Vicious lies

THE CHESS community in Malaysia is a tolerant lot but we are not amused about the way the royal game has been thrust unfavourably into the limelight in the past fortnight by some blog writers in the country.

I wouldn’t want to repeat all the nonsense that has been bandied about in their blogs but I want to state that the use of an image of a totally unrelated person to further the bloggers’ agenda is really irresponsible and unwarranted. 

How or why they selected a picture of an innocent woman chess grandmaster is beside the point – it could have been any other picture they picked up from the Internet – but all the same, I would wish that it had not happened at all to anybody especially when it is without basis. Such lies are bound to be found out at the end.

As it stands, I know that the family of Anya Corke is distressed over the whole matter and rightfully too as they have no connection to and no roots in this country. 

The only brief occasion she was ever in Malaysia was in September 2005 when the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) organized the Asian zone 3.3 chess championship and she took part as the representative from Hong Kong.

In a statement which was forwarded to the local press here last week, she registered shock and dismay over the way that her name was dragged into the matter.

“I have never met or even heard of any of the people involved. I have never been physically assaulted in any way. I have never been victimised in any way by this boy or his family. The only way in which my ‘modesty was outraged’ has been by the publication of my picture in connection with these scurrilous and unfounded rumours,” she said.

Corke was the Hong Kong national chess champion four times in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Her talent was very clear from a young age and she was included as a member of the Hong Kong national men’s team at the Chess Olympiad in Calvia, Spain in 2004. It was there that she earned the woman grandmaster title.

When the MCF held the zonal championship in 2005, she was the only woman participant among the other 43 players. She secured 3½ points from the nine games and finished the competition tied in 32nd to 37th positions.

Corke is presently an undergraduate student at the prestigious Wellesley College in Massachusetts, USA.

UP NEXT

Penang age group

The Penang Chess Association is presently holding this year’s Penang age group chess championship for boys and girls over five Sundays. Six rounds, time control of 15 to 40 minutes per game, depending on the age group. 

The second of the five events, for players under nine years old, will be played this Sunday. On Nov 6, the under-11 event will be played; on Nov 13, it will be the under-13 tournament; and on Nov 20, the under-15 and under-17 events will wrap up the championship.

All the events are played at the clubhouse of the Residents’ Association of Bayan Baru in Bandar Bayan Baru, Penang. Entry fees: RM15 (PCA members) and RM30 (non-members). For inquiries, contact Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com) or visit http://penangchess.com for more information.

Frank Goon Cup

The Johor Chess Association will organize their Johor chess open tournament for the Frank Goon Cup this Sunday. Venue will be the Level 35 of the Office Tower City Square in Johor Bahru. Depending on the number of players, there will be either six or seven rounds. Time control is 25 minutes per game.

Entry fees: RM20 (open), RM10 (players below 16 years old). For more details, contact Steven Cheong (016.7202272, steven52s@gmail.com) or Dinesh (014.6115256).

RSC rapid play

The chess section of the Royal Selangor Club will hold their annual RSC rapid play open tournament at their club premises in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Seven rounds, with the first three rounds this Sunday and the final four rounds on Nov 6. Apart from the prizes in the open section, there are also other prizes for the best under-13, under-11, under-9, veteran and lady players. Time control is 25 minutes per game, subject to final confirmation. 

Entry fees for RSC members: RM30 (single player), RM25 (family discount for two or more family members). For non-RSC members: RM40 (single player), RM30 (family discount for two or more family members). For junior players: RM25. Entries will close by today. For more information, contact Wahid (016.3283160, awkarim@gmail.com) or Joseph Toh (016.6784648).

Giant Tampoi chess

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, The Giant Hypermarket Tampoi and the Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing their second Giant Tampoi junior chess tournament for under-16 and under-12 category players on Nov 13. 

Venue is the Giant Hypermarket at Tampoi, Johor. Seven rounds, 25 minutes time control. Entry fees are RM15 (under-16 players) and RM12 (under-12 players). Closing date is Nov 11. Call Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com) for more details.

