Heritage postbox in Lumut

Leaving Telok Anson town behind us, we then drove a long way to our destination, Lumut. Earlier, I had booked ourselves into a quaint place known as the Hotel Ritz Garden. The name is a misnomer because there was no garden there. The space in front of the hotel was a public car park that was shared with the supermarket next door. At the back of the building was another public car park. Better make sure you double-lock the car if staying overnight here!

We were a little apprehensive about the hotel's condition but we were utterly surprised to find that the room was one of the nicest we have encountered in a small town. Very clean, roomy enough with all the basic facilities provided. Hidden on the top floor was a huge ballroom for functions. I really didn't expect all this from a very unassuming hotel facade.

The next morning, we drove around. Went into Lumut town itself to buy some of their local foodstuff including their salted fish. Their salted ikan belanak, although my wife kept mispronouncing it as beranak. Not intentionally, of course! Then I came across this old colonial post office letter postbox.

People who read my blog will understand my interest in this cylindrical letterbox. I have been taking pictures of such letterboxes wherever I can find them. They are quite rare to find nowadays. They are actually quite fascinating because normally, they'll display a royal insignia that indicate the reign of a British monarch.

Unfortunately for this particular postbox, they have been obliterated. Filed away, most probably. And covered with a sticker to denote the collection time for letters. But at least, I could find the manufacturer's name. There at the bottom was the name of McDowall Steven & Co Ltd of London and Glasgow.

Lumut itself looks like a very decent town. We drove up to the naval base, saw a very nice beach front inside the base and innocently tried to ask for permission to enter but was refused at the security checkpoint. Oh well, it was worth a try because there was nothing to lose by asking except being denied entry. So we turned around and stopped further down the road.

Looks rather dirty, doesn't it? Actually, the beach IS dirty, in patches, with debris washed up by the tide. But there are some nice clean spots too, where the sand  is beautiful.

Lye Lik Zang in Hungary and Germany

The exploits of Lye Lik Zang on the chess board at the international stage continue to interest me at the present moment and I have here several of his games from the Budapest Spring Open in Hungary earlier this month. From Budapest, I hear that the boy will then play in the Grenke Open in Germany.

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.10"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Black "Bernadskiy,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[ECO "A42"]
[Opening "Modern defence"]
[Variation "Averbakh system, Kotov variation"]
[WhiteFideId "5712181"]
[BlackFideId "14100371"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nc6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Be2 O-O 7. d5 Ne5 8. f4 Ned7 9. Qd2 c6 10. Bf3 Nb6 11. Qe2 cxd5 12. cxd5 Bd7 13. Nh3 Bxh3 14. gxh3 Rc8 15. Rd1 Nc4 16. Bd4 Nd7 17. Bg4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 b5 19. h4 e5 20. dxe6 Qxh4+ 21. Qf2 Qxg4 22. exd7 Qxd7 23. Nd5 Kg7 24. O-O Nb6 25. Nxb6 axb6 26. f5 gxf5 27. Qxf5 Qxf5 28. Rxf5 Rc1+ 29. Kg2 Rc2+ 30. Kg3 Rxb2 31. Rxd6 Ra8 32. Rxb6 Ra3+ 33. Kf4 Rf2+ 34. Kg4 Rg2+ 35. Kf4 Raxa2 36. Rfxb5 f6 37. Rf5 Raf2+ 38. Ke3 Rxf5 39. exf5 Rxh2 40. Rb7+ Kh6 41. Kf4 Rf2+ 42. Kg4 Rg2+ 43. Kf4 Rg7 44. Rxg7 Kxg7 45. Kg4 Kh6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.11"]
[Round "3.11"]
[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Black "Santos Latasa,J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[ECO "A80"]
[Opening "Dutch, 2.Bg5 variation"]
[WhiteFideId "5712181"]
[BlackFideId "2293307"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 g5 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bg3 d6 6. Nc3 e6 7. h4 Rg8 8. hxg5 hxg5 9. Bc4 Qe7 10. Qd2 a6 11. O-O-O Nbd7 12. f3 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. a3 c5 15. dxc5 dxc5 16. Bxb5 axb5 17. Nxb5 e5 18. Nc7+ Kf7 19. Nxa8 Bxa8 20. Qa5 Bc6 21. Qc7 Qe6 22. Bxe5 Ne8 23. Qa7 Qxe5 24. Rxd7+ Bxd7 25. Qxd7+ Be7 26. Nh3 Qxe3+ 27. Kb1 Qe6 28. Qd2 Nc7 29. Re1 Qd6 30. Qe3 Bf6 31. Qb3+ Qd5 32. Qb6 Ne6 33. Nf2 Bd4 34. Qa7+ Kf6 35. Nd1 f4 36. Qh7 Rg7 37. Qh6+ Kf7 38. Qh5+ Ke7 39. Qh6 Qf5 40. a4 Rh7 41. Rxe6+ Kf7 42. Nc3 Rxh6 43. Rxh6 Bxc3 44. bxc3 c4 45. Rb6 Qc5 46. Rb7+ Ke6 47. Kb2 g4 48. Rb8 g3 49. a5 Qxa5 50. Re8+ Kd7 51. Re2 Qb6+ 52. Kc1 Qg1+ 53. Kd2 Kd6 0-1

