Siblings rule

The last big tournament on our shores as last year drew to a close was the fourth national junior chess championship that the Malaysian Chess Federation organised at the Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur in late December. The championship was divided into the boys’ and girls’ events and both were completely dominated by a trio of siblings.

First off, Mohd Nabil bin Azman Hisham demonstrated why he is possibly among today’s most promising youngsters when he pulled off a power display of skills in the boys’ event. Anyone scoring eight points from his fellow peers in a national tournament of this level simply cannot be taken of lightly.

Save for a blip in the sixth round when he lost to his closest rival, Roshan Singh, and hence had to be contented with a momentary share of the lead, Mohd Nabil practically led all the way from the start till the finish.

A strong spurt in the first half of the event – during which time the opponents he beat included Amier Hamzah, Ong Wei Bin and Mark Siew – was followed by an equally strong finish against Aron Teh, Low Jun Jian and Yee Jian Yang in the second half.

At the end of the tournament, Mohd Nabil finished with a clear 1½ points more than the three joint runners-up, Roshan Singh, Aron Teh and Teh Wee Zhun.

Of the trio that finished behind the champion, Roshan’s results were perhaps remarkable. Not only was he the only player to have inflicted a loss on the winner, Roshan was also the only participant in the 54-player field not to suffer any loss. His play was solid, comprising four wins but the five draws he made in this tournament did not do his overall chances any good. More tellingly, he could have pulled clear of the jam had his last three games not ended in consecutive draws.

As for Mohd Nabil’s two sisters who played in the girls’ event, it had been quite expected that they would make this event their own. I would believe that among the present batch of junior players in the country, the two sisters are the strongest players we have.

Nur Nabila binti Azman Hisham, being the older of the two, also came across as the stronger player. In this event, she also finished with eight points from nine games but unlike her brother, she was unbeaten throughout.

She started off with three wins, then a draw followed with her sister before he reeled off another two wins, followed by a second draw with Nur Sabrina Aliya before she closed off the event with two final wins. Her wins came from games with Ee Sun Xin, Anis Fariha, Camilia Johari, Goh Xin Yen, Nur Farihah, Zainoor Ikmal Maisarah and Nur Faqihah.

Nur Najiha binti Azman Hisham did not do badly either as she was just half a point behind her elder sister. She was also unbeaten throughout the tournament but there was just one draw too many for her, against Camilia Johari and Anis Fariha.

Up Next

InSoFar chess

The InSoFar Chess Academy will hold its first event of the year at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur on Jan 29. Players can choose to play in any one of three sections – the rapid open, the junior scholarship open and the adult scholarship open – which will all be run off together.

Seven Swiss rounds with a 25-minute time control. Entry fees: RM20 (rapid open), RM50 ( junior scholarship open and adult scholarship open). To register, please send your full name and age by text message to Mat Zaki Yeop (017.2032051). Entries are limited to the first 64 players only.

Rakan Muda JB

The Rakan Muda Johor Bahru, Johor Chess Academy, Johor Bahru Chess Association and the Southerncity Giant hypermarket  are the joint organisers of this year’s seventh Johor Bahru junior tournament on Feb 19. Venue will be the concourse area of the hypermarket in Johor Bahru. Seven-round Swiss event with 25 minutes time control.

Entry fees: RM15 (players under 17 years old) and RM13 (players under 12 years old). Closing date is Feb 17. Details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com).

 

Age group focus

One of the most encouraging signs in local chess is the continuing willingness of the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) to allow their state chess affiliates to play active roles in organizing some of the national-level chess competitions. 

Take the annual national age group chess championships as an example. 

Last year, the Penang Chess Association was given the go-ahead to plan for this competition in George Town on behalf of the federation. This year, the challenge was offered to the Perak International Chess Association (PICA).

 

PICA did so in Tronoh, Perak, in a joint effort which involved the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. By all accounts, this year’s edition of the national age group championships was a great success for the organizers. A total of 380 players took part in the three-day competition which, I was told, proceeded without any hitches. 

As was to be expected, the most closely watched contest was the boys’ under-18 event. There were a few junior heavyweight players in the field, the most notable among them being the top-seeded Evan Timothy Capel who was a former national closed champion and last year’s winner of the boys’ under-16 event. This year, though, the 17-year-old would be playing in the under-18 section, no longer eligible for the younger age group event. In fact, many of his rivals who played with him in Penang last year had also been elevated to the under-18 section.

Past successes, however, do not guarantee future gains, and Capel found this out pretty quickly. By the third round, he had already dropped a point to the second-seeded Sumant Subramaniam. By the tournament’s end, he had dropped two more points to Patrick Lim Kong Hui and the new winner of the boys’ under-18 event, Muhd Nabil Azman Hisham.

