Li Chun (立春), 2025

I’m writing this short note on the winter solstice, the day when the sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky before making an about-turn to start its trek northwards. In the northern hemisphere, today marks the shortest day of the year—though here in the tropics, we barely notice the difference.

When the sun reaches this southernmost point, the winter solstice, Chinese astrologers recognise the occasion as the beginning of the solar term known as Dong Zhi (冬至), or Tang Chik as we Hokkien people in Penang call it. I’ve written before about solar terms and how ancient Chinese astrologers divided the sky into 24 segments, covering all 360 degrees of the heavens. Each solar term spans 15 degrees, reflecting the rhythm of seasonal changes.

Forty-five days after the winter solstice comes the solar term known as Li Chun (立春) or the Coming of Spring. We call this day Jip Chun in Penang Hokkien. For 2025, Li Chun falls on the third of February at 10:12 PM, Malaysian local time. At that precise moment, many households will ceremonially fill their rice buckets to symbolise abundance and prosperity for the year ahead. Incidentally, this date aligns with the sixth day of Chinese New Year—though the timing is just a coincidence, with no particular connection beyond tradition.

By the way, I've been writing consistently about Jip Chun in this blog since Year 2007 and if anyone wants to find the historical dates and time, the information is all here:

Li Chun, 2024 
Li Chun, 2023 
Li Chun, 2022 
Li Chun, 2021 
Li Chun, 2020 
Li Chun, 2019 
Li Chun, 2018 
Li Chun, 2017 
Li Chun, 2016 
Li Chun, 2015 
Li Chun, 2014 
Li Chun, 2013 
Li Chun, 2012 
Li Chun, 2011 
Li Chun, 2010 
Li Chun, 2009 
Li Chun, 2008 
Li Chun, 2007

#lichun 

Food and friends

My recent trip to Singapore wasn’t entirely about chess—those moments were reserved for the late afternoons and evenings. So, what did I do during the mornings and mid-afternoons? For one thing, it was all about the food.

On two mornings in Geylang, I set out to explore the area in search of Bak Chor Mee, a Singaporean street food I find utterly irresistible. Every time I’m in the Little Red Dot, indulging in this dish becomes a priority. While I’m happy with any variety, the traditional style remains my favourite. Over two days, I managed to find two stalls—one at the Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, which was a bit farther from my hotel, and the other at a nearby coffee shop. My tastebuds decided: the stall at Sims Vista was definitely the better of the two.

On my last morning in Singapore, I opted for breakfast at a 24-hour roti prata restaurant just minutes from the hotel. Their thosai masala was delicious—a perfect way to wrap up my morning culinary adventures in Geylang.

Of course, my food explorations weren’t limited to the mornings. On one of the nights, I introduced one of my travelling chessmates to a popular beef hor fun restaurant in Geylang. It’s a place I’ve visited many times before, but it was his first time there, and the experience didn’t disappoint.

Another objective of my trip was to reconnect with friends and relatives. Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet my younger relatives—our schedules simply didn’t align. They were busy working and making money during the mornings while I was free, and when they were available in the evenings, I was tied up at the World Chess Championship matches in Sentosa. One was so consumed by religious fervour that giving me some time of day might have required divine intervention! That left my old classmates to call on, reliable people who, like me, were either retired or working less intensively nowadays. On Saturday, I met up with Nai Kwang and his wife, Eve, for lunch, and on Sunday, I caught up with Teik Kooi and his wife, Cynthia.

Teik Kooi and I go back a long way. He's my oldest school friend, we having known each other since kindergarten days in Seang Tek Road. And then during our Westlands Primary schooldays, learnt that we could be distantly related to one another as we shared some common relatives (who were then living in Hutton Lane and New Lane) while visiting these relatives during Chinese New Year. We discovered our common interest in chess during our Secondary schooldays at Penang Free School and naturally here in Singapore, we had much to discuss about the match between Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju. He was initially doubtful about the quality of the games but I encouraged him to attend the games, pointing out that such a high-level chess event in Singapore, where he’s now a citizen, could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m not sure if he took my advice, but after I returned home to Penang, we continued exchanging notes about the games via social media.

With Nai Kwang, our time together was very much less about chess—his awareness about the game was limited to what he could read in the local newspapers about the chess match—and more about exploration. A passionate walker, he took me meandering through the streets of Little India. I wasn't complaining; in fact, I looked forward to it as I got a unique glimpse into Singapore’s daily life. We made a detour to the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya temple, which I shall write about on another occasion. 

