The year 2017 in review.

The year 2017 in Review. 

Chess continues to fascinate me through the years. The history, the complexity, it has such rich depth. I sincerely doubt that I will ever stop playing chess completely in my lifetime.

2017 was a good year for me for the following reasons:

• Managed to better my peak ELO on both blitz/rapid on chess.com. As it stands, my ‘personal best’ for an ELO rating is my rapid rating at 1945. Granted, it is not an official FIDE rating, but I guess it serves as a gauge of how well I’m improving.
• THE QCD CHESS League. I’m delighted to have been part of the creation of a rapid team tournament here in my home country of Singapore which has gathered mostly positive remarks from the participants. I can’t wait for season 2 in 2018!
• Meeting new chess friends locally. Chess is a social game. Thanks to my interactions with the Singapore Chess Federation and the QCD league, I’ve had the opportunity to meet more like-minded chess enthusiasts here in Singapore. There’s even a group of us who are traveling to the next Bangkok Open together! A first for me, since I’m usually playing ‘solo’ in my last 2 trips there. It will be nice to have some chess friends along next year.
• Becoming a licensed Fide Instructor. Adding some credentials to teaching chess which is a subject/hobby that I do enjoy is the most natural thing I did. Perhaps in a few more years I’ll be able to be a certified FIDE trainer (If I ever do break FIDE ELO 2000)

Chess Goals for 2018

• In 2018, I would like to focus more on middlegame/endgame understanding. I feel that the backbone of my repertoire is more or less fixed and thus I won’t add anything drastic this year.
• For my internet rating, I think if I could consolidate my blitz/rapid rating around 1900 level that would be an excellent achievement. At present, I’m only rated at 1780 rapid (blah)
• Participate in 2 tournaments. This is going to be pretty hard considering that I am now a father of 2 with a full-time job on my hands. I am more or less confirmed for BKK open 2018 but the second tournament is yet to be decided. I may decide to play locally.
• Increase my FIDE standard rating by 50-100 Elo points. I feel this is achievable but it’s going to take hard work as always.

Dear Readers, I wish you all the very best of success in 2018, not just chess-wise but also in your endeavors.