You may be wondering how we decide which juniors to interview, as there are so many amazing players walking around? Well sometimes, they just catch our eye, sometimes we have heard or read good things about them and sometimes it is a chance introduction. That was the case in our next story. We met up with the players from Qatar, because they played against Australia in round one , a country we are all familiar with, but don’t know too much about. The very friendly players asked us to take some photos of them as well and the conversation commenced.

Click on the board below to read David’s annotation of the exciting game between Bobby Cheng and Al Hor in Round 1 at the Olympiad.

17-year-old Al Shamari and 18 year old Al Hor are playing at the Olympiad for Qatar and while Al Shamari also played in Baku two years ago, it is the first time for Al Hor.

Playing against Australia is not the only connection these guys have with Australia as Al Hor used to be coached IM Alexej Khamatgaleev. (Alexej is married to Julia Ryjanova, who is currently playing for the Australian Women’s team) Julia and Alexej worked as a chess coach in Qatar in 2003, and Julia was the captain of the Qatari women’s chess team from 2008 for a number of years.

We always meet for our interviews in the morning, so the players have plenty of time for lunch and preparations. There are lots of hotels in and around Batumi, but some teams have been placed in hotels on some of the beach resorts outside the city boundaries. This is the case of the Qatar team and we must travel for an hour by taxi to reach their very luxurious hotel. They tell me this is very difficult for their team players as Qatar is very small and they are not used to long travel. It is a difficult situation to be in, would you prefer to stay in a basic hotel near the playing hall, or live in luxury for two weeks, but travel an hour each way?

When did you start playing chess?

Al Hor – When I was 13 years old. I accompanied by brother and father to the local chess club to watch my brother play. I was convinced to try chess for one week and got hooked. I am now the only one of my four siblings who still plays chess.

Al Shamari – I started also when I was 13 years of age at a school tournament. I watched You-Tube video’s and taught myself how the pieces move. I then moved from the school chess club to a city chess club as I improved.

What is the junior chess league like in Qatar?

The U12 categories are growing now that the federation is making a real effort to put some advertising in. At our level there are only 6 players, but you need to keep in mind that there are only 300.000 people in the entire country. We do have 2 GM’s, so we are pretty proud of that!

What are some of your goals?

Al Hor – I would like to come 2^nd in the upcoming Arab championships. Of course, gaining the GM title would be my ultimate goal.

Al Shamari – I don’t have any chess goals at the moment, just play and win games.

Who is your favourite player of all times?

Al Hor – Mikhael Tahl. I like the way he plays, very complicated and tactical

Al Shamari – Hichem Hamdouchi, a Moroccan-French chess grandmaster. He is a very positional player and I enjoy his games.

What kind of player are you?

Al Shamari – I like to think I am a positional player, until my opponent makes a mistake. I like to play the Sicilian with black and London with white.

Al Hor – I like to play sharp chess and what I play depends on my mood. I have relatively recently changed my opening repertoire to Pirc Defence and even though I don’t love the opening, I do seem to be getting good results, so I’ll stick with it a bit longer. I have now started to focus more on studying end games.

What kind of chess books do you read?

Al Shamari – I have been very busy with high school lately and have not been reading many chess books. However I do have a couple of strategy books in Arabic that I like.

Al Hor – I was given ‘Imagination in chess’ by Paata Gaprindashvili, but at the time I was too weak of a player. I hope to be able to work with it very soon. [editorial note – this is David’s favourite book as it discusses thinking processes]

What has chess taught you about life?

Al Hor – It has given me more patience

Al Shamari – How to solve problems. Sometimes it is better to wait and think.

What was your most memorable game?

Al Shamari – In 2015 in Morocco where I played against an Algerian champion with a rating of 1900. At this time I only had a rating of 1500. I played the London and a very sharp game followed. Nearing the end I took 30 minutes to consider a move after which my opponent resigned.  Ivan Sokolov was very impressed with my game and shook my hand to congratulate me!

