Teen queen

Nobody who had met Hou Yifan in April this year, when she took part in the Kuala Lumpur open chess tournament, could have expected that the petite 16-year-old chess prodigy from China would close 2010 crowned as the new women’s world champion.

When do you think you can become the world champion, I had asked her then. She let out a stifled giggle, a reaction which I had mistaken for a nervous laugh. I don’t know, she replied.

But that’s your ambition, isn’t it, I persisted in asking her. Your last attempt at the world chess title had been so very close, I mentioned, referring to the previous world chess championship in Nalchik, Russia in 2008. 

At that time, Hou was only 14 years old and she had progressed through the knock-out tournament till the final stage where she met the other finalist, Alexandra Kosteniuk. However, her opponent proved to be the better player and she was left to reflect on her lost opportunity.

Oh, I hope to be better prepared and play better this time, she had replied modestly.

Well, Hou Yifan has really played better this time and gone one better than before. Two additional years of travelling the world and playing chess against top-notch men’s and women’s players had added to her experience. 

Just last Friday in Hatay, Turkey, she finally claimed the women’s chess crown as her own. In the final of the championship, she played the match of her life and just about eked through with a hard-fought win against her compatriot, Ruan Lufei.

Hou had started the knock-out women’s world championship as the third seed just behind India’s Humpy Koneru, the second seeded player. Despite being rated so much lower in the 64-player field, Kosteniuk as the defending champion had been given top seed in deference to her World Champion’s title but it was clear as the championship progressed that Kosteniuk would not be able to repeat her success of 2008.

In the third round, Kosteniuk was eliminated by Ruan. Both players had drawn their first two games and so it was left to the tie-break games to decide. A gritty Ruan won the first game of the tie-break before she then closed down Kosteniuk in the second tie-break game and thus, the Chinese player advanced to the quarter-finals.

It will be interesting to note that throughout this championship, Ruan gained a reputation as the tie-break queen. Right from the word Go, all of Ruan’s mini-matches (each round except for the final would be an encounter of two games at normal regulation time control and if there was no decision, then tie-break games at a faster time control would decide) went into nerve-wracking tie-breaks. None of her rounds were ever decided under normal time control.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise to observers when Ruan pulled level with Hou after four normal regulation games in the final of this world championship. 

The first game of the final began with Hou playing with the white pieces and pressing to strike the first blow. At one point the position was better for Hou but try as she could, she could not overcome Ruan and the game ended drawn.

Hou was not to be denied, however, and she did pick up her first win against Ruan in the second game. The point was split again in the third game, but I can assure you that it was no tame stuff. Ruan could have won it and equalized. She had that pressing advantage which she could have converted into a win but did not. 

So going into the fourth game, Hou was still leading and needed just a draw. On the other hand, the fourth game was going to be a do-or-die mission for Ruan. Anything less than a win for Ruan would mean that the women’s world chess championship would have ended then and there for her.

It was fascinating to watch this game as it unfolded. Maybe it was due to nerves but Hou, after defending well against Ruan’s onslaught, succumbed after Ruan found the very best moves over the board. At the end of the four normal regulation time control games, the final was back where it started: on equal footing for both players.

The first game of the tie-break was drawn, then Hou won the second tie-break game. In the third tie-break game, the players drew again. But this was where the resemblance to the normal regulation games ended. In the fourth tie-break game, Hou seized the initiative from Ruan and did not let go. As much as Ruan tried, she could not turn the game around and finally, defeat staring at her on the chessboard, Ruan conceded the game.

So there we have it: Hou Yifan is the newest and youngest of the long line of women’s world chess champions. Hail to the new queen of chess. 

[Just an interesting footnote here: China’s Ruan Lufei is 23 years old. She is a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. "I think there are three reasons why she beat me," Ruan reflected after the championship. "Firstly, she is really a good player, and unlike me, she plays chess every day. Secondly, I played tie-break in every round, so I have played for 20 days with only one day of rest. Finally, she has two coaches here, but I'm fighting alone. My coach is in China."]

Here are the normal regulation games from the final of the women’s world championship.