Our long walk ended at Muthu’s Curry, a very popular and well-patronised South Indian restaurant, where we enjoyed a fiery feast of fish head curry, lamb shank and naan bread. Lunch with Teik Kooi, on the other hand, was a completely different experience. He introduced me to the Sunday buffet at the Fullerton Hotel, the building once housing the Singapore Post Office. The sumptuous spread featured an array of delicacies, with seafood being the undeniable highlight.

December full moon

At last, the full moon—99.8% illuminated—emerges above Bukit Mertajam, breaking free after weeks of hiding behind the rain clouds! The sky is so crystal-clear tonight that Venus shines brilliantly high in the western sky, while Jupiter quietly peeks above my rooftop in the east.

Nine-year-old Gukesh

It is not widely known that, as a nine-year-old, Gukesh Dommaraju participated in the 13th Malaysia Chess Festival in 2015. Having left school to pursue chess full-time, Gukesh arrived in Kuala Lumpur with his parents in tow. Already a Candidate Master at the time, he competed in both the flagship IGB Arthur Tan Memorial Malaysia Open and the Swensen Age-Group Chess Tournament (Under-10 section).

In the Malaysia Open, he faced players who were not only far more experienced but often physically towering compared to himself. Undeterred, Gukesh battled them on equal footing, finishing a respectable 101st out of 138 participants. In the Under-10 age-group event with 145 players, he emerged triumphant, taking first place.

A lot has changed for Gukesh since 2015, he has achieved his dreams, but I wonder if he still remembers his early adventures here in Malaysia all those years ago. We’d love to have him back!

An update: Gukesh had also participated in the 15th Malaysia Chess Festival two years later. This time, he did not play in the age-group events but concentrated solely on the IGB Arthur Tan Memorial Malaysia Open. However, his results were indifferent and he finished disappointingly in 90th position out of 165 players. Two Malaysians managed to play with Gukesh: Sumant Subramaniam drawing with him in the eighth round while Lim Zhuo Ren beat him in the ninth. I'm sure Sumant and Zhuo Ren would now be relishing those results! Here's a picture of 11-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju from the 2018 souvenir book.  

#Gukesh

World chess championship 2024

Recently, I spent an engaging four days in Singapore to attend Days Four, Five and Six of the World Chess Championship match between the defending champion, Ding Liren, and his challenger, Gukesh Dommaraju. I travelled with two chess friends, Tay Aik and Terry. While Terry opted for a hotel near the Vivocity shopping mall, Tay Aik and I decided on a budget hotel in Geylang. 

By the way, Geylang is no longer the infamous area it once was, although it still retains echoes of its colourful past. Singapore, in fact, had several questionable neighbourhoods decades ago, such as Geylang, but also Bugis and Desker Road. Anyway, our choice, the Ibis Budget Hotel, was clean, well-maintained and family-oriented, though the establishments around it still advertised their "special Eight-Hour promotional rates." Hmm...

The first day of our arrival was spent navigating our way to the match venue. Friends who had attended the match before us had suggested that we look for the Seafood Paradise restaurant, from where a free shuttle bus would take us directly to the Equarius Hotel on Sentosa Island. We arrived with plenty of time to spare, passed through the security checks and then relaxed in the Fan Zone before queuing up to enter the viewing gallery. In the Fan Zone, a simultaneous chess match was ongoing between a grandmaster and 10 players. On Day Four, Alexandra Kosteniuk was in the midst of playing her opponents; on the following day, it was Xie Jun, and on the third day, Viswanathan Anand was the main attraction. So, there were three days of former world champions facing their lucky opponents, drawn from those who had purchased VIP tickets. Once the games concluded, the tables were rearranged, bean bags were scattered on the floor for casual seating, and free-flowing coffee and tea were made available to everyone. There were also television screens in the Fan Zone streaming commentaries by David Howell and Jovanka Houska.

Inside the playing room, the players were seated at a central table, with one side of the room featuring a soundproof glass barrier that completely isolated the gallery from the playing area. On the left, two Arbiters sat at their own tables, while the Chief Arbiter—whom I'd rank as the third most important person in the room after the two players—was seated on the right. Just before five o'clock, a throng of photographers arrived and positioned themselves in front of the glass barrier, eagerly awaiting the entrance of Ding and Gukesh. When the players finally made their way into the room, both avoided each other's gaze and waited for Maurice Ashley to deliver the introductory statements. Every day, special guests were invited to make the ceremonial first move, with photographers snapping away madly. One of the Arbiters then carefully placed the moved piece back on its original square, and Ashley officially announced the beginning of the game. Both players shook hands, White made the first move, and then Ashley and the guest exited the room. After a brief moment, the signal was given for the photographers to scoot off as well. Amidst all this activity, the Chief Arbiter remained a peripheral figure, out of view and basically overlooked by both the photographers and the spectators in the gallery.

