The Mind Game

After the Silence treatment according to Sofia Rules, the Game is in Anand favour at 2.5 - 1.5 with the 5th. Game in a blackout (power failure ?!) but the 3rd. game raised many questions and a handshake was actually made before the start of the game but not after, refer to the following article by ChessBase.com.

V Anand draws a line: Doesn't offer to play draw 

Just before the start of this World Chess Championship Match in Sofia, Bulgaria, Topalov and his Manager had tried to provoke Anand with statements saying that Topalov won't offer or accept draw offers from Viswanathan Anand in accordance to the Sofia rule. All draw offers should be through the arbiter. Anand in the Opening press conference had reminded them "A world Championship should be played with world Championship rules."
However yesterday it was Topalov, who in all probability, was in a dilemma when it was obvious to one and all that the game was heading for a draw from the very early stages. Topalov playing Whites tried his best but was unable to find any chinks in Anand's armour. The Indian on his part was sitting comfortably and made no effort to propose a draw. By the 40th turn, the position was as dry as it could be and Topalov went to the arbiter to procure peace and completely ignored Anand. The arbiter came to the table but Anand continued to look at the board and made his move, indicating his refusal for a draw. Topalov had to sit down and resume playing. Anand continued to make a few moves and forced a technical draw (by threefold repetition of moves) after 46 moves. The game may have ended in a draw with the point shared but it was a psychological victory for Anand as he strongly showed that if he wants a draw, he knows how to get it! Sofia rules or not! Full article...

TELOK GONG PRO - AM CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

Organised by Persatuan Penduduk Telok Gong
Date	:	04th JULY 2010 ( SUNDAY )
Time	:	7.30 am - 6.00 pm
Venue	:	Dewan Kg. Hamid Tuah, TELOK GONG, PORT KLANG, SELANGOR
Format	:	Swiss System 7/8 Rounds & 20 - 30 minutes individual time control.
Tie-break	:	P.E ( For Champion Only ),  Solkoff, SB, PS.
Entrance Fee	:	RM20.00 – Under 12 Category	RM20.00 – LOCAL Category ( Telok Gong Only )
	:	RM25.00 – Amateur Category ( National Rating April 2010 : 1700 and below )
	:	RM30.00 – PRO Category        ( National Rating April 2010 : 1701 and above )
PRIZES		OPEN		LOCAL	UNDER 12
		PRO	AMATEUR
CHAMPION		RM500.00 + Medal	RM300.00 + Medal	RM300.00 + Medal	RM200.00 + Medal
Runner Up		RM300.00 + Medal	RM200.00 + Medal	RM200.00 + Medal	RM150.00 + Medal
3rd		RM200.00 + Medal	RM150.00 + Medal	RM150.00 + Medal	RM130.00 + Medal
4th		RM150.00	RM130.00	RM130.00	RM100.00
5th		RM100.00	RM90.00	RM80.00	RM70.00
6th		RM90.00	RM80.00	RM80.00	RM70.00
7th		RM80.00	RM70.00	RM60.00	RM60.00
8th		RM80.00	RM60.00	RM60.00	RM50.00
9th		RM70.00	RM60.00	RM50.00	RM50.00
10th		RM70.00	RM60.00	RM50.00	RM50.00
ADDITIONAL		2 X Best Under 18 ( Medals )	2 X Best Under 18 ( Medals )	2 X Best Under 18 ( Medals )	2 X Best Girls ( Medals )
PRIZES		1 X Best Lady ( Medal )	1 X Best Lady ( Medal )	1 X Best Lady ( Medal )	2 X Best Local ( Medal )
		3 SPECIAL PRZES & MYSTERY GIFTS FOR INVITED GROUPS
Note : Certificate of Achievement will be given to all prize winners.
TOTAL PRIZES WORTH MORE THAN RM5500.00 TO BE WON !!!
53 PLAYERS WILL WIN PRIZES !!!
SPECIAL LUCKY DRAW  : CHESS CLOCK, HANDPHONE & MANY MORE !!!
BREAKFAST & LUNCH PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE FOR ALL PLAYERS !!!
PRE REGISTRATION & ENQUIRIES
ZAMRI BIN SAJARI 016 - 277 5005  &  AZHAR MOHD SAID 012 – 679 6193
CLOSING DATE : 26th JUNE 2010 ( SATURDAY ) . Organiser reserves the right to reject or accept entries. Surcharge RM20.00 for any late entry.
1. For all PRO & AM players are required to pay RM30.00 first for entry fee. A sum of RM5.00 will be returned to only CONFIRMED AMATEUR players on the tourney day.
2. Bank in your entrance fee to CIMB bank account No: 1260-0008189-52-7 made payable to ZAMRI BIN SAJARI.
3. Fax the bank slip to 03 - 3290 4048 ( do stated your name and category ) and please call Zamri Sajari to confirm.
Important : Please bring along the original bank slip on the tourney day for any administrative purposes.
4. Fees paid are strictly neither transferable nor refundable.
5. All mobile phones & electronic devices are banned in the tournament hall. All officials & players should be smartly attired in the playing hall.
6. Pro & Am players will be played in same category and Amateurs are eligible to win Pro Category prizes, whichever higher.
7. Round 1 will starts at 9.30am with or without paid players AND round 1 pairing will be out two (2) days earlier, see GiloCatur and other chess blogs.
8. Decision made by the organiser is final.
HURRY UP…. REGISTER NOW!!!
LIMITED TO THE FIRST 250 PLAYERS ONLY.

Eight Tips for Better Brainstorming

By Robert Sutton

Should your team brainstorm as a group or as individuals? At creative companies, switching between the two modes can be seamless—and highly productive 

This is a subject I am quite familiar with. Along with Andy Hargadon, I completed an 18-month ethnography in the 1990s on how the innovation consultants at IDEO do creative work, and we've both spent much of the past decade studying other innovative organizations. At the time, Andy was my PhD student, and now he is an associate professor at the University of California at Davis.