Hou Yifan - Ruan Lufei, Game One

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bc4 Nd7 7. c3 b5 8. Bd3 Ngf6 9. O-O Bd6 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 Qc7 13. Qc2 Nh5 14. h3 Be6 15. Rae1 Nf4 16. Bg3 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Rad8 18. Bf2 a6 19. Nh4 Nb6 20. b3 Rfe8 21. Qf3 b4 22. Rc1 bxc3 23. Qxc3 exd4 24. Bxd4 c5 25. Bxg7 Bf4 26. Nhf3 Rxd2 27. Nxd2 Bxd2 28. Qxd2 Kxg7 29. Qc3+ Kh7 30. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 31. Rxc5 Ra8 32. Ra5 Nc8 33. Rc1 Nd6 34. e5 Nf5 35. Kf2 h5 36. Rc2 Nd4 37. Rd2 Nc6 38. Rc5 Ne7 39. b4 Kg6 40. a3 Kf5 41. Ke3 Rg8 42. Ra5 Rg3+ 43. Kf2 Rb3 44. Rxa6 Nd5 45. Ra5 Ne3 46. Rc5 Nc4 47. Rc2 Nxa3 48. R2c3 Rb2+ 49. Kg3 Nb1 50. Rf3+ Kg5 51. h4+ Kg6 52. Rc7 Kg7 53. Rf6 Kg8 54. Rf4 Rb3+ 55. Kh2 Rb2 56. Rc5 Na3 57. Rc3 Nb5 58. Rg3+ Kf8 59. Rg5 Nc7 60. Rxh5 Nd5 61. Re4 Kg7 62. Rg5+ Kh7 63. Rc4 Rb3 64. Rg3 Rb2 65. Rg5 Rb3 66. Rd4 Nxb4 67. Rg3 Rb2 68. Rc3 Nd5 69. Rcd3 Ne7 70. Rd2 Rb5 71. Re2 Ng6 72. Rde4 Bf5 73. e6 Bxe6 

½-½ 

Ruan Lufei - Hou Yifan, Game Two

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3 O-O 9. f4 e5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Kh1 exf4 12. Bxf4 Be6 13. Bf3 Qb8 14. b3 Qb4 15. Qe1 a5 16. Rd1 Rfe8 17. e5 dxe5 18. Bxe5 Rac8 19. Qg3 g6 20. Na4 Nd5 21. Bxd5 cxd5 22. Bc3 Qg4 23. Qxg4 Bxg4 24. Rxd5 Bb4 25. Bxb4 axb4 26. Rd2 Bf5 27. Kg1 Rxc2 28. Rxc2 Bxc2 29. Kf2 Bd3 30. Re1 Rc8 31. Ke3 Bb5 32. Rd1 Re8+ 33. Kf4 Re2 34. g4 Bxa4 35. bxa4 Rxa2 36. Rd4 Rxa4 37. h4 Kf8 38. Re4 f6 39. Rc4 Ke7 40. Rd4 Ke6 41. Ke4 Ke7 42. Kf4 h6 43. h5 gxh5 44. gxh5 Kf7 45. Re4 Kf8 46. Kg4 f5+ 47. Kxf5 Ra5+ 48. Kg6 Ra6+ 49. Kh7 Rb6 50. Rf4+ Ke7 51. Rf1 b3 52. Kg7 b2 53. Rb1 Ke6 54. Kxh6 Kf5+ 55. Kg7 Kg5 56. Kf7 Kxh5 57. Ke7 Kg4 58. Kd7 Kf3 59. Kc7 Rb3 0-1

Hou Yifan - Ruan Lufei, Game Three

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 g6 7. N1f3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 h6 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 c5 12. Bc4 e6 13. Be3 Nf6 14. Qd3 Ng4 15. dxc5 Qc7 16. Rad1 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 b6 18. Nd2 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 bxc5 20. c3 Bb7 21. Nb3 Rfc8 22. Na5 Rc7 23. Nxb7 Rxb7 24. Rd2 Rab8 25. Bb3 a5 26. Rc1 a4 27. Bxa4 Rxb2 28. Rxb2 Rxb2 29. Bd1 Rxa2 30. g3 Ra3 31. c4 Bd4 32. Kg2 Ra2 33. Rc2 Ra1 34. Bf3 Kf8 35. h4 Ke7 36. Bc6 g5 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. g4 Ra3 39. Be4 Kd6 40. Re2 Kc7 41. Bh7 e5 42. Be4 Kb6 43. Rd2 Ka5 44. Bd5 f6 45. Kf1 Kb4 46. Ke2 e4 47. Rc2 e3 48. fxe3 Rxe3+ 49. Kd1 Rg3 50. Rg2 Rh3 51. Re2 Kc3 52. Rd2 Rh4 53. Rg2 Kd3 54. Rd2+ Ke3 55. Re2+ Kf4 56. Re4+ Kg3 57. Be6 Rh8 58. Kd2 Re8 59. Kd3 Rxe6 60. Rxe6 Kxg4 61. Re4+ Kf5 62. Re1 g4 63. Rf1+ Ke5 64. Re1+ Kd6 65. Ke4 Bf2 66. Rd1+ Ke6 67. Rd5 g3 68. Kf3 f5 69. Kg2 Kf6 70. Kf3 Kg5 71. Re5 Kg6 72. Rd5 Kf6 73. Kg2 Ke6 74. Kf3 f4 75. Kg2 Be3 ½-½ 

Ruan Lufei - Hou Yifan, Game Four

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. h4 Nc6 8. Rg1 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bg2 Qe5+ 12. Be3 Qh2 13. f4 Bd7 14. Qd2 Nxd4 15. O-O-O Bc5 16. Bxd4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 O-O-O 18. Qc4+ Kb8 19. Qe4 Bc8 20. h5 Ka8 21. a4 Rd5 22. Rdf1 Qh4 23. Qc4 Rd7 24. a5 Qd8 25. a6 Qa5 26. Kb1 Kb8 27. axb7 Bxb7 28. Bxb7 Rxb7 29. Qd4 Ka8 30. Rf3 Rhb8 31. b3 f6 32. Rd1 Qb4 33. Qe3 Rb6 34. Rd4 Qe7 35. Qd3 R6b7 36. Re3 Re8 37. Rd6 e5 38. fxe5 fxe5 39. Re4 Qc7 40. Rd5 Qb8 41. Rc4 Rf8 42. Kb2 Qe8 43. Rdc5 Qe6 44. Qe4 Kb8 45. Rxe5 Qf6 46. Rc6 Qf7 47. Rf5 1-0

 

Rivalry renewed

Christmas is tomorrow. I hear the best time to visit Singapore is during Christmas. In this part of the world, the street decorations in this island republic are reputedly second to none and tourists from all over the world flock there to take in this experience.

Actually, Malaysians are in the best position to experience Singapore’s Christmas lights and they don’t have to be chess players. But if they happen to be one, then there is the added bonus of the Singapore international chess festival. 

This chess festival, now in its seventh year, starts on Sunday. Where previously the Singapore open chess tournament had been its main event, the organizers of the festival have introduced two new events this time.

The first one is the ASEAN open and women’s chess championships and the other is the Singapore open and girls’ international youth championships. 

The last I checked into the Singapore Chess Festival’s website earlier this week, there were at least 28 names in the ASEAN open, led by top-ranked Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem. 

The Vietnamese players are set to make a big impression on this event as it is not only Le that means business but also their other participating grandmasters: Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Cao Sang, Dao Thien Hai and Nguyen Anh Dung. Malaysian chess players know them only too well.

Throw in other familiar names like Susanto Megaranto, Richard Bitoon and Cerdas Barus, and this event actually becomes very competitive. There are lots of chances for hopefuls to gain their grandmaster and other international title norms and in fact, this is a main reason why our own Mas Hafizulhelmi and Edward Lee are playing in this event.

With the ASEAN open now taking top billing, the Singapore open has of course been pushed down the pecking list of importance. Nevertheless at the last count, I see at least 75 names in the participant’s list which includes seven Malaysians, among whom are Collin Madhaven, Lim Zhuo Ren, Lim Kian Hwa and Tan Li Ting. 

One other event that has been included into the chess festival is the annual match between Singapore and Malaysia. This match has a very long history, going back to 1985. This year, both sides are putting up 38-player teams and as always, it is a test of our relationship.

