R.I.P. Jackie Wong

Jackie Wong (or Mrs Wong as everybody called her) passed away yesterday from cancer.

I just came back from the wake which was attended by a number of chess players and chess enthusiasts. Besides current CAS chess officials and players, I also met former players Joseph Toh and Tony Tay , a national master from yesteryears, who came to pay their respects.


Jackie was the longest serving secretary of the Chess Association of Selangor and possibly the main driving force behind the association in her day. Those who know her will remember her as a strong-willed and independent woman; useful qualities in our chess circles which is mainly dominated by men.

Jackie actively encouraged her children to play chess  Chess was not well popularized at that time and she had no idea where to turn to. She once told me the story how she had to put an advertisement in the papers to look for chess players to play with her daughter, Audrey. The ad was noticed by the president of CAS who put her in touch with the association. Both her children, Audrey and Adrian, became strong juniors in the 1980s. Audrey regularly competed in open tournaments and eventually became our first Women International Master.

Cremation will be tomorrow morning at the Gui Yuan Crematorium (Besides SK Kampung Tunku) at Jalan 229 in Petaling Jaya.