New venue for Merdeka tourney

THE plush setting of the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur shall, for the first time, be the venue of this year's 17th Merdeka team chess championship on Aug 28-30.

How the PWTC came to be chosen as the home for this year's competition is an interesting story. For many years and for many chess players around the country, whenever the Merdeka chess championship was brought up, Wisma Belia in Kuala Lumpur would be mentioned in the same breath. To them, Wisma Belia was synonymous with the event itself.

Then last year, the Terengganu Chess Association proposed to hold the Merdeka chess championship in Kuala Terengganu. It was an offer which the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) could not refuse, because the TCA had offered to match the Merdeka celebration committee's budget on a ringgit-for-ringgit basis.

Unfortunately, the proposal fell through and the MCF brought the Merdeka event back to Kuala Lumpur.

Luckily for MCF, the PWTC had been attempting to promote the place as a centre for chess excellence in the capital. For example, among the facilities is a perfectly usable giant chess set which is a guaranteed conversation piece for visitors to the PWTC chess centre.

Since the start of this year, the centre has been the venue for several small local events but in the past months, the two most prominent events to be held there were the Malaysia-Singapore match and the national age-group championship.

It did not take long for MCF to convince the PWTC authorities that the place would be suitable for the Merdeka chess championship. Moreover, a deal was made with the nearby Dynasty Hotel to provide accommodation for the players at a special promotional rate.

Last year's competition was expanded from a seven-round to a nine-round event but it reverts back to seven rounds this year. Consequently, the number of playing days has also been reduced from four to three. One aspect of the championship that is unchanged, however, is the playing categories which remain at three.

The main attraction is the state category where the fight is for the Deputy Prime Minister's trophy. The MCF can expect most of the state chess associations to send their strongest line-ups. For the youth category, the winner will be awarded the Merdeka youth challenge trophy.

The other main feature is the open category which has always attracted teams from far and near. Last year, Bali Jeff, a very strong team from Indonesia came to sweep the first prize.

Bali Jeff is not anticipated to defend their title this year but even without them, the keen competition from the local teams and maybe a few from Singapore will certainly raise the temperature in the playing hall by a few degrees.

Registration for the teams starts at 8.30am on Aug 28. The first round will commence at 3pm and the second round at 7.45pm. On the second day, the rounds begin at 9am, 1pm and 4.30pm, while on the last day of the competition, the final two rounds will start at 9am and 1.30pm. The closing ceremony will be held at 5pm.

Prizes for the state category are RM2,000, RM1,500 and RM1,000. The winner will also receive custody of the Deputy Prime Minister's challenge trophy. The five prizes in the youth section are RM1,000, RM750, RM500, RM300 and RM150. The Merdeka youth challenge trophy will also go to the winner.

There will be seven prizes for the open category. The winning team will receive RM2,000 and the runner-up RM1,500. The other prizes are RM1,000, RM800, RM600, RM400 and RM200. In addition, there are special prizes for the best government department, women's, school, and family teams.

Entry fees are RM150 for teams playing in the State and open categories, and RM80 for the youth category. The closing date for entries is Aug 23.

For more details, contact Ibrahim Bakar (tel: 03-559-5442) or Ibrahim Yaacob (tel: 03-636-3082) after 7pm.

Make a date at Endah Parade

THE Endah Parade Chess Challenge starts this weekend at the Endah Parade in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. The Endah Parade blitz tournament will be played tomorrow afternoon and players can register for this event beginning at 1pm. The first round is scheduled to start at 2pm.

This blitz event is a 13-round Swiss, and the champion will receive a trophy and RM200. The runner-up will get RM100 while the third prize is RM50. Entry fee is RM10 per player.

On Sunday, there will be the Endah Parade Age Group Open. These under-16 and under-12 events will be played as a six-round Swiss. Participants are required to register at 9am. For both age groups, the champion will get a trophy and RM200, and the runner-up RM100. The prizes for third and the best girl player are RM50 each. Entry fee is RM10.