The focus will be on the six men and four women who prop up the team at the top. Then there are the 12 boys and 12 girls (from under-18 to under-8 age groups). Supporting them will be four veteran players (two above 50 years old and two above 45 years old).

Close friendly neighbours though we are, friendship takes a definite back seat when it comes to this match. We only want to be better than them. Naturally, they also only want to be better than us.

But seldom have I seen chess rivalry taken to such dizzying heights. In past editions of the match, I’ve heard of harsh opinions being exchanged, only to be regretted later. 

The heat of battle is always an anxious moment. Both sides are tallying the scores as the individual game results come in. There are smiles from one side of the causeway. Naturally, there are scowls from the other side. No surprise then that sometimes, emotions do spill over. 

When this happens, it’s normally not the players who over-react. No, players are too circumspect, even the junior ones. They always accept the results, win or lose. They know that it’s only a game. So it’s usually the non-players that go too far in venting their feelings. 

Of course, this shouldn’t be the case that all. Winners should be gracious and losers should be big enough to accept the results. After all, there’s always another year to take up cudgels again.

This year as the Malaysians make their way across the causeway, it is no secret that Singapore holds the upper hand in the 21 years that we’ve been playing this match. Will our friendly southern neighbours win again when the match starts on Dec 31 or will they “give chance” this time? We’ll know very soon.

Who’s the new women’s champ?  

As the women’s world chess championship ended only yesterday in Turkey, I’m not in a position to report on the results. However, I’m able to say (with unusual full confidence) that there is a new women’s chess champion and she is from China. 

You see, not only was the defending champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, knocked out in one of the earlier rounds, all the other hopefuls other than Hou Yifan and Ruan Lufei were eliminated too.

This included one of the very top seeds, India’s Humpy Koneru. She was blown away in the semi-finals by the 16-year-old Hou. The Indian player had already lost a match once to the Chinese two years ago at the women’s world championship in Nalchik. At that time she also lost the first game of the semi-final match but succeeded to win the second game. This time, it was different. 

As I wrote this column earlier in the week, the four-game match between Hou and Ruan had yet to start. However with a difference of 111 ratings points, Hou is definitely the favourite to beat Ruan. I’ll be very surprised if she didn’t.

Up next  

Here’s a Christmas tournament for you: the Stonemaster 1Malaysia chess open, organized by Cerdik Chess Enterprise at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre in the Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. Seven-round Swiss event, 25-minute time control. Entry fees are RM25 (adult) and RM20 (school children). More dtails from Fadli (014.2312370, http://cerdikcatur.blogspot.com).

 

Huge chess potential

I greatly believe that it is time for our Sports Ministry and Tourism Ministry to take a serious look at promoting sports tourism in this country. 

If the experience of this year’s Penang Heritage City international chess tournament is anything to go by, there is a huge potential for the country to attract quality sportsmen and sportswomen to come play in our regional tournaments and enjoy the best we can offer at the same time.

Never mind if it is only a regional tournament outside of the Klang Valley. If the event is serious enough and big enough, meaningful support from the authorities can mean a big difference in attracting players and tourists to come here.

The biggest surprise awaiting me at this tournament last week was the unusually large number of foreigners in the open section. Of course, I had anticipated that there would be foreign players in the field but I had not expected that there would be so many of them.

I counted 29 of them in the 71-player field, almost all from the countries around us but there was even one from distant Uzbekistan. Pleasant surprise, indeed!

Now, having known all that, what didn’t surprise me was that the Filipinos would dominate the event. Not at all. The Filipino players are known to be fiercely competitive, giving no quarter and expecting none in return, and they really made their presence felt. 

Can you imagine that when all the dust settled, nine of them took away the 15 prizes on offer? Four Filipino players among the top five prize winners, led by international masters Oliver Dimakiling and Oliver Barbosa who both finished with equal 7½ points with Dimakiling adjudged the overall winner by virtue of a tie-break.

Bangladesh’s Niaz Murshed, the sole grandmaster in the field, snatched the third prize while the fourth and fifth prizes were again claimed by two Filipino international masters, Yves Ranola and Luis Chiong.

