CHS Chessclub

Hey everyone, erm...this post is for CHS Chessclub ppl to read. The rest, feel free to read through and learn the TRUTH about our tradition and values. Bear no hard feelings whatsoever while reading this post as its purpose is solely to preach the truth and nothing more.
No attempt shall be made to hide this post...and add in more if you know, cause my memory not very good...but no "flamming"!!!


In this little chess community we have here, there are 5 ex-cat high chess club players. CHS chessclub has been known to produce very good players on the field. But off the field, we too inculcate important values such as friendship and team spirit to our future generations. After all, this is the basis of the success of Chessclub.

The closeness of one's friendship within the club is not determined by one's skill, but rather, by the no. of times the team has gone through thick and thin together. Weathered various storms, share both joy and sorrow. Only through this "vigorous" test, can strong friendship bonds be forged. We try to rope in as many people into the "team" as possible. Not the school team, but this friendship team. One does not need to be a good chess player to be close to the others. Take for instance Ying Jian, 2 yrs my senior. He was a very average player, but he bonded well with peng fei's group and I due to his willingness to chat with us, listen to us, be made fun off and yet not get angry....basically all about adaptability and flexibility. Later on when I met him again in a competition when he was JC2 and I sec4, I could still sense the closeness amongst us, and we still chatted like the good old days.

The hallmark of a cat high chess player is that he must be a TEAM PLAYER. Sad to say, this sense of togetherness is declining over the years. But I am happy that within this small community, we can still boast of it. (At least in my opinion). What is a TEAM PLAYER? He must see the bigger picture whenever decisions are made and respect decisions. Yicheng is a classic example of a team player. When he was Sec3, he was one of the better players among those in the school team, and certainly warranted a place in team A. However, the club wanted to achieve 2 top positions in the Raffles Cup 2003, something which we have done for 5 years running. Thus, yicheng willingly sacrificed himself by unselfishingly moving to team B. He helped us to achieve 4th place that yr. I asked him if he ever regreted that decision as it costs him much glory and fame. But he replied that in chess, we must always look at what is best for the club, and not only for ourselves. He would go on to "sacrifice" even in Junior College against PF and me, so that we could finish 1.2.3.4 in the 2005 char yang bei. He could have finished 2nd, but he chose to draw with me so that I could go into the top 4...

Skills of cat high chess players are not solely based on talent alone. I reckon that at least 70% comes from experience and 30% is of talent. How do we get the experience? We must first have the passion. Passion to learn from mistakes and not repeat them again. Practising repeatedly but committing the same errors is of little or no use. Sacrificing time to practice for important competitions SERIOUSLY is also another way. In cat high, I remember we used to stay back until 7+ to play chess. It has become part of our lives. It is evident in all GREAT PLAYERS of chess club. Up till now, the passion for the game has not died. PF...chess is simply in him. Kai Jun too, and many others. We didn mind getting thrashed by our seniors last time. It was the only way to improve. And the only way to improve our standard is to play with a better opponent. Trying to beat lao shi was also one of our main objectives last time. By far, peng fei has the best record of beating lao shi on 4 occassions, and drawing quite a number. I think I really pale in comparison to him...haha.

Through this never-ending determination to improve, we climbed from "noobs" to become respectable players. But one thing is always practiced: Humility. Despite pf being seemingly arrogant in front of us, he is humble when it comes to the competitive stage. He seldom looks down on opponents, which I have learnt from him, and enabled me to climb to where I am today.

Cat high chessclub was never the "elitist club" in the chess fretinity. We ensured that whoever is willing to learn will be able to gain as much success as those who have already established themselves. We never shun lousy opponents, instead making good friends with them too. This makes us both a powerhouse, and a respectable friend. The club was designed to groom its ppl into good ppl despite the many bad words spouted out by pf during his era. That is why year after year, there seem to be an accumulating no. of people joining the cat high chess club alumni. It is an "invisible" association that is set up by our seniors, and each year, more and more of our ppl become part of the alumni and get to know their "ancestors". This explains why we regard kai jun, tian nuo and others, who are at least 6 yrs older than us, still as friends. This association continues to foster the strong bonds that were once present in chs chessclub. Being a new entrant myself in sec2, I quickly formed bonds with the "older generation" because I felt the warmness they had towards me. I am sure many others have followed suit.

In short, cat high chessclub has a rich tradition despite being only 15-16 yrs old. We inculcate good values in ppl, coupled with its comprehensive style of learning the art of chess. Friendships in chessclub are never measured by how strong a person is, but how willing is he to learn and bond with the "team". The door is always open. Welcome to CHSCC :)