OK...he
Chess Career
I was an active OTB player from 1986 (when I picked up chess) till round about 1997 when I started working (teaching in a primary school). I had represented Singapore in the 1992 Commonwealth Championships, the 1995 Asian Team Championships as well as Singapore vs Malaysia matches from 1992 to 1997. I have a SCF Rating of 2126 and FIDE ELO rating of 2226.
My best OTB results probably are:
o tying for 11th to 14th in the 1992 Commonwealth Championships
(Malaysia) with WGM (now IM) Susan Lalic, FM (now IM) Alex Wohl, WIM Sheila Jackson and FM Ong Chong Ghee.
o winning the 1992 National Rapid Chess Championships with 7.5/9
ahead most of the top local masters inclusive of 2 IMs and 2 FMs.
o Tying for 2nd to 4th position in the 1994 National Championships
o Winning the Asean board Silver medal at the 1995 Asian Team
Championships
o Winning the 1996 Cairnhill Open Championships ($1000!) ahead of 2
IMs, 3 FMs and a few NMs. (I was seeded 9th)
o Tying for 2nd to 3rd in the 1999 National Blitz Championships
o Winning the National Interclubs Team Championships 2000
o Finishing 3rd in the October Closed ELO 2001 event ahead of 1 IM and 4 FMs.
Nowadays, I play in about 3 OTB tournaments a year:- the National Blitz
Championships, the National Interclubs Team Championships and the annual Cairnhill Open (which has the most lucrative prize fund in Singapore).
My best practical results probably are:
Beating IM Boris Katalymov of Kazakhstan in the final round of the 1995
Asian Team Championships. (It was a tremendous result for us, even if we eventually lost ½ - 1½, they had 2 GMs and 2 IMs compared to our 1 IM, 1 FM and 2 nobodies (yours truly included!)
Drawing GM (then IM) Peter Wells and IM Rene Stern in the 1991 Queenstown /Singapore Open.
Drawing GM Wu Shaobin and Tu Hoang Thong in local rapid chess tournaments.
I started competitive email CC in 1999 with the aim of making the IM title and to see how far I could go in the email CC world championships event. I'm mighty pleased to have made my two norms at the ICCF EM/MN/021 and the Interzonals 2000 tournament. I was conferred the CC-IM title at the Rimini Congress in September 2001. I have qualified for the Semis of the email CC WC (by winning ICCF EM/M/A071). I intend to give myself only one shot at the WC event.
Also, I aimed to see how far I could go in IECG and IECC play. In IECG, I have reached the Candidates Finals of their WC event (by winning the CM-096 event) and tying for 1st in the their 2003 WC SemiFinals 13 Event Sad to say, IECC has ceased their Class 0 (Senior Master) tournament – which I had hoped to play after winning the Class 1 (Master) 1999-02 event.
I intend to stop playing competitive CC after finishing the ICCF and IECG World Championships and just devote the time to writing.
Chess Journalism
I used to contribute articles to the Singapore Chess Digest from 1991 to 1995. In 1994, I took charge of the design and layout of the Digest and finally, in 1997-1998, I became the editor of the magazine.
I was the Bulletin editor (and player!) of the 1995 Asian Team
Championships and the 1996 Singapore Pools Grandmaster tournament.
Now I just write and edit articles for CCN after amassing quite a few personal chess articles on my own website.
Chess Coaching
While I was teaching at Nan Hua Primary School in 1997-98, I took charge of the Chess Club and my students came in 2nd in the National Girls U10 Ch, 3rd in the National Under 10 Boys Ch, and 2nd in the National U-12 Team championships. At least 10 of my students became National Junior Trainees and I was very proud to see them representing Singapore in international tournaments. The current National U12 champion and U16 champion were once coached by me (though (more importantly) they had GM coaching in the National Junior Squad!)