We do not seem to be getting many new Malaysian players on the international rating list that is maintained every six months by the World Chess Federation. On the contrary, we are slowing losing our numbers.
In the latest list released by FIDE last month, we lost Jimmy Liew, Christi Hon, Francis Chin and V Gregory due to their inactivity. I really cannot remember the last time that these four players had played in an internationally-rateble tournament.
It must be due to the pressures of working life. International tournaments can stretch over two weeks so it is simply not possible for a responsible breadwinner or family person to spend too much time away from work or their family.
But at least where Liew is concerned, we do see him occasionally in local tournaments where he is still a force to be reckoned with. But the others, where are they?
A second reason must be that of opportunity. Although there are many foreign tournaments, not many foreign organisers will think about inviting us as we do not have players of high calibre.
Our players cannot achieve higher ratings because they do not get much exposure. It is clearly a catch-22 situation which the Malaysian Chess Federation must rectify. It is good that a lot of encouragement is given to school children but it is equally good if some thought is given to the senior players.
If we do not provide the seniors with opportunities, sooner or later they will end up in the same company as Liew, Hon, Chin and the rest. It is possible to organise some serious internationally-rateable tournaments in the country with shorter periods of play to keep our players active but the seniors must play their part too.
Unfortunately, most of them tend to give MCF tournaments, including the national closed championship, a wide berth which is most regretable as this is a key tournament where the MCF is concerned. From this event, players are chosen to represent the country in events like the Chess Olympiad, the Asian team chess championship or the zonal tournaments. These events provide the best possible chances for our players to remain active in FIDE's eyes.
Consequently, we end up with senior players who are internationally rated but because they do not play further in FIDE events and are inactive, FIDE remove them from the rating list eventually.
As a result, the MCF is forced to depend on the new junior players to make their mark in the Chess Olympiad or Asian team championship.
Coming back to the latest FIDE list, Peter Long continues to be our top- placed player with an unchanged rating of 2350 while a newcomer to the list is Mas Hafizulhelmi who is rated at 2275.
Players with unchanged ratings are Eric Cheah (2255), Mok Tze Meng (2240), Goh Yoon Wah (2230), Collin Madhaven (2220), Mohd Kamal Abdullah (2210), Ng Ek Teong (2200), Mohd Sabar Hashim (2195), Ahmad Muzaffar (2185) and Thomas Lam (2105).
Apart from Mas, another new addition to the FIDE list is Mohd Fairin Zakaria who has a 2220 rating. Ooi Chern Ee is also rated 2220, an increase by 35 points over the January 1995 list. However, Yeoh Chin Seng's rating plunged from 2250 to 2195.
Among our women players, Audrey Wong is rated 2070 and Nurul Huda Wahiduddin is 2040.
TIME FOR ANOTHER AGM
The Malaysian Chess Federation annual general meeting scheduled on Aug 6 has been postponed due to lack of quorum.
The AGM has been fixed on Sept 1 (3pm) at the Wisma Belia in Kuala Lumpur. The federation can be assured of quorum this time as the AGM coincides with the Merdeka team chess championship in Kuala Lumpur.
The agenda of this year's AGM is rather straightforward: just a review of the previous year's programme and the adoption of the annual accounts. It is not an election year and there is no indication of any proposal to change the constitution.
Meanwhile, the 14th Merdeka team chess championship starts on next Friday and will continue until Sep 3. The Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia are the organisers and the three sections - state, youth (under-18) and open - will all be staged concurrently.
Entry fees are RM150 for teams taking part in the state and open sections, and RM80 in the youth section. Entries received after the closing date on Aug 31 will be charged an additional RM30 as late fees.
MERDEKA EVENTS
Here is a reminder to readers in Johor that the one-day Merdeka open tournament organised by the Johor Bahru District Chess Club will be played on Aug 31 at the Holiday Inn in Taman Century, Johor Bahru.
The open section features a top prize of RM300; the under-18 section has a first prize of RM100; and the winner of the under-12 section will get RM80.
Entry fees are RM15 for the open section, RM5 for the under-18 section and RM4 for the under-12 section. Those interested should register with the organisers by today since only the first 200 entries will be accepted. For details, contact Narayanan Krishnan (tel: 07-331-7604 or 07-333-8215).
In Perak, the state-level Merdeka celebrations committee will hold a similar tournament on Aug 31 at the Dewan Bandaran DBI in Ipoh. There will be 10 cash prizes, and the entry fee is RM8 per person.
This open event will double as a selection for players to represent the state at the Merdeka team championship in Kuala Lumpur. For details, contact Mrs Teh or Mr Chan of the organising committee during office hours (tel: 05-253-7924, 05-253-7926 or 05-253-7928) or Mohd Jamil Yahya in the evening (tel: 05-526-7091).
Meanwhile, the Perak Merdeka youth tournament in Ipoh on Aug 9 was won by Mohd Hussein Mohd Jamil. Second was Ooi Chong Chye, third was Hafizul Razali and fourth was Mohd Johan Mohd Jamil.
These four players will turn out for the Perak youth squad at the Merdeka team championship in Kuala Lumpur.