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.12"]
[Round "4.40"]
[White "Havanecz,B"]
[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "WIM"]
[BlackTitle "FM"]
[WhiteElo "2265"]
[BlackElo "2377"]
[ECO "D19"]
[Opening "QGD Slav"]
[Variation "Dutch variation"]
[WhiteFideId "704814"]
[BlackFideId "5712181"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. c4 c6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg6 10. e4 O-O 11. Bd3 Bh5 12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 Re8 15. Ng5 Bg6 16. Bxg6 fxg6 17. Qh3 Nf8 18. Be3 Rc8 19. Rfc1 Qd7 20. Qf3 Rxc1+ 21. Bxc1 Rc8 22. h4 h6 23. Nh3 Rc4 24. Qd1 Qc6 25. Nf4 Be7 26. g3 Qb6 27. Ne2 Rc7 28. Kg2 Qc6 29. Qd3 Qc2 30. Qxc2 Rxc2 31. Kf3 Nd7 32. Ke3 Nb8 33. Kd3 Rc8 34. Bd2 Nc6 35. Rc1 Kf7 36. Ke3 Bd8 37. b4 Ne7 38. Rxc8 Nxc8 39. a5 a6 40. Kd3 Na7 41. Kc3 Nb5+ 42. Kb3 Bc7 43. Be3 Bb8 44. Kc2 Bc7 45. Nc1 b6 46. Nb3 Ke7 47. Kd3 Kd7 48. Bd2 Na3 49. Be1 Kc6 50. axb6 Bxb6 51. Nc1 Bxd4 52. Kxd4 Nc2+ 53. Kc3 Nxe1 54. f4 Nf3 55. Nb3 g5 56. hxg5 hxg5 57. Nc5 gxf4 58. gxf4 g5 59. fxg5 Nxg5 60. Nxa6 Nf3 61. Nc5 Nxe5 62. Nxe6 Kb6 63. Kd4 Nc6+ 64. Kxd5 Nxb4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.13"]
[Round "5.38"]
[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Black "Kormos,Ad"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2257"]
[ECO "A41"]
[Opening "Queen's Pawn"]
[WhiteFideId "5712181"]
[BlackFideId "730483"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Bf5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 c6 5. O-O Nbd7 6. c4 e5 7. Nc3 Bg6 8. Nh4 Be7 9. d5 Qc7 10. b3 Rd8 11. Bb2 Nh5 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Qd3 c5 14. f4 exf4 15. gxf4 g5 16. fxg5 Bxg5 17. Rf5 Bf6 18. Qh3 Qa5 19. Raf1 Bd4+ 20. e3 Bxc3 21. Rxf7 Rh6 22. Qxd7+ Rxd7 23. Rf8+ Ke7 24. R1f7# 1-0

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.14"]
[Round "6.31"]
[White "Zentai,P2"]
[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "FM"]
[WhiteElo "2263"]
[BlackElo "2377"]
[ECO "D10"]
[Opening "QGD Slav defence"]
[Variation "exchange variation"]
[WhiteFideId "735337"]
[BlackFideId "5712181"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 a6 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. Nge2 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 e6 10. Rc1 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. O-O O-O 13. Na4 Nd7 14. Rc3 e5 15. dxe5 Ncxe5 16. Rfc1 Qb4 17. Qc2 g6 18. Be2 Rfd8 19. Rd1 b5 20. Nc5 Nxc5 21. a3 Qe4 22. Rxc5 Qxc2 23. Rxc2 Rac8 24. Rcd2 Nc4 25. Bxc4 Rxc4 26. g3 h5 27. Rxd5 Rxd5 28. Rxd5 Rc2 29. Rd6 Rxb2 30. Rxa6 b4 31. axb4 Rxb4 32. h4 Kg7 33. Kg2 Rb2 34. Kf3 Rc2 35. e4 Kf8 36. Ke3 Rb2 37. f3 Rb3+ 38. Kf4 Kg7 39. Ra5 Rc3 40. Rb5 Ra3 41. Rb7 Kf6 42. Rb6+ Kg7 43. Rb5 Rc3 44. g4 hxg4 45. fxg4 Rh3 46. h5 gxh5 47. gxh5 Rh4+ 48. Ke3 Kf6 49. Kd4 Ke7 50. Re5+ Kd6 51. Rd5+ Ke6 52. Ra5 f6 53. Ke3 Kf7 54. Kf3 Kg7 55. Ra7+ Kf8 56. Ra5 Kg7 57. Rf5 Kf7 58. Ke3 Ke6 59. Kd4 Rh1 60. Ra5 Rh4 61. Ra6+ Kf7 62. Ra7+ Ke6 63. Ra6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.15"]
[Round "7.18"]
[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Black "Sedlak,N"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2598"]
[ECO "A84"]
[Opening "Dutch defence, Rubinstein variation"]
[WhiteFideId "5712181"]
[BlackFideId "922900"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. f3 c5 7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Bxd5 10. Bxf5 Bb7 11. Ne2 Qh4+ 12. Ng3 g6 13. Bc2 Nc6 14. O-O O-O-O 15. Be4 d5 16. Bxd5 Kb8 17. Qb3 Nd4 18. exd4 Bxd5 19. Qe3 Bd6 20. Qg5 Qxd4+ 21. Be3 Qe5 22. Rad1 Bc7 23. b3 Bc6 24. Qxe5 Bxe5 25. f4 Bc7 26. f5 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Re8 28. Re1 gxf5 29. Nxf5 a5 30. Kf2 Bd7 31. g4 Bxf5 32. gxf5 Rf8 33. Ke2 Rxf5 34. Kd3 Rh5 35. Kc4 Rxh2 36. Bg5 Rg2 37. Bf6 Rf2 38. Bg5 Rf5 39. Re8+ Kb7 40. Bd8 Rf4+ 41. Kc3 Rf3+ 42. Kc4 Kc6 43. Re6+ Kd7 44. Rf6 Rxf6 45. Bxf6 Bd8 46. Be5 Kc6 47. Bf4 b5+ 48. Kd3 Kd5 49. Bh6 c4+ 50. Kc2 a4 51. b4 Ke4 52. Kb2 Bc7 53. Bg7 h5 54. Bf6 Bg3 55. Ka3 h4 0-1

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.16"]
[Round "8.37"]
[White "Terbe,J"]
[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "WIM"]
[BlackTitle "FM"]
[WhiteElo "2265"]
[BlackElo "2377"]
[ECO "A20"]
[Opening "English opening"]
[WhiteFideId "708780"]
[BlackFideId "5712181"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 d5 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Qa4 O-O 10. Nc3 Qb6 11. Qb5 d4 12. Qxb6 axb6 13. Nb5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Budapest Spring Open 2019"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2019.04.17"]
[Round "9.36"]
[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]
[Black "Vegh,E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "FM"]
[BlackTitle "IM"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2240"]
[ECO "A40"]
[Opening "Queen's pawn"]
[Variation "Keres defence"]
[WhiteFideId "5712181"]
[BlackFideId "700568"]
[EventDate "2019.04.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxf3 6. exf3 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 d5 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bd3 c6 11. O-O O-O 12. Rac1 Nf6 13. f4 g6 14. Be4 Qd6 15. Bf3 Nbd7 16. Rc2 Rad8 17. Rd1 Nb8 18. Qe2 Rd7 19. Qe5 Qe7 20. h4 h5 21. Re2 Rfd8 22. Qg5 Kh7 23. f5 gxf5 24. Rde1 Rxd4 25. Qxf5+ exf5 26. Rxe7 R8d7 27. R7e5 Kg6 28. Ne2 Rd2 29. Nf4+ Kg7 30. Rxf5 Rxb2 31. Rg5+ Kh6 32. Nxh5 Nxh5 33. Re8 Nf6 34. Rh8+ Nh7 35. Be4 f6 36. Rg6+ Kh5 37. Rhg8 Ng5 38. hxg5 1-0

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.19"]

[Round "2.105"]

[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Black "Schulze,Marc"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2377"]

[BlackElo "2181"]

[ECO "A46"]

[Opening "Queen's pawn game"]

[WhiteFideId "5712181"]

[BlackFideId "1271126"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. g3 Bf5 4. Bg2 c6 5. O-O h6 6. c4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. Nh4 Bh7 9. e4 Be7 10. Nf5 O-O 11. Be3 Re8 12. d5 Nc5 13. Qf3 Bg6 14. g4 cxd5 15. cxd5 Rc8 16. Rfd1 Bxf5 17. Qxf5 Nh7 18. Qf3 Bg5 19. Rab1 Bxe3 20. Qxe3 Qd7 21. Qg3 Nf8 22. g5 Qe7 23. gxh6 Ng6 24. Bh3 Rcd8 25. Bf5 Qf6 26. b4 Na6 27. hxg7 Kxg7 28. Rd3 Rh8 29. Rf3 Qh4 30. Nb5 Rh5 31. Qxh4 Nxh4 32. Rg3+ Kf6 33. Bg4 0-1

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.19"]

[Round "3.6"]

[White "Sarana,A"]

[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "GM"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2630"]

[BlackElo "2377"]

[ECO "D17"]

[Opening "QGD Slav"]

[Variation "Krause attack"]

[WhiteFideId "24133795"]