Al Hor – My most memorable game was at the Biel chess festival where I played against Jan Fricke. He played an opening I was unfamiliar with and was under pressure. Then I played a very rare gambit, unknown by my coach, and was able to continue with confidence. Peter Sviedler was behind me us during this gambit and he smiled when I made the move. He even tweeted about it and responded to my tweet!

Click on the board below to read the annotation by David on this game by Al Hor. We have left Al Hor’s comments in the annotation to give you an inside look in what he was thinking!

We noticed there is no Women’s team this year playing for Qatar. Why is that?

They are currently preparing for their exams and were unable to make it this year. Hopefully in future years we will be able to submit a women’s team.

What do we not know about Qatar that we should all be aware off?

Al Hor – The people are really kind. Some might be reluctant to talk to locals, but you should really try as they are very kind and always willing to help! We also have a lot traditional food with rice.

We wish the team all the best as their board 2 player had to leave and their board five player has flown in to assist. This means that there are only four players remaining for the final 6 rounds and all players will need to play all rounds. This will be incredible tough, but after having met the two young men, we are confident they will give it their all!

When we do these interviews, we find out amazing stories. We hear about the players perspectives and are provided with a glimpse of what is like for a junior from another country.  

Imagine what you would do if attending the Olympiad would mean you get an ‘invalid’ on your report card and miss out on scholarships, because you miss the exams? Would you choose school or chess?

Imagine if you would go to school from 7am to 4-5pm and still need to do homework. Would you sacrifice time with your friends to study chess?

Imagine if you had to enlist to the army for two years after high school, would you chase a chess career early so you could hopefully return to chess when your service time is over?

These choices sound difficult and we are amazed by the commitment these young players have made. Even though Singapore is pretty close to Australia, it is clear that life as a chess player is very different.

So, lets introduce them:

17-year-old FM Qing Aun. Some of you may already be familiar with Qing Aun as he played in the Lidums Young Masters IM norm event in 2017. In fact, he had such a great time, he is scheduled to return to Adelaide in 2018! 

We are also talking to 17-year-old CM Jun Wei who is keen to also chase an IM norm. He would like to obtain this before he turns 19 and needs to enrol for the army.  The two-year compulsory army service sees an end to most chess careers, so the best approach is to have yourself established before your duty starts.

And then there are 15-year-old Eunice and 17-year-old Emmanuelle. The two women are a little more reserved, but don’t be fooled as these two have some real determination. With only four women playing in the team this year, none of the players in the Women’s team get a day off, they need to play all rounds, which is an incredible tough thing to do. The team tells us they all try to stay physically fit by stretching in the rooms and making good use of the table tennis table in the hotel. 

So where did it all start for them?

Emmanuelle and Eunice both started playing around the age of 7 and while Eunice started getting more formal training when she was 8 or 9, Emmanuelle did not get formal coaching until she was 11 years old.

 FM Qing Aun started playing chess when he was about 6 years old and his father taught him the rules of the game. At the age of 9 he started receiving formal training at the chess academy.

Jun Wei started a little bit later than the other guys, with learning the basics at the age of 8 and formal training commencing at the age of 10. He immediately tells us that his major achievements are not those that we can find in his chess rating or scores against players, but in himself. His confidence has grown, and he is now living a life he could have never imagined.

When we ask the young players what kind of chess player they are and what some of the openings they play, they fall quiet. They are reluctant to share this as this may give an opponent an unfair advantage. At first, we are a little surprised as games are played on DGT boards and downloadable at the end of each round. Surely, if their opponents want to do research, that would be a better place to look! However, during the interview it becomes clear why they are reluctant to talk about their playing styles. The kind of sacrifices these players have made are very different than what we go through in Australia. As we mentioned earlier, making very long school days and taking time away from friends to study chess is not something every teenager would do. Risking your scholarships and missing your exams is also a huge decision for these young players. To obtain the level of chess these youngsters are playing at takes some serious commitment and we totally understand!

They also tell us that to qualify for the Olympiad team, there are several tournaments, including the nationals held in December. The top players from this tournament are selected over a two-year period. The Open team for Singapore features WGM Qianyun Gong, which is also great to see!

