Sunday, August 05, 2007
SPECIAL EDITION
(haha, not for ndp!)
yay, finally g0t time to rest especially to write this entry. after this november, it will mark my chess age of 8 years 0ld!
Remember it was during primary 5 when we finished our exam. So, everyone brought their own stuffs to play during lesson. Sixiang brought his xiangqi chess set. Haha, asked him to teach me. Ended up both of us were often seen early in morning before assembly, during recess period and even after school addicted to chess. There was one time after remedial class, form teacher was going home and saw us playing at the stone table near the gate. She comment that we were so hard-working, yet Sixiang must remember to tutor me too in my studies. HAHA, i think we had played more than a thousand games in the school.
Went to Maris Stella High. Naturally chose chess club as my cca. My classmates n I were informed by our form teacher, Mrs Wee that we had successfully joined the club. We were even surprised to know that she was the teacher-in-charge! Haha, we were being taken care of, as well as being made used of! Cause she was our sec 1 math teacher, so whenever after cca, they will go and ask her about homework questions. She will first ask us to help her move chess sets before she helped us solve our problems...Anyway, among our gang, i was often the winner since i had played so much during primary school days. So, they started to change to international chess...That was also a point of time I learnt international chess. Within short period, I also started to win them in international chess. Haha, they were so frustrated till they no longer want to play with me...咳。。。无敌是寂寞的。Since it was during secondary 2 period, they were also studying for their streaming exam instead of playing chess during cca. Aiyah, Mrs Wee just closed one eye. Hence I have to search for new friends to play with, i came to know this Proud guy, Jing Sheng. Kept being owned until I started serious studying of chess. I realized how much time I had wasted during lower secondary. From then onward, almost every weekend I will go library or popular to read chess books. Didnt know that there is actually alot of theories behind the small board. Was so engrossed that I read the whole day and forgotten about my lunch...Beside, Dad was certainly happy, cos if mom brought us to shopping, I had switched my "waiting room" from arcade to library. However, it did also had downside. They started to worry for my studies since i will be reading chessbooks instead of textbooks during exam period. It was so serious that we had a meet-the-parent session! Sec 3 form teacher scolded me..."you want to do proud for your school during competition. But you will also bring disgrace to school if you fail your o-level!" Haha, made a pact with them that I will stop chess for a moment to study but if I never end up in ITE they will not further hinder my interest. Haha, actually my mind is already set to enter Ngee Ann long ago. Still remember it was the first polytechnic i entered due to a secondary one chess competition. Our team got 4th position. The competition venue was at octagon (present convention center). Hence, chess growth is still insignificant. Only rewarding thing was, i did manage to score well and enter Np! Plus, secondary four that time, we gone for Raffles Cup. Although not in the main team (since not very good at chess yet), but the main team WON the CHAMPION! Felt so proud of it.
At Ngee Ann Poly, matriculation day i was asking the lecturer where was chess club. He was suddenly stunned, then replied "I'm not too sure...Is there chess club here?" My heart was like broken...He surfed the net then relieved my heart abit since the data did mention the presence of chess club...好景不长。。。i think the club is like the state of closing down. Main thing was, I still dun know the LOCATION! Then during cca fiesta, I saw chess club booth. So I wrote down my name n my CONTACT no. to sign up. But awaiting for their response is No-No. I think they dun even call the freshies down. Luckily when i walked past the engineering block, saw their poster, so quickly called the contact. I think i called the vice-chairman, a weiqi senior. After knowing their day n venue, straightaway pulled jingsheng to join with me. The proud guy still said, "aiyah the club muz be not strong one, since no1 know abt it. Later go in dun waste time, call the strongest to fight with us"
That friday, I found my 2nd family. The president, Ng Xun, introduce chinese chess captain, hui yan to us. Then Hui Yan vs both of us at the same time. He was SO strong, both of us being killed...but i was still too weak to join their main team. Hence, Hui Yan started to train me. There was another graduated senior who also wanted to train me, but he had no time to spare at that time. He watched me playing with hui yan, commented "if u fight with strong player, u cant always passive defend. Must at least have a dagger behind ur shield." This was an unforgettable advice. Haha, got good senior of cos got bad senior. There's was an irritating senior who always look down at me and said sour words. Since then, I trained myself up to win him just to shut his mouth up. Hui Yan saw my play was always sticky, so eventually wanted me to play as defensive black. Every time I got slashed by his attacks, i will remember them so that i wun taste them again. That was a period when i seemed to be the only junior present in chinese chess since jingsheng went off to singing...Thanks to Hui Yan, I start to be able to recall game after finish playing. However when Hui Yan became 3rd year while i was 2nd year, he was too buzy with his academic so much so that I heard from other seniors that he failed his class test yet in the end he still managed to score A for his module. That was really incredible! I do hope now I can pass retest next week. Haha!
The happiest dinner I had, was during one Chess Club outing at 镇发 steamboat. One senior even taught me how to cook the living prawns. "You must knock out the prawn to make them unconscious so that they wun splash water when you boil them" After the steamboat, Ng Xun brought a china jiejie (secretary) and me to Kbox. Haha, we sang till 3am. Mom didnt say anything since I am 懂事。 First time Kbox, very enjoyable!