Then there were also their other compatriots – Haridas Pascua, Edgar Olay, Julius De Ramos, Ian Udani and Christopher Castellano – among the other prize winners.

It was left to our own Mas Hafizulhelmi to leave the first mark by a Malaysian in the winners’ list. A very honourable sixth place for him, considering the strength of the field. But in truth, I was also very glad to see Tan Khai Boon, Edward Lee and Ng Tze Han finishing among the prize winners; all of them our national champions at one time or another.

There was also a sizeable Singaporean presence in the open section. All juniors, they came with their parents and coaches to play chess first and tour the heritage areas of George Town second.

Among them, I can pick out Andre Jerome Eng and Benjamin Foo as the only two bright sparks among the Singapore players who were capable of mixing it up with the top players but in the end it was only Eng that managed to take home a prize.

Finally, let me say something about Luis Chiong. Now, that was a name that I had to dig out from the deep recesses of my memory. How many years was it since I first met him? Must be 1977 or 1978 when one of the legs of the first Asian grandmaster chess circuit was held here in the same building, the Dewan Sri Pinang.

Physically, he has changed, of course. Everybody has changed. In 30 years, everyone changes. However, he said this building – referring to the Dewan – looked the same to him. Ah, at least he remembered that.

Up next  

Perak Grand Prix final

The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) will hold the final of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak chess Grand Prix at the Dewan Majlis Sukan Negeri Perak in Ipoh on Dec 19. Seven rounds, 25-minute time control. Entry fees are RM25 (open section), RM15 (under-16 players), RM10 (under-12 players). PICA members and players born or residing in Perak pay RM5 less. To register, contact Yunus Sharif (013.3908129). Entries close today.

Sarawak open

The Lanang Chess Association and Sarawak Chess Association will jointly organize the Universal Chinese Sports Sarawak open chess championship at the Premier Hotel in Jalan Kampung Nyabor, Sibu, Sarawak on Dec 17-19. This will be a FIDE-rated event with a RM2,500 first prize. Eight rounds, full time control. Entry fees are RM50 (adults) and RM25 (ladies and players below 18 years old). Contact Joseph Ting (016.8893185, fax: 084.331451) or Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, lkhwa@tm.net.my) for more details.

Christmas tournament

The Royal Selangor Club in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur will organize a Christmas chess tournament for veterans above 45 years old and children below 12 years old on Dec 19. Five rounds, 25-minute time control. Entry fees are RM20 (children), RM40 (veterans 45 to 49 years old) and RM30 (veterans (above 50 years old). More information from Wahid Karim (013.3638815, awkarim@gmail.com) or Joseph Toh (016.6784648, joetohcl@hotmail.com). 

 

Queen uprising

Many years ago, I was asked in a casual conversation my opinion about women’s chess. Can women really play chess as well as men, this friend of mine wanted to know. I was about to answer him but I hesitated. 

It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable to give him an immediate answer but somehow, a wild thought raced through my head. Was it Bobby Fischer who once said that he could give a knight handicap in a game against any woman chess player and still win? 

Fifty or sixty years ago, many people could very well have laughed with Fischer. But not today. Anyone who dares to give even a pawn handicap against the top women chess players will be asking for a lot of unnecessary trouble.

You see, women’s chess is no longer a poor cousin to men’s chess. After all, chess as played by men or women is still the same game. Chess still uses the same grey matter “up there” for thinking and evaluation. Besides, since the days of Pia Cramling and Judit Polgar, who started the trend of women competing in men’s or open tournaments and playing successfully in them, the myth has well been exploded. 

To a large extent, the World Chess Federation has made sure that there should no longer be discrimination. A long time ago at the Chess Olympiads, women’s chess teams consisted of only two players and one reserve. Today, there are four players and either one or two reserve players, same as the men’s teams.

Where chess titles are concerned, women chess players have as many opportunities to earn the full chess grandmaster title. In the past, the highest title they could hope to attain was the woman grandmaster title which today, is about at the same level as an international master.

There’s also the women’s equivalent of the (men’s) world chess championship and since about a week ago, the latest women’s world chess championship is currently going on in Antakya, Turkey. 

But unlike the latest men’s world chess championship which was played as a match, the present women’s world chess championship is still run as a knock-out. The event started off with a 64-player field in the first round and since then, the number of players are halved with each progressive round.

Today is the start of the third round, so there will only be 16 players left. Each of these knock-out rounds are played as a mini-match of two games at normal regulation time control and should tie-break games be required, these are played with rapidchess rules. The sixth round will pit the two final survivors together and they will then play four games to decide the new women’s world chess champion.

I know there are people who favour this type of knock-out event as they feel that it creates more excitement and the defending champion shouldn’t get a free ride to the final round but personally, I would prefer an official challenger to emerge from this knock-out event who would then go on to challenge the defending champion for the title. It makes for more prestige.

Nevertheless, these are the regulations already agreed for this current championship. Perhaps we’ll see a change for the next cycle. 

As it stands, there’s always the chance that we may not have Russia’s Alexandra Kosteniuk advancing all the way to the final round. Kosteniuk is the defending women’s world champion and is the top seed. She got through the first round but there are no results yet for the second round as I write this.

So far, except for the elimination of the eighth seed, Pia Cramling, in the first round, there have been no other surprises among the top seeds. 

Also going through to the second round were notable players like India’s Humpy Koneru, China’s Hou Yifan (who lost the final to Kosteniuk in 2008), Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Stefanova (women’s world champion from 2004 to 2006), Ukraine’s Kateryna Lahno, Georgia’s Maya Chiburdanidze (women’s world champion from 1978 to 1991) and Qatar’s Zhu Chen (formerly from China and women’s world champion from 2001 to 2004).

Humpy is the second seed in the championship and Hou is the third seed. If they proceed through successfully round after round, they should be meeting in the fifth round and one of them will be eliminated. 

Want to know more about this women’s world chess championship? There is the official website at http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/ and you can also view the live games from 9p.m. (local time here) when they are played. 

Up next  

National junior

The Malaysian Chess Federation will organize the third national junior chess championship at the Hotel Olympic, Jalan Davidson, Kuala Lumpur on Dec 15-19. There will be two categories: the boys under-20 and girls under-20 events. This will be a FIDE-rated event over nine rounds and full time control. Entry fees are RM50 (existing FIDE-rated players) and RM80 (non-rated players). For more information, contact Gregory Lau (012.9020123, msianchess2010@gmail.com), Zuraihah Wazir (017.2837808) or Haslindah Ruslan (019.2069605). 

Sarawak open

The Lanang Chess Association and Sarawak Chess Association will jointly organize the Universal Chinese Sports Sarawak open chess championship at the Premier Hotel in Jalan Kampung Nyabor, Sibu, Sarawak on Dec 17-19. This will be a FIDE-rated event with a RM2,500 first prize. Eight rounds, full time control. Entry fees are RM50 (adults) and RM25 (ladies and players below 18 years old). Contact Joseph Ting (016.8893185, fax: 084.331451) or Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, lkhwa@tm.net.my) for more details.

Christmas tournament

The Royal Selangor Club in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur will organize a Christmas chess tournament for veterans above 45 years old and children below 12 years old on Dec 19. Five rounds, 25-minute time control. Entry fees are RM20 (children), RM40 (veterans 45 to 49 years old) and RM30 (veterans (above 50 years old). More information from Wahid Karim (013.3638815, awkarim@gmail.com) or Joseph Toh (016.6784648, joetohcl@hotmail.com). 

 

Remembering Lim Chong Eu

I STARTED chess quite late in my school life. It was not until Form Three going on Form Four that I finally got into playing the game. Before that, chess meant almost nothing to me. Hard to imagine it now, but it’s true.

It took me about five years from the time I saw my first chess pieces before I started learning to play. I still remember the occasion when I laid my eyes on the pieces. Again, it was at the end of the year. It was in Standard Four and there was this guy, one of my classmates, who was showing around his set of mysterious wooden pieces.

For a young boy whose only exposure to the chequered board at that time was the game of draughts (or checkers, if you like), I took the revelation that there could be other forms of board games rather coolly. But I never got involved with the game. Not at all.

Anyhow, that was my first exposure to chess. I’m telling all this because that classmate of mine turned out to be the younger son of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, Penang’s second chief minister who passed away more than a week ago.

I don’t know at all whether Tun Dr Lim played chess or if he did, how good was his standard but I do know that my classmate friend must have got the inspiration for the game from one of his father’s closest buddies.

In case anyone doesn’t know, that would be Prof Dr Lim Kok Ann from Singapore, an expert on bacteriology who later became the general secretary of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

The two Lims – Tun Dr Lim and Prof Dr Lim – had forged a close friendship since their University days in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a friendship that later contributed a significant part to the growth of chess in this country and beyond.

In 1974, FIDE was celebrating its Golden Jubilee and had wanted their affiliates to organize chess events in their part of the world. At that time, Prof Dr Lim was already the FIDE Zone 10 president and he wanted to organize the first Asian team chess championship.

It was here that the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) entered into the picture. The federation was formed the same year and its founding president, Datuk Tan Chin Nam, had quickly persuaded Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, to donate a handsome silver challenge trophy in his name.

But still, where could the tournament be held? At this point, both Datuk Tan and Prof Dr Lim turned to the one friend that they had in common: Tun Dr Lim who, five years earlier had become the Chief Minister in Penang.  Datuk Tan had known Tun Dr Lim since the 1960s and remember, the two Lims were fast friends since the 1940s.

When the idea was mooted to Tun Dr Lim, he readily agreed to let the MCF use the Dewan Sri Pinang for the Asian team chess championship. But Tun Dr Lim went further than just providing the venue. 

Through the state government, he also rendered a lot of assistance to support the numerous other activities in Penang during the FIDE Golden Jubilee celebrations, in particular, the FIDE Bureau meetings that were held at the Merlin Hotel (now the City Bayview Hotel).

As a consequence of his unreserved support for chess, Tun Dr Lim was made an honorary patron of both the MCF and the Penang Chess Association. Where the MCF was concerned, he was with excellent company as the other honorary patrons of the federation were the nation’s first three Prime Ministers: Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. Unfortunately, with his passing last week, he has become the last of the patrons of the two chess bodies. 

Lim Chong  

It is with a heavy heart that I mention here of the passing of a chess friend and fellow chess journalist. Lim Chong, the economic news service sub-editor with Bernama, died last Thursday on a flight from London to Kuala Lumpur. In the 1980s, Lim was in charge of the chess pages in The Malay Mail.

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Penang Chess League

The annual Penang Chess League takes place tomorrow and on Sunday at the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Kheng Thean in Jalan Van Praagh, George Town. Seven rounds, one-hour time control games. The event is open to teams from the public sector, business community, factories, institutions of learning and registered societies and clubs. More information from Penang Chess Association assistant secretary Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517).

Penang open

The Penang Chess Association (PCA) will organize the Penang Heritage City international open chess championship at the Penang City Hall in George Town, Penang on Dec 8-12. This will be a FIDE-rated event with a RM5,000 first prize. Nine rounds, full time control games. Entry fees for the open tournament are RM50 (Fide-rated player), RM150 (PCA member) and RM180 (others), while for the challengers section, they are RM30 (Fide-rated player), RM50 (PCA member) and RM80 (others). Contact Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@streamyx.com) for more details.

National junior

The Malaysian Chess Federation will organize the third national junior chess championship at the Hotel Olympic, Jalan Davidson, Kuala Lumpur on Dec 15-19. There will be two categories: the boys under-20 and girls under-20 events. This will be a FIDE-rated event over nine rounds and full time control. Entry fees are RM50 (existing FIDE-rated players) and RM80 (non-rated players). For more information, contact Gregory Lau (012.9020123, msianchess2010@gmail.com), Zuraihah Wazir (017.2837808) or Haslindah Ruslan (019.2069605). 

Sarawak open

The Lanang Chess Association and Sarawak Chess Association will jointly organize the Universal Chinese Sports Sarawak open chess championship at the Premier Hotel in Jalan Kampung Nyabor, Sibu, Sarawak on Dec 17-19. This will be a FIDE-rated event with a RM2,500 first prize. Eight rounds, full time control. Entry fees are RM50 (adults) and RM25 (ladies and players below 18 years old). Contact Joseph Ting (016.8893185, fax: 084.331451) or Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, lkhwa@tm.net.my) for more details.