Changes: for the better!?

Hello peoples
Sorry about going missing for a long time. I’ve had a bit of an up/down time of it lately.

I’ve started to get some chess Coaching GM Dejan Antic in order to improve my chess. In my Chess Career I’ve gone from an aggressive, Sac happy type of person and I’m looking to turn myself into a more positional, maybe prophylactic style of play. Rather than play like a cobra trying to strike fast at a mongoose before it strikes back, I want to play more like a boa Constrictor – I want to squeeze my opponent’s position until it’s choked to death. The coaching is paying off dividends at the moment. Had some successful games in the Western Suburbs Rapid-play Challenge where I scored 1.5/2 and Parramatta and Rooty Hill Tied for the night but Parramatta won due to winning the Rooty Hill leg.

I have had some problems in my personal life. My work dried up so was looking for work a lot of the time. In an effort to start getting in shape I decided to go see a doctor to get a check up. I haven’t really done that before and have never really had my own GP. Anyhow he sent me to get a blood test done and it came back not good. My Cholesterol was a bit higher than what it’s supposed to be and I now have type two diabetes. Add to that High Blood pressure and the obvious fact that I’m obese means I got to get in shape to lose this heart attack material…

So I got a couple of action plans in happening at the moment: for my health, for my chess, and to earn a living (which I intend to start my own bookkeeping business in the new year). With a bit of effective time management I should be able to blog regularly as well. (Maybe a little bit of Déjà vu?)

So what has happened in chess since I last blogged?

Surfer’s Paradise
My apologies for not completing the Surfers Paradise tournament blog entry.

GM Dejan Antic won the tournament on a score of 6/7 and GM Roland Schmaltz and Mouthun Ly ended up equal second on 5.5/7. The under 1600 division ended up being won by Craig Stewart on 6/7. Shayne Hunter scored 5.5/7 to grab second prize and there were 4 players on 5 points for equal third, including Mike Duffin who took my second place in the GP standings after this tournament.

Coffs Harbour Open – Incorporating the NSW Country Championships.

On the tenth and 11th of November the 4th Coffs Harbour Open was held at the Coffs Harbour Catholic Club. The joint winners of this event were: GM Dejan Antic, visiting Malaysian Mas Hafizulhelmi and IM George Xie all on a score of 6/7. Coffs Harbour local Alan Tankel won the NSW Country Champion title with a score of 4.5/7. Congrats to the Coffs Harbour Crew on another great tournament! GM Ian Rogers gave lectures on the top two games. (Which embarrassingly I had to play top seed Antic in the first round and my game got cut to shreds!!).

Gosford Open

Chris Morrison, a Scottish player who is currently working in Singapore who decided to holiday in Australia and enter the tournament after several years out of chess, won the Gosford Open! Anyhow he won from Johny Bolens and Paul Broekhuyse who came second and third respectively.
For more information…. http://gosfordchess.com/Previous/2007/GosfordOpen2007/PhotoAndReport/GosfordOpen2007PhotoReport.html

And a few weeks later….

Country Teams Championship – Gosford

Once again the Central Coast Leagues club hosted the Country Teams Championship, which was won by Gosford 1 over 11 other teams from Ettalong, Newcastle, Hamilton, Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, Blayney and Bathurst, Tumbi Umbi (Mingara of course!) and Gosford.

Also there was a little meeting called the NSW AGM, which I’ll come to in another post.