Selection event

THERE will be a selection tournament at the Methodist High School in Malacca on Aug 8 to select players for the Malacca state team which will be participating in the Merdeka team chess championship. This event, organised by FCLChess, will have an open section as well as an under-11 section.

Entry fee is RM10, and the closing date is Aug 5. Entries received after this date will be subjected to availability of places and the payment of a late fee of RM5. Players are required to be at the playing hall by 9am on the date of competition.

Meanwhile, FCLChess also disclosed that it will organise a series of local rating tournaments with the first scheduled for the Holiday Villa Subang in Selangor on Aug 16. Entry fee is RM15 and the closing date is Aug 10. There will be four sections -- under-8, under-10, under-12 and under-14.

For more information on the two events, contact Foong Chee Leng (tel: 013-360-2316).

Penang Chess League

AFTER a week's break, the eighth Penang Bayview Chess League resumes this Sunday beginning 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant on the 15th floor. The competition, which began on June 7, will end on Aug 16.

The standings in the Premier Division after six rounds are: Penang Free School A 21 pts; Old Frees Association A 17 1/2 pts; Chung Ling High School A 16 pts; Chung Ling Old Boys Association 15 1/2 pts; Methodist Boys School A and Pessca 10 1/2 pts each; Universiti Sains Malaysia 8 pts; MSSPP Juniors and Old Frees Association B 7 1/2 pts each; and Chung Ling High School B 6 pts.

In Division One: Penang Free School B and Chung Ling High School C 20 pts each; St Xavier's Institution A 16 1/2 pts; Penang Development Corporation 16 pts; Chung Ling High School D 13 pts; Hewlett-Packard 12 1/2 pts; Penang Chess Association Novices and Chung Hwa Confucian A 6 1/2 pts each; Penang Free School C and Union High School 6 pts each.

Division Two: MSSPP Girls and Penang Free School D 17 1/2 pts each; Polis Di Raja Malaysia 16 1/2 pts; St Xavier's Institution B 15 pts; Chung Hwa Confucian B 14 pts; Chung Ling High School E 13 pts; Methodist Boys School B 10 1/2 pts; Dynacraft 9 1/2 pts; Penang Chinese Girls High School 5 pts; and Westlands Secondary School 2 1/2 pts.

The round-by-round results of the Bayview Chess League can be viewed from the Penang Chess Association homepage on the Internet at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/.

VIP visitors to the PWTC Chess Centre trying out the giant chess set: Singapore High Commissioner K. Kesavapany (right), Malaysian Chess Federation honorary president Datuk Tan Chin Nam (centre), and Malaysian Chess Federation vice-president Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdul Aziz (left).

 

A busy month ahead

JUDGING from the number of chess organisers who have contacted me this past week or so, August is starting to look like one very busy month indeed.

The month begins with some tournaments in Kuala Lumpur, then the action moves south to Johor before switching back to Kuala Lumpur at the end of the month for the traditional Merdeka team championship. Of course, during the month itself, the Penang Bayview Chess League continues, although it will wind down in about three weeks.

All right, let's see what are the tournaments in store for players next month.

Endah Parade Challenge, Kuala Lumpur (Aug 1): For starters, there will be the Endah Parade Chess Challenge in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, jointly organised by the Endah Parade and the Malaysian Chess Federation. The Endah Parade blitz tournament will start in the afternoon; registration for players will open at 1pm, with the first round scheduled to start at 2pm. This blitz event is a 13-round Swiss, and the champion will receive a trophy and RM200. The runner-up will get RM100 while the third prize is RM50. Entry fee is RM10 per player.

Endah Parade Age Group Open, Kuala Lumpur (Aug 2): These under-16 and under-12 events will be played in a six-round Swiss, and participants are required to register at 9am. For both age groups, the champion will get a trophy and RM200, and the runner-up RM100. The prizes for third and the best girl player are RM50 each. Entry fee is RM10.

