Crunch time

ALL RIGHT. It is crunch time this weekend at the Cititel MidValley in Kuala Lumpur. 

Tomorrow, we shall be having the valiant fighters from the Malaysian chess Federation (MCF) facing the might of the Singapore Chess Federation (SCF) at the annual Malaysia-Singapore chess match. This year, we are the hosts.

The Singaporeans have been winning by big margins in this encounter for the past few years but as I mentioned a fortnight ago, I hope we can really close the gap between the two countries.

It is not impossible because in the past, we have won this encounter several times before. There were good years in the 1990s when it was an embarrassment for the Singaporeans to play this match. Although times have changed in the intervening years, I’m sure our players can rise to the occasion again.

Unfortunately, we always go into the match with a handicap. The toughest games are between the two countries’ senior boards and this is always where our players find themselves running against a brick wall. 

It is very puzzling why our men players – who are not short on talent or imagination – have consistently underperformed in this section. It is a problem which I believe the MCF has yet to find a solution. 

Since it is not going to be much different this year (correct me if I’m wrong; I shall love to be wrong about this), the objective for them then, if not to beat the Singaporeans in the section, will be to minimise the damage as much as possible.

If the Malaysian senior players are able to do this, the results will boil down to the side that is able to perform better in the junior sections. At least, in this section, we have a reasonable chance to excel. Many of our junior players do not know anything about glass ceilings and that is good. 

Talent aside, all they need to do is to learn how to approach each game as a new game against a faceless opponent. Forget about reputations and past results or even the fact that they are foreigners. My advice to our junior players is to play the board and not the person sitting in front of them.

During those years when we consistently out-shone the Singaporeans, our junior players never had the opportunity to undergo serious training under qualified trainers. Oh yes, we saw the need for proper chess development but we never knew how or where to begin.  

So, our junior players grew up on natural talent alone. If anyone showed promise, the only support that the MCF could offer was to sign the registration papers for the players to play in some regional events. No fund raising. It all depended on whether their parents could pay for their children to play.

I suppose it was much the same in Singapore. Anyone wishing in play in regional chess events would have to go through the SCF for the registration. Like us too, the Singaporeans saw the need to improve through proper training. 

But unlike us, there were people in Singapore who saw opportunities and were able to turn them into business activities. They brought in experienced chess players from overseas who became coaches and parents had to pay commercial rates for the coaches to teach their children. 

We always snigger whenever we label the Singaporeans as kiasu but to me, parents are the same everywhere. If they can afford it, they will want the best for their children. When it comes to developing a child’s mind, parents will not mind paying for chess coaching the same way as they pay for tuition. 

But Singapore had some advantages. 

First, it is a small island state with a good public transport system. Commuting from one end of the island to the other end is not a big problem. Malaysia is too diversified even within the Klang Valley and you know how the traffic is when it rains. 

Second, the buying power of the Singapore dollar is so much more than the Ringgit. How many Malaysian parents are able to pay the equivalent of what a qualified chess coach will get in Singapore?

These advantages notwithstanding, I am glad to see some recent serious effort to bring organized chess coaching into the country. It is good that some enterprising people are starting to do this. There will be challenges but if this business endeavour can succeed, perhaps within the next three years we can proudly see the results of the annual Malaysia-Singapore match overturned.

UP NEXT

Penang chess camp

There will be a four-day, not-to-be-missed chess camp at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 27-30 and at the YMCA in Penang on Dec 4-7.

The organisers of this camp are bringing in some qualified Fide Trainers from the Asean Chess Academy in Singapore, led by Zimbabwean international master Robert Gwaze. These trainers will be conducting intensive chess courses over four days and participants will have a great opportunity to learn from the masters.

The camp concentrates on four levels of chess players from learners with an elementary understanding of the game to advanced players who wish to move themselves up to a new notch.

For details, contact to Gregory Lau in Kuala Lumpur (tel: 012.9020123 email: all4chess@hotmail.com) or Marcus Yeoh in Penang (tel: 012.4723873 email: marcusypl@yahoo.com).

11th GACC inter-varsity chess

The Tuanku Bahiyah Residential College (Second Residential College) of Universiti Malaya will organize the 11th edition of the Rakan Muda GACC world inter-varsity chess championship at the University on Dec 5-13.

This nine-round, Fide-rated annual event is open to all local and international universities, colleges and institutes of higher education. There will be both an individual and a team event. 

For inquiries, contact Jackson Toh (tel: 012.6702294 email: gacc11.director@gmail.com) or Belinda Lau (tel: 012.8812479 email: gacc11@yahoo.com), or you can visit http://www28.brinkster.com/gaccwivcc/

Sarawak open

The Sarawak Chess Association will hold their Sarawak open chess tournament at the Borneo Chess Academy premises in Jalan Song, Kuching, on Dec 8-11. This will be played over nine rounds.

Entry fees are RM10 for women and under-18 players and RM20 for others. A deposit of RM10 is required, which is refunded when you complete the tournament.

To register, contact Lim Kian Hwa (tel: 016.8603180, email: lkhwa@tm.net.my or limkh@sarawaknet.gov.my) before Dec 5

Ye olde chess debate

IT IS this time of the year again that the debate of who is better – Malaysia or Singapore – rages on. I know, I know … the debate over the chessboard is supposedly good-natured and never-ending but for the past few years, we have been at the receiving end of a painful chess lesson. 

Myself ever the optimist, my prediction this year is that we will prove to be very good hosts again and present our visitors with another opportunity to give us a chess lesson.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not being unpatriotic. Nothing hurts like the truth and the truth is, we shall still lose the annual Malaysia-Singapore chess match. However, my hope is that we can narrow the gap between the two countries. 

I believe this is a realistic hope if our team managers and strategy schemers can get their tactics right. 

The biggest challenge is whether our players can rise to the occasion. Can our players forget about past results and concentrate solely on playing? Remember, our Singaporean friends can make mistakes too. But can we make lesser mistakes than them?

Find out later this month at the Cititel MidValley on Nov 25. There will be two rounds in the morning and afternoon, with each round played over 70 boards.

On a related matter, the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) is finally making good their promise to hold the finals of this year’s national age group chess championships. 

If you remember, the championships that were organized last April were only the preliminaries and the top 10 in each of the age groups were required to play in the finals later on.

Well, the “later on” is now and the finals will be played at The Chess Network, Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18-20. 

There will be separate events for the under-8, under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-20 boys and girls. That means a total of 12 events.

According to the MCF, the top three players in each section will be invited to play in the Malaysia-Singapore match. The winner of the preliminary events last April is an automatic qualifier for the match but if the player finishes within the top three positions in the finals, the fourth placed player will be selected for the match.

Moving on, I just want to say that for years, I have been contacted by parents of young children – readers of this chess column – through private email to enquire about people who can provide coaching lessons in chess to their children.

I do have a list of people – mostly in the Klang Valley but there are also a few from Penang – whom I know are chess coaches and if they have been occasionally contacted by these chess parents, they will know that they are in my radar screen.

I have nothing against these chess coaches actually, but I find that the value that each of them imparts to their young charges can be worlds apart. Earlier this year, I had brought up this matter and there was an interesting feedback on the quality of these coaches which you can still read online here: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/1/6/lifeliving/13024147&sec=lifeliving

Despite these misgivings, there is definitely a market for chess coaches in the country. There are parents who are willing to spend good money to teach their children how to think structurally and logically. Chess does help in this process.

Oh, by the way, parents reading this column may be interested to send thier kids to a four-day, not-to-be-missed chess camp at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 27-30.

This year, the organisers are bringing in some qualified Fide Trainers from the Asean Chess Academy in Singapore, led by Zimbabwean international master Robert Gwaze. These trainers will be conducting intensive chess courses over four days and participants will have a great opportunity to learn from the masters.

The camp concentrates on four levels of chess players. Obviously, the first camp is meant for those learners whose understanding of chess is elementary to the beginner stage. 

The second camp is meant for players up to the intermediate stage, while the third camp is applicable to those players who have reached the advanced level. Gwaze himself will be condition the fourth camp which is aimed at advanced players who wish to move themselves up to a new notch.

These trainers will also be making their way to Penang to conduct the Penang chess champ at the YMCA on Dec 4-7. Basically, the same structure as the KL chess camp will be followed.

Details of the two camps can be made to Gregory Lau in Kuala Lumpur (tel: 012.9020123 email: all4chess@hotmail.com) and Marcus Yeoh in Penang (tel: 012.4723873 email: marcusypl@yahoo.com). Take note of the registration deadlines: Nov 18 for both KL and Penang.

UP NEXT

Perak rapid open

The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) will organise their Perak closed tournament over two days at the Kolej Syuen in Jalan Kampar, Ipoh, on Nov 18-19. The event will be played over nine rounds and only players who stay, work or were born in Perak can take part. 

Entry fees are RM15 for players under 16 years old and PICA members, and RM20 for all other players. For details, contact Hamisah (tel: 012.4313326).before Nov 16.

RSC chess festival

The Royal Selangor Club is holding the RSC open chess festival on Nov 19 at the Bukit Kiara Sports Annexe. The event comprises a one-day rapidchess event over seven rounds.

There will be 10 main prizes, junior prizes for the top under-8, under-10, under-12 and under-14 players and special prizes for the top RSC and veteran players and a family prize.

Entry fees are RM35 for adults, RM30 for RSC members and secondary school children, and RM25 for primary school children. 

Sarawak open

The Sarawak Chess Association will hold their Sarawak open chess tournament at the Borneo Chess Academy premises in Jalan Song, Kuching, on Dec 8-11. This will be played over nine rounds.

Entry fees are RM10 for women and under-18 players and RM20 for others. A deposit of RM10 is required, which is refunded when you complete the tournament.

To register, contact Lim Kian Hwa (tel: 016.8603180, email: lkhwa@tm.net.my or limkh@sarawaknet.gov.my) before Dec 5

11th GACC inter-varsity chess

The Tuanku Bahiyah Residential College (Second Residential College) of Universiti Malaya will organize the 11th edition of the Rakan Muda GACC world inter-varsity chess championship at the University on Dec 5-13.

This nine-round, Fide-rated annual event is open to all local and international universities, colleges and institutes of higher education. There will be both an individual and a team event. 

For inquiries, contact Jackson Toh (tel: 012.6702294 email: gacc11.director@gmail.com) or Belinda Lau (tel: 012.8812479 email: gacc11@yahoo.com), or you can visit http://www28.brinkster.com/gaccwivcc/