[BlackFideId "5712181"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8. Ne5 a5 9. f3 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. e4 Bg6 12. Be3 e6 13. Bc4 Bb4 14. O-O O-O 15. Qb3 Qe7 16. Kh1 Rfe8 17. Rad1 f6 18. Qc2 Kh8 19. Ne2 Bf7 20. Nf4 e5 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Bxf7 Qxf7 23. b3 h6 24. Ne2 Rad8 25. Bb6 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Nd7 27. Bf2 Ne5 28. Ng3 Qc7 29. Nf5 Rd8 30. Bd4 Qd7 31. Ne3 Qe6 32. h4 Ng6 33. Nf5 Ne7 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Bb6 Rxd1+ 36. Qxd1 Qe5 37. Qd8+ Kh7 38. Qd3 Qg3 39. e5+ Kh8 40. Qd8+ Kh7 41. Qd3+ Kh8 42. Qd8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.20"]

[Round "4.31"]

[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Black "Moussard,J"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[BlackTitle "GM"]

[WhiteElo "2377"]

[BlackElo "2598"]

[ECO "A49"]

[Opening "King's Indian"]

[Variation "fianchetto without c4"]

[WhiteFideId "5712181"]

[BlackFideId "642908"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. b3 c5 7. c4 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bb2 Nc6 10. Qd2 Ndb4 11. Rd1 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxd4 13. Bxd4 Qxd4 14. Qxd4 cxd4 15. a3 Nc6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Rxd4 c5 18. Rc4 Ba6 19. Rxc5 Rfc8 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21. Nd2 Rc2 22. Nc4 Rxe2 23. Rd1 Kg7 24. Rd7 Bc8 25. Rxa7 Bh3 26. f3 Rg2+ 27. Kf1 Rxg3+ 28. Kf2 Rg2+ 29. Ke3 Rxh2 30. b4 Rc2 31. Kd4 Be6 32. Ne3 Rd2+ 33. Kc3 Re2 34. Kd3 Rb2 35. Nd1 Rb3+ 36. Kd4 h5 37. Kc5 h4 38. b5 h3 39. b6 h2 40. Nf2 Rxf3 41. Nh1 Rf1 42. Ng3 Rg1 43. b7 Rxg3 44. b8=Q Rg5+ 45. Kd4 0-1

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.21"]

[Round "6.80"]

[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Black "Hoerstmann,Ma"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2377"]

[BlackElo "2240"]

[ECO "A42"]

[Opening "Modern defence"]

[Variation "Averbakh system"]

[WhiteFideId "5712181"]

[BlackFideId "4602730"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 e5 5. d5 a5 6. Be2 f5 7. exf5 gxf5 8. g4 Na6 9. gxf5 Nf6 10. Nf3 Bxf5 11. Nh4 Bd7 12. Bh5+ Kf8 13. Bg5 Nc5 14. Qc2 Qe7 15. b3 e4 16. O-O-O Kg8 17. Rhe1 Qf8 18. Kb1 Re8 19. Be2 Re7 20. Rg1 Kf7 21. Rg3 1-0

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.21"]

[Round "7.33"]

[White "Pavlidis,Ant"]

[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "GM"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2537"]

[BlackElo "2377"]

[ECO "B60"]

[Opening "Sicilian"]

[Variation "Richter-Rauzer, Larsen variation"]

[WhiteFideId "4212312"]

[BlackFideId "5712181"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Be2 e6 8. Ndb5 Qb8 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. O-O a6 11. Nd4 Qc7 12. Kh1 Be7 13. Bh5 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Qc5 15. Qd1 Bc6 16. f4 f5 17. Bf3 fxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 O-O-O 20. c4 Kb8 21. Rc1 f5 22. Bf3 Bf6 23. b4 Qd4 24. Qa4 e5 25. Bd5 exf4 26. b5 a5 27. Qxa5 Qa7 28. Qxa7+ Kxa7 29. b6+ Kb8 30. Rb1 Be5 31. g3 Rhe8 32. gxf4 Bd4 33. Rfe1 Be3 34. Re2 Bxf4 35. Rf2 Be3 36. Rxf5 Rd7 37. a4 Rde7 38. a5 Bd2 39. Bf3 Re5 40. Rb5 Re1+ 41. Kg2 Rg8+ 42. Kh3 Re6 43. Rf7 Rh6+ 44. Rh5 Rxh5+ 45. Bxh5 Bxa5 46. Bf3 Kc8 47. Bxb7+ Kd8 48. Bd5 Re8 49. b7 Bc7 50. Bc6 Re3+ 51. Kg4 Bb8 52. Rd7+ Ke8 53. Rxh7+ Kd8 54. Rd7+ Ke8 55. Rc7+ 1-0

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.22"]

[Round "8.86"]

[White "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Black "Imnadze,N"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[BlackTitle "WIM"]

[WhiteElo "2377"]

[BlackElo "2251"]

[ECO "D37"]

[Opening "QGD"]

[Variation "4.Nf3"]

[WhiteFideId "5712181"]