Endah Parade Computer Challenge, Kuala Lumpur (Aug 8): The organisers of the Endah Parade events hope to have a competition between human players and computer chess programs like Chessmaster and Fritz. However, the format has not been finalised and the only information released to date is that the event will be played over six rounds beginning 1pm. There are five non-cash prizes. Entry fee is RM5 per player.

Endah Parade Open, Kuala Lumpur (Aug 9): This open chess tournament will complete the Endah Parade chess challenge. This is a six-round Swiss, and registration begins at 9am. Entry fee is RM10 for players who are under 12 years old, and RM15 for others. Ten cash prizes are on offer, including a RM250 first prize, a RM200 second prize and a RM150 third prize. Fourth and fifth will receive RM100 each, and those who finish sixth to 10th will get RM50 each. In addition, there are RM50 prizes for the best under-16, under-14, under-12 and girl players.

Entry forms for the events can be obtained from, and submitted to, the information counter at Endah Parade. However, entry fees will only be collected on the day of registration. Would-be participants should submit their entry forms early because each of the events would be limited to the first 100 participants. For more details, contact Zac, Yuonne or Soo Kee (03-583 0100).

MSE Silver Jubilee, Johor (Aug 9): This year is the 50th anniversary of Malaysia Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd, and to mark the occasion, the company will organise a silver jubilee open chess tournament at their training centre in Pasir Gudang. This event will be played in two sections -- open and under-16 -- and there will be a total of RM3,000 in prizes.

For the open section, the entry fee will be RM20 while RM10 will be collected from the players of the under-16 section. The winner of the open section will receive RM300, and the second-placed player will get RM250. Other main prizes include RM200 for third, RM150 for fourth and RM100 for fifth. The sixth to 10th prizes range from RM80 to RM40.

As for the under-16 section, the winner will get RM150 and the runner-up RM120. There are also prizes for the third to 10th-placed winners, including a RM100 third prize and a RM80 fourth prize. For registration or information, call M. Said Husin (07-259 3784) or Shamsuddin Taimain (07-259 2332).

Merdeka Team Chess Championship, Kuala Lumpur (Aug 28-30): The highlight of the month will be the Merdeka team chess championship. Instead of Wisma Belia, the venue of this year's Merdeka championship will be the Putra World Trade Centre.

Like in previous years, cash prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winners of the State, youth and open sections. Entry fees are RM150 for teams playing in the State and open sections, and RM80 for the youth section. The closing date for entries is Aug 23.

The organiser Malaysian Chess Federation will provide accommodation for only the official State and youth teams. They will be housed at the nearby Dynasty Hotel, the official hotel for the event, which is about five minutes' walk from the PWTC. There will be more details on the championship next week. In the meantime, readers can also contact Ibrahim Bakar (03-559 5442) or Ibrahim Yaacob (03-636 3082) after 7pm if they have enquiries.

PERAK GRAND PRIX

The Perak International Chess Association will hold the seventh stage of their nine-leg chess grand prix at the Tun Razak Library in Ipoh this weekend.

Six rounds are scheduled for the two-day event, and the time control will be 60 minutes per player for each game. This event is open to all chess enthusiasts in the State. Three rounds will be played tomorrow and the remaining rounds will be on Sunday.

The overall grand prix standings will be based on the best five tournament performances of each player and the top 24 players at the end of the series will qualify for the Perak state championship in September. The interim grand prix standings will also be used for selecting Perak players to national events like the Merdeka team championship.

Those interested in playing this weekend must register at the playing venue by 1pm tomorrow. For more details, contact W.K. Wong (05-366 1692).

BAYVIEW LEAGUE RESULTS

In the sixth round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School 'A' whitewashed Chung Ling High School 'B' 4-0 to take a commanding lead in the Premier Division. Their nearest rival, Old Frees Association 'A', beat MSSPP Juniors 3 1/2-1/2, while Chung Ling High School 'A' could score only 2 1/2-1 1/2 against Pessca.

In other matches, Chung Ling Old Boys Association beat Old Frees Association 'B' 3-1, and Universiti Sains Malaysia beat Methodist Boys School 3-1.

The Division One results saw Penang Free School 'B' beating Chung Ling High School 'D' 3 1/2-1/2, Hewlett-Packard beating Penang Chess Association Novices also by the same score line, and Chung Ling High School 'C' thrashing Penang Free School 'C' 4-0. Penang Development Corporation beat Union High School 3-1, while St Xavier's Institution 'A' beat Chung Hwa Confucian 'A' 2 1/2-1 1/2.

In Division Two, MSSPP Girls beat Methodist Boys School 'B' 3-1, Penang Free School 'D' beat Dynacraft 3-1, St Xavier's Institution 'B' beat Westlands Secondary School 3-1, and Police beat Chung Hwa Confucian 'B' 3-1. Chung Ling High School 'E' scored a narrow 2 1/2-1 1/2 win over Penang Chinese Girls High School. Standings:

Premier Division: PFS A (21 points); OFA A (17 1/2); CLHS A (16); CLOBA (15 1/2); MBS A (10 1/2); Pessca (10 1/2); USM (8); MSSPP Juniors (7 1/2); OFA B (7 1/2); CLHS B (6).

Division One: PFS B (20); CLHS C (20); SXI A (16 1/2); PDC (16); CLHS D (13); Hewlett-Packard (12 1/2); PCA Novices (6 1/2); Chung Hwa Confucian A (6 1/2); PFS C (6); Union (6).

Division Two: MSSPP Girls (17); PFS D (17); Police (16 1/2); SXI B (15); Chung Hwa Confucian B (14); CLHS E (13); MBS B (10 1/2); Dynacraft (9 1/2); PCGHS (5); Westlands (2 1/2).

The round-by-round results of the Bayview Chess League can be viewed at the Penang Chess Association homepage

( www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/ ).

Meanwhile, there are no games this Sunday and the seventh round will only be played on Aug 2 at The City Bayview Hotel. The hotel is sponsoring the use of their premises for the weekly games.

 

Our golden boy shines again

ALL right, let's come clean. What have you been doing during your nights in the past month? Seated in front of the television set, I suppose.

Well, I have to admit that that was what I did, to a reasonable extent, of course. After all, who can avoid the lure of the year's greatest sports spectacle? The magic and skills of strikers like Ronaldo, Zidane, Suker and others, crudely counterbalanced by the overpowering bombardment of Ricky Martin's overhyped soccer anthem!

We shall not be witnessing the World Cup again until the year 2002, but four years can be considered a relatively short wait for football.

Unlike chess.

I have been waiting patiently for the past 14 years for it to happen, and I am glad to announce to readers that it has happened at last! After 14 years, Malaysia has her second international master!

There are no prizes for guessing who this player is. It can only be Mas Hafizulhelmi who is currently our strongest player. While your eyes and mine were on France, Mas Hafizul had quietly drifted into Singapore to take part in an international tournament there.

This was a double round-robin event with a six-player field, and Mas Hafizul was one of three players chasing for a title norm. He had earlier obtained two international master norms at the First Saturday tournaments in Hungary last year and hungered for a third one to fulfil the requirements.

Mas Hafizul has had various other attempts at his third norm, including the Asian junior chess championship in Iran last month, but the results had not been encouraging. In Singapore, he finally made sure that the norm would not elude him this time.

Our player had a rather inauspicious start to this tournament. In his first game, he could only manage a draw against Singapore's Mooi Kok Onn and he followed this with another draw in his second game, against Singaporean international master Hsu Li Yang. Disaster struck in the third game which he lost to Singaporean Fide master Terry Toh.

Two draws then followed, against Vietnam's international master Tu Hoang Thong and Chinese international master Wu Shaobin, and so, at the midway point of the tournament, Mas Hafizul was lying in fifth place with only two points from five games.

