a weekend of Caissa

There was a time when chess was a big part of my life. I was, and still am, a decent player and I've had no course for regret for having taken up the sport/science/art. I've learned some life lessons through chess - lessons which are still with me today - and forged some wonderful friendships within the Malaysian chess community.

So when I had a chance to play in a chess tournament last weekend, it was one I gladly took. Of course, nowadays I have to seek permission first and the significant other was gracious enough to grant it. So, while meeting the old kakis was a familiar exercise, three things stood out.

I wasn't aware that the placings of the teams were decided primarily via match points. It's not something I've experienced before and shows that I'm rather out of touch with recent developments;

The tournament results are posted online pretty fast and are pretty detailed to boot. I was rather amazed when I saw the results for every player in every game shown on the website. This isn't difficult to do technically - I just needed to see it done. Again, I'm rather out of touch; and

There was a blast from the past as the MSSPP 80's team featured Eric Cheah and Ramesh - two people who have not played in a chess tournament for some two decades (at least to my admittedly limited knowledge).


One day, when I sit down to analyze the part that chess played in my life, I think I'll realize that it's already woven into the fabric of my being. All things considered, I could have chosen worse.