[BlackFideId "13600974"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 a6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. Bf4 Qe7 12. h3 Rac8 13. Rac1 Rfe8 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Na4 c6 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. Qxc5 Qb8 18. Ne5 Nd7 19. Nxd7 Bxd7 20. Qb6 Qc7 21. Qxc7 Rxc7 22. Rc3 g6 23. Rfc1 Kg7 24. b4 Kf6 25. a4 h5 26. b5 axb5 27. axb5 Ra8 28. Rc5 Rcc8 29. bxc6 bxc6 30. e4 Rd8 31. exd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "GRENKE Chess Open 2019"]

[Site "Karlsruhe GER"]

[Date "2019.04.22"]

[Round "9.90"]

[White "Trifan,Andrei Ioan"]

[Black "Lye,Lik Zang"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2252"]

[BlackElo "2377"]

[ECO "B61"]

[Opening "Sicilian"]

[Variation "Richter-Rauzer, Larsen variation, 7.Qd2"]

[WhiteFideId "12967068"]

[BlackFideId "5712181"]

[EventDate "2019.04.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Qd2 Rc8 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Qa5 10. f4 Rxc3 11. Bxf6 Rc7 12. Bh4 Qxa2 13. Bd3 Qa4 14. Bf2 Qxd4 15. Bxd4 b6 16. Kd2 Rg8 17. Ra1 g5 18. f5 e5 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. e5 Bc6 21. Rhe1 d5 22. g4 Rgg7 23. Rf1 Rgf7 24. Be3 Rxf1 25. Rxf1 Be7 26. c3 Bd8 27. Bd4 Rf7 1/2-1/2

Fourth student leadership workshop [II], 2019

Finally, my friends and I have finished with the third and fourth days of the student leadership workshop for the Fourth and Fifth Formers at Penang Free School, held on the 13th and 14th of April. These two days saw the boys more relaxed and confident than on the first weekend of the workshop last month. We were very heartened to see them more outspoken and volunteering themselves when asked to read from the scripts we prepared for them.

For this weekend, there was no more of the marshmallow challenge but instead, we coached the boys on the Six Hats. We also showed them several videos which we hope will prove useful to them in the future. Of course, we began every morning with singing the School Rally. Nothing like that song to stir up the soul in the morning!

Day 3

Day 4

Above and below, Lean Kang giving one of his famous pep talks to the boys during the wrapping up session on the fourth day of the workshop.

The Headmaster, Omar bin Abdul Rashid, came by to present the certificates to all the boys who completed the four-day workshop. For those few who missed out on attending all four days, they shall have a chance to catch up - and earn their certificates - when we hold the fifth workshop in July for the Sixth Formers of the School.

Telok Anson

My wife and I were in Lumut recently. Actually, we went to more than this seaside town. We stopped overnight in Lumut while on the way back from Trolak where we had attended a Malay wedding. It was that of the son of her former colleague from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.

We drove all the way down from Bukit Mertajam in the morning, arriving just in time for lunch at the mosque, and then after my wife and her friend had a long chat to catch up on old times, it was time for us to go off again.

As I mentioned earlier, we had planned not to go home directly but to stay overnight in Lumut. So it was another long drive on the secondary roads to Sitiawan, briefly passing through Telok Anson where we stopped by their most famous landmark, the leaning tower.

We were very surprised to see the condition of the tower. Although still a very sturdy structure, there's hardly any attempt at conservation. Anyone could go up almost without any restriction and touch whatever could be touched.

The history behind this tower was that it was built in 1885 by a local contracter, Leong Choon Chong. The tower housed a water tank that supplied water to the town area and was a reserve during periods of drought and fire. It was also used to report time and served as a beacon to guide ships into the Telok Anson port. This tower drew comparison with Pisa's leaning tower although at 25 metres and with 110 steps, it is not as tall as the Leaning Tower.

The circular tower stands three-storeys tall although from the outside, it looks like an eight-storey building with a base measuring 13 metres and tapering to 8.2 metres at the highest level. It was constructed from wood and brick. Today, the Telok Anson Tower serves as a tourist attraction. There is a clock, which hopefully still in working condition, bought from from JW Benson-Ludgathy of London and installed in 1894. 

But right next to the tower was a fair in full flow: noise disguised as music filled the air and rubbish strewn on the open grounds. Very disheartening to see the lack of civic-mindedness among the people. Anyway, that was the Telok Anson Tower.

Yeoh Li Tian in Dubai open 2019

Yeoh Li Tian was aiming for his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Dubai Open earlier this month but despite playing very valiantly, the mountain was a bit too high for him to climb at the end. Here are his games from the event. There are good lessons in attack and defence for the amateur chess players to learn from them.

