MY ANOTHER 10 'BUCKET LIST' WISHES

 Ok, lets continue...

11.     To have a chess opening named after me.

Almost impossible to achieve. I mean even Kasparov do not have Kasparov opening and of all the World Champions, only one WC has opening named after him (Alekhine) and some do not even have a variation named after them.

But here lies my advantage against World Champions. World Champions mostly played mainstream openings (Read: heavily analyzed opening where there is a name even for sub, sub, sub, sub variation!) while for me, i always played an underground/ alternative/ coffea shop opening! (Read: less analyzed opening where sometimes even there is no name for a variation!). He he he :)

But then again the advantage of World Champions against me is obvious. He needs to play only once or two of these less played opening and good chances his name stuck...while for me, even if i played the opening for life (and my next life too), no guarantee it will stuck!  Huh! :(

Maybe to be more realistic...i should aimed for a sub-variation of chess opening, named after me.Example Blackmar Diemer Gambit- Gunderam Defence - Ilham Attack...Hmm that will be just fine...as long as not a blunder named after me. (Ilham’s folly or something like that...that i don’t want)

12.     To write an article for Chessbase.

Chessbase to chess world, is what Wall Street's Journal to business world...high quality articles, globally read etc. Really hope that one day i could publish my article at www.chessbase.com 

13.    To watch a game of World Chess Championship match live.

For one in my lifetime, i need to watch World Championship live...to feel the tension at the playing hall...hear the commentary/post mortem of the game live and hopefully be part of a memorable game (like Karpov-Kasparov 16^th game, 1985 -The Octopus Knight game or like Kasparov-Anand 10^th game, 1995 - The Amazing Open Spanish Novelty game etc) 

What i don’t intent to be is to be part of a game like Anand-Carlsen 1^st game, 2013...draw in 16 moves! Yuck!

14.    To post 1000 articles for this blog.

This posting is posting number 252. Say i post about one article per week...i shall achieve this 1000 postings in next 30 years time...Nope! I will not be 70 then...by that time, just like today, i will still be 20 years old (with 50 years experience) -wink! ;-)

When it come to blogging...I am very much a seasonal animal...sometimes in active, mating mood, 3 articles in a week...sometimes in lazy, hibernating mood. 0 article in 3 months...To overcome this and for more consistency...maybe i should stick with current arrangement...I informed what i want to write next...so i am sort of under ‘obligation’ to produce and post that article.

15.    To play blitz at Central Park, New York.

There are so much legends surrounding blitz game at Central Park, New York....How young Fischer amazed everyone by beating adult here...The shooting of Waitzkin’s ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’...how a regular here, a homeless hustler is actually some East Europe Champion...how a very impressed Brazilian IM withdraw from a tournament at NY after being beaten by a street hustler in blitz...how GM Roman give odd 5 minutes to one, and still wins...and the list goes on.

I want to be part of these too so i could one day say “Blitz at Central Park? Been there...done that!”

16.   To play a game of chess with GM Hikaru Nakamura.

The most exciting player around, i hope one day i could play chess with him...shall gladly anticipate weird move such as Qh5 after 1.e4 e5...or his full chagrin expression when (hopefully) i play something unexpected...:)

17.    To play a game of chess with Garry Kasparov.

Unlucky for me Kasparov is now retire from competitive chess...lucky for me Kasparov still play chess (exhibition game, simultaneous game, social game etc).

Kasparov, like Fischer, is said to have a strong ‘aura’. An unexplained ‘energy’ that terrified opponents before even he make his first move. Kramnik, during his 2001 World Chess Champion match even refused to look at Kasparov during the game. Wise move.

I know i will be whacked mercilessly by him, no doubt about it...all i want out of this game is just to feel Kasparov’s invincible aura or what Jedi said, his ‘force’...and at the same time to enjoy a game of chess with one of the world Greatest Player.

18.    To interview Nafisa Muminova for this blog.

Bigfoot don’t exist...Lochness Dino don’t exist...UFO, maybe exist, maybe not but angel? Angel do exist...i know...I have seen one.

19.   To own a DGT Board

In my room, i write on my white board a Buffet’s quote...”If you buy things you don’t need, soon you will have to sell things you need”.

Problem with me to achieve this...I am a firm believer on why spend more? If the cheap one can works just fine...

But a DGT Board?...a ‘Vertu’, a ‘Roll Royce’ of chessboard. ...I need to have this luxury, as a way to pamper me...as an offering to Caissa, even though i already have like 4 chess sets (5 if include that cheap, glass set) that ‘works just fine’...DGT Board is different, an exception to my principle on why spend more.

But again i am a strange person. I am ‘calculative’ when it comes to spending money on myself...generous (or so i would like to think) when spending money on my loved ones.

Example is on my laptop. Since the old one is ‘kong’ already...i fully dream to get a high end laptop...perhaps a RM3000 ACER?... or maybe that sleek, RM3,500 ASUS?. So last month i went to Lowyat’s and after perusing laptops for half a day there, i finally bought this laptop...the one i am using now...RM1000 Toshiba Satellite. (almost bought RM900 Samsung laptop)...and it works just as fine!

However, not to worry Arshad, though you very well know my principle in this...one fine day i will buy one DGT Board from you....one fine day!

20.    To represent Malaysia in Chess Olympiad

Chess is a sport (we have all sort of ‘coach’ in chess, we sweat when we are losing, we need to practice and spend crazy amount of times to be good in it and so on) and as such i consider myself as a sportsman.

...Every sportsman dream of taking part in Olympic and me too, dream of taking part in Chess Olympiad as a player.

I know this is hard to do but if Hamid Majid (no offence, ya :)) and one unknown Anwar Zainal could do it...why can't me?

Yeah, indeed. Why can't me...

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