Saturday, January 06, 2007
The past is around
Hi,
Chess or dum, anyone ?
There is one nook in Toa Payoh Central which escaped my wandering until a few days ago. It is the north east corner opposite the Community club across Toa Payoh Central Road. There are no shops but a wide cemented walkway, cool and quiet. That afternoon there were several groups of elderly men, mostly standing and a few sitting on the floor.
They were playing dums on big homemade checkered boards, much bigger than the standard chessboard, and using painted over Chinese chess pieces. This enlarged game is more challenging and tactical. It used to be very popular with players who betted, including the bystanders among whom money changed hands. That scene was the same; I saw red and green currency, $10 and $5, notes being handed over after a game. It was quite nostalgic.
I stayed and watched for a while, may be fifteen minutes; their standard was quite good. It is difficult to say whether they were hustlers or not unless one observed them for a longer period. I guessed the players were around sixty years old, give and take five, while the spectators were about the same or slightly younger. They all looked skinny, hardy and healthy.
Some old fogeys do not fade away; they are still around, doing the same old thing, remaining mentally and physically active.
Any one of us like to take them on, for the fun of it, or check standards ?
Have a nice day,
Ronald
Chess or dum, anyone ?
There is one nook in Toa Payoh Central which escaped my wandering until a few days ago. It is the north east corner opposite the Community club across Toa Payoh Central Road. There are no shops but a wide cemented walkway, cool and quiet. That afternoon there were several groups of elderly men, mostly standing and a few sitting on the floor.
They were playing dums on big homemade checkered boards, much bigger than the standard chessboard, and using painted over Chinese chess pieces. This enlarged game is more challenging and tactical. It used to be very popular with players who betted, including the bystanders among whom money changed hands. That scene was the same; I saw red and green currency, $10 and $5, notes being handed over after a game. It was quite nostalgic.
I stayed and watched for a while, may be fifteen minutes; their standard was quite good. It is difficult to say whether they were hustlers or not unless one observed them for a longer period. I guessed the players were around sixty years old, give and take five, while the spectators were about the same or slightly younger. They all looked skinny, hardy and healthy.
Some old fogeys do not fade away; they are still around, doing the same old thing, remaining mentally and physically active.
Any one of us like to take them on, for the fun of it, or check standards ?
Have a nice day,
Ronald
# posted by chunmu @ 6:23 PM 