 Asian amateur open

The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) will organize the second Asian amateur open and women chess championship in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 25 to Dec 1. The tournament is open to only Asian players who are either unrated or with an international rating of not more than 2100 points. Nine rounds with time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

Entry fees are USD125 for players with international ratings and USD150 for non-rated players. Malaysians wishing to play will be charged at RM412 and RM495 respectively. Entries will close on Nov 4. 

Top prizes for the open section are USD1,500 (about RM4,500) for first, USD1,000 (about RM3,000) for second and USD800 (about RM2,400) for third. There are six other minor prizes that go down to USD200 (about RM600). For the women, there are four prizes with the best of them set to win USD400 (about RM1,200). There are also identical prizes for the four best unrated players.

All inquiries and requests for entry forms to the event secretariat (najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com) or the Malaysian Chess Federation (msianchess2010@gmail.com).

Penang chess league

This year’s Penang Chess League will be held at the Dewan Sri Pinang in George Town, Penang on Dec 3 and 4. The two-day team event is open to teams from four broad categories: public sector, factories, institutions of learning and others. 

Each team shall comprise four players and an optional reserve. Average rating per team during play should not be more than 2100 points. Seven rounds, time control of one hour play-to-finish for each game. Entry fees are RM150 (open category), RM90 (under-18 teams), RM60 (under-12 teams). Closing date is Nov 29. 

More details available from Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com) or visit http://penangchess.com for more information.

Penang heritage open

The Penang Chess Association (PCA) will organize the Penang heritage city open chess championship at the Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel, Penang on Dec 6-10. Two separate events: open and challenger sections, both internationally rated. Nine rounds with time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

Entry fees for the open event: free for Malaysian national masters and all players with FIDE ratings of above 2300 points, RM100 (PCA members) and RM150 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 2000 and 2299 points, RM150 (members) and RM200 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 1800 and 1999 points, RM200 (members) and RM300 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 1600 and 1799 points, and RM250 (members) and RM350 (non-members) for players without any FIDE rating.

Entry fees for the challenger event: RM50 (PCA members) and RM100 (non-members) for players with a FIDE rating, and RM100 (members) and RM150 (non-members) for unrated players. 

Closing date for all entries is Dec 1 and thereafter, all late entries will be charged double. Direct all inquiries to Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com). More information also at http://penangchess.com

Sarawak open

The Sarawak Chess Association will hold the Sarawak open chess tournament at the Ultimate Professional Centre, opposite the Pullman Hotel, in Jalan Bukit Mata Kuching, Kuching on Dec 12-16. Internationally-rated event played over nine rounds and time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment for each move.

Entry fees are RM25 (ladies and all players below 16 years old) and RM50 (all other participants). The closing date for entries is Dec 5.

Details available from Morsin Ahmad (012.8949415, morsinab@sarawaknet.gov.my), Abang Mohd Reduan (019.8887786, reduan_sahari@bsn.com.my) and Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, limkhwa@gmail.com). 

Busy days ahead

I made just some cursory mention of the Penang Heritage City open chess championship and the Sarawak open championship here in last week’s column without giving any details. 

In order that readers may start preparing themselves to participate in one or possibly both of these internationally-rated tournaments, here are some salient points that would-be participants should take note of.

First, the Penang Chess Association will hold the Penang Heritage City open at the Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel in Penang on Dec 6 to 10. There will be two rounds daily except for the final day which will see only one round. This is therefore a nine-round event with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment for each move.

The championship will be separated into the open and the challenger tournaments, with the challenger event limited to players with FIDE ratings of not more than 2000 points or Malaysian ratings of 1750 points or below. 

There are altogether 26 prizes for the open tournament which include minor prizes for the best lady and five best PCA players. The top three prizes are RM5,000, RM2,500 and RM1,500 respectively. The challenger event will have 14 prizes with a RM500 winner’s purse. The first and second runners-up will receive RM300 and RM250 respectively. Medals are also awarded to the top five players in the under-eight, under-10 and under-12 age groups.

