2012新加坡丘邱氏公会43周年会庆象棋团体邀请赛简则和节目表

【碧山东】王印后胜【牛车水】刘亿南
posted by 王印

牛车水 赖俊杰 先胜 飞鹰 卷心菜

象棋，孙子兵法于狮城之功
--吕罗拔教授
（新加坡丘氏公会43周年庆典上致辞全文）

27年前，本人曾经是新加坡象棋总会会长，后来也担任过马来西亚象棋总会会长，一直以来都在考铨象棋的来历，直到今天我们有理由相信它是源于姜太公。据说，姜太公在其故里日照垂钓那段时期也同时致力研习兵法，并在一些小石块的平面上书写上车马，将帥，兵卒，士象等字样，分成两阵对垒，此是一种兵法演义。

后来，在周武王大力推崇下，也成为将相以及军士和民间一种普遍休闲。在经历许多朝代的沿袭与改进，到了南宋时期更加上“炮”这棋种，便形成我们今天的格局。

象棋是一门大学问，我们常说历来没有一场战争是完全一样的，象棋更也千变万化，因此两者都要讲究随机应变，都要在变化中求胜的思维方法，这便是宝贵不过的“因应”哲学。新加坡此数十年来在成功上取得无比赞誉，相信便是讲求象棋与孙子兵法的“因应”而来，这也是说，狮城的成功泰半是综合了中国象棋与《孙子》法则理论之功。新加坡早期那20多年举国都异常重视象棋文化的推崇。可是，象棋也是一种没落文化，然而经过它的洗礼则更有无比作为，“知之者胜”。那时同时得到《联合早报》《晚报》《新明日报》四大中英文报的热烈推广，故此，每场赛会的人数都有500至2000人之间，那是象棋最繁荣的年代，那7年的“黄金岁月”，也形成我们科学思想的组成部分。

曾记得，1973年当我从怡保移居到新加坡时，便到牛车水联络所观看象棋比赛，在开幕仪式上居然看到当时鼎鼎大名的外交部长，拉惹勒南主持开幕，全场人数70人，场面却很温馨也充满亲和力，顿时使我对狮城产生良好印象。十年后新加坡象棋总会每年都举办两次全球赛或区域赛，一连六年都得到政府首长莅临主持开幕或颁奖仪式。特别是每年一度由《海峡时报》赞助的海峡时报杯全国赛，以及得到英国健力士黑啤每年赞助十万坡币以上，凡此种种，都是有拜政府推崇之故，当时有两位象棋界的杰出人物，一位是象棋总会的秘书长（简俊清先生）及赛务主任谭铭宪等众多人士作出“鞠躬尽瘁”之功，以无私贡献而创造了一个“象棋的全盛时代”，特别是各报章，图文并貌，大事弘扬，使6年的象棋风气吹遍了整个城市国家，所谓“为政在人”此是政要之功，所造成的形势，无可单独居功，所谓“象棋盛，国家盛”也许那还要加上孙子兵法作为大后方。

中国象棋与中国兵法，都是力求不出半点差错的学问，也是“每走一步都是为了未来”，都讲究理论根据与全盘的规划，两者都是异常讲求不错失任何有利的机遇，“不失敌之败也”这是科学进取的哲学也必然是未来世界趋势，但是这两者都是异常深奥的学问，假如我们能把中华文化这两套国粹弄得清清楚楚，在思想上便能“举重诺轻”“迎刃有余”。可是，又有谁能把这两者结合起来？也许，只有新加坡。

可是没有经过刻苦修读，没有10年以上经历，没有名师共同研讨及边学边用，则无以为功。

在还未讲到孙子兵法于新加坡之功的主题时，本人先要感谢两位在场的嘉宾，一位是李海龙先生当时他的妹夫是新加坡中小企业联合会的会长，当时陈桂月博士是新加坡国立大学中文系主任，他们两位联合中小型厂商公会为我筹备了一场盛大的孙子兵法讲座在乌节路文华酒店的大礼堂举行，酒店安排300座位。却来了500人，真固是爆满，还要临时加位，那次收费每位15新币。桂月博士也亲自为我主持讲座。如此热烈，说明了大众对孙子兵法的肯定，更重要的是，由那次起我走向中国各大学不停的做学术报告。

正是“饮水要思源”，事隔9年，我才表达我的谢意，这会太迟了吗？谢谢你海龙先生，桂月教授，还有当时出席的许多象棋界的朋友，本人希望有另一次机遇好让我迈出第二步。至于如何应用孙子学就下回见面。

本人翻阅孙子兵法已达50年，进行孙子兵法演讲22年，680场次及20所大学巡回客座。今晚，要把我的经历分析，希望对您有所帮助。以期助龙腾飞。

对我们孙子兵法学者来说，新加坡当局在应用孙子兵法来说简直是“锲而不舍”也贯彻始终，于此不免有人要说，“是否是孙子精神打造了新加坡”。

我们都知道，当年吴庆瑞博士曾说，“IF YOU DON,T STUDY THE ART OF WAR ,BY SUN TZU,HOW CAN YOU BECOME THE PRIMINISTER OF SINGAPORE”——不读孙子兵法怎可当新加坡总理，此便可说尽这部世界名著的功能，它是“隐形的翅膀”帮助我们飞跃人生。它是我们希望之神，让我们携手研习，共同迈向一个新世纪。以收“知之者胜”，全面胜，无比胜。


