Sydney International Chess Open : Check Mate, Darrrrling!

My sketches and an article will come up in "Australian Chess" May=at the end of this month!!

I enjoyed sketching Sydney International Chess Tournament in Parramatta.

I often played chess at primary school but not these days. What sort of people play chess? I sneaked into the battle field, Parramatta Town Hall.

Hey....what a sight! The big hall was filled with so many people : young and old, man and woman at the lines of tables. They just concentrated on chess boards in dead silence. Fascinating enough, some games were between very young children and seniors. In the air, each participant's extremely high tension stung me. I started sketching participants. Yes, a human figure is my most favourite subject.
Chess is a lonely game. A great brain exercise demands strong nerve and mental power. No one can help a player. So, he must save himself and counts on himself. Crashing an opponent is an ultimate goal in a tournament.

Each player's body language told me very well about what was going on and who was a winner or a loser. Especially, young children have no mercy on opponents--or I should say--they are not old enough to remember social norms. So, once a child player sniffed out a victory, a smiling child skipped around the Hall or even a child went out of the Hall. Youngsters tried hard to hide their big smile and held showing off as etiquette.
But for a loser, an ongoing game is a horrible steep way straight down into a hell. Dreadfully miserable. Like this proverb, "A drowning man will catch at a straw," a losing player tried everything to make a miracle or a sea-change happen. Losers do not want to toll a bell so soon. Their body language and face expressions were so gloomy and desperate, even though very much impressive. Probably, we cannot hide our emotions or perfectly under control. Our body language often reveals our genuine thoughts and feelings.

I had an opportunity to have a chat with a chess lover. I thought the lady did her best at a game and celebrated her great job (*I never paid any attention to movements or a result. I purely looked at players in games. ) The unhappy lady said, "If I win, feel much better." She instantly eschewed my idealism and a "let's-have-fun" attitude that weigh on a process more than a result. In turn, she said, "Sometimes, we need to set criterion and cut off those whom cannot clear it."

It seems in her eyes, only winning has the meaning and all. "Aren't you too tough on you?" I asked her.
"I am and I was," she said. Another chess player's humorous definition of chess was "Sit for an honorary exam."
Chess reminded me of an awfully competitive society. Winning a game is not bad. But I know I cannot always be a winner. "No side" was the most lovely sight that two parties exchanged smiles and shuck hands after a long battle. Often both began to talk over the game. Nice.

Last year, when I studied about market research for Art, I picked up this say.
"To live your life in your own way
To reach the goals you've set for yourself
To be the person you want to be
---that's success."I do not need to be a champion at all competitions, but for my setting goal, I want to be a champ and work on my style.


In addition, other links devoted for chess lovers are...NewzeaLand Chess Website
http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/

Chess lovers make this website from all over the world.
Chess Expresshttp://chessexpress.blogspot.com/

Indeed, my blog article comes up on all the links above.

Sydney International Chess Open : Check Mate, Darrrrling!