For Mas Hafizul to achieve an IM norm, he would need to score a total of six points from the 10 games. After the first half of the event, it looked like a tall order for him as he would now require four points from the remaining five games.

Luckily for him, his indifferent start to the title chase seemed to awaken him. For in the second half of the tournament, Mas Hafizul was a changed player. Firstly, he accounted for both Mooi and Hsu in the sixth and seventh games and then he agreed to a draw with Toh in the eighth game.

He fought to overcome Tu in the ninth game, which left him needing only half a point to realise his dream. In the final round of the tournament, the dream became a reality when Wu agreed to split the point with Mas Hafizul.

Final standings: Wu Shaobin (6 1/2); Hsu Li Yang (6 1/2); each, Mas Hafizul (6); Terry Toh (6); Tu Hoang Thong (4 1/2); Mooi Kok Onn (1/2).

Incidentally, it was also in Singapore way back in 1984 when Malaysia obtained her first international master. Fourteen years ago, Jimmy Liew was a joint winner of the second leg of the Asian IM chess circuit in Singapore, and this result gave him the necessary norm for the international master title. Liew was rewarded RM5,000 by the Malaysian Chess Federation for his success; Mas Hafizul should receive a similar sum too.

With this IM title now, it is expected that Mas Hafizul will now allow chess to take a back seat for the rest of the year. Already, there are indications that he is not interested to play in the Elista Chess Olympiad as he will be sitting for the SPM examinations this November.

Bayview so far

IN the fifth round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School 'A' further extended their lead in the Premier Division after beating Methodist Boys School 3-1.

Old Frees Association 'A' drew 2-2 with Chung Ling Old Boys Association while Chung Ling High School 'A' beat Universiti Sains Malaysia 3 1/2-1/2.

In other matches, Chung Ling High School 'B' beat MSSPP Juniors 2 1/2-1 1/2, and Pessca beat Old Frees Association 'B' 2 1/2-1 1/2.

Division One saw three drawn matches: Penang Free School 'B' with Penang Development Corporation, Union High School with Chung Hwa Confucian 'A', and Chung Ling High School 'D' with Penang Free School 'C'. St Xavier's Institution 'A' beat Hewlett-Packard 2 1/2-1 1/2, while Chung Ling High School 'C' beat Penang Chess Association Novices 4-0.

In Division Two, MSSPP Girls drew with Chung Hwa Confucian 'B'. Their lead is now shared with Penang Free School 'D' which beat Methodist Boys School 'B' 3 1/2-1/2. The Police scored a 3-1 win over Penang Chinese Girls High School, while Dynacraft beat Westlands Secondary School 4-0. The encounter between St Xavier's Institution 'B' and Chung Ling High School 'E' was drawn. Standings:

Premier Division: PFS A (17); OFA A (14); CLHS A (13 1/2); CLOBA (12 1/2); MBS A (9 1/2); Pessca (9); MSSPP Jrs (7); OFA B (6 1/2); CLHS B (6); USM (5).

Division One: PFS B (16 1/2); CLHS C (16); SXI A (14); PDC (13); CLHS D (9 1/2); Hewlett-Packard (9); PCA Novices (6); PFS C (6); Chung Hwa A (5); Union (5).

Division Two: MSSPP Girls (14); PFS D (14); Police (13 1/2); Chung Hwa B (13); SXI B (12); CLHS E (10 1/2); MBS B (9 1/2); Dynacraft (8 1/2); PCGHS (3 1/2); Westlands (1 1/2).

The round-by-round results of the Bayview Chess League can be viewed on the Penang Chess Association homepage (www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/).

Meanwhile, the sixth round of the chess league will be played this Sunday beginning 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant. The hotel is sponsoring the use of their premises for the weekly games.

Malaysia tops Singapore

ONE popular fixture in the local chess calendar is certainly the annual match between Malaysia and Singapore. This social gathering of chess players from the two countries dated back to 1985 when the first match was hosted in Kuala Lumpur by the Malaysian Chess Federation.