We agree that badly managed face-to-face brainstorms do stifle creativity and we agree that, even when brainstorming is done right, people probably can still generate ideas faster when they work alone. But it is total nonsense to conclude that if you want creativity, you ought to keep your people in solitary confinement where they can't "waste time" listening to and building on the ideas of others.

Here's the problem: Most studies of brainstorming are rigorous but irrelevant to the challenge of managing creative work. For starters, comparing whether creativity happens best in groups or alone is pretty silly when you look at how creative work is actually done. At creative companies, people switch between both modes so seamlessly that it is hard to notice where individual work ends and group work starts.
THEORY VS. PRACTICE.  At group brainstorms, individuals often "tune out" for 5 or 10 minutes to sketch a product or organizational structure inspired by the conversation, and then jump back into the conversation to show the others their idea. In another typical scenario, I recall an IDEO brainstorm about a cool haircutting device, after which one participant, engineer Roby Stancel, ran off to build it. Drawing a hard line between "individual" and "group" creativity in these and dozens of other examples is pointless. What really matters is that the two modes mingle as the creative process unfolds.

This artificial group vs. individual structure isn't the only problem with brainstorming experiments. These experiments are fake in that nearly all involve people who have no prior experience or training in group brainstorming. These brainstorming virgins (usually undergraduates in psychology classes) are briefly presented a list of rules and are then instructed to spend 10 or 15 minutes generating novel ideas about topics that they know and most likely care nothing about.

A common topic in these experiments is "What would happen if everyone had an extra thumb?" That might be fun to think about, but it isn't a problem they will ever actually face.

In contrast, consider real brainstorms led by SAP's Design Services Team in which participants care very much about, say, user-friendly software and will use any good ideas generated on the subject. These brainstorms have already led SAP to develop many clever prototypes and are starting to change the software that the company ships.
INNOVATION ENGINE.  These experimental studies also fail to mirror authentic brainstorms because the standard and essential rule "Build on and extend others' ideas" isn't applied. To allow cleaner comparisons between group and individual brainstorming "performance," individuals aren't asked to consider the ideas of others. In any event, it is impossible to build on the thinking of fellow brainstormers when you work alone.

The main finding from these studies is that people "brainstorming" alone speak more ideas (per person) into a microphone during the 10- or 15-minute period than those in a group brainstorm. Researchers conclude that the "productivity loss" of group brainstorming happens mainly because people take turns talking and therefore can't spew out ideas as fast. It's also worth noting that these studies don't count listening to other people's ideas as a productive behavior.

I am not joking; most of this research is that trivial.

Group brainstorming isn't a panacea even when it is done right, and is a waste of time—or worse—when done wrong. But a broad body of peer-reviewed research on teams and organizations, as well as my own observations, suggests that, when brainstorming sessions are managed right and skillfully linked to other work practices, such gatherings can promote innovation. Eight guidelines are especially important for running effective face-to-face brainstorms:

1. Use brainstorming to combine and extend ideas, not just to harvest ideas.
Andrew Hargadon's How Breakthroughs Happen shows that creativity occurs when people find ways to build on existing ideas. The power of group brainstorming comes from creating a safe place where people with different ideas can share, blend, and extend their diverse knowledge. If your goal is to just "collect the creative ideas that are out there," group brainstorms are a waste of time. A Web-based system for collecting ideas or an old-fashioned employee suggestion box is good enough.

2. Don't bother if people live in fear.
As Sigmund Freud observed, groups bring out the best and the worst in people. If people believe they will be teased, paid less, demoted, fired, or otherwise humiliated, group brainstorming is a bad idea. If your company fires 10% of its employees every year, for instance, people might be too afraid of saying something "dumb" to brainstorm effectively. It is better to have them just work alone.

3. Do individual brainstorming before and after group sessions.
Alex Osborn's 1950s classic Applied Imagination, which popularized brainstorming, gave advice that is still sound: Creativity comes from a blend of individual and collective "ideation." Skilled organizers tell participants what the topic will be before a brainstorm. I once went to a session on how to give an "itch-less haircut," and, at the suggestion of the organizer, took a preliminary trip to a salon where I asked the stylist for a cut as "itch-free as possible" to jumpstart my thinking. At the brainstorm, I reported how tightly the stylist wrapped the cape around my neck and how she put talcum powder all over me—effective, if uncomfortable and messy measures.

4. Brainstorming sessions are worthless unless they are woven with other work practices.
Brainstorming is just one of many practices that make a company creative, and it is of little value if it's not combined with other practices—such as observing users, talking to experts, or building prototype products or experiences—that provide an outlet for the ideas generated. Some of the worst "creative" companies that I've worked with are great at coming up with new ideas, but never actually get around to implementing them. A student and I once studied a team that spent a year brainstorming and arguing about a simple product without producing even a single prototype, even though a good engineer could have built one in an hour or two. The project was finally killed when a competitor came out with the product.

5. Brainstorming requires skill and experience both to do and, especially, to facilitate.
In all of the places that I've seen brainstorming used effectively—Hewlett-Packard, SAP's Design Services Team, the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (or "The d.school"), the Institute for the Future, Frog Design, and IDEO—brainstorming is treated as a skill that takes months or years to master. Facilitating a session is a skill that takes even longer to develop. If you hold brainstorms every now and then, and they are led by people without skill and experience, don't be surprised if participants "sit there looking embarrassed, like we're all new to a nudist colony," as one manager told The Wall Street Journal. That is how humans act when they do something new and have poor teachers.

6. A good brainstorming session is competitive—in the right way.
In the best brainstorms, people feel pressure to show off what they know and how skilled they are at building on others' ideas. But people are also competitive in a paradoxical way. They "compete" to get everyone else to contribute, to make everyone feel like part of the group, and to treat everyone as collaborators toward a common goal. The worst thing a manager can do is set up the session as an "I win, you lose" game, in which ideas are explicitly rated, ranked, and rewarded.