Position after 24 Ng4

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.01"]
[Round "1"]
[Board "22"]
[White "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Black "Ammar, Sedrani"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B10"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2064"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. e4  c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Ne5 Nf6 5. d4 g6 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 a6 10. Bf1 Re8 11. a4 e6 12. f4 b6 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. g4 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. g5 Nb8 17. Qg4 Nc6 18. Nd1 Ne7 19. Nf2 Nf5 20. c3 h6 21. gxh6 Bxh6 22. Bxh6 Nxh6 23. Qf4 Kg7 24. Ng4 Rh8 25. Qf6+ Qxf6 26. exf6+ Kf8 27. Ne5 Ke8 28. Re3 Kd8 29. Rh3 Kc7 30. Rf1 Nf5 31. Bxf5 gxf5 32. Rff3 Bc6 33. Nxf7 Rxh3 34. Rxh3 Rg8+ 35. Kf2 Rg6 36. Rh6 Rxh6 37. Nxh6 Kd8 38. Nf7+ Ke8 39. Ne5 Bxa4 40. h4 Kf8 41. h5 Be8 42. h6 Kg8 43. Kg3 1-0

A very instructional game below, which I would term as "the dance of the four knights." Just concentrate on the play after 33...Rxg2+.

Position after 41...Ned5

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.02"]
[Round "2"]
[Board "18"]
[White "Quizon, Daniel"]
[Black "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2340"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 d6 10. Re1 Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. Nf1 Bb6 13. Be3 d5 14. Bxb6 cxb6 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. d4 e4 17. N3d2 f5 18. a4 b4 19. Nc4 bxc3 20. bxc3 Rc8 21. Qb3 Nce7 22. Nfe3  f4 23. Ng4 b5 24. axb5  axb5 25. Nd2 e3 26. fxe3 fxe3 27. Nf3 Rxc3 28. Qxb5 Qc8 29. Nge5 Rb6 30. Qa5 Rc2 31. Ra2 Rbb2 32. Rxb2 Rxb2 33. Nd3 Rxg2+ 34. Kh1 h6 35. Nde5 Rc2 36. Rg1 Rc1 37. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 38. Qe1 Qc2 39. Qf1 e2 40. Qe1 Nf4 41. Kg1 Ned5 42. Kf2 Nf6 43. Kg3 N4h5+ 44. Kg2 Ne4  45. Ng1 Nf4+ 46. Kf3 Qd1 47. Nd3 Nxd3 48. Qxe2 Ng5+ 49. Ke3 Qxg1+ 50. Kxd3 Qb1+ 51. Kc3 Qc1+ 52. Kb4 Qc6 53. Qa2+ Ne6  54. d5 Qc5+ 0-1

Position after 22...Nfxe4

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.03"]
[Round "3"]
[Board "11"]
[White "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Black "Mendonca, Leon Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2427"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. g3 g6 2. Bg2 Bg7 3. c4 e5 4. Nc3 d6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. O-O a5 9. h3 Na6 10. e4 Nc5 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qc2 c6 13. Rfe1 Qc7 14. Rad1 Be6 15. b3 Rad8 16. Qc1 Bc8 17. Bg5 Re5 18. Bf4 Ree8 19. Qa3 Qb6 20. Bg5 h6 21. Be3 Qb4 22. Qc1 Nfxe4 23. Nxe4 Nxe4 24. Nc2 Qc3 25. Bb6 Ng5 26. Bxd8 Rxd8 27. Re3 Qf6 28. Kh2 Qf5 29. Nd4 Bxd4 30. Rxd4 Qxf2 31. Rf4 Qxa2 32. Kg1 Bf5 33. g4 Qb1 34. Qxb1 Bxb1 35. Rf1 Bc2 36. Rc1 1-0

Final position

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.04"]
[Round "4"]
[Board "2"]
[White "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Black "Kuzubov, Yuriy"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. dxc3 Qe5+ 9. Qe2 Qxe2+ 10. Kxe2 c6 11. Bd3 d5 12. Re1 Be6 13. Bf4 O-O-O 14. Kf1 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Rxd6 16. Re5 Kd8 17. Rae1 g6 18. f4 Re8 19. Kf2 Bd7 20. Rxe8+ Bxe8 21. g3 Bd7 22. c4  dxc4 23. Bxc4 Bg4 24. Bd3 c5 25. b3 Be6 26. Ke3 Ke7 27. Kd2 b6 28. a4 Rd4 29. Kc3 Kd6 30. Re3 Kd7  1/2-1/2

Li Tian's game plan was very simple: to beat the lower-rated players while against the higher-rated grandmasters, he was play solidly to draw with them. As such, his full point from Sethuraman, the eighth-ranked player in India and the highest-rated Indian player in the Dubai tournament, came as an unexpected present. It certainly eased his quest towards the third norm.