Entry fees for the open tournament: free for Malaysian national masters and all players with FIDE ratings of above 2300 points, RM100 (PCA members) and RM150 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 2000 and 2299 points, RM150 (members) and RM200 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 1800 and 1999 points, RM200 (members) and RM300 (non-members) for players with FIDE ratings between 1600 and 1799 points, and RM250 (members) and RM350 (non-members) for players without any FIDE rating.

For the challenger tournament, entry fees are RM50 (members) and RM100 (non-members) for players with a FIDE rating, and RM100 (members) and RM150 (non-members) for unrated players. 

Closing date for all entries is Dec 1 and thereafter, all late entries will be charged double. All inquiries should be directed to Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com). There is also more information at http://penangchess.com

As for the Sarawak open, this internationally-rated event will be played at the Ultimate Professional Centre, opposite the Pullman Hotel, in Jalan Bukit Mata Kuching, Kuching on Dec 12-16. This is also a nine-round event with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment for each move.

There will be two rounds every day except for the last day when only a single round is played. There are 10 main prizes with the champion set to receive RM2,500 and a trophy. The runners-up will receive RM1,500 and a trophy, while the third prize is RM800 and a trophy. In addition, the Sarawak Chess Association is offering special prizes for players in the under-16, under-14, under-12, under-10 and under-eight age groups.

Entry fees are RM25 (ladies and all players below 16 years old) and RM50 (all other participants). The closing date for entries is Dec 5.

More details are available from Morsin Ahmad (012.8949415, morsinab@sarawaknet.gov.my), Abang Mohd Reduan (019.8887786, reduan_sahari@bsn.com.my) and Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, limkhwa@gmail.com). 

Up next

Penang age group

The Penang Chess Association will hold this year’s Penang age group chess championship for boys and girls over five Sundays. Six rounds, time control of 15 to 40 minutes per game, depending on the age group. 

The first of the five events, for players under seven years old, will be played this Sunday. On Oct 30, the under-nine event will be played; on Nov 6, it will be the under-11 tournament; and on Nov 13, the under-13 event is scheduled. The under-15 and under-17 events on Nov 20 will wrap up the championship.

All the five events will be played at the clubhouse of the Residents’ Association of Bayan Baru in Bandar Bayan Baru, Penang. Entry fees are RM15 (PCA members) and RM30 (non-members). For inquiries, contact Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com) or visit http://penangchess.com for more information.

Frank Goon Cup

The Johor Chess Association will organize their Johor chess open tournament for the Frank Goon Cup on Oct 30. Venue will be the Level 35 of the Office Tower City Square in Johor Bahru. Depending on the number of players, there will be either six or seven rounds. Time control is 25 minutes per game.

Prizes are offered to winners in the open, under-16, under-12 and ladies categories. Entry fees: RM20 (open), RM10 (players below 16 years old). Closing date is Oct 24. For more details, contact Steven Cheong (016.7202272, steven52s@gmail.com) or Dinesh (014.6115256).

RSC rapid play

The chess section of the Royal Selangor Club will hold their annual RSC rapid play open tournament at their club premises in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Seven rounds, with the first three rounds on Oct 30 and the final four rounds on Nov 6. Apart from the prizes in the open section, there are also other prizes for the best under-13, under-11, under-9, veteran and lady players. Time control is 25 minutes per game, subject to final confirmation. 

Entry fees for RSC members: RM30 (single player), RM25 (family discount for two or more family members). For non-RSC members: RM40 (single player), RM30 (family discount for two or more family members). For more information, contact Wahid (016.3283160, awkarim@gmail.com) or Ajeet (012.2121372, ajeet@pc.jaring.my) before Oct 28.

Penang chess league

This year’s Penang Chess League will be held at the Dewan Sri Pinang in George Town, Penang on Dec 3 and 4. The two-day team event, organized by the Penang 

Chess Association, is open to teams from four broad categories: public sector, factories, institutions of learning and others. 