A Stanford graduate student once told me about a team leader at his former company who started giving bonuses to people who generated "the best" ideas in brainstorms. The resulting fear and dysfunctional competition drastically reduced the number of ideas generated by what had been a creative and cooperative group just weeks earlier.

7. Use brainstorming sessions for more than just generating good ideas.
Brainstorms aren't just a place to generate good ideas. At IDEO, these gatherings support the company's culture and work practices in a host of other ways. Project teams use brainstorms to get inputs from people with diverse skills throughout the company. In the process, a lot of other good things happen. Knowledge is spread about new industries and technologies, newcomers and veterans learn—or are reminded—about who knows what, and jumping into a brainstorm for an hour or so to think about someone else's problem provides a welcome respite from each designer's own projects. The explicit goal of a group brainstorm is to generate ideas. But the other benefits of routinely gathering rotating groups of people from around a company to talk about new and old ideas might ultimately be more important for supporting creative work.

8. Follow the rules, or don't call it a brainstorm.
This is true even if you only hold occasional brainstorms and even if your work doesn't require constant creativity. The worst ""brainstorms"" happen when the term is used loosely, and the rules aren't followed—or known—at all. Perhaps the biggest mistake that leaders make is failing to keep their mouths shut. I once went to a meeting that started with the boss saying, "Let's brainstorm." He followed this pronouncement with 30 minutes of his own rambling thoughts, without a single idea coming from the others in the room. Now that's productivity loss!

The rules vary from place to place. But Alex Osborn's original four still work: 1) Don't allow criticism; 2) Encourage wild ideas; 3) Go for quantity; 4) Combine and/or improve on others' ideas. To steal from IDEO, I'd add "One conversation at a time" and "Stay focused on the topic," as both help save groups from dissolving into disorder.

Robert Sutton is a professor at Stanford's School of Engineering, a co-founder of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford ("The d.school"), and an IDEO Fellow. Sutton is co-author of Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management (Harvard Business School Press, 2006). His blog is www.bobsutton.net.

Telok Gong Pro Chess Championship

Satu kejohanan menarik di Telok Gong.

• Pro Rating 1701 ke atas     
• Amatur
• Amatur bawah 12 tahun

Pro and Amatur bermain sekali dalam satu kategori tetapi hadiah berasingan untuk 10 keatas untuk setiap kategori dan amatur bawah 12 tahun bermain berasingan .
Banyak hadiah menanti anda dan lucky draw dengan handphone serta jam catur untuk di rebut.
INGAT 4 JULAI 2010 untuk berada di Telok Gong.

14 ANNUAL CHESS COMPETITION FOR OKU

Tournament : 14 Annual Chess Competition for Blind, Deaf and Handicap.
Place;            Berjaya Times Square, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur
Date;             16 May 2010
Time;             9.00 am to 6.00 pm
Prizes:           No details yet but could be the same as last year.
The top OKUs like Chuah Heng Meng, Ho Hea King, Iskandar Rashid, Saharuddin Mappa, Shaharuddin Sidek, Idris Mat Saman, Mahadir Ghani would be present likely and an attendence of 50 players are expected to fight it out for the best OKUs of Malaysia.
Contact Person  Mr Lim Yee Chiang 016 931 0979 for registration

Say No To Drugs

The on going World Championship Match in Sofia have created a few first.

1.  Complete silence to avoid asking for draw.
2. No handshake after a match
3. Three repeated moves for a draw and asking arbiter for the draw.
4. Drug test after the third game.

In the local chess senario, silence during the match have been and will be the norm for all tournaments.  Secondly handshakes is also a norm for friendship before and after the game, its only war and enemy on board but not before or after the game.  It all shows Gens Una Sumus, we are a family!
But the interesting factor is dope testing for chess.  So beware all drug users, dope testing could become a requirement for all FIDE rated tournaments in the future, be clean and reject all drugs, be a real champion clean of drugs. SAY NO TO DRUGS.  BE CLEAN.

Brainstorming II

Ground Rules

There are four basic rules in brainstorming.^[1] These are intended to reduce social inhibitions among groups members, stimulate idea generation, and increase overall creativity of the group.

1. Focus on quantity: This rule is a means of enhancing divergent production, aiming to facilitate problem solving through the maxim, quantity breeds quality. The assumption is that the greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution.
2. Withhold criticism: In brainstorming, criticism of ideas generated should be put 'on hold'. Instead, participants should focus on extending or adding to ideas, reserving criticism for a later 'critical stage' of the process. By suspending judgment, participants will feel free to generate unusual ideas.
3. Welcome unusual ideas: To get a good and long list of ideas, unusual ideas are welcomed. They can be generated by looking from new perspectives and suspending assumptions. These new ways of thinking may provide better solutions.
4. Combine and improve ideas: Good ideas may be combined to form a single better good idea, as suggested by the slogan "1+1=3". It is believed to stimulate the building of ideas by a process of association.

Process of preparing for a brainstorming session

[edit] Method

This article contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. The purpose of Wikipedia is to present facts, not to train. Please help improve this article either by rewriting the how-to content or by moving it to Wikiversity or Wikibooks. (April 2009)

[edit] Set the problem

Before a brainstorming session, it is critical to define the problem. The problem must be clear, not too big, and captured in a specific question such as "What service for mobile phones is not available now, but needed?". If the problem is too big, the facilitator should break it into smaller components, each with its own question.

[edit] Create a background memo

The background memo is the invitation and informational letter for the participants, containing the session name, problem, time, date, and place. The problem is described in the form of a question, and some example ideas are given. The memo is sent to the participants well in advance, so that they can think about the problem beforehand.

[edit] Select participants

The facilitator composes the brainstorming panel, consisting of the participants and an idea collector. A group of 10 or fewer members is generally more productive. Many variations are possible but the following composition is suggested.

• Several core members of the project who have proved themselves.
• Several guests from outside the project, with affinity to the problem.
• One idea collector who records the suggested ideas.

