges" and did not initiate them enough). When the position is already bad, don't make it worse!
• Need to be careful with threats like 22...f4! I still believe it would've "killed me on the spot".

Game 2
Personal Thoughts / Learning Points

• (Sad to say) Playing the same opening regularly does not equate to understanding. I certainly shows lack of understanding in the opening phase after White initiated 9.e4 to open up the position. 
• Not everything is bad -- I like my evaluation of the endgame leading to my decision to centralise my King to go for the Queenside pawns starting with 25...Kf8 which, engine deems as best in an equal position. (Although I probably got a bit paranoid that there is a chance Black cannot win in the last few moves.)  Also, some other judgement, like 30.Rb2 can lead to a inferior but holdable position for White is on-point.

Some Random Shout-outs to Conclude:

• Special thanks to my personal chess hero, Anthony, (to read about his sporting etiquette, check out this earlier post ^o^) dropping by Siglap South CC for the first time. I'm so sorry you didn't get to play a game -- many players went for the very well-received Nee Soon East Chess Challenge 2018 (with more than 200! players).
• Special shout out to the very first Pub X Chess Invitation. It's unfortunate I was unable to go down to see the event live in person due to timing clash with Siglap South CC Chess Club. Always a joy to see new formats and experiments to keep the game and competition interesting. And I have to say, the trophies look gorgeous! May that motivate more of the local chess players to take part and put in their best efforts!
• Last but not least, because our very own Mr Bradley Loh, the founder of Singapore Chess Meetup (to me, it was the Singapore Chess Meetup which helped to directly or indirectly push or cross-promote other welcomed local chess initiatives like Pub X Chess and the QCD Adults Team Chess League) is on an overseas trip, Andre and I will try our best to serve as covering hosts for the next 2 weeks (i.e. sessions on 28 Nov 2018 and 5 Dec 2018. We hope you will continue to have a pleasant experience at the meetup as always ^o^ Do remember to rsvp as it helps to give assurance to newcomers that the meetup is "alive and active". 

Thanks again for your reading time, see you at Singapore Chess Meetup tomorrow!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Friday Night Chess @ Thomson CC (23 Nov 2018)

Finally found time to do this Post while watching Game 11 of the Carlsen-Caruana World Championship. Got a good wake-up call this evening, being thrashed by a kid who played quite well (relatively speaking -- and I played bad ^o^). But looking on the bright side, at least I get to see what's wrong with my play.

A great turnout with the end of the examinations and the commencement of the school holidays!

Personal thoughts and learning points:

• Don't always blame everything on the opening, although it is true that I played into something I'm not familiar with / don't enjoy so much.
• Got to be careful conceding any control of squares.
• Do not try to resolve problems or tensions casually. You will get punished (by Caissa, if not by the opponent)! 

Next game was with another kid. Even though he was not as strong as the first kid I played, my play was still far from optimum =(
Personal thoughts and learning points:

• While it was good thinking to be cautious and not castle on the Kingside immediately, "over-waiting" is not a good thing. Making completely waiting moves that do not exert any pressure should be avoided.

Interestingly, there was a position I picked up from a game between 2 kids -- right out of the 2nd move, some of us (my chess friend and the kiddo who beat me) were sharing out thoughts. I still think the pawn here can be taken -- I'm not sure why both my friend and the kiddo dismissed it at the onset, but realises the defensive resources White possesses when I try to defend everything.

Position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5!? I will still play 3.Nxe5 and try to defend the extra pawn =)

I guess I believe to the old school "If you can't see anything wrong, take it". Here, I really believe White has adequate resources to capture and defend the position. 

That's all I have. To wrap this up, let me just do a big shout-out to congratulate Ju Wenjun for her successful title defence! Love it that she's such a sport, agreeing to play in a knockout format that favours upsets. Also, the fact that she had to come back from behind in the final standard game, having to win with the Black pieces to force the tiebreaks was no easy feat. Mere mortals, or "weaklings" like myself would probably have given up mentally. 

Thank you for your time reading!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Another Good Chess Session @ Siglap South CC 18 Nov 2018

It is true for all chess sites -- the number of players increase in the school holidays! (I should have taken some pictures, but I was too engrossed in my own games, LOL)

Some Interesting Highlights and Personal Thoughts:

• Am really grateful that Kevin, a new attendee at the Singapore Chess Meetup, came to check us out for the first time! Thank you for giving us and yourself a chance, Kevin =)

• Thanks to my "bad influence", everyone in Siglap South CC is now talking about the Singapore Chess Meetup, and recognising how it is the #1 social chess site at present. Let's face it, there's no way any of the CCs can have a single session with 50~60 people -- that's how big and reliable the pool of players at Asia Square Tower One on Wednesdays is.

• I have only recently received some indirect negative feedback (which is absolutely fine -- I only wish more of my friends and chess folks can be more honest, so that I can work on the problem areas for improvement). I agree with the criticism that some of the young kids misbehave. And I just did not realise that it served as some deterrence to a couple of kids. Maybe I cannot stick to the "kids will be kids" excuse for kids who misbehave quite a bit, to be fair to everyone who behaves properly (but do not enjoy encountering misbehaviour). But I still don't know what is the most effective way to teach proper chess etiquette to kids. Some kids understand when I explain. But I don't know what to do to others (yet I shall refrain from labelling anyone as "hopeless"). 