This was also a sobering experience for Sumant. After his heady win against Capel, he was brought down to earth with two consecutive losses to Muhd Nabil and Low Jun Jian. A further loss to Chong Shao Hong also ended his hopes in this tournament.

For Muhd Nabil, though, everything fell into place for him perfectly. He had lost to Capel in the boys’ under-16 event last year but this year, he exacted revenge on the top seed. By also defeating the second seed, there could only be one description for Muhd Nabil: worthy winner. His draws were with Low Jun Jian and Mark Siew Kit Tze, but he won all the other six games.

Here are the top winners of the various age group sections:

Boys’ under-18: Muhd Nabil 7 points; Mark Siew and Low Jun Jian 5½ points; Sumant, Capel, Patrick Lim, Fong Yit Ho, Keok Kai En and Chong Shao Hong 5 points; (field of 22 players). Girls’ under-18: Latifah Kaiyisah Mohd Latib 5 points; Adele Lau Chuey Theng, Fatin Nur Nadirah Mat Rahim and Winnie Hong Wee Ni 4 points; (field of seven players).

Boys’ under-16: Wong Jian Wen 8 points; Yeap Eng Chiam 6½ points; Elgin Lee Kah Meng and Jeff Tan Jun Feng 6 points; (field of 49 players). Girls’ under-16: Pavitraneyagi Jayamurthey 6½ points; Sarika Subramaniam and Hoh Tjin Li 6 points; Amira Syahmina Zulkafli 5½ points; (field of 21 players).

Boys’ under-14: Roshan Ajeet Singh and Aron Teh Eu Wen 6½ points; Tan Wei Hao, Muhd Irfan Haqqim Azhar, Subramaniam Sivanesan 6 points; William Lee Kah Howe, Muhd Nuriman Yahaya, Shreyes Subramaniam, Harleiff Haniff and Ang Zhen Yuan 5½ points; (field of 58 players). Girls’ under-14: Tan Li Ting and Nur Nabila Azman Hisham 7 points; Camilia Johari and Hoh Tjin Hui 6 points; Fatih Nor Sahariah Abdul Jalil 5 points; (field of 22 players).

Boys’ under-12: Ooi Zhi Yang 7 points; Mohd Noor Azam Mohd Noor and Tan Yong Zhao 6½ points; Tang Wei Kit and Teoh Ern Sheng 6 points; (field of 52 players). Girls’ under-12: WFM Nur Najiha Azman Hisham 7 points; Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar 6½ points; Nithiyalakshmi Sivanesan 6 points; (field of 35 players).

Boys’ under-10: Teh De Juan 7½ points; Wong Yinn Long and Benjamin Lee Kah Teng 6½ points; Kong Dak Nam and Max Wong Zi Quan 6 points; (field of 52 players). Girls’ under-10: Teh De Zen 8 points; Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa 6½ points; Teh Ming Min 6 points; (field of 25 players).

Boys’ under-8: Tan Jun Ying 7 points; Lye Lik Zang 6½ points; Muhd Faqih Aminuddin, Ng Shi Yang and Teh De Yong 5½ points; (field of 22 players). Girls’ under-8: Goh Jie Yi 8 points; Chua Jia Tien 7 points; Zainoor Ikmal Munirah 6 points; (field of 14 players).

Now with the national age group championships over, the focus this week is on the national closed and national women’s closed championships that are taking place at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur.

Today is already the third day of play and there are only five more rounds to go before the two competitions end on Sunday. So if you are not competing but have time on your hands, why not go and speculate who will emerge as the 2011 national champions?

The organizers tell me that as of the beginning of this week, there hasn’t been any change to the number of entries: still 89 players for the national closed and 34 players for the national women’s closed. At press time it is impossible to say whether there were any dropouts from the players’ lists or additions to it.   

Anyway, I have to set the record right in a slip of the finger that appeared in last week’s story. In my excitement to see our international master Jimmy Liew enter the fray as one of the competitors, I have inadvertently described him as a grandmaster. 

I’ve received a lot of ribbing privately from friends and chess players in the past week. Really, I’m a bit embarrassed. However, I hope that my personal embarrassment is contained and has not spilled over to Liew. I really don’t want this episode to distract him in this national event where he is clearly the top seeded player.  

So I shall wish “best of luck” to Jimmy Liew, as well as wishing the same to last year’s winners Tan Khai Boon (national closed defending champion) and Fong Mi Yen (national women’s closed defending champion) and all the hopefuls this year.

Both events are being played at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur until Sunday. The games start at 9am and 3pm daily. For more information, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542 or najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com.)