Meanwhile, in the viewing gallery, the audience was divided into VIP and general seating areas. Usherers guided ticket holders to their designated spots and placard holders raised signs asking everyone to remain silent. I found it curious that complete silence was required in the gallery, considering no noise could penetrate the soundproofed playing room. For the most part, the crowd adhered to the rule, though quiet discussions were ongoing among friends as they analysed positions and debated possibilities. Two television screens, positioned on either side of the gallery, displayed the game for all to follow, as it was impossible to see the actual chessboard from where we sat. At 5:30, everyone was ushered out of the gallery to surrender their mobile phones, laptops and cameras for safekeeping before being allowed back in. At the end of the game, applause erupted from the audience, and everyone would then rush out to retrieve their belongings.

The three games we witnessed in Singapore were all drawn, which left us feeling slightly underwhelmed. A friend who attended during the first week had the fortune of seeing two decisive games out of three—and even bumped into Gukesh on the rest day! No such luck for us, unfortunately, as we were there in the second week. Game Four concluded with a repetition of position, as did Game Five. In Game Six, there was a fleeting moment where it seemed the game might end quickly. When Gukesh spurned the repetition of position, an audible gasp rippled through the gallery—a clear expression of admiration for the Indian player’s fighting spirit as opposed to his opponent's non-aggression strategy. It was obvious he wanted to continue playing. Inwardly, I couldn’t help but think that, had the game ended in a quick draw, the audience would have been deeply disappointed—some might even have booed. Thankfully, we were spared that scenario!

With the Chief Arbiter, Hamid Majid

Former world championship contender Boris Gelfand

Former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk

Photographers inside the playing room

Bean bags in the Fan Zone

Fan Zone

With the world champion's trophy

Former women's world champion Xie Jun

VIP seats in front, general seats at the back

Deposit counter for all mobile phones, laptops, cameras and other electronic devices

Stringent security check for sharp objects

Reliving old times by exchanging notes with Filipino grandmaster Eugenio Torre on chess personalities like Tan Chin Nam, Florencio Campomanes, Hasan, Matsumoto, etc

An old friend from Kuala Lumpur. Vooi Giap and I go back to the MSSM days of 1972

Teenage champion

I would want to congratulate Gukesh Dommaraju, who, at the age of 18, has become the 18th FIDE World Chess Champion. He triumphed over the defending champion – now the former World Champion – Ding Liren, in a 14-game match that captivated chess enthusiasts around the globe, no less many from Malaysia seeing this as an opportunity to cross into Singapore and witness a classy World Chess Championship match, so close to home.

Fortune often favours the bold and the foolhardy, but in Gukesh's case, it was the courageous who were rewarded. Throughout the match, the 18-year-old Indian challenger maintained relentless pressure on the Chinese defending champion. In nearly every game, Ding Liren found himself perilously behind on time – with each player allotted two hours to complete 40 moves. However, except for the final game, Gukesh often found himself burning his own time, searching for the perfect move, but without success. This impatience led to two losses, as Ding capitalised on his opponent’s inaccuracies. Ding's own three losses to Gukesh were the result of catastrophic blunders, always at critical moments when his time management was in disarray. As the saying goes, the final blunder is always the most fatal. In the end, after nearly four weeks of intense chess, Gukesh emerged victorious with a 7½-6½ score, claiming the coveted title.

With the World Chess Championship title now moving from China to India, it seems to me that the so-called Big Dragon Project has ended with a whimper. While not a complete failure as it did achieve several goals, its eventual decline has been disheartening. I had hoped that Ding Liren’s tenure as World Chess Champion would inspire the Chinese Chess Association to greater heights. Yet, in the past year, I have seen little to convince me that the game is thriving within their population. Is Xie Jun still the President of the CCA? If so, it seems she is not functioning effectively enough. The signs of decline were already apparent a few years ago. Even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of Chinese players attending the annual Malaysia Chess Festival was reducing. The subsequent lockdowns only exacerbated the issue, and, since the reopening of international travel, few Chinese players have ventured to compete. I believe that, in the years to come, the decline of chess in China will become ever more apparent. Meanwhile, with Gukesh’s victory, the centre of gravity has undeniably shifted more definitively towards the Indian sub-continent.