注 ， 此是，象棋及孙子兵法闻人吕罗拔教授于新加坡丘氏公会43周年庆典上致辞全文。

当晚，宴开60席，为况殊盛。
2012年4月8日于千禧楼

Xiangqi, Art of War & their credit to Singapore

Professor Looi's speech on Annual Dinner of 43rd anniversary celebration of the Singapore Hew Clansman Association
8 Apr 2012

Mr Hew Wan Tat, chairman of the anniversary celebration committee
Committee members and members of the Singapore Hew Clansman Association
Representatives from the various guilds and associations
Friends from the Chinese chess circle
Ladies and gentlemen

Tonight marks the 43rd anniversary celebration of the Singapore Hew Clansman Association. I am honored to be present on this auspicious occasion, and am indeed delighted to witness the joyful and harmonious atmosphere of this gathering. I am sure every one of the 600 guests present here this evening would like to join me to say: “How much I love this occasion and I love you all”. Indeed, everyone present here tonight is a lovely person.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have always held a high opinion of the Singapore Hew Clansman Association, which commands strong support of the guilds and associations and whose members are so cordial among themselves. Every year, I look forward to this day. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my best regards and congratulations to Mr Hew Wan Tat and his management team on their strong spirit of co-operation. I hope that this team spirit will be emulated by other organizations to make this world a better place, where people live in perfect harmony, co-operation, happiness and prosperity.

Tonight, if you could bear with me, I would like to touch a little on the origin of The Chinese chess and the study of Sunzi’s Art of War in Singapore.

Twenty-seven years ago, I was once the president of the Singapore Chinese Chess Association. Later I also became president of the Malaysia Chinese Chess Association. I have always taken a keen interest to study the origin of the Chinese chess. Today I have reason to believe that the Chinese chess owes its origin to ancient Chinese philosopher Jiang Taigong. It was said that when Jiang tried to kill time as an angler in his farm house, he also studied the art of war. He wrote the words "chariot, horse, general, soldier, official and elephant" on the pebbles he had gathered to play a game of war between two rival states.

Later, encouraged by the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, the war game using pebbles became a popular pastime among the ordinary people as well as the soldiers. During the Song Dynasty, the war game gained popularity and pebbles to indicate new military weapons were added to the game, which began to take the form of today’s Chinese chess.

The Chinese chess is a great art. It is said that in the wars fought in this world, there were no two wars which were completely identical. Likewise one set of chess game differs vastly from the other. In a set of chess game, as in a battle, one needs to act quickly according to the changing situation in order to triumph. This is the most important philosophy of “cause and consequence” in the art of war. In the past decades the Lion City owed most of its achievements of success, which won worldwide acclaim, to the chess game philosophy. This is to say that most of Singapore cases of success reflected the rules and theories of the chess game. In the 20 years in the early Singapore history, the whole nation helped in promoting the chess culture. It is unfortunate that the chess culture has been on the decline in recent years. Nevertheless, with the support of the Chinese and English media of Singapore, the chess culture has been given a new lease of life as seen in the positive response to the Chinese chess competitions in Singapore recently. Each of these competitions attracted between 500 and 2,000 spectators.

I remember when I first moved to Singapore from Malaysia in 1974, I went to the Chinatown liaison centre to watch a Chinese chess competition. At the opening ceremony, I was surprised to see the republic’s then Foreign Minister Rajaratnam, who was there to perform the opening ceremony. There were not more than 70 people present at the scene. Nevertheless I was deeply impressed by the cordial atmosphere of the scene. Ten years later, the Singapore Chinese Chess Association organized Chinese chess competition twice a year. For six years consecutively, the competition was opened by a Singapore government leader. The prize giving ceremony was also performed by a government leader. The annual Straits Times Cup sponsored by the Straits Times newspaper received financial support of more than $100,000 from the Guinness Stout of the United Kingdom – thanks to the Singapore government backing of the event. Here I would like to mention the two outstanding personalities in the Chinese chess circle at that time. The selfless contribution of the late Kan Chun Ching, former general secretary of the Singapore Chinese Chess Association and chief judge of the Chinese chess competition Than Min Sian had brought about a “golden age” in the Chinese chess activities in Singapore, which perhaps could be enhanced by the principles of the Sunzi’s Art of War.

The Chinese chess and the Chinese Sunzi’s art of war do not allow the slightest judgment error and they emphasize that every step taken is for the future. They stress on theory and overall planning and never letting go a good opportunity. But the profound knowledge of these two cultures is difficult to grasp. If we can fully understand the quintessential qualities of these two Chinese cultures, we will truly be in a state of enlightenment. Perhaps Singapore can be the student to try to fathom the depths of these two cultures.

However, without hard work and experience of at least 10 years, guidance and direction, it is by no means easy task for Singapore.

I have studied the Sunzi’s Art of War for 50 years and have lectured on the subject for 22 years. I have given 680 talks on Sunzi’s Art of War and have been invited by 20 universities in mainland China to lecture on the subject. This evening, I am prepared to share my experience with you on this subject and I hope that I will be of help to you.

We, as students of the Sunzi’s Art of War, are impressed by the efforts of the Singapore government to apply the teaching of the art. We are tempted to ask: has the Sunzi’s Art of War made Singapore what it is today?

We all remember, former Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee once said: “If you don’t study the Art of War by Sunzi, how can you become the Prime Minister of Singapore?” Dr Goh’s words indicate the weight of this world class classic. The Sunzi’s Art of War is a pair of unseen wings that will help us soar in the sky in search of our objective.