2nd year. Not to forget my other seniors: Ben, Jetson and Chin Kiong. Hehe, to me they are always my 福禄寿！ Thanks to Chin Kiong who always accompanied me. Also, because of coach n his friend uncle lee, they recommended me to go practise at Bishan Community Centre. There are alot of old uncles to practice with. I think this was the quiet period when my chess improved alot, although Hui Yan still expected much more from me. I was very not used to the chess clock, so terrified of the ticking sound especially during competition. Later came up of a solution- listen to mp3. I was often spotted to have earpieces on my ear while playing chess. Since then, I had gained alot of competition experiences. Remember once i joined 茶阳杯，skill was still not enough. Yet on one saturaday, went bishan and uncle lee want me to fight with the competition champion. I think it was the time when i became so serious and concentrated. I unbelievably won him...I think that was my greatest match. Our 2nd match became 无车棋, due to my 中局 skill is still poorer than him, lost is inevitable. We played for about 4 hours that afternoon, end up the night i almost cant sleep!
I also missed the days Hui Yan, Jingsheng and I, 3 of us going for team competition. It was so memorable, since the competition is really considered open as there were many old uncles taking part. U know, some of them do see youngster like us as small bird. However, there were also other very encouraging uncle. During one of the match, my play was considered bad that they already considered my table lost...yet I endured, shield here block there...until i managed to snatch a draw! My uncle opponent's teamates were saying how come he cant kill me...he laughed at me, up his thumb and replied in hokkien "jin dang" 真硬！
Of course, sometimes I do feel lonely...One night, dad n mom told me to settle dinner myself. However, nobody to eat with, some got exam, got gf, got work etc blah blah...So i went to S11 eat. Luckily there was a corner where alot of ah pei were playing chess. I stood beside and watched quietly. Their opening style, to me, is considered old-fashion...was quite confident that I can win them. Then i approached an uncle (he got a lover auntie beside) for a game. It was only through real play then I realised though beginning of game I was taking the lead, their accumulated experiences over the years did make their 中残 skill solid...thus I will always ended up drawing with them. One part I'm very 佩服 about them was that they themselves were very strict about not regretful of the moves they made. Other places the uncles, will always undo their moves...The kind uncle chatted with me and treat like his grandson, even kept on recommending me to other uncles to play with. Unknownly, the lonely me managed to kill time till 10pm...How I wish to continue playing with him, but they smoked alot that made me real uncomfortable...so returned home happily! Ever since that night, whenever my bus past by S11, my eyes will sweep through the place hoping to see the kind face again. Yet time after time, disappointment increases. Now, i choose to believe that he had moved house and lived happily with his lover auntie!
3rd year. Club matters sometime worried me. Used to have train some of the juniors when I was year 2 so that when Jingsheng n I became buzy with our final year project, they as year 2 seniors can help to train juniors. Yet was rather disappointed when almost all disappeared. Now, left jingsheng n i having to take care of the juniors despite being so buzy. We do argue alot in the phone because of the issue. Left a month, starting after the exam ended, to train till ivp comes at end of september.
Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP): The most important competition for the club. Vs with ITE and Polys. Used to have Universities to compete. But now the name had been changed to POL-ITE games. When I was year 1, managed to get through the election competition to represent the school. I was so NATIVE, the most important match when we fight with NYP, which both were fighting for champion. My opponent was from China, I was so intimidated that I played too passive. I though if I can draw, I wun pull down the whole team. But a draw simply also means YOU HAVE DID NOTHING GREAT FOR THE TEAM...felt i didnt tried my best which i cant forgive myself. I saw the red ears of Hui Yan, the pressure that was put on him as the last man...how i wish i can lighten his burden by winning...Coach always said that he was very aggressive attacker, yet when competition he will play very 稳。 Now i understand why. It was just like a swordman having to fight with enemies while one arm is carrying a baby. If only I am stable...that match we lost, end up 2nd. Went back home, while on bed, Ng Xun called to comfort me...went weeping...When I was year 2, we managed to win NYP, yet SP had people to spy on my play. Jingsheng told me that he heard SP saw my opening and had their people to come up of counter. During the competition, uncle lee and coach walk past my table and went laughing "model answer!" since the opening moves were all from chessbook. Actually i didnt really put my heart into memorising...happen to be bored in clubhouse that i flipped open a book and saw the opening variation. Yet, the end result for the variation is considered good for the attacker, so being a defender i didnt really care about it. WHO KNOW it come out so fatal...at certain moves, i crack my brain recalling, but failed. No choice, came up with my own move that prove to be fatal again...end up I lost...the whole team lost. 2nd position again.
Depressed there onwards, gave up xiangqi for long period. That period I started to learn weiqi initially from Sin Kian, then alot from Eric and Ivan. Later alot of people said I was the only person in the club to be able play all the 3 chess well. Yet one day, my graduated senior came back to have a talk with us. I was not well informed, end up i was the only person turn up. I dun even who was coming and the meeting time is already past. Seem quite alone, I saw got people playing weiqi so I also started playing. When my senior came, I received a big scolding. "So you think your xiangqi is good enough?" Then he wanted me to gain courage by asking me to ask for others' contacts. Quite useful, not too shy like the past. Even before competition, can chat with the stranger infront of me. Really calm me down alot. But then again, once I played weiqi with a NYP friend, she asked me how come i play weiqi so well i didnt join the team. Sometimes in life, responsibility does require one to give up on certain thing. Weiqi still does interest me.
I promise Hui Yan before I will make sure Np can get it's first CHAMPION for chinese chess. One month period, I am still optimistic. 不到最后一刻， 绝不轻言放弃！ especially since this may be my last team competition. Still wondering if i will continue to play chess when I graduate.
just like 湘北's "全国制霸"
our goal.
reflected at 6:59:00 PM