ITD again, 24 years later

Over the past 24 years, there have been five or six reunions of the former staff of the now-defunct Ban Hin Lee Bank. I can’t quite recall the exact number, but every time, the gatherings drew at least 200 ex-colleagues, led by the bank's former directors and senior management. Each reunion has been a joyful affair, filled with laughter, nostalgia, and camaraderie. The most recent of these large-scale reunions took place in August 2023, which would have marked the bank’s 88th anniversary.

This month, however, there was a different sort of reunion—one exclusively for the former inmates of the Information Technology Division. I use the term "inmates" lightheartedly, of course! As luck would have it, I found myself right in the midst of this nostalgic gathering. The Systems and Quality Control Department, of which I was a proud member, was part of the IT Division, and there was no way I could miss this chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues. In fact, I even skipped my nephew’s wedding eve function to attend the IT Division Reunion at the Mercure Hotel in Tanjong Bungah.

By the last count, nearly 90 former colleagues were present, some accompanied by their spouses, and a few travelling from as far afield as Singapore and Australia to attend. The evening was filled with vibrant conversations as we reminisced about the good old days, exchanged updates on our lives—everyone had grown older but perhaps not very much wiser, and relived fond memories. The event culminated in the inevitable group photographs—an enduring tradition at such reunions, capturing the spirit of togetherness that still binds us all despite all the years apart. Thank you to Ho Sin Kheong and the rest of the organising team!

I brought along some copies of my book on Ban Hin Lee Bank, Ten Thousand Prosperities, and gave away a copy as a lucky draw prize.

Chess at OFA

A 92-player field for The Old Frees' Association Rapid Chess Open Tournament last Sunday far exceeded my expectations. Barely a week before the event, I would have been delighted with 70 entries, but as the final days progressed, a surge of last-minute registrations came through. Naturally, there were a few withdrawals, as often happens, but these were more than compensated for by fresh entries. By the morning of the tournament, we had 90 players prepared to compete—until two more turned up unannounced and added themselves to the mix.

One of the day’s highlights was the participation of Penang's national player, Wong Yinn Long, currently reading Law at the University of Malaya. Wong flew in from Kuala Lumpur to start his mid-semester break, arriving several minutes late for the first round due to travel delays. Undeterred, he strode into the hall with calm confidence, quickly gathered himself, and went on to win his first-round game comfortably. It was a display of composure, underlining why he is regarded as one of Penang's finest players. His assured performance carried him through the tournament, and by the end of the day, he had earned an impressive second-place finish.

The other late entry arrived even later—after the lunch break—and could only participate from the fifth round onwards. Despite these dramatic arrivals, the tournament progressed smoothly. The favourite, Pavel Shkapenko, demonstrated his class by dominating the field and comfortably securing the top prize. Meanwhile, second-seeded Ronnie Lim, clearly a bit rusty, still managed a creditable third-place finish.

There was no shortage of prizes to be won, with a third of the field going home with something to show for their efforts. OFA members, in particular, had much to celebrate: of the ten who participated, eight managed to win prizes, making their day truly worthwhile.

As Tournament Director, I had spent the preceding four days deeply immersed in coordinating the logistics and administration of the event. My heartfelt thanks go to my co-organisers and conspirators, Terry Ong and Ung Tay Aik, whose invaluable support ensured seamless coordination with the Penang Chess Association for the chess equipment. A big thank you also goes to Low Han Boon for his assistance in setting up the hall on Saturday, and to the boys from Penang Free School, who worked tirelessly to prepare the venue and provide much-needed help during the tournament.

Special mention must go to PCA President See Swee Sie for her generous personal sponsorship of the Ladies' and Veterans' prizes. I am equally grateful to Jonathan Chuah and Cheryl Ho, who ran the tournament as the Chief Arbiter and Arbiter, their assuredness and steady hands overseeing the tournament’s smooth running. Behind the scenes, Steven Cheong from the Malaysian Chess Federation lent his support in registering new players for their FIDE IDs, ensuring no administrative detail was overlooked.

In the end, the tournament was a great success, not only in terms of numbers but also in the camaraderie and excitement it brought to the chess community. It was a day to remember, and one that I hope will inspire even greater enthusiasm for future events.