[edit] Create a list of lead questions

During the brainstorm session the creativity may decrease. At this moment, the facilitator should stimulate creativity by suggesting a lead question to answer, such as Can we combine these ideas? or How about looking from another perspective?. It is best to prepare a list of such leads before the session begins.

[edit] Session conduct

The facilitator leads the brainstorming session and ensures that ground rules are followed. The steps in a typical session are:

1. A warm-up session, to expose novice participants to the criticism-free environment. A simple problem is brainstormed, for example What should be the CEO's retirement present? or What can be improved in Microsoft Windows?.
2. The facilitator presents the problem and gives a further explanation if needed.
3. The facilitator asks the brainstorming group for their ideas.
4. If no ideas are forthcoming, the facilitator suggests a lead to encourage creativity.
5. All participants present their ideas, and the idea collector records them.
6. To ensure clarity, participants may elaborate on their ideas.
7. When time is up, the facilitator organizes the ideas based on the topic goal and encourages discussion.
8. Ideas are categorized.
9. The whole list is reviewed to ensure that everyone understands the ideas.
10. Duplicate ideas and obviously infeasible solutions are removed.
11. The facilitator thanks all participants and gives each a token of appreciation.

Process of conducting a brainstorming session

[edit] The process

• Participants who have ideas but were unable to present them are encouraged to write down the ideas and present them later.
• The idea collector should number the ideas, so that the chairperson can use the number to encourage an idea generation goal, for example: We have 44 ideas now, let’s get it to 50!.
• The idea collector should repeat the idea in the words he or she has written verbatim, to confirm that it expresses the meaning intended by the originator.
• When more participants are having ideas, the one with the most associated idea should have priority. This to encourage elaboration on previous ideas.
• During a brainstorming session, managers and other superiors may be discouraged from attending, since it may inhibit and reduce the effect of the four basic rules, especially the generation of unusual ideas.

[edit] Evaluation

Brainstorming is not just about generating ideas for others to evaluate and select. Usually the group itself will, in its final stage, evaluate the ideas and select one as the solution to the problem proposed to the group.

• The solution should not require resources or skills the members of the group do not have or cannot acquire.
• If acquiring additional resources or skills is necessary, that needs to be the first part of the solution.
• There must be a way to measure progress and success.
• The steps to carry out the solution must be clear to all, and amenable to being assigned to the members so that each will have an important role.
• There must be a common decision making process to enable a coordinated effort to proceed, and to reassign tasks as the project unfolds.
• There should be evaluations at milestones to decide whether the group is on track toward a final solution.
• There should be incentives to participation so that participants maintain their efforts.

[edit] Variations

[edit] Nominal group technique

The nominal group technique is a type of brainstorming that encourages all participants to have an equal say in the process. It is also used to generate a ranked list of ideas.
Participants are asked to write their ideas anonymously. Then the moderator collects the ideas and each is voted on by the group. The vote can be as simple as a show of hands in favor of a given idea. This process is called distillation.
After distillation, the top ranked ideas may be sent back to the group or to subgroups for further brainstorming. For example, one group may work on the color required in a product. Another group may work on the size, and so forth. Each group will come back to the whole group for ranking the listed ideas. Sometimes ideas that were previously dropped may be brought forward again once the group has re-evaluated the ideas.
It is important that the facilitator be trained in this process before attempting to facilitate this technique. The group should be primed and encouraged to embrace the process. Like all team efforts, it may take a few practice sessions to train the team in the method before tackling the important ideas.

[edit] Group passing technique

Each person in a circular group writes down one idea, and then passes the piece of paper to the next person in a clockwise direction, who adds some thoughts. This continues until everybody gets his or her original piece of paper back. By this time, it is likely that the group will have extensively elaborated on each idea.
The group may also create an "Idea Book" and post a distribution list or routing slip to the front of the book. On the first page is a description of the problem. The first person to receive the book lists his or her ideas and then routes the book to the next person on the distribution list. The second person can log new ideas or add to the ideas of the previous person. This continues until the distribution list is exhausted. A follow-up "read out" meeting is then held to discuss the ideas logged in the book. This technique takes longer, but it allows individuals time to think deeply about the problem.

[edit] Team idea mapping method

This method of brainstorming works by the method of association. It may improve collaboration and increase the quantity of ideas, and is designed so that all attendees participate and no ideas are rejected.
The process begins with a well-defined topic. Each participant brainstorms individually, then all the ideas are merged onto one large idea map. During this consolidation phase, participants may discover a common understanding of the issues as they share the meanings behind their ideas. During this sharing, new ideas may arise by the association, and they are added to the map as well. Once all the ideas are captured, the group can prioritize and/or take action.

[edit] Electronic brainstorming

Electronic brainstorming is a computerized version of the manual brainwriting technique. It can be done via email and may be browser based, or use peer-to-peer software.
The facilitator sends the question out to group members, and they contribute independently by sending their ideas back to the facilitator. The facilitator then compiles a list of ideas and sends it back to the group for further feedback. Electronic brainstorming eliminates many of the problems of standard brainstorming, such as production blocking and evaluation apprehension. An additional advantage of this method is that all ideas can be archived electronically in their original form, and then retrieved later for further thought and discussion. Electronic brainstorming also enables much larger groups to brainstorm on a topic than would normally be productive in a traditional brainstorming session.
Other brainstorming techniques are web-based, and allow contributors to post their comments anonymously through the use of avatars. This technique also allows users to log on over an extended time period, typically one or two weeks, to allow participants some "soak time" before posting their ideas and feedback. This technique has been used particularly in the field of new product development, but can be applied in any number of areas where collecting and evaluating ideas would be useful. Professor Olivier Toubia of Columbia University has conducted extensive research in the field of idea generation and has concluded that incentives are extremely valuable within the brainstorming context.^[6]

[edit] Directed brainstorming

Directed brainstorming is a variation of electronic brainstorming (described above). It can be done manually or with computers. Directed brainstorming works when the solution space (that is, the criteria for evaluating a good idea) is known prior to the session. If known, that criteria can be used to intentionally constrain the ideation process.
In directed brainstorming, each participant is given one sheet of paper (or electronic form) and told the brainstorming question. They are asked to produce one response and stop, then all of the papers (or forms) are randomly swapped among the participants. The participants are asked to look at the idea they received and to create a new idea that improves on that idea based on the initial criteria. The forms are then swapped again and respondents are asked to improve upon the ideas, and the process is repeated for three or more rounds.
In the laboratory, directed brainstorming has been found to almost triple the productivity of groups over electronic brainstorming.^[7]

[edit] Individual brainstorming

"Individual Brainstorming" is the use of brainstorming on a solitary basis. It typically includes such techniques as free writing, free speaking, word association, and drawing a mind map, which is a visual note taking technique in which people diagram their thoughts. Individual brainstorming is a useful method in creative writing and has been shown to be superior to traditional group brainstorming.^[8]

[edit] Question Brainstorming

This process involves brainstorming the questions, rather than trying to come up with immediate answers and short term solutions. This technique stimulates creativity and promotes everyone's participation because no one has to come up with answers. The answers to the questions form the framework for constructing future action plans. Once the list of questions is set, it may be necessary to prioritize them to reach to the best solution in an orderly way.^[9] Another of the problems for brainstorming can be to find the best evaluation methods for a problem.
Brainstorming all the questions also has been called questorming.^[10]

[edit] Conclusion

Brainstorming is a popular method of group interaction in both educational and business settings. Although it does not provide a measurable advantage in creative output, brainstorming is an enjoyable exercise that is typically well received by participants. Newer variations of brainstorming seek to overcome barriers like production blocking and may well prove superior to the original technique. How well these newer methods work, and whether or not they should be classified as brainstorming, are questions that require further research.

1. ^ ^{a b} Osborn, A.F. (1963) Applied imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem solving (Third Revised Edition). New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Son.
2. ^ Nijstad, B. A., Stroebe, W. Lodewijkx, H. F. M. (2003). Production blocking and idea generation: Does blocking interfere with cognitive processes? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 531-548.
3. ^ Diehl, M., & Stroebe, W. (1991). Productivity loss in idea-generating groups: tracking down the blocking effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 392-403.
4. ^ Mullen, B., Johnson, C., & Salas, E. (1991). Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: a meta-analytic integration. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 12, 3-23.
5. ^ Rickards, T., (1999) Brainstorming, M Runco & S Pritzker, Eds, Encyclopedia of Creativity, San Diego: Academic Press Vol 1 219-228.
6. ^ Toubia, Olivier, "Idea Generation, Creativity, and Incentives," Marketing Science (2006)
7. ^ Santanen, E., Briggs, R. O., & de Vreede, G-J. (2004). Causal Relationships in Creative Problem Solving: Comparing Facilitation Interventions for Ideation. Journal of Management Information Systems. 20(4), 167-198.
8. ^ Furnham, A., & Yazdanpanahi, T. (1995). Personality differences and group versus individual brainstorming. Personality and Individual Differences, 19, 73-80.
9. ^ Ludy, Perry J. Profit Building: Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler, Inc, 2000. Print.
10. ^ Questorming: An Outline of the Method, Jon Roland, 1985
11. ^ ^{a b} [1] Epilepsy Action, 2005

IS SILENT GOLDEN ?!!

The world of chess has been rocked by a controversial demand for the game's greatest international tournament to be played in complete silence.

By Matthew Day in Warsaw

Published: 10:57PM BST 23 Apr 2010

Current world champion Veselin Topalov from Bulgaria Photo:AFP/GETTY

Bulgarian champion Veselin Topalov has invoked little-known rules which allow him to ban conversation between the him and his opponent during the World Chess Championship.

Casting aside the sport's staid and cerebral reputation, he has insisted he will not speak to India's Viswanathan Anand as they compete for the title and a prize of £1.7 million over almost a month.

It is the first time the rules have been applied to the 12-match tournament, which starts in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Saturday, and have provoked uproar among players and fans.

Rules allowing players to demand a ban on communication were introduced in 2005 in order to curb the practice of competitors offering each other draws during drawn-out games.

But they have rarely been invoked and this is the first time any player has demanded their application in a world championship.

The move by Topalov, who has a reputation as the "bad boy" of chess, have been described as "insane" and "a sheer provocation".

The dispute has been escalated by Anand, a popular figure on the world chess scene, who has said he will refuse to play in silence, arguing "a world championship should be played with world championship rules."

His refusal prompted Mr Danailov to accuse the Indian and his camp of disrespect.

Silvio Danailov, the Bulgarian's manager, said his man would refuse to communicate with his opponent during the tournament even if spoken to.

"If Vishy [Mr Anand] doesn't agree to the rules he will be forced to, because Topalov will not offer him a draw and he will not speak to him," he said.

"In our personal opinion they show no respect to the organisers, the sponsors and the city of Sofia.

"Veselin in general doesn't like to be disturbed by talks and draw offers during the game. What is the problem here? Why do you call this provocation?"

The prospect of a silent world championship has caused a stir in golf's usual placid waters.

Arne Moll, columnist for website Chessvibes, said: "The most remarkable thing is that Danailov says that Topalov will not only refuse to offer any draws but also will ignore his opponent altogether.

"In other words, he will drop all courtesy and normal etiquette and create a 'non-speaking terms' atmosphere in a match in his home country, against one of the most relaxed and friendly chess players on the professional chess scene."

It is not the first time Mr Topalov has found himself embroiled on controversy during tournaments.

During the 2006 world championship, he scandalised the chess world when he accused Vladimir Kramnik, his Russian opponent, of cheating while in the lavatory.

In what became known as "Toiletgate", Mr Topalov claimed that the Russian had somehow managed, while inside the loo, to break strict rules prohibiting any communication with the outside world and get advice on what move to make next. Infuriated by the allegations Mr Kramnik, refused to play one match before going on to win the tournament.