When we asked what some of the most memorable game were they ever played, they were keen to share as this is exactly what brings that magic to chess – memorable games that make you proud of your achievements.

Eunice – Round 4 in the Bangkok Open in April. I played against a much higher rated player and I was a pawn down in the middle game. With about 20 minutes left on the clock, my opponent blundered, and I won. Was the best day of my life!

Qing Aun – In an IM norm event, I played against a GM. It was a great fight and we ended up drawing.

Emmanuelle – Also in Bangkok in round 1. I played against an IM, my first time playing against an IM and was able to threaten mate a few times.

Jun Wei – My most memorable game was in a simul against none other then Anand. We were fairly equal, but after 4 hours of play, Anand blundered, and I won the game.

What advice do you have for Australian Juniors?

Eunice – Enjoy, no Love the game!

Jun Wei – Do not let other things fight your game. It doesn’t matter what else is going on in life, focus on your current game. Remember, every player is only as strong as their last game.

Emmanuelle – Play the board, not the player. Be immersed in the game

Eunice – Love the game. Try your best and don’t measure yourself to others. Just take one step at the time.

So next time you don’t feel like studying for a tournament, keep in mind the amazing work of these guys. Let them inspire you to make your choices!

Imagine starting to play chess at the age of 9 years old in 2011 and being crowned the National Junior Champion in 2016 at the age of 14! That incredible story is not only a dream come true, but also the real story of David Pietersz from Netherlands Antilles.

Now at the age of 16, he is representing his country, Curacao, which for legislative reasons is still classified as the Netherlands Antilles with FIDE. The list of tournaments won over the last 7 years is impressive and shows the amount of potential David has. For example, in his first international tournament in Aruba he came 3rd in the U12 category in 2013 and then 1st in the U18 category when he returned in 2015. He was 1st in U14 in a Caribbean tournament and came 2nd and 3rd in the National championships in Curacao in 2016 and 2017 respectively. (note this last tournament is not the junior event, but the general open tournament.)

In order to be selected to play at the Olympiad, chess players can play in 5 tournaments and score points (score is relative to final ranking in tournament). The five players that have the highest score are provided with a position in the national team at the Olympiad. David, coming fifth, is proud and keen to learn and grow from the experience. He has had his eyes on playing in the Olympiad for many years, so this trip is a dream come true!

He was taught chess by his dad, who had spotted a chess board at his grandma’s house and was really driven to take his chess to the next level when he finally beat one of his long-time rivals. He hasn’t looked back since and tries to get at least one hour of chess training in each day.

You have achieved quite a bit in your short career, so what are some of the goals you still have?

I definitely would like a chess title, increase my rating and represent Curacao at more international events.

David (Chesslife) has analysed David’s (Curacao) favourite game from last year. White crushes Black’s French pawn structure with the classical f4-f5. Click on the chessboard to open up the analysis.

Who is your favourite player of all times?

World Champion Magnus Carlsen. I like his dominant playing style. Although currently I am very much enjoying games by Dutch player Anish Giri, even though his playing style is very different from Magnus’ games.

Do you have any favourite chess books?

I don’t remember the exact title, but my first book was a general chess openings book and I remember that it made a huge impact having a book and learning from it.

What kind of chess player are you?

I like to think I am more of a positional player; with White I enjoy playing the Reti and the English, while with Black I play the Scandanavian and Queen’s Indian. Of course I think that I can play tactically when I have to!

What is the junior league like in Curacao?

Juniors in Curacao are definitely very competitive and there are several players who are very strong. The number of juniors playing has significantly increased over the last few years, with more publicity on Facebook, newspapers and tv. The three local clubs are doing a great job advertising their events and drawing in more players.

What has chess taught you about life?

Chess has really helped me with my schooling. I have learned to think things through and plan. Don’t rush, take your time and review all options.

What is your advice to Australian Juniors?

Continue to do your best and work towards your goals. Your hard work will pay off if you keep at it.

Country Facts!

The country was formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao it includes the main island of Curaçao and the uninhabited island of “Little Curaçao”. Curaçao has a population over 160,000 in an area of 444 km² and its capital is Willemstad.