Melody Amber

This year’s Melody Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament in Monaco promises to be a nostalgic event that goes down memory lane. After a 20-year run, there is closure coming to this fantastic event. This year’s final edition will end next Thursday. For old times’ sake, anyone who has Internet access should visit http://www.amberchess20.com/ to watch the live games. Some of the world’s best players are competing: Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Kramnik, Vassily Ivanchuk and Veselin Topalov among them. 

Up next

Klang Parade open

The Klang Parade shopping mall, Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre and Cerdik Chess Enterprise are jointly organising the 10th Klang Parade open chess tournament at the shopping mall in Jalan Meru, Klang tomorrow and on Sunday. Tomorrow’s tournament is for players under the age of 18, while Sunday’s event is an open competition. Entry fees for the age group tournament are RM10 (players under 12 years old) and RM15 (players under 18 years old). For the open event, the entry fees are RM10 (players under 12 years old) and RM15 (all other players). Contact Siti Nor Faiza (03.33437889 office hours) or Mohd Fadli Zakaria (014.2312370 or cerdikcatur@yahoo.com) for details.

Lim Chong memorial

The Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre will organize the Lim Chong memorial tournament at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on Mar 27. Seven rounds, 25-minute time control games. Entry fees are RM15 (players under 16 years old) and RM25 (all other players). More information from Hamid Majid (019.3158098 or aham@pc.jaring.my), Jan Lim (012.2678738) or Najib Wahab (016.3382542). 

JB youth chess

The Johor Bahru Chess Association and the Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing the sixth Johor Bahru youth chess tournament on Mar 27. Venue is the concourse area of the SouthernCity Giant Hypermarket in Taman Suria, Johor Bahru. Seven rounds, 25-minute games. Entry fees are RM15 (players under 16 years old) and RM12 (players under 12 years old). Closing date for entries is Mar 25. More details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@jyahoo.com). 

PICA/YMCA chess

The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) and the YMCA Perak are jointly holding the PICA/YMCA chess tournament in conjunction with PICA’s annual general meeting on Mar 27. Venue is the YMCA Hall in Jalan Raja Muda Aziz, Ipoh. Entry fees are RM15 (PICA or YMCA members and players under 15 years old) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is Mar 25. Contact  Yunus (013.3908129) to register or visit http://perakchess.blogspot.com for the details.

Percawi Labour Day team

The Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Chess Association (Percawi) will organize a Labour Day team tournament at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur on Apr 24. Six rounds, 30-minute games, four players per team. Entry fee: RM160 (companies and government departments), RM80 (schools, colleges and universities). Details available from Collin Madhaven (016.2123578) and Bob Yap (012.2878378).

 

Budding winners

 

Smooth show

 

For the love of the game

 

Gearing up for national meet

 

Game for a challenge

MORE than 350 players from around the country converged at the Putra World Trade Centre for the very popular national age-group chess championship last month. This annual event is organised by the Malaysian Chess Federation. As in previous years, the championship was divided into six age-groups, with separate events for boys and girls.

The under-eight boys' section attracted 27 players. The top five winners were: Fong Yip Siang (6.5 points), Fong Yit Ho and Sumanth Subramaniam (5.5 points each), and Chia Yoon Wei and Mohd Shafeeqdeen (five points each).

The under-eight girls' section had nine entries. The two joint winners were Alia Anin Azwa Bakri and Adeline Gan Li Ling, both with 6.5 points. Third was Kwan Tszee Yeung with 4.5 points.

There were 42 players in the under-10 boys' section. The winners in this event were Anas Nazreen Bakri and Abdul Kadir Jailani who each scored 6.5 points. In the third to seventh places were: Tan Wei Yang, Ahmad Noordin Mohd Azmi, Nur Ahmad Faiz Mohd Azmi, Chong Geng Cheng and Khoo Sing Wan with five points each.

The under-10 girls' section attracted 17 entries, with Wan Khye Theng emerging as the winner with five points. Behind her was the trio made up of Michele Tai Chee Yann, Chia Yoon Yoong and Shireen Farhana Sirajudeen who obtained 4.5 points each.

The under-12 boys' section drew 75 players. The event was won by Abel Yap Jin Wei with 6.5 points. The other winners were Victor Hong Wee Lian, Muhyiddin Muhammad Isa and Zarul Shazwan Zulkafli who earned six points each.

In the girls' section, Nur Shazwani Zulkafli easily defended the title that she won last year with a clean sweep of seven points. Effaliana Mohd Farid came second with six points, and Chan Wei Qi was third with 4.5 points.

There were 46 players in the boys' under-14 section. The winner was Effazuwan Mohd Farid who scored six points, while there was a three-way tie on 5.5 points among Fariz Shafrussin, Pok Wern Jian and Ernest Chia Chuan Ping. Six players--Wong Zi Chuang, Ahