QCD League - Are you ready to fight?
Last year's QCD league had 14 teams vying for the title with 10 masters participating and if that doesn't impress you, how about the total number of 31 players rated above elo 2000 taking part? This is pretty rare in the local chess scene these days and reminiscent of the National Interclubs event which disappeared a decade ago.
On the grapevine, it is rumoured that this season, a strong force comprising young masters (former national junior champions) will band together to contest for the title and last year's champion Pawngolins (or whatever iteration it has morphed into this year) will have their work cut out to defend their title.
In any case, let's look at some of the games from the defending champions last season to get a taste of what to expect from QCD League 2018!
First up, a high energy clash between two FMs, (both with an IM Norm each).
FM Lim Hoon Cheng threw up a surprise Hyperaccelerated Dragon and with 8 h4!? , FM Jarred Neubronner set off in motion a highly tactical skirmish with both kings placed in relative danger at an early stage of the game. Unsurprisingly, the margin for error is very slight and Jarred's superior development prevailed.
FM Jarred Neubronner (photo credit: QCD fb)
There is a funny backstory to the next game. NM Olimpiu Urcan had been strategically outplayed by Magnus Carlsen's superb piece play in the latter's simultaneous exhibition and the former proclaimed he would change his chess style to more Petrosianic/Carlsenesque type of manouvres in future - he actually studied Python Strategy earnestly after that. Well, he lived up to his words...for a while, that is in the next game he played...
NM Olimpiu Urcan, uncharacteristically not in Black or White (local chess pundits will probably notice that too) (Photo credit: QCD fb)
The Russian Steamroller ('Ruskie' for short) FM Andrey Terekhov does what he is best at - Rush and Steamroll, a very dangerous thing to face when his opponent was surely having an off day. Annotations by Andrey!
FM Andrey Terekhov vs Tan Chor Chuan who had represented Singapore in the Elista Olympiad (Photo credit: QCD fb)
So it looks all smooth sailing for Pawngolins? Not quite as there were some tough matches for them to negotiate. Even right in the last round, IM Goh Wei Ming had some suffering to do and it took some poker face fortitude to turn the game around.
IM Goh Wei Ming with fellow Pawngolins at the closing ceremony dinner - left to right: Melvin Chin, FM Jarred Neubronner, IM Kevin Goh, Big-ass QCD trophy, FM Andrey Terekhov and WIM Gong Qianyun (Photo credit: QCD fb)
The QCD League 2018 will be played at Cairnhill CC on 13 April, 27 April, 4 May and 18 May 2018 and resume at the AQueen Paya Lebar Hotel Rooftop on 3 July,27 July, 10 Aug, 24 August and14 September 28 Sep 2018.
Last chance saloon: Entry forms can be obtained from SCF Website .