Personal Rapid / Untimed Games and Self Review / Learning Points

These are the non-blitz games I played today which I attempt to review on my own. As usual, first attempt without the use of engine, followed by the one-click tactical analysis function in Chessbase 15. 

Link to the Games Replay (4 games played with 3 different opponents)

Game 1 (White)

• I don't really main the London System, but it may serve well as a backup system. Since I anticipate a lot of players to employ this, I might as well learn a bit about it while learning how to play against it ^o^ I'm not really "into depth" like some of my friends who really specialise in it, but I personally find this opening generally easy enough to play, and *usually*, even if White misplays a little, won't end up in a dead lost position. *Usually*, it is more forgiving that some other "technical" openings like the Sicilian: Dragon variation. That's why it's so popular at club level (and it has been seen quite a bit even at top-level chess these days).

• I'm glad I found the correct move of 11.dxc5 (deemed best move by the engine) but I missed an easier way for a crushing advantage a couple of moves earlier. Just 9.dxc5! and not 9.Ne5.

• I really prefer 13.Qa4 that I played as compared to the "flashy" 13.Nf6+, even though the engine opines both moves to win. 

Game 2 (Black)

• I got into a very unpleasant opening position, and was lucky to even survive, I think. I should have played the more flexible move of 8...Nd7 instead of 8...Nf6 (I was concerned over whether White will out-control Black and put a minor piece on the d6 square to imprison the Black King in the middle. The subsequent moves 9.Be3 Qe5 (Black was not keen to grab another pawn greedily when his development has already been severely compromised) 10.c3 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 (Keeping Queens on the Board to maintain attacking potential) 11...Bc5 12.Bf4 Qf6 (only move anyway) from Black's perspective was... barely enough to survive (even though the engine's evaluation suggest the position was playable / close to equal).

• After this opening scare, White made a strategic mistake of simplification after 13.Bxb8 Qxf3 14.Bxf3 Rxb8 Black emerged being a pawn up. Although the resulting position / situation isn't entirely crushing -- Rooks + Bishop of opposite colour +, the 1 pawn advantage is probably not enough for a crushing win. Still, there is a psychological advantage for me, in that I am objectively better, and of course, having survived the opening scare makes me feel great.

• Honestly, I think I was just lucky that my opponent made a series of questionable choices, which eventually led to me finding a way to win this position, thanks to the pass pawn and superior King position.

Game 3 (Black)

• Essentially, both players were "sleeping" in the opening phase, with White continuously dropping pawns and Black not realising it. This fatigue issue is something I need to address for serious chess improvement (and for personal health, of course).

• I have to say, I'm glad for the experience of opposite side castling and pawn storm. This I don't come across so much in my training games, so the experience is even more valuable.

Game 4 (Black)

• No excuse for playing badly. But I genuinely felt tired (something I need to address on my own) and more importantly, I felt genuinely distracted by the kid =( Of course, my willpower and mentality needs to be stronger too. Playing each game with the starting mentality "Play to not lose" isn't something to be proud off / worth showing off ^o^ Also, running low on time and energy in the endgame phase of the game is a real practical situation to address.

• While I didn't think too much of this particular etiquette, I am now absolutely convinced it is "the way" to play chess properly: The player who is worse,  should never initiate the offer of a draw -- chess is already a very difficult game, and it is extremely unwelcomed for the inferior side to try any sort of antics to distract the leading player. “Don't do unto others what you don't want done unto you.” comes into my mind.
  
  Time is part of the game, so if a player is in a worse position but has superior time, offering a draw is still acceptable to me. But this is a clear no to me if a player is worse in both the time and position. And no, I am no saint myself. I have been making 1 insincere draw offer especially in losing games in all my team games to date (although I make no repeated offers). Talk about "team responsibility" eh ~ I will have to face this dilemma so long as I play in team events.

I'm sorry that my posts often end up as an etiquette rant ^o^. Rather, I see it more as identifying the ideal way to play, etiquette-wise, and striving towards it as an "ideal" chess player. It is a very subjective in nature, and it is perfectly fine if anyone disagrees or has different views. I have actually adjusted some of my views and opinions over time, based on my new experience or ideas shared by my friends. If anyone is keen, I would be even happy to discuss on chess etiquette, a subject I feel sorely lacking in local kids chess today. Most are primarily concerned over gaining strength or rating points in the shortest time / effort possible, which is perfectly understandable. I just wish there is that little room for chess etiquette study and appreciation over improvements over chess play.

Last but not least, my DGT Smart Board only recorded 3 blitz games because I did not indicate the end of the game (by placing the Kings in the centre of the Board, or by taking back moves in the middle of the game, so some games kept going on and on as part of the 500 moves recording cap). Oh well. My own stupidity.

Links to the Blitz Games Captured on my DGT Smart Board -- To me, the SGD $500 spent has already more than paid for itself for it's weekly service to the chess club!