OUR SPECIAL ONES

ourspecialones.com/home.html  

OKU perlu daftar untuk bantuan perubatan

KUALA LUMPUR - Golongan orang kurang upaya (OKU) perlu berdaftar dengan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) untuk menikmati kemudahan bantuan dan insentif kesihatan serta perubatan yang disediakan kerajaan, kata Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.       

Beliau dimaklumkan hanya 234,000 OKU yang berdaftar dengan JKM berbanding statistik agensi itu yang menganggarkan terdapat 1.3 juta OKU di negara ini.       

“Kementerian kita mempunyai pelbagai insentif untuk golongan ini sama ada dari segi kebajikan untuk diberikan kepada golongan ini tetapi jika mereka sendiri tidak tampil ke hadapan amat sukar untuk kita tahu berapa bilangan sebenar mereka dan berapa banyak keperluan yang perlu diagihkan,” katanya kepada media selepas merasmikan pameran 'Our Special Ones' di sini, semalam.       

Rosnah berkata, antara insentif untuk golongan OKU itu ialah mereka dikecualikan daripada dikenakan caj di hospital kerajaan, bayaran untuk pakar dan kemasukan percuma ke wad kelas tiga. - Bernama

Sifu was there the last two days to give support to the Our Specialones atThe Exibition Centre, Midvalley. Almost all bodies and firms associated with the Specialones or the OKUs participated with sales or services till this Sunday(25 April 2010). Do give your moral support to the OKUs just be there and visit them if you are in Midvalley, that is all they need from you.

OKU TOURNAMENTS

1. Karnival Paralimpik MBPJ -MPM Ke 2- PJ Terbuka 2010

•      CATUR

•      9 Mei 2010

•      8.00 pagi - 4.00 petang

•      Dewan D'Klana, Kelana Jaya (Ruang Legar).

•      Perseorangan
•      Berpasukan (3 peserta)
•      Percuma dan makan tengah hari disediakan
•      Pingat Emas, Perak dan Gangsa
•      Persiapan untuk pemilihan pemain pasukan negeri ka Sukan Paralimpik Malaysia 2010 nanti.
•      Pertanyaan Majlis Paralimpik Malaysia
•      Jabatan Pembangunan Atlit , Stadium Hoki Tun Razak, Jalan Duta, KL.
•      email : govmohan@yahoo.com
•      tel no. 03 6201 2654

TERBUKA UNTUK SEMUA KATEGORI OKU YANG BERDAFTAR DENGAN JKM

2. KEJOHANAN TERBUKA OKU LIONS 2010
    Tarikh dicadang pada 15 Mei 2010, semua maklumat akan dikemaskini dengan segera bila di terima kelak.

3. Paralimpik Malaysia Melaka 2010
    Difahamkan bahawa tarikh baru untuk Sukan Paralimpik Malaysia di Melaka 2010 adalah 21 - 26 November 2010, jadi ada masa lagi untuk semua jurulatih catur negeri mencari bakat baru untuk pasukan negeri untuk merebut pingat pingat Emas, Perak dan Ganggsa Perseorangan dan Berpasukan negeri ikut format Asean Paragames.  Ini akan di jadikan satu dari acara kejohanan pemilihan untuk pasukan Malaysia untuk Bandung 2011 kelak.
 

World Chess Tittle Match

Anand - Topalov LIVE commentary

Follow the World Chess Title Match in Sofia, between Viswanathan Anand of India and  Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov at blog link.

• 
  Susan Polgar Chess Daily News and Information

   

  All the matches with live commentary, so do not miss this opportunity 

Brainstorming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As part of coaching, a way to think forward is brainstorming or discussions involving deep concentration and thoughts on ways to solve or overcome a chess problem or preparations in facing the next opponent.

Brainstorming is a group creativity technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution of a problem. In 1953 the method was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in a book called Applied Imagination. Osborn proposed that groups could double their creative output with brainstorming.^[1]
Although brainstorming has become a popular group technique, researchers have not found evidence of its effectiveness for enhancing either quantity or quality of ideas generated. Because of such problems as distraction, social loafing, evaluation apprehension, and production blocking, brainstorming groups are little more effective than other types of groups, and they are actually less effective than individuals working independently.^[2][3][4] In the Encyclopedia of Creativity, Tudor Rickards, in his entry on brainstorming, summarizes its controversies and indicates the dangers of conflating productivity in group work with quantity of ideas.^[5]
Although traditional brainstorming does not increase the productivity of groups (as measured by the number of ideas generated), it may still provide benefits, such as boosting morale, enhancing work enjoyment, and improving team work. Thus, numerous attempts have been made to improve brainstorming or use more effective variations of the basic technique.

SIMUL WITH WORLD CHAMPION

Alexandra Kasteriuk Simul in Bagota
Pic from Chessblog.com

World Women Champion Alexandra Kasteriuk is a chess promoter and ambassador for the development of chess and the present Chess Queen see her blogs at Chessblog.com or www.Kasteriuk.com to follow her chess activities.
At a recent Simul in Bagota, she created a lively chess simul festival with 25 kids playing two at a time.  The children enjoy it in an atmosphere of fun with a world champion maybe this is one way to promote chess in among children, the fun attraction. Collin Madhavan, a simul king  from Kids 4 Chess should explore this method for chess fun and promotions.