Position after 17...Bc5

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.06"]
[Round "5"]
[Board "6"]
[White "Sethuraman, S.P."]
[Black "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h6 5. g4 Be4 6. f3 Bh7 7. e6 Qd6 8. exf7+ Kxf7 9. Ne2 Nd7 10. Nbc3 e5 11. Be3 Re8 12. Bg2 exd4 13. Qxd4 Bxc2 14. Qxa7 Qb4 15. a3 Qxb2 16. O-O Ngf6 17. Bf2 Bc5 18. Bxc5 Ra8 19. Ra2 Qb3 20. Nc1 Qc4 21. Qxb7 Qxc5+ 22. Rf2 Rab8  23. Qc7 Bb1 24. g5 hxg5 25. hxg5 Qxc3 26. gxf6 Qxc1+ 27. Rf1 Qe3+ 28. Raf2 Bf5 29. fxg7 Rhc8 30. Qg3 Rg8 31. Qd6 Qe6 32. Qf4 Qe5 33. Qc1 Qf6 34. a4 Rxg7 35. a5 Bh3  0-1

But here came the first setback: Li Tian had to give back the surplus half-point from playing a grandmaster. Both the fifth and sixth rounds were played in the same day. Whether or not Li Tian was tired from the morning's exhilarating win was debatable but he did not play his usual game in the afternoon. Chopping off the knight with 16...Nxe5 would have been called for. Instead, he had to give up the exchange meekly.

Position after 16 Ne5

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.06"]
[Round "6"]
[Board "3"]
[White "Indjic, Aleksandar"]
[Black "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 g6 5. d4 Bg7 6. h3 O-O 7. Bd3 a6 8. O-O Bf5 9. Bxf5 gxf5 10. b3 Ne4 11. Bb2 Nd7 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 cxd5 14. Qd3 e6 15. Rfc1 Qb6 16. Ne5 Qd6 17. Qd2 Nxe5 18. Bb4 Qd8 19. Bxf8 Qxf8 20. dxe5 Bxe5 21. Rab1 Qg7 22. Rc2 Qf8 23. Rbc1 Bd6 24. Qd4 Rb8 25. g3 h6 26. Rb1 Bb4 27. a3 Bxa3 28. b4 Rc8 29. Rc3 Rc4 30. Rxc4 dxc4 31. Qc3 Bxb4 32. Qxb4 Qxb4 33. Rxb4 b5 34. Kf1 Kf8 35. Ke2 Ke7 36. Rb1 1-0

This next game in the seventh round was very interesting. The Vietnamese grandmaster managed to break Li Tian's pawn formation into several pawn islands and mopped them up. In the final position, the draw surprised many but the story came out later that both players had thought that their respective positions were worse off. Running short of time, they agreed on the draw. Later, Li Tian's father, Chin Seng, explained that his son was playing well until around the 60th move. He then tried to win but it was a wrong judgement. As a result, Liem then had a winning position. His play was accurate enough but he blundered with 92...Nc2+. After 93 Kb3, Li Tian was better. Liem realised that and he offered the draw. Li Tian said he was too stunned by the offer, thinking that he was losing, and thus agreed to the draw.

Final position

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.07"]
[Round "7"]
[Board "4"]
[White "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Black "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2711"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5  4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 7. a3 O-O 8. Ne1 d6 9. Nc2 Be6 10. Ne3 Qd7 11. d3 Bh3 12. Ned5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 f5 14. Rb1 h6 15. b4 g5 16. b5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Nd4 18. e3 Ne6 19. Qh5 Kh7 20. h3 Bh8 21. Bd2 Rf7 22. Rh1 Rg8 23. Qe2 Nf8 24. f3 Ng6 25. e4 f4 26. g4 Bf6 27. Be1 Bd8 28. Qc2 h5 29. Qa4 b6 30. Qa6 Rh8 31. Bf2 Kg8 32. Rh2 Rfh7 33. Rbh1 Kf7 34. Be1 Nf8 35. Kg1 Ne6 36. Bf2 Ke8 37. Kg2 Rh6 38. Kg1 Kf7 39. Kg2 Kg6 40. Kg1 Bf6 41. Kg2 R8h7 42. Qa4 Qg7 43. Qd1 Qh8 44. Qg1 Kf7 45. Kf1 Bd8 46. gxh5 Rxh5 47. Qg4 R7h6 48. Ke2 Qh7 49. Kd2 Ke8 50. Kc3 Qd7 51. a4 Nf8 52. Qxd7+ Kxd7 53. Kd2 Rh7 54. Ke2 Ke6 55. Kf1 Ng6 56. Kg2 R5h6 57. Nc3 Nh8 58. Be1 Nf7 59. Nd1 Nh8 60. Nf2 Ng6 61. Ng4 Rh5 62. Kf1 a6 63. bxa6 Ra7 64. Ra2 Rxa6 65. Ke2 Rh7 66. Bc3 Rha7 67. Rha1 Kd7 68. Be1 Nf8 69. Bc3  Ne6 70. Kd2 Nc7 71. Kc2 b5 72. Kb3 bxc4+ 73. Kxc4 Kc6 74. Nh6 d5+ 75. exd5+ Nxd5 76. Ng4 Bc7 77. Nxe5+ Bxe5 78. Bxe5 Rb6 79. Rb2 Re7 80. Bh8 Re8 81. Bg7 Re7 82. Bh8 Rh7 83. Be5 Rxh3 84. Rg1 Rxb2 85. Bxb2 Rg3 86. Rh1 Ne3+ 87. Kb3 Rxf3 88. Rh6+ Kd5 89. a5 c4+ 90. Kb4 cxd3 91. a6 Rf2 92. Bc3 Nc2+ 93. Kb3 Ke5  1/2-1/2

And here was the second setback which proved disastrous for Li Tian: losing against someone who was rated lower than him. At first, there was enterprising play and Li Tian gave up his queen and netted his opponent's rook and pair of knights. Ordinarily, this swap would prove more advantageous for the player with the more pieces but Vignesh made some incredibly strong moves to deny Li Tian's pieces from coordinating properly.

