Resident grandmaster

There are a number of significant and interesting chess activities coming up in the next two or three weeks which makes it imperative that they be highlighted specially.

First up is the news that we shall have Bangladeshi grandmaster Ziaur Rahman stationed here in Malaysia for the next one year. Ziaur is Bangladesh’s second grandmaster but presently, he is the leading player in his country. He is expected to arrive on our shores sometime next week and will be based at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) in Kuala Lumpur. 

Why would we need a foreign grandmaster here in Malaysia? Well, it is to boost chess development in the country. We need someone who is experienced enough to be a catalyst to raise our game to a higher level. Ziaur Rahman happened to be available and he was interested in the challenge.

Moreover, he comes with good credentials. 

Number One, he is an active player in the regional chess circuit and that’s good because for sure, you know he’s not one to rest on his laurels. He led Bangladesh at the most recent Asian team chess championship in Kolkata last December, he took part in an international chess event in Delhi in January and only this month, made an impressive second-place finish in the Chennai open chess tournament. 

Number Two, his international rating of 2548 is high enough to suit Malaysia’s needs. We don’t need a super-GM here but we do need a chess professional who needs to make a living and is strong enough to impart their knowledge and experience to our players. 

Number Three, he must be deeply involved with chess training. He is a trainer at the Garry Kasparov School of Chess in Bangladesh and was the coach of the Bangladesh national women’s chess team. He has trained many junior players in his homeland and neighbouring India, and counts Sayantan Das, the current under-12 world chess champion and who has recently secured his first international master norm, as a notable student.

During this one year that Ziaur is here, a comprehensive programme has been prepared to make full use of him and to keep him occupied. There will be various events and tournaments featuring Ziaur Rahman as the main man, with chess seminars and classes including trips to reach out to all corners of the country.

Some of the activities planned during Ziaur’s presence here will be individual chess sessions for serious players who want to improve their personal chess understanding and playing skills, and group classes covering specific topics such as preparations for tournaments, opening, middle game and endgame techniques. 

He’ll be giving chess seminars and training to suit all manner of chess enthusiasts including parents, supporters, officials and organizers. Basically, this would cover almost anyone who wants to know more about chess.

Ziaur will be available to take part in local chess tournaments and I hear that there’ll be monthly rapid chess events and quarterly Fide-rated tournaments. He will also be available for outstation trips and so the state chess associations and clubs can arrange for him to visit them and conduct chess activities there too.

For enquiries into Ziaur’s programme, contact Najib Wahab (016.338 2542, najib.wahab@hotmail.com).

In the meantime, there’ll be hardly time for Ziaur to settle down into his routine upon arrival before he is whisked to Ipoh to take part in the first leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak grand prix chess tournament, which is sponsored by Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad.

Ten legs are scheduled for this grand prix tournament which will visit various towns in Perak such as Taiping (April), Parit Buntar (April), Lumut (May), Parit (June), Teluk Intan (July), Kampar (August), Grik (September) and Kuala Kangsar (October), with the grand final set for Ipoh (December). The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) will be organizing the events together with the DATCC.

The first leg will kick off at the Wisma Belia in Jalan Ghazali Jawi, Ipoh on Mar 7 and at least 150 players – including Ziaur – are expected to take part. Total prize money is RM1,720 with the bulk going to the open section (including a first prize of RM250 and a second prize of RM200) with consolation prizes for the under-16, girls’ under-16, under-12 and girls’ under-12 sections.

Entry fees are RM25 for the open section, RM15 for under-16 players and RM10 for under-12 players. PICA members and players born in Perak pay RM5 less. Payment must be made to PICA by Mar 4. For more information and details, visit the PICA website at http://perakchess.blogspot.com 

Up next  

Rookie tornado chess

The Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre in Kuala Lumpur will organise a chess tournament tomorrow for beginners, first-time tournament players and all other players who are below the national rating of 1400 points. For more information, call Hamid Majid (019.3158098) or Najib Wahab (016.3382542).

KL rapid grand prix

The Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) and Polgar Chess Asia will jointly organize the second leg of the KL rapid grand prix on Mar 6-7. The grand prix, sponsored by the Malaysian Intellectual Development Foundation and the Royal Selangor Club (RSC), will feature four legs from February to May and followed by the grand final in June. 

Entry fees for the open section are RM15 for members of the KLCA and the RSC and RM20 for non-members. For the under-12 section, the entry fees are RM5 for children of KLCA and RSC members and RM10 for others. All legs will be played at the RSC’s Card Room at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. More details at  the KLCA website, (http://www.klchess.com/)

Cheras challengers

The Cheras Chess Academy and Percawi will jointly organize the Cheras challengers chess tournament on Mar 17-20. This is a Fide-rated event over seven rounds, limited to unrated players and those with a Fide rating of 1950 or less. Venue is the Excel Chess Academy at the Overseas Union Garden, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur. Entry fees are RM50 for a Fide-rated player and RM80 for those unrated. More details from Collin Madhaven (016.2123578, geodat@yahoo.com).

Chess camp

There’ll be a KL chess camp on Mar 17-20 with GM Ziaur Rahman, IM Mas Hafizulhelmi, IM Lim Yee Weng, Gregory Lau and Najib Wahab. More information from Gregory Lau (012.9020123, greglau64@gmail.com).

DATCC chess league

The third DATCC Kuala Lumpur commercial and recreational chess league at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex kicks off on Mar 24. The DATCC chess league is a Fide-rated team event over nine rounds played on Wednesdays at the chess centre. 

Entry fee is RM400 per team of a maximum 10 players. Junior teams (all players must be below 20 years old) are charged at RM200. Any entry received after Mar 12 will need to pay an extra RM100. Details are available from Hamid Majid (019.3158098, aham@pc.jaring.my) or Najib Abdul Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@hotmail.com). 

Johor chess festival

The Johor Chess Academy, Johor Bahru Chess Association and the Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru are jointly organising the 14th Bandaraya chessmaster Johor open chess tournament at the JB indoor stadium in Johor Baru on Mar 28. Entry fees are RM10 for players under 12 years old, RM15 for those under 16 years old and RM70 for all others. There will also be the second Bandaraya chessmaster Johor open team chess tournament at the same venue on Mar 27. Entry fees are RM100 per team of three players. Closing date for both events is Mar 24. Details from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525).