Thank you for your time and attention!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Full House at Thomson CC Chess Club on 16 Nov 2018

I really enjoyed myself to the max, seeing all my old friends and new ones. Whoever says chess is not a sociable / interactive game doesn't appreciate chess the right way!

Full-house! This is something all chess sites should strive for (or sustain it when achieved). Much easier when we enter the school holidays.

Special shout out to Zhemin, another player from Singapore Chess Meetup . She has "succumbed to our bad influence" and started recording moves ^o^ I always believe we can be serious while having fun in chess at the same time! 

 That's it for the pictures of the day. Now, to the 3 games I played with kiddos / teens. Just want to clarify that I am not looking down on kids with the use of the term "kiddos" (I wish I can remain a kid forever!) I love the term, much like I love my chess nickname / handle "newbie_learner". It resonates with my view that chess, like life, is a lifelong learning process very well.

Games analysis will compare my personal attempt followed by one-click tactical analysis by Chessbase 15

Game 1 (Playing with a very young kid)
External link for analysis comparison

GIF generated replay of the game. Here, I must express my disappointment with Chessbase 15. For a newly released software, it's new feature, gif generation, does not allow me to generate the position from Black's perspective (and other free software allows me to do it, LOL). Notwithstanding that this is not a deal-breaker, since not many people use such "trivial" features. Still, it leaves a sour taste.

Personal Thoughts and Learning Points

• Considering that I was far from my "100%", having inadequate sleep over the past few days hard at work, I thought my play in this game was decent. Despite some sub-par choices in the opening phase of the game. After 10.Qg3, I love my response 10...0-0 accepting White's challenge head on and the subsequent continuation 11.Bh6 Nh5!? (even though 12.Qf3 is likely a draw) 12.Qg4? Ndf6! 13.Qg5 Kh8 and proceeding to "win ugly but surely".
  
• However, it was nowhere near a well-played game, I have made the wrong plans starting from around 27...Rg7 (on hindsight, I still feel that 27...Kg7 would be more consistent). Luckily, my young opponent did not manage to capitalise, and I found time to undo my misplaced Rooks and King. 

Game 2 (Playing with a preteen)
External link for analysis comparison

Personal Thoughts and Learning Points

• So while playable, the evaluation of the position suggests that an immediate 6...c5 is probably not the best option. So my usual 2 Knights setup on d7 and e7 still work well here =)
  
• I'm somewhat surprised and glad that the engine agrees with some of my not-so-direct moves like 8.Qd2 a6 (controlling the b5 square and wait for White to show his hand) and after 9.0-0-0, my 9...c4! (was even given an exclamation mark by the engine LOL) -- interestingly, this looks very "French-Defence like", and arguably even better as Black suffers no "bad Bishop problem". I'm glad I judged this position correctly.
  
•  Even though after 15.Qe1, 15...Bxc5 (which I played was not the best, I still like what I did). And after 16.b3, again my 16...0-0 was not best, though I like it (indeed, the engine shows a couple of ways to directly attack the White King without a need to prepare the attack) -- so my friends are right! Kudos to you guys!

Game 3

External link for analysis comparison

Personal Thoughts and Learning Points

• For beginners, you may want to look at the game analysis done by the engine to see a couple of themes employed in this game.
  
• I dedicate this game to William, my fellow Siglap South CC Chess Quartet brother, for the experience I gained through our many games played in this opening line. See, the social aspect of chess, be it "serious" or "casual" can all be fun!

Thanks again for your time.

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet

Interesting Mini-Series with Kiddo @ Siglap South CC (11 Nov 2018)

It's been a while since I've seen Benedict at Siglap South CC. I have to say, I can feel his rise in playing strength. A lot of kids went to play in the 5th Toa Payoh East CC WEC Junior Chess Championships 2018, so we had to content ourselves with fewer players.

The results of the games aside, there were interesting learning points in all of the games played.

Game 1


Personal Thoughts / Learning Points

• Anything that feels as simple as possible would be the "correct" way to play the opening (at least in my opinion). 
• Really bad time management on my part -- the mistakes in the endgame phase are mostly arising from that (other than lack of endgame knowledge / skills)
• Never give up no matter how bad the position may seem to be.
• The big decision at 14.Bxc6 Qxc6 had to be calculated well. I didn't calculate correctly, but my decision turns out correct.

White to move: After 14.Bxc6 Qxc6, what will you play? 15.Qxc6, 15.Qxa7 or something else?

Game 2

Personal Thoughts / Learning Points

• I've yet to fully grasp the difference between ...h6 and ...h5.
• My constant refusal to play the more active-looking ...Bd6 is puzzling

Game 3

Personal Thoughts / Learning Points

• Even though I don't encounter this opening that often, I'm glad I felt confident and got into a good position. General understanding of the opening you play can go a long way. 

Other Blitz Games Recorded on the DGT Board

Click here for the blitz games captured on the DGT Board. The players should be able to identify their own games.

Once again, thank you for your time reading!


Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner
Siglap South CC Chess Quartet