Position after 30 Nxc2

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.08"]
[Round "8"]
[Board "12"]
[White "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Black "Vignesh, N R"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2457"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b5 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. O-O e6 5. d3 d6 6. e4 Be7 7. Nd4 a6 8. Nb3 c5 9. e5 Bxg2 10. exf6 Bxf1 11. fxe7 Qxe7 12. Kxf1 Nc6 13. Be3 O-O 14. N1d2 Nb4 15. f3 Rfc8 16. Ne4 Nd5 17. Bd2 Nb6 18. Qe2 Na4 19. Rb1 d5 20. Nc3 Nb6 21. a3 b4 22. axb4 cxb4 23. Be3 Qd6 24. Bxb6 Qxb6 25. Na4 Qb5 26. Ra1 e5 27. Qxe5 Rxc2 28. Nd4 Re8 29. Qxe8+ Qxe8 30. Nxc2 h5 31. b3 Qe6 32. Kf2 h4 33. Rg1 d4 34. Nxd4 Qd5 35. Ne2 Qxb3 36. Nc5 Qa2 37. gxh4 b3 38. Ke3 Qc2 39. Na4 b2 40. Nec3 Qc1+ 41. Kf2 b1=Q 42. Nxb1 Qc2+ 43. Ke3 Qxa4 44. Nd2 Qxh4 45. Rg2 Qe7+ 46. Kd4 Qd6+ 47. Kc3 Qa3+ 48. Kc2 Qa2+ 49. Kc1 a5 50. Rg4 a4 51. Rc4 a3 52. Rb4 Qd5 53. Ra4 Qxd3 54. Nb1 Qf1+  55. Kc2 Qf2+ 56. Nd2 Qc5+ 57. Nc4 Qc6 58. Rb4 Qxf3 59. Nd2 Qf5+ 60. Kc3 a2 61. Nb3 Qe5+ 62. Rd4 Qe1+ 0-1

The last round was a do-or-die mission for Li Tian. In order to achieve his third grandmaster title norm, he was required to win this game. So he took the risk. Made an exchange sacrifice and began swarming over Dhulipalla's king. But at the end, there was nothing more than a disheartening draw despite the heroics.

Position after 16...Rxe3

[Event "21st Dubai Open 2019"]
[Site "Dubai Chess & Culture Club"]
[Date "2019.04.09"]
[Round "9"]
[Board "15"]
[White "Dhulipalla, Bala Chandra Prasad"]
[Black "Yeoh, Li Tian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "2384"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2019.04.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. c4 d6  6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4  exd4 9. Nxd4 c6 10. h3 Re8 11. Re1 a5 12. b3 Nc5 13. Bf4 h6 14. Qc2 Nh5 15. Be3 f5 16. exf5 Rxe3 17. fxe3 Nxg3 18. fxg6 Qh4 19. Rad1 Bxh3 20. Bxh3 Qxh3 21. Qg2  Qh4 22. Nce2 Nce4 23. Nxg3 Nxg3 24. Nf3 Qg4 25. Kh2 Rf8 26. Qxg3 Qxf3 27. Qxf3 Rxf3 28. c5 d5 29. e4 Bc3 30. exd5 Bxe1 31. dxc6 bxc6 32. Rxe1 Kg7 33. Re6 Rf6 34. Re7+ Kxg6 35. Ra7 Rf2+ 36. Kg1 Rxa2 37. Ra6 Kf5 38. Rxc6 Rb2 39. Ra6 Rxb3 40. Rxa5 Ke5  1/2-1/2

Santa Esmeralda

This is the eponymous debut album by the disco group called Santa Esmeralda, featuring a singer named Leroy Gomez. For a very long time, I had always thought that Santa Esmeralda was a person. Well, I was wrong. 

As I mentioned earlier, this is a disco group and this record came out in 1977. Of course, when I first heard Don't let me be understood on the radio, it was just a three-minute or so song. No radio station at that time would want to play a song that goes on and on in its entirety. But with the album out, it's really a 16-minute track taking up the whole of the first side of the record and it incorporated what was known as the Esmeralda suite. A real disco track: full of urgency and energy.

Side One: Don't let me be understood + Esmeralda suite
Side Two: Gloria, You're my everything, Black pot