Each team shall comprise four players and an optional reserve player. Average rating per team during play should not be more than 2100 points. Seven rounds, time control of one hour play-to-finish for each game. Entry fees are RM150 (open category), RM90 (under-18 teams), RM60 (under-12 teams). Closing date is Nov 29. 

More details available from Tan Eng Seong (012.4299517, estan64@yahoo.com or estan64@gmail.com) or visit http://penangchess.com for more information.

Giant Tampoi chess

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, The Giant Hypermarket Tampoi and the Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing their second Giant Tampoi junior chess tournament for under-16 and under-12 category players on Nov 13. 

Venue is the Giant Hypermarket at Tampoi, Johor. Seven rounds, 25 minutes time control. Entry fees are RM15 (under-16 players) and RM12 (under-12 players). Closing date is Nov 11. Call Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com) for more details.

 

Asian amateur open

The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) will organize the second Asian amateur open and women chess championship in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 25 to Dec 1. The tournament is open to only Asian players who are either unrated or with an international rating of not more than 2100 points. Nine rounds with time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

Entry fees are USD125 for players with international ratings and USD150 for non-rated players. Malaysians wishing to play will be charged at RM412 and RM495 respectively. Entries will close on Nov 4. 

Top prizes for the open section are USD1,500 (about RM4,500) for first, USD1,000 (about RM3,000) for second and USD800 (about RM2,400) for third. There are six other minor prizes that go down to USD200 (about RM600). For the women, there are four prizes with the best of them set to win USD400 (about RM1,200). There are also identical prizes for the four best unrated players.

All inquiries and requests for entry forms to the event secretariat (najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com) or the Malaysian Chess Federation (msianchess2010@gmail.com).

 

Spot-on for amateurs

Normally at about this time, I would be counting down the number of weeks before the end of the year. I would be rather glad to see the start of a new year and hence, the start of a new cycle of chess activities for the amateur chess players in the country. 

Right at about this time, local chess activities would be at their lowest level as if they have fallen off a cliff completely. 

Could it be that local chess organizers are taking a breather to recoup their energies? Or maybe, is it because working chess players are conserving their annual leave for bigger events to come? But one fact for sure: many junior chess players are just not playing because of their end-of-year examinations.

Whatever the reason, chess players would normally stir themselves out of their slumbers from December onwards. That’s when the important internationally-rated events such as the Penang Heritage City open tournament and the Sarawak open tournament are scheduled. 

But this year is different. Earlier this week, I received an email from the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) to tell me that they would be organizing the second Asian amateur open and women chess championship in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 25 to Dec 1. 

This came as a surprise because earlier, the word was out that the event would be played in Yemen. However, seeing that Yemen is presently in the midst of some political instability and the safety of participants is not completely assured, the Asian Chess Federation had asked the MCF to step in and play host.

So if all things go according to plan, we should see players from the 40-plus countries in the Asian region descend on Kuala Lumpur for this competition. But these will only be the amateur players, mind you, and not the international masters or the grandmasters. 

The scope of this event confines it to only Asian players who are either unrated or with an international rating of not more than 2100 points. Hey, this may even exclude a whole lot of Asian Fide masters and titled women chess players from participating!

And that’s the whole fun of the competition because it leaves the real chess amateurs – people like you and I – to fight out among ourselves for the full spoils of the game. Don’t have to worry about the top prizes slipping out of our hands. 

Here, the winner of the open section will stand to win USD1,500 (about RM4,500). Even the second and third prizes are a hefty USD1,000 (about RM3,000) and USD800 (about RM2,400) respectively. There are six other minor prizes that go down to USD200 (about RM600). For the women, there are four prizes with the best of them set to win USD400 (about RM1,200). There are also identical prizes for the four best unrated players.

According to the MCF’s president, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Diraja Ramli Ngah Talib, the tournament is expected to attract a sizeable number of players from the neighbouring Asian chess power houses such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. 

