Looking to the future

It is three weeks into the new year already but pardon me if I’m still delving into the past. I do need to mention two things before I move along. 

The first was the demise of a fellow Malaysian chess journalist, one whom I’ve known since the 1980s, but it wasn’t until the past four or five years that we really got down to talk more to one another.

Local chess enthusiasts will know the name of Lim Chong who worked with the Economics Desk of our national news agency, Bernama. Lim passed away in November last year while enroute from an assignment in London.

In the 1980s, The Star and The Malay Mail were the only two newspapers in the country with a regular chess page, and Lim was in charge of the chess output over there. So you wouldn’t be wrong to say that we were rivals. However, I have to confess that though we had different styles, I rather enjoyed what he wrote.

After a long helm, he was transferred to a sister publication of that newspaper and was in charge of the computer section. Much later, he left to join Bernama. Though he no longer wrote about chess, he was still very much in touch with the game and concerned about the accuracy of local chess news.

For instance, in April last year, I had a rather long conversation with him about a news item on one of the Malaysian chess players. It was quite clear that the reporter had misunderstood our player and written something that created a minor flap in our chess circles. I was right there when the player was interviewed, so therefore I could explain to Lim on what went wrong. 

However, that was an exception rather than the norm because Lim was always a quiet man. He was a person of very few words, even in conversations. What he wanted to say, he preferred to say by email messages. At least, that was my impression. 

In the last year of his life, we exchanged quite a number of emails. He was working to compile information on the history of the Selangor open chess tournaments and he wanted me to fill in some blanks. I don’t know the extent of his work but I hope that he had already completed it and handed it to the Chess Association of Selangor.

The other thing I must mention is the withdrawal of Datuk Tan Chin Nam from chess sponsorship. Immediately after the conclusion of last year’s Malaysia Chess Festival, Tan announced that he would be taking a sabbatical from sponsoring chess activities in the country.

He was saying that in order for chess in Malaysia to progress beyond the present, the chess movement should no longer be dependent on him to provide the monetary assistance. 

Chess organizers, he said, should be prepared to look at other sources of sponsorship. He considered himself as a hindrance to chess. Though he did not say it, that could possibly mean that he did not want chess organizers to take him too much for granted. 

I believe the implication of his decision has finally sunk in. I heard that when the Malaysians went down to Singapore in December for the annual chess match between the two countries, Tan declined to help meet the travel expenses. The Malaysian Chess Federation was forced to look elsewhere for the funds.

I have also been told that the running of the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur may also have been impacted. For the past two years, Tan had been meeting the cost of running this place. But since the beginning of this month, it has been different. Several chess supporters have banded together to keep the centre up and running. 

There is definitely change in the air. In the months ahead, surely there will be more changes. The greatest impact will be felt nearer August and September. How will the next Malaysia Chess Festival be affected?

Although I’m not privy to the Festival’s finances, I know that the cost of staging it can be quite monumental. Hundreds of thousands of Ringgit, perhaps? If Tan is not prepared to bankroll it, we should not expect this year’s Malaysia Chess Festival to be organized the same way as before.  Only time will show how this will turn out.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten these two things out of my system, I’d just like to mention that this year’s Malaysian chess calendar has been released. Frankly, I’m very much surprised as this is only January. That’s pretty efficient on the Malaysian Chess Federation’s part. 

So what sort of events can we expect this year? Well, in two months’ time, there will be the national age group championship and the national closed championships. They follow one another: the age group event is on Mar 12-15, while the national closed and the national women’s championships are on Mar 16-20.

In May, there will be the Malaysian men’s and women’s masters tournaments. Also in May and extending into June, we shall see the national schools chess tournament, organized by the Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia (MSSM).

Also on the calendar will be a Malaysia inter-state chess championship in June, the Merdeka team chess championship and the Malaysia open championship in August, the national rapid age group and the national rapid championships in September, various chess camps for students in November, and the national junior chess championship in December.

On top of all that, the Chess Association of Selangor is certain of holding their Selangor open tournament, the Penang Chess Association will want to hold their Penang open tournament, the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association will be planning their next KL open and the Sarawak Chess Association looking into organizing their Sarawak open. 

Then, we should also expect to see all manner of organizers around the country coming out to plan their one-day tournaments as well. All too many to mention here at this stage, but they shall be announced as we go along, as always.

It sure looks like it’s going to be another busy chess year indeed. 

Up next

USM chess festival

The 17th Universiti Sains Malaysia chess festival continues this weekend with a seven-round team event starting tomorrow. For this event, time control is 40 minutes per game. Entry fees are RM70 (under-12 teams), RM90 (university, college and school teams) and RM110 (all other teams). Details are available from Lee Youn Hock (014.9445491), Sia Chye Ching (012.7258828) or Lee Chiew Seng (016.5152312). 

DATCC renegade chess

The Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre will organize the DATCC renegade rapid chess weekend at their Wilayah Complex premises in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 30. Seven rounds, 25-minute time control games. Entry fees are RM15 (players under 12 years old) and RM25 (all other players). Please register before Jan 28. For inquiries, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542 or najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com.)

Percawi chess

The Kuala Lumpur FT Chess Association (Percawi) will organise the Percawi City Day age group open (under-18 open and under-18 girls’ open) at the Pusat Kecemerlangan Sukan Cochrane in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 1. Six rounds, 30-minute time control games. Entry fee is RM15, inclusive of one-year Percawi junior membership. Closing date is Jan 31. To register, contact Collin Madhaven (016.2123578), Azwan (019.2788471) or Najib Wahab (016.3382542).

Cerdik chess

The Cerdik Catur Enterprise will organize their second Cerdik Catur tournament at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur on Feb 5. Seven rounds, 25-minute time control games. Entry fees are RM25 (adults) and RM20 (school children). To register, contact Fadli Zakaria (014.2312370 or cerdikcatur@yahoo.com.)