Nagging question

 

Over Bloody Eighty

ON MARCH 8, many people had opened their copies of The Star to find a very prominent write-up on Datuk Tan Chin Nam in the Star Biz section of the newspaper. 

A retired business tycoon was how The Star had described him, and the write-up went on to relate how, from his humble beginnings, he had grown his riches from property development to eventually join the list of the richest Malaysians.

“Mr Low-Cost Housing” and “Mr Condominium” are just some of the nicknames that he is known for but to chess players in this country, Tan is nothing more than the “Father of Malaysian Chess.”

If not for this man, there will hardly by a chess movement in the country. Though this game is still far from being popular here, there is considerable support at the grassroots, as evidenced from the scores of weekend tournaments held around the country.

If you are addicted to allegro chess, which is chess played with 25 or 30-minute time control, you are already indebted to Tan for it was he who demanded that the World Chess Federation (Fide) in the mid-1980s recognise and popularise this mode of chess.

It would seem strange to any outsider that Tan could make demands on Fide and get his way. But when you come to know that for a four-year period from 1982 to 1986 he was the Fide Deputy President for Asia, you will come to realise the influence he had on world chess.

In Nov 1995, he was even featured on the cover of Chess Life, the official magazine of the United States Chess Federation. It was perhaps the rare but ultimate accolade paid to a man who had contributed much to propagate chess interest throughout the world.

Tan’s first brush with chess in Malaysia began in 1974 when he agreed to take up the post of president of the Malaysian Chess Federation. It was a role that he filled until the late 1980s when he stepped down. 

Though he was made the federation’s first and only honorary life president in recognition of his contributions, he continued to play an active and supportive role in the background. Lately though, Tan had agreed to assume the president’s post again.

But first and foremost, Tan was a businessman. His other commonly known nickname was “Mr Property Grandmaster”, a convenient marriage between his roles as a major property developer and chess enthusiast. There was a third side to him: that of a horse owner.

In the mid-1970s, Think Big was probably the horse that shot Tan to fame in the competitive world of horse racing. In more recent years, Saintly was another of his horses that found fame on the racetracks of Melbourne. But between Think Big and Saintly, there were many others too that found fame or fell from grace. 

Like Gufeld, a horse named after the late Soviet chess grandmaster from Georgia. Edvard Gufeld the chess player was Tan’s friend and a man of rather generous proportions. Tan had chosen to name one of his horses after Gufeld because, well, its gait was rather similar to that of the grandmaster. 

Tomorrow, Tan will be celebrating his 80th birthday. It is certainly a milestone for this man whom I have known for 32 years, spanning the time when he was simply Mr Tan until today when he is Datuk Tan.

Datuk Tan, happy birthday to you from the chess players of Malaysia.

UP NEXT

Klang Parade open

There will be a Klang Parade age-group tournament for under-12 and under-18 players tomorrow and the Klang Parade open tournament on Sunday. Both events are jointly organised by the Malaysian Chess Federation and Klang Parade and will take place at the Concourse area of the shopping centre. 

Entry fees for the age-group event are RM15 for the under-18 players and RM10 for the under-12 players. For the open event, entry fees are RM10 for under-12 players and RM15 for everyone else. More details: Angie (tel: 03.33437889, fax: 03.33437313) or Gregory (tel: 012.9020123).

PICA/YMCA open

The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) and the YMCA are jointly organising a one-day chess tournament at the Dewan YMCA in Jalan Raja Muda Aziz, Ipoh, on Mar 26.

Entry fees are RM10 for PICA and YMCA members, ladies and players below 16 years old, and RM15 for others. Entries received after Mar 24 will be charged an extra RM5. Inquiries: Yunus Sharif (tel: 013.3908129), Hamisah (tel: 012.4313326) or Grace (05.2540809).

PCGHS open

The Penang Chinese Girls’ High School will organise their annual chess tournament at their school hall this Sunday. For members of the Penang Chess Association (PCA), entry fees are RM10 for under-18 students and RM15 for others. Non-PCA members are required to pay RM15 and RM20 respectively. 

Inquiries and registration: Tan Eng Seong (tel: 012.4299517, email: estan64@streamyx.com), Carmen Yuen (tel: 016.4161299, email: vern_cy@hotmail.com), Chuah Suan Eng (tel: 016.4340616, email: joychou_harrypotter@hotmail.com) or Lim Shueh Min (tel: 016.4592984, email: yhpets_2020@hotmail.com). 

Selangor tournament

The Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) will organise their second quarter allegro tournament at The Chess Network in the Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur, on Apr 2. Their Category One event is for unrated adults and players with a national rating of at least 1400 points, while the Category Two event is meant for those with a national rating of less than 1400 and also unrated under-18 players.

Entry fees: Category One event – RM15 for CAS members and RM25 for non-members; Category Two event – RM10 for CAS members and RM20 for non-members. Walk-in entries are charged an additional RM5. To register, email selangorchess@gmail.com, stating your name and category.

Bandaraya chessmaster Johor open

The Johor Bahru District Chess Association and Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru are jointly organising a one-day tournament at the Dewan Jublee Intan in Johor Bahru on Apr 9.

Entry fees are RM8 for under-12 players, RM10 for under-16 players and RM30 for others. Inquiries: Narayanan Krishnan (tel: 07.3338215, email: naraa@tm.net.my).

Temerloh open

The Persatuan Catur Temerloh Pahang (PCTP) and the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia are jointly holding a two-day tournament at the Bangunan Umno in Mentakab on Mar 25-26. Total prize money is RM5,000.

Entry fees are RM12 for under-12 players, RM15 for PCMM members and Temerloh residents, and RM25 for all others. Closing date is Mar 23. Inquiries: Fazli (tel: 019.9299767), Bahari (tel: 013.9777084) or Haslindah Ruslan (tel: 019.2069605, email: haslindahr@yahoo.com).

Court clocks