Sports Coaching

http://wordpress.org/  
About Coaching
Coaching is an integral part of any sports. It is necessary to know all the rules & skills required to play a game. Coaching provides knowledge about the game in a bigger sense that helps to build confidence in students. It not only prepares a candidate for the learning the sport but also helps in over all development. Coaching provide support that is required by students to achieve success.
Sports Coaching
Sports coaching refers to training of candidates in different kinds of sports like basketball, football, tennis, cricket, hockey, baseball, table tennis, chess, etc. Each sport has its own rules & methods of playing it. People aspiring for a career in any kind of sports requires proper training. It is responsibility of the coach to provide complete information associated with the sport the candidate wishes to learn. Coaching is conducted at different levels for kids, youth & adults. They are classified into different age categories before starting a coaching program. Students can also learn about the game with the help of Books, Sports magazines, Expert’s Reviews, CD’s, etc.
Sports Coaching Program
It is important that a coach learns about his students before providing with any kind of a coaching program. A coach should know what are the requirements of the candidate & teach them accordingly. A coach should be able to differentiate between the candidates who already have some knowledge about the sport & students who are totally new to it. Students are required to specify what are their interests, which sport they would like to learn, what skills they already have, etc so that it helps a coach in deciding what methods & techniques can be used in providing effective training.
Teaching Sports
Proper teaching is very essential for any sport. Students should be able to understand what the coach is saying. Hence it is necessary that a coach should be clear & precise in explaining about the game.
A coach should impart knowledge in such a way that it creates interest in the candidates to learn more. He should create right environment for learning. It is also necessary that a coach should motivate his students to pursue further. To build confidence in students about the coach, he has to perform different roles like a mentor, a friend, a helping hand, guide, supervisor, leader, etc. A coach should divide the teaching process into different stages so that it helps students to understand better.
Basic Skills
To perform well students need to have some basic skills. These can be developed through proper training. To provide effective training a coach should also possess some skills like:

1. how to communicate precisely & effectively
2. what different techniques & methods can be used
3. able to give advice on safety methods
4. how to reduce or avoid accidents, injury, etc
5. help student in overall development
6. implement appropriate teaching methods & principles
7. enlightening on food & nutritional requirements
8. knowledge on relaxing & health maintenance
9. following legal rules & regulations
10. evaluating students performance

Roles Of A Coach
The role of a coach changes at every stage & the coach should be able to cope up with the students requirements. A coach cannot act as a friend all the time. He needs to behave according to the demands of the game.
When the student is new to the world of sports, a coach should a play as an Autocrat i.e he has to provide complete information on all the aspects of teaching & should have control over the student. When a student develops his skills & is able to understand the technicalities of the game, a coach’s has to play a Democratic role where both coach & the student discuss together on the required training methods. When a student achieves sound knowledge about the game & training rules, he’ll be able to decide himself what training is required & which can be avoided. Here the coach role changes to a adviser & is required to provide support as & when a student needs.
http://wordpress.org/

Brain Training & Speed Thinking

The popular Brain Training games used in Nintendo DS were developed by Dr Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese neuroscientist (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryuta_Kawashimat for more details). 
He also wrote a best selling book called Train Your Brain-60 days to a better brain, Penguin, 2007. Although there is some controversy about his work his research suggests the activities that tend to activate the brain most effectively are:
- Solving simple calculations quickly
- While you are reading aloud particularly when you do this faster; and
- While you are writing
Note how much emphasis Dr. Kawashima places on doing these activities quickly. This resonates with my work on speed thinking. I do not have access to brain imaging but participants comment on how more energised they feel when they do exercises similar to these. In my work i encourage participants to think as fast as they can in two minutes with a goal of trying to create at least nine ideas or solutions to a problem or challenge.
Some of the exercises we use are:
-What are nine things that make you smile (in this case we do this in 60 seconds)?
- What are nine surprising things about yourself?
I also obtain remarkable results when i ask people to draw quickly. For example, draw nine features of the worst meeting that you have ever been to in the next two minutes.
 People are often amazed at what they can produce. The drawings are insightful, expressive (a picture can tell a 1000 stories) and often quite emotional.
If Dr. Kawashima and my work on Speed Thinking is correct, these sorts of activities can help train your brain, keep you mentally sharp and make you more productive. It also makes you feel good. This sounds like a wonderful investment for a few minutes of your time each day.
Ken Hudson

ShareThis

Posted by Dr Ken Hudson on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 6:40 am
Filed under Mental Training · Tagged with

How to become an original thinker

 JUST ORIGINAL BUT NEED REBRANDING

 

Browse > Home / Archive by category 'Mental Training'

What does it mean to be an original thinker and why is it important?
I believe these are wonderful questions. I have tried most of my adult life to be original for better or for worse. It has made me sometimes stand out, to be able to think of different and sometimes valuable new ideas and solutions and follow my own path.
It has also meant that I have become bored far too easily, it has made me unpopular at times and i have lacked a single-minded focus with my business (something i am trying to remedy with my Speed Thinking concept).
But to be an original thinker is still something to be cherished i believe. We all need people in our lives that help us see something in a different light or can open us to a new possibility. Original Thinkers are people with courage and imagination that do not want to follow the crowd nor accept the prevailing wisdom. Sometimes original thinkers are way ahead of everyone else and shine a light that others may follow and occasionally there are people that are original but are just plain wrong or mad or both.
But every now and then wouldn’t it be good to be more original at work (and your personal life).–to be the first person to think of a breakthrough solution and to jump ahead of the competition. To help others break out of the ‘me-too’ cycle?
How do you become an original thinker?
Here are some suggestions:
- Deliberately adopt an unpopular point of view and see the world fro this perspective e.g. is a good for the world that America is so powerful?
- Open your mind to new stimulus e.g. I read psychology and science magazines even though i am neither a psychologist nor scientist.
- Think of the ‘rules of the game’ that everyone seems to follow e.g. why are mobile phones getting smaller and smaller when the population is becoming older?
- Value your own experiences. We have been brought up to believe that our own experiences are somehow not valid they are too subjective. My bet is that if you are frustrated with a product or service for example then others feel the same way.
- Be fast. Don’t hesitate or second guess yourself. The lesson from Speed Thinking is that it is a process that enables your authentic and original self to emerge.
- Have courage. Be brave and follow your own thoughts. Be sure that if you voice a point of view others will follow.
These suggestions can help you become more original. Being able to think for yourself is a priceless ability and asset–in a washed out, neutral, grey world, a splash of colour can really stand out.
Ken Hudson
ShareThis

Posted by Dr Ken Hudson on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 10:05 am
Filed under Brainstorming, Mental Training · 

NWM Choo MIN Wang

Source:QSS
NM Choo Min Wang taking on 13 opponents, wish could named them, any chance Choo or QSS !!.