“Obviously, we are delighted. With such a prestigious event coming to Malaysia, the event will also open doors for many amateur players in our country to experience an Asian level chess event and provide opportunities for them to excel on an Asian continental platform,” he added.

Entry fees are USD125 for players with international ratings and USD150 for non-rated players. Malaysians wishing to play will be charged at RM412 and RM495 respectively. Entries will close on Nov 4.

All inquiries and requests for entry forms should be directed to the event secretariat (najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com) or the Malaysian Chess Federation (msianchess2010@gmail.com). 

Up next

Mind chess open

The Penang Chess Association will hold the Mind Chess open tournament at their clubhouse in Bayan Baru on Oct 16. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM15 (PCA members), RM20 (non-members). This event is open to players with a national rating of at least 1200. No cash prizes, but players will receive certificates and winners will get a combination of trophies or chess books. Entries close tomorrow. For details, contact Loo Swee Leong (017.4722472, mindchessnet@yahoo.com) or Tan Khai Boon (016.4613580). 

DATCC team open

The first round of the fourth DATCC team open team chess tournament will be played at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur starting Oct 22. Thereafter, the next seven rounds will be played on consecutive Tuesdays, and the final round on Dec 24. Entry fee is RM400 per team with a maximum of 10 players in each team. Total prize money is RM6,000. More information available from http://datcchess.blogspot.com. 

Frank Goon Cup

The Johor Chess Association will organize their Johor chess open tournament for the Frank Goon Cup on Oct 30. Venue will be the Level 35 of the Office Tower City Square in Johor Bahru. Depending on the number of players, there will be either six or seven rounds. Time control is 25 minutes per game.

Prizes are offered to winners in the open, under-16, under-12 and ladies categories. Entry fees: RM20 (open), RM10 (players below 16 years old). Closing date is Oct 24. For more details, contact Steven Cheong (016.7202272, steven52s@gmail.com) or Dinesh (014.6115256).

RSC rapid play

The chess section of the Royal Selangor Club will hold their annual RSC rapid play open tournament at their club premises in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Seven rounds, with the first three rounds on Oct 30 and the final four rounds on Nov 6. Apart from the prizes in the open section, there are also other prizes for the best under-13, under-11, under-9, veteran and lady players. Time control is 25 minutes per game, subject to final confirmation. 

Entry fees for RSC members: RM30 (single player), RM25 (family discount for two or more family members). For non-RSC members: RM40 (single player), RM30 (family discount for two or more family members). For more information, contact Wahid (016.3283160, awkarim@gmail.com) or Ajeet (012.2121372, ajeet@pc.jaring.my) before Oct 28.

Giant Tampoi chess

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, The Giant Hypermarket Tampoi and the Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing their second Giant Tampoi junior chess tournament for under-16 and under-12 category players on Nov 13. 

Venue is the Giant Hypermarket at Tampoi, Johor. Seven rounds, 25 minutes time control. Entry fees are RM15 (under-16 players) and RM12 (under-12 players). Closing date for entries is Nov 11. More details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com).

 

Only the fittest

The recent Chess World Cup tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk qualified easily as one of the longest chess tournaments ever organized this year. 

When the schedule of this event was announced earlier this year, I felt a bit dizzy just to think that here was a tournament that would span 24 playing days, from Aug 28 until Sep 20.

Don’t ever think of chess as a game of ease and leisure, that everything a player does is to sit down at the chessboard and (a) flex his brain cells, and (b) move his arm muscles only. No, playing chess requires one to be fit both mentally and physically. Just ask any of the good chess players, even our local ones, and they will tell you that they do require a measure of physical fitness. 

Maybe it doesn’t mean that much when one plays in one-day chess events but when you have a tournament that spans anything from five to eight days, boy, there is already the physical strain which can set in rather quickly. 

But I’m digressing a bit. As for the Chess World Cup, anyone taking part in this event would not only have to be fit but the player must be super-fit to survive the course of 24 days.

