Serious business

Bangladeshi grandmaster Ziaur Rahman, who is based in Malaysia for the next year or so, will soon be getting down to the serious business of training young chess talents in the country.

The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF), working with the training provider and sponsors, have finalised a 15-month development programme stretching over six standalone terms, each aimed at growing the potential talent amidst our youngsters.

Each term of the MCF Young Talent chess development programme is self-contained and will last 30 days. In each programme, all aspects of chess training will be covered and these include constant assessment of a player's capability and understanding of the game, an intensive study into the chess middlegame and endgame and of course, focusing on the important chess opening theory.

Ziaur Rahman will take the students through all stages of chess preparation, identify their playing styles, their strengths and weaknesses, and look into areas of improving them. To achieve this, he will have a small group of local international masters to assist him during each term. 

According to the MCF, the focus of the programme will be unearthing and developing junior chess talents in the country who are between eight and 14 years old as they represent the future of our chess achievements. Nevertheless, older youths are more than welcomed to participate. 

The 15-month programme will run from this month until September next year. The first term is scheduled from July 24 until Aug 22 so that the first set of students who pass out from the programme can also plan to take part in this year’s Malaysia Chess Festival that’s already planned for September. 

There will be fresh intake of new students every term. The second term starts in September, the third term in November, the fourth in February next year, the fifth term in April 2011 and the sixth term in July 2011. Therefore, there are ample opportunities for readers to send their children to attend these intensive MCF development programmes.

The approach to each term’s programme is simple: group training for all students to learn the common fundamentals and basics of chess, and a personalized session where the students are paired with either the grandmaster or an international master and participate in a more detailed study mode. The latter session will help the trainer fine-tune the student to take best advantage of his or her playing style and preferences.

At the end of the term, each student would have undergone a maximum of 68 hours of end-to-end chess improvement experience and learning. 

The MCF says the fee of RM500 has been made attractive because of sponsorship. Normally, such training programmes with grandmasters can easily cost between RM4,000 and RM6,000. Students interested to attend the first term should contact the MCF before July 19. However, due to initial space constraints, only 10 students will be accepted.

The MCF also stressed that the development programme is not meant for beginners in the game. The students are required to possess certain playing strength and skills, and the training provider may request for additional information to substantiate a student’s playing strength before accepting him into the programme.

For enquiries or to request for the programme prospectus, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com) or the MCF secretary Gregory Lau (012.9020123).

Fischer’ body exhumed

The body of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer was exhumed from his grave at an Icelandic church last Monday. This came weeks after the Supreme Court in Iceland gave the final go-ahead to authorities there to extract Fischer’s tissue sample in order to prove a paternity case.

According to reports, the process was completed smoothly and Fischer’s coffin was not unearthed from the ground. Instead, the earth at the side of the grave was dug and a hole then drilled into the coffin to extract the tissue sample. Present were a specialist doctor, a priest, the local sheriff and several lawyers.

The chess legend died intestate and his estate, worth at least USD2 million, is being claimed by various parties, including the United States government. Nine-year-old Jinky Young from the Philippines is set to inherit the bulk of Fischer’s estate if DNA tests prove conclusively that she is Fischer’s daughter. Other claimants include Fischer’s Japanese wife and his two nephews.

Up next  

Perlis team open

The Perlis Chess Academy, the Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Perlis and the Persatuan Catur Prestij Perlis will jointly hold the Perlis team open tournament at the Dewan Sek. Men. Putra in Kangar, Perlis on July 24. Entry is limited to the first 70 teams.

Entry fees are RM30 for teams representing schools and institutions of higher learning, RM50 for teams from Perlis and RM70 for all other teams. For more details, contact Syaifulzamani bin Ismail (013.3939838) or visit http://chessperlis.blogspot.com. 

MBS chess

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School in Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur will hold the fifth MBSSKL chess open tournament at the school premises on July 24. Entry fees are RM5 for MBS students and RM15 for non-MBS students. For enquiries, contact teachers NK Chin or (Mdm) LY Yong at the school (03.20782293).

Perak grand prix

The sixth leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak grand prix chess tournament will be played at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Anthony in Teluk Intan, Perak on July 25. 

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. Closing date for entries is July 22. To register, contact Yunus (013.3908129), Hamisah (012.5008723) or Andrew (016.6295352). More details are available from http://perakchess.blogspot.com 

Tebrau open

The Johor Chess Academy, the Rukun Tetangga Sri Tebrau, Rakan Muda Johor Bahru and the Johor Bahru Chess Association are jointly organizing the 21st Tebrau open chess tournament at the Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru on Aug 2.

Entry fees are RM10 for players below 10 years old, RM12 for players below 16 years old and RM30 for all other participants. Closing date is July 30. For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525 or jb_chess_association@yahoo.com).