It was maybe around 1980/1985 that I learned about the game of chess from my uncle. He had a really nice old wooden chessboard with beautiful chess pieces, and he would show me chessgames from GMs and from himself (he was champion several times at the chessclub in the little village where he used to lived). The most impression on me made the games and stories about Bobby Fischer.
From that time I already liked chess because of the possibilities on the chessboard, but also because of the chess stories, anecdotes.
He told me about the match in 1972 at Reykjavik, when Donner wrote in the chess column in the newspaper :
"Journalists were waiting at the airport waiting for Bobby Fischer to arrive, and again a plane arrived without Bobby ! Like that didn't happen everyday" (hahaha).
I started playing at the local chessclub, lost the first 10 games, and then started to win a few games.
Later I played at various other chessclubs, like the big SC Utrecht, where also some master players played.
In tourneys I would win or draw every now and then against masters, but I would sometimes still lose against 1800.
At another chessclub I had the greatest team success.
Our team of 4 knocked out the dutch KO champion!
One team member in that KO team, our big talent at the chessclub, years later became a GM : Ruud Janssen
ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=1004816
I learned a lot from analysing, as well as playing blitz, with others in otb tourneys, matches, and "internal" competition.
And also from studying.
I never used a study plan, had no specific "steps" training like kids nowadays get in Holland.
And it still shows that I am lacking in some areas.
For example : I am very good at some rook endings, even won once against a master in a rook ending, but in some rook endings I need more training.
Currently I am in the luxury position of meeting almost every week with an old chess master. We go through our own games and analyse, and we looked a few times at rook endings from a book, and from a cdrom. Quite useful because he has a decent endgame background, having studied Averbakh and Euwe endgame books and the like.
Also, recently I went to a group training by a GM with some other people. First time ever I got "official" training by a master. Was very interesting and inspiring ! I was very happy.
From that time I already liked chess because of the possibilities on the chessboard, but also because of the chess stories, anecdotes.
He told me about the match in 1972 at Reykjavik, when Donner wrote in the chess column in the newspaper :
"Journalists were waiting at the airport waiting for Bobby Fischer to arrive, and again a plane arrived without Bobby ! Like that didn't happen everyday" (hahaha).
I started playing at the local chessclub, lost the first 10 games, and then started to win a few games.
Later I played at various other chessclubs, like the big SC Utrecht, where also some master players played.
In tourneys I would win or draw every now and then against masters, but I would sometimes still lose against 1800.
At another chessclub I had the greatest team success.
Our team of 4 knocked out the dutch KO champion!
One team member in that KO team, our big talent at the chessclub, years later became a GM : Ruud Janssen
ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=1004816
I learned a lot from analysing, as well as playing blitz, with others in otb tourneys, matches, and "internal" competition.
And also from studying.
I never used a study plan, had no specific "steps" training like kids nowadays get in Holland.
And it still shows that I am lacking in some areas.
For example : I am very good at some rook endings, even won once against a master in a rook ending, but in some rook endings I need more training.
Currently I am in the luxury position of meeting almost every week with an old chess master. We go through our own games and analyse, and we looked a few times at rook endings from a book, and from a cdrom. Quite useful because he has a decent endgame background, having studied Averbakh and Euwe endgame books and the like.
Also, recently I went to a group training by a GM with some other people. First time ever I got "official" training by a master. Was very interesting and inspiring ! I was very happy.