Of course, I’m only referring to the ones that progressed through this knock-out event from Round One right until the final Round Seven, and there were only four of them that survived till this stage of this marathon event. The rest dropped out along the way as they were eliminated.

When the Chess World Cup began in late August, it began with 128 players from throughout the world. Many had qualified from the World Chess Federation’s zonal tournaments or the continental chess championships that had been organized some time earlier. Some had qualified by virtue of their international ratings or their positions as losing finalists in the last Chess World Cup or women’s world champion or world junior champions.

In any case, this event began as a huge potpourri of chess players of all race and creed, old and young, the very strong and the not-so-strong. The regulations were simple. In each of the first six rounds, the paired players would play two games at normal regulation time control and if the results were tied, they would proceed to play two games at rapidchess time control followed by blitz games, if necessary. For the final round, there would be four normal regulation games instead of two, followed by the play-off games.

So the field was halved to 64 players at the end of the first round, halved again to 32 players at the end of the second round, and further reduced to 16 players by the time the third round ended.

By this time, the real contest in the Chess World Cup could be considered to have really started. These were the remaining 16 players who were now seriously eyeing the three qualification spots for the World Chess Federation’s Candidates stage of the 2013 world chess championship: Lazaro Bruzon, Leinier Dominguez, Vugar Gashimov, Alexander Grischuk, Vassily Ivanchuk, Dmitry Jakovenko, Gata Kamsky, David Navara, Peter Heine Nielsen, Judit Polgar, Ruslan Ponomariov, Vladimir Potkin, Teimour Radjabov, Peter Svidler, Bu Xiangzhi and Yaroslav Zherebukh.

The fourth round saw the field whittled down to eight when Bruzon, Dominguez, Jakovenko, Kamsky, Nielsen, Potkin, Bu and Zherebukh were eliminated and already, the favourites to qualify were beginning to emerge. 

Of the eight, the firm favourites to progress further in the competition were Svidler, Ponomariov, Ivanchuk and Grischuk and they did this by beating Polgar, Gashimov, Radjabov and Navara respectively in the fifth round or the quarterfinals round.

The sixth round or the semifinals round saw Svidler paired against Ponomariov and Ivanchuk paired against Grischuk. These were very tense contests because the winners of the two matches would of course qualify for the Candidates stage regardless of how they played in the seventh round. The losers would have to fight it out for the last remaining place and the pressure on them would be BIG.

Svidler was the first to qualify after having disposed of Ponomariov in two games. Grischuk took longer, having to beat Ivanchuk in six games. The highlight of this round was Ivanchuk’s shock blunder in the third play-off game. 

Grischuk, who was in his customary time trouble, had allowed his clock to run down to the last three seconds before he executed his move. Ivanchuk thought that he was almost on the verge of winning and walked right into the trap that his opponent had laid for him. His first blunder was to lose a knight and then the second blunder was to lose his rook. All in two consecutive moves.

When Grischuk captured the rook, Ivanchuk was so shocked and distressed that he resigned the game immediately and left the table with his face hidden by his hands. This was clearly a man in great shock.

And so finally, the seventh round or the final round arrived. However, there was no big drama this time. It was like an anti-climax. Svidler wrapped up the Chess World Cup by winning the first game and then giving Grischuk no chance at all of equalising the match. The fight for third and fourth places was more intense but Ivanchuk had by then recovered sufficiently to beat Ponomariov and secure the last qualifying position. 

Up next

DATCC Blitz Sunday

The DATCC will hold a blitz tournament at the Wilayah Complex this Sunday. A prize fund of RM500 is on offer, More information available from Kaber Azzad (012.6178624, info@chess-malaysia.com).

 

DATCC team open

The first round of the fourth DATCC team open team chess tournament will be played at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur starting Oct 22. Thereafter, the next seven rounds will be played on consecutive Tuesdays, and the final round on Dec 24. Entry fee is RM400 per team with a maximum of 10 players in each team. Total prize money is RM6,000. More information available from http://datcchess.blogspot.com.