After getting the National Master tittle in 1957, Choo Min Wang never left the chess scene, he was in Malaysian Chess Federation on a number of roles and basically looking after chess affairs for Dato Tan Chin Nam and presently still a strong player and lecturing chess at MMU and Cyberjaya.

Sifu got to know Choo in the 80's when sifu want to learn about arbitership, basically he became sifu's mentor in arbitership and chess management with Laurence How the second mentor.  Learning arbitership was manual using pairing cards unlike now with chess swiss pairing avaliable even on the internet, another person who gave encouragement, norms and a great mentor to be an International Arbiter was Champomanes, the former FIDE President who invited sifu to the Manila and Athens Olympiad in the late 80's and the FIDE CARDEC Scholarship to Moscow in USSR then.
But  Choo biggest achievement was the winning of three Gold Medals and three Silvers in the Asean Paralimpics at Manila, Korat and Kuala Lumpur.  Choo was certified partially blind due to age and cronic eyeball problem that being certified as blindness and sifu gladly accepted Choo as an paralimpic athlete.
His first outing in Manila was a miss on gold, when he won two silvers in blind individual and team events.
In Korat, the cold weather was not too kind on him, when he was coughing and his cold played havoc for him to miss a checkmate on the Gold medalist to give him a Bronze  individual medal and a silver team medal.
But in Kuala Lumpur 2009, Choo was ready to capture B2B3 Individual Gold, a Combined B1B2B3 Individual and Team Gold with with Mah Hassan and Shaharuddin Sidek.
It was a great achievement for chess in Malaysia to win the first men gold ever in chess either in able or paralimpic chess.  MSN honoured him with an award but sifu would recommend him for the Malaysia Best Man Chess Atlete for the NM, 3 Golds, 3 Silvers and a Bronze medals.
Will Choo, who is a chess veteran, play in Bandung Asean Paragames 2011 ? Until and unless new young players appear on the scene and beat Choo, who is still unbeatable in paralimpic chess, qualifying would be a formality.

Positive Mental Attitude

The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude

Photo by Children At Risk Foundation

“A positive mental attitude is the starting point of all riches,
whether they be riches of a material nature or intangible riches.“
- Napoleon Hill

Okay, so there’s no myth that I am a positive person, or at least striving to be one. However, I am aware that I’m not positive all the time. I am continuously working to become conscientious of my choices, thoughts and reactions. I frequently get asked about positive thinking, and I wanted to first clear up some points of confusion.
Positive people are not living like Pollyanna in some dream world with no hold on reality. Positive people may have an attitude like Pollyanna, but they are not necessarily unrealistic. Positive person are very capable of understanding the reality of a cynic. They just change their mindset to see the reality from a different perspective.
With so many myths about positive mental attitude (PMA), it’s important to separate the truth from the fiction. Let’s explore some of these myths and dive into the truths behind them.

Myth #1: Negative thinking is more realistic.

Have you ever heard a negative person say that they aren’t negative; they’re just being ‘realistic’? This myth keeps people locked in a negative reality of their own creation.
A person’s thoughts, whether positive or negative, do have an effect on their environment. If you think negatively, your mind will automatically seek out confirmation that the world is a terrible place. Seeing is believing, and your mind reinforces your belief that reality is negative. See how it’s a downward spiral of negativity? If you expect negative results, you are less likely to take risks and try new things. Negative thinking masks your impressions in fear.
Positive thinking works the same way. With a positive mental attitude, you’ll seek out positive choices and expect positive results. This helps you move past fear and try things that others may believe “can’t be done”. This typically end in positive results.
A person’s thinking helps determine their reality. Negative thinking is realistic for the negative thinker, but only because their thoughts make it true. Ironically, the positive thinking also sees reality, just in a different light. Both types of people see their own reality, and both consider it the reality.

Myth #2: People with a PMA expect moneybags to fall out of the sky if they wish for them.

Those who don’t believe in positive thinking imagine that positive thinkers expect that their desire will manifest itself if they simply think positively about it. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Everyone who accomplishes anything - whether it’s earning a million dollars or becoming an award-winning actor - accomplish it the same way: by taking action. Positive people have an edge because they believe the object of their desire is attainable. They come from a ‘can-do’ mindset. Their actions are not based on fear or scarcity, but based on possibilities. Thus, a positive attitude helps a person manifest their desires, not simply by dreaming about it, but by inspiring the person to take action.

“It’s the action behind the attraction that makes the dream come true.“

Myth #3: Positive thinking doesn’t change reality

People who believe this myth see a problem and believe that positive thinking will only ignore the ugliness of their reality. The truth is positive thinking doesn’t ignore the problem; it helps you see the problem in a new light. In fact, you don’t even see ‘problems’ as problems. Think about it; regardless of how you react to an external situation, the situation will still be the same. If being upset doesn’t change the outcome of a past situation, wouldn’t it serve you, and your health, to see the positives?
A positive mental attitude creates a mindset of abundance, enthusiasm, and solutions. Instead of thinking about what can’t be done, a positive thinker will not be constrained by ‘can’ and ‘cannot.’ A positive thinker is free to think of new ways to solve problems because they are not limited by fear of failure. When we are in a state of abundance, we provide a fertile ground for possibilities and making dreams a reality. We are in a state of allowance, openly accepting the gifts of life to flow to us. When I realized this principle and shifted my thinking habits, miracles started popping up in my life.
A positive mental attitude can - and indeed does - change reality by allowing a person to act in an entirely different way, thus harvesting entirely different results.

“Successful men become successful only because
they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success.“
- Napoleon Hill