At that time, the match was played over only 20 boards. The victor was the Singaporean team which notched a 21 1/2-18 1/2 win over their Malaysian counterpart. In the second match two years later in Singapore, it was the Malaysian team's win with a 9 1/2-6 1/2 score over the Singaporeans.

In 1990, the third match was again played in Singapore, this time over 26 boards and four rounds, and the score was a flattering 62 1/2-41 1/2 in the Singaporeans' favour.

While the early matches were conducted on a biennial or triennial basis, it was then decided by the MCF and the Singapore Chess Federation that beginning with the 1993 match, it should be contested annually to cement the close ties between the two countries.

The 1993 annual match was played in Kuala Lumpur and the homesters chalked an impressive 33-19 win over the visitors. This marked the first of three consecutive wins by the Malaysians as they also won the 1994 and 1995 matches. In 1994, the Malaysians won by 71-33 in Singapore and in 1995, while playing on home turf, the score was 36-24.

The popularity of this match was such that in 1995, there were even two matches played. The second such match in 1995 was played in Singapore and it was won by the Singaporeans with a very close 30 1/2-29 1/2 result. This herculean effort by the Singaporeans, however, marked the last time that they would win the annual match.

In 1996, the match went Malaysia's way by a 40-20 result. The next year, Malaysia won the match with a 74-46 drubbing of their southern neighbours.

This brings us to the present where the 1998 annual match was played two weeks ago at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The match was contested over 34 boards and it covered a wide spectrum of players of all ages.

The Malaysians scored a 20-14 win in the first round with crucial ties like Foong Chee Leng against Chan Tat Wong (veterans), Ismail Ahmad against Chia Chee Seng, Ng Ee Vern against Mark Chan, and Ng Tse Han against Tan Chor Chuan (men's), Dion Moh against Ang Jia Jun (boy's under-16), Wong Tze Chuang against Luke Leong, and Jonathan Chuah against Jerald Tan (boy's under-12), Ooi Ching Chung against Bryan Hooi and Eric Ng against Amos Chan (boy's under-10) all going Malaysia's way.

In the women's section, valuable points were contributed by Eliza Hanum against Charlotte Ng, and Chai Hwei Meen against Zerlinda Tan (women's), Ng Ee Laine against Ng Yuk Ching (girl's under-20), Marina Soh against Sangeeta Vadev (girl's under-16), Effalini Farid against Janice Ong (girl's under-14), Hazuin Husin against Dawn Hui (girl's under-12), and Effaliana Farid against Lin Ailin (girl's under-10).

In the second round, the Malaysians' won with a wide 24 1/2-9 1/2 result. Jimmy Liew won against Malcolm Tan, Ismail Ahmad against Chia Chee Seng again, and Julian Navaratnam against Ignatius Leong (men's), Ng Ee Vern against Lau Keng Boon, and Lim Cheng Teik against Chua Han Wei (boy's under-20), Ng Tze Han against Goh Wei Ming, and Wong Zi Jing against Navin Sawalani (boy's under-18), Law Tze Kang against Mark Kay, and Aaron Yee against Clement Chia (boy's under-16), Hasrul Hussain against Desmond Oh, and Gerald Soh against B. Sriram (boy's under-14), Jonathan Chuah against Jerald Tan (boy's under-12), and Eric Ng against Bryan Hooi (boy's under-10).

The women players also fared well. Nurul Huda shrugged off a loss in the first round to beat Charlottee Ng, Nor Fatitah won against Ng Yuk Ching, and Haslinda beat Tan Ming Ju (women's). Other wins included Chai Hwei Meen against Zerlinda Tan (girl's under-20), Mardiana against Sangeetha Vadev (girl's under-16), Hsyamira Ismail against Felicia Tan (girl's under-14), Hazuin Hussain against Janice Ong, and Effaliani Farid against Lin Ailin (firl's under-12), and Effaliana Farid against Liu Yang (girl's under-10).

Bayview League

In the fourth round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School 'A' extended their lead in the Premier Division after beating Chung Ling High School 'A' 3 1/2-1/2.

Of their nearest rivals, the Old Frees Association 'A' beat Chung Ling High School 'B' 3-1 while the Chung Ling Old Boys Association drew 2-2 with Pessca. In other matches, Methodist Boys School 'A' beat the MSSPP Juniors 4-0, and Universiti Sains Malaysia drew 2-2 with the Old Frees Association 'B'.

The Division One results saw Penang Free School 'B' beating Union High School 3-1 to retain their overall lead. Chung Ling High School 'C' beat St Xavier's Institution 'A' 2 1/2-1 1/2, Penang Development Corporation were inspired in their 4-0 win over Penang Free School 'C', Chung Ling High School 'D' beat the Penang Chess Association Novices 2 1/2-1 1/2, and Chung Hwa Confucian 'A' went down 0-4 to Hewlett-Packard.

In Division Two, the MSSPP Girls lead has been whittled down following a 1-3 loss to Penang Free School 'D'. Chung Hwa Confucian School 'B' scored a 3 1/2-1/2 win over Penang Chinese Girls High School. The Police suffered their first loss of the tournament to St Xavier's Institution 'B' with a 1 1/2-2 1/2 result, while Chung Ling High School 'E' narrowly beat Dynacraft 2 1/2-1 1/2. Westlands Secondary School suffered their third 0-4 loss to Methodist Boys School 'B'.

The final standings are:

Premier Division: PFS A (14 points); OFA A (12); CLOBA (10 1/2); CLHS A (10); MBS A (8 1/2); Pessca (6 1/2); MSSPP Juniors (5 1/2); OFA B (5); USM (4 1/2); CLHS B (3 1/2).

Division One: PFS B (14 1/2); CLHS C (12); SXI A (11 1/2); PDC (11); CLHS D (7 1/2); Hewlett-Packard (7 1/2); PCA Novices (6); PFS C (4); Chung Hwa A (3); Union (3).

Division Two: MSSPP Girls (12); Chung Hwa B (11); Police (10 1/2); PFS D (10 1/2); SXI B (10); MBS B (9); CLHS E (8 1/2); Dynacraft (4 1/2); PCGHS (2 1/2); Westlands (1 1/2).

The fifth round of the chess league will be played this Sunday beginning 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant. The hotel is sponsoring the use of their premises for the weekly games.

 

Ilyumzhinov in murder poser

LAST week, I mentioned a news report from Moscow which quoted Kalmyk Republic and World Chess Federation president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as saying he would be contesting the Russian presidency.

A few days later, there was another news item from Moscow which reported that three people had been detained in Elista, Kalmyk's capital city, in connection with the murder of the editor of Kalmyk's only opposition newspaper.

Larisa Yudina, editor of the Soviet Kalmykia Today newspaper, was found dead on June 8 with multiple knife wounds and a fractured skull. Two of the three detained later confessed to the killing; one was a former aide of Ilyumzhinov while the other was Ilyumzhinov's envoy to a nearby region.

By any standard, murder is alarming enough but when the crime can be linked to a man who is the leader of an international sports organisation, it becomes a very delicate point. Moreover, these reports were making the rounds on the Internet and many people were drawing negative conclusions from them.

It was not surprising that the World Chess Federation (FIDE) soon felt it necessary to comment on these reports. In a statement released on June 24, FIDE executive director Emmanuel Omuku drew attention to the reports, calling them rumours.

According to him, FIDE was in touch with the office of the President of Kalmykia and had access to statements by the relevant officials of both the Kalmyk Republic and the Russian Federation. He said the Russian Interior Ministry had stated that there was no political motive behind this murder.

Omuku said Ilyumzhinov had consistently maintained the need to isolate FIDE from his other activities as a political leader in Russia.

Nevertheless, whether the murder had anything to do with Ilyumzhinov's bid for the Russian presidency or not, FIDE was forced to issue the statement because certain members of the chess fraternity had been circulating and adding to these rumours.

UP NEXT

Klang Valley events

The two-day national age-group chess championship starts tomorrow at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

There are five categories in this event: under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18. There will be seven rounds in each category and a time control of one hour per player for each game.

Entry fee is RM10 per player. Although there will be no cash prizes, the winners of the various age-groups stand to be considered for selection to the world age-group championships in Oporesa del Mar Castellon, Spain, this October.

Those interested in playing should be at the foyer of the PWTC by 8am tomorrow. Unless a player has registered earlier for the championship, those registering at the PWTC tomorrow will only be accepted on a first-come basis. For more details, contact Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid (03-421 9576).

This coming Monday, the first leg of the third Royal Selangor under-15 chess grand prix will be held at Sunway College in Petaling Jaya.

The grand prix consists of four legs. According to the Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) calendar, the second leg will be held on July 12, the third leg on July 19 and the final leg on July 25 and 26. Each of the legs will be played over six rounds, with a time control of 30 minutes per game for each player.

Game points won by players in each of these legs will be accumulated and the results of a player's best three legs will be used to determine the overall winner of the grand prix. The top four winners will each receive discount vouchers that can be used to buy a digital chess clock from CAS. The two top winners will also be given free participation in a chess workshop conducted by CAS and free entry to a CAS chess camp in November. Entry fees for each leg are RM10 for junior members of CAS, and RM20 for non-members. For more information, contact Mrs Jackie Wong (03-703 8237) or Lim Tse Pin (03-733 0927).

Bayview League

After a break of one week, the Penang Bayview Chess League resumes this Sunday, beginning 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant.

The chess league is a round-robin event and the standings in the Premier Division after three rounds are: Penang Free School A (10 1/2 points); Chung Ling High School A (9); Old Frees Association A (9); Chung Ling Old Boys Association (8 1/2); MSSPP Juniors (5 1/2); Methodist Boys School (4 1/2); A Pessca (4 1/2); Universiti Sains Malaysia (3); Old Frees Association B (2 1/2); Chung Ling High School B (2 1/2).

Division One: Penang Free School B (11 1/2); St Xavier's Institution A (10); Chung Ling High School C (9 1/2); Penang Development Corporation (7); Chung Ling High School D (5); Penang Chess Association Novices (4 1/2); Penang Free School C (4); Hewlett-Packard (3 1/2); Chung Hwa Confucian A (3); Union High School (2).

Division Two: MSSPP Girls (11); Police (9); Chung Hwa Confucian B (7 1/2); St Xavier's Institution B (7 1/2); Penang Free School D (7 1/2); Chung Ling High School E (6); Methodist Boys School B (5); Dynacraft (3); Penang Chinese Girls High School (2); Westlands Secondary School (1 1/2).

The results of the Bayview Chess League can also be viewed at the PCA homepage (www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/).

Tan Chin Nam tourney winners

UKRAINIAN grandmaster Alexander Onischuk won the fourth Tan Chin Nam grandmaster tournament that took place in Beijing from June 8 to 18.

This Category 12 event had a prize fund of US$16,000 and Onischuk took the first prize of US$5,000 with a score of 7 1/2 points from 11 games.

China's international master Zhang Zhong and Russian grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov were half a point behind Onischuk, and they each won US$2,950. It was a satisfying result for Zhang who also obtained a GM norm.

Tying from the fourth to sixth places with 6 1/2 points each were Xie Jun, Estonian grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest and Spanish grandmaster Jorge Magem Badals. China's grandmaster Ye Jiangchuan scored six points while Kudrin, an American grandmaster, obtained five points.

Lin had 4 1/2 points, and below him were international master Tong Yuanming and woman grandmaster Xhu Chen with 3 1/2 points each. Chinese international master Liang Chong had 2 1/2 points.