Perak chess kicks off

Last Sunday, I visited Ipoh to drop in at the Kinta leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak chess grand prix. 

Not only was this the first leg to kick off the grand prix, it was also the first time that the Perak International Chess Association had undertaken such an ambitious project within its borders. I was curious to see the response.

Impressive. Close to 200 participants, according to the proud organizers. And this number wasn’t even counting the tournament officials and helpers, some of the players’ parents and other relatives. 

As I walked along the aisles looking at the serious concentration around me, I realized that save for a handful of familiar faces that I could count with the fingers on both hands, the rest of the participants were total strangers to me.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, really, because after all, this was a Perak event: organized by Perak chess officials and played mainly by Perak residents. I learnt that many of the players had been bussed down from the smaller towns of the state. They had come from all over and although they did know how to play the game, this was probably the first time that many of them were taking part in a real chess tournament. I hope they had enjoyed the experience!

Without a doubt, Bangladesh grandmaster Ziaur Rahman had probably enjoyed the experience too. You would have read two weeks ago that he is now Malaysia’s resident grandmaster. He will be staying here in Malaysia for one year and contributing his expertise to raise the level of Malaysian chess.

No sooner had he landed on our shores that he was whisked up to Ipoh for this tournament. Naturally, he took star billing in this event. He was the player that many of the participants would want to meet. This would be an opportunity to play against a chess grandmaster. Not many people would have this opportunity; only seven would get the chance.

For a long while, it looked as if the fight for the first prize would be close. Because of the large number of entries, there was a real possibility that there could be two joint winners and they might not have played with one another.

But in the end, order was restored and Ziaur Rahman laid claim to his first tournament success in Malaysia. Nevertheless, his success was not without some anxiety. In the last round, the grandmaster suddenly found himself defending a very tricky position with the white pieces.

With very enterprising play, Fong Yit San found himself with an advantageous position against the Bangladesh player. People watching the game thought that he could press home the advantage but somehow, the critical moment passed and Ziaur Rahman forced off the exchange of most of the pieces. In the end, the grandmaster’s experience counted. Still, it was a very creditable game by the Kampar youngster.

The Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak chess grand prix came about because of an inspired meeting that Lee’s son, Datuk Seri Lee Oi Hian, had with Datuk Tan Chin Nam, the honorary life president of the Malaysian Chess Federation. The idea was mooted and Lee was receptive to it. A series of chess tournaments would make their way around Perak, the state where the Tan Sri was born and had made his fortune. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, with its head office in Ipoh, is the legacy that he had left behind.

From this one idea, the chess grand prix became a reality. With the Kinta leg now successfully concluded, the grand prix will continue in the other districts of Perak and it will culminate with the final in December this year. The CRC Taiping will be the venue of the second leg next month.

Up next  

National age group

This year’s Chiptronics national age group chess championships starts on Sunday. The three-day event is jointly organized by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) and the Penang Chess Association (PCA). The titles contested will be for the under-18, under-16, under-14, under-12, under-10 and under-8 categories for boys and girls. Venue is the Dewan Sri Pinang in Penang.

Entry fees are RM25 for the under-12, under-10 and under-8 events and RM35 for the under-18, under-16 and under-14 sections. Entry fees for entries received after Mar 10 will be doubled and accepted only at the organizer’s discretion. To register, contact Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@streamyx.com) or Tan Eu Hong (012.4882133, euhong@euhong.net) 

Scholar Base chess camp

Scholar Base will be organizing an intensive chess camp in Ulu Kelang, Selangor during the school holidays next week aimed at jumpstarting school children into the world of chess and providing them with a launch pad to develop and progress in the game. Participants can join either the Starter, Foundation or Proficient camps under IM Mok Tze Meng and his team of trainers. For more information, contact Scholar Base (03.41062213). 

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 Pusat  Kecemerlangan Sukan Cochrane in Jalan Cochrane, 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). 

March rapid

The Excel Chess Academy will organize their March rapid chess tournament at their premises in Overseas Union Garden, Kuala Lumpur on Mar 27-28. Entry fee is RM35 per player. To register, contact Jax Tham (013.3232280, jaxtham@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).

KL rapid grand prix

The Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) and Polgar Chess Asia will jointly organize the third leg of the KL rapid grand prix on Apr 3-4. Entry fees for the open section are RM15 for members of the KLCA and the Royal Selangor Club (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. Venue is the RSC’s Card Room at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. More details at  the KLCA website, (http://www.klchess.com/)

Perak grand prix

The second leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak grand prix chess tournament will be held at the CRC Taiping on Apr 11. Entry fees are RM25 for the open section, RM15 for under-16 players and RM10 for under-12 players. Members of the Perak International Chess Association (PICA) and players born in Perak pay RM5 less. More information and details are available from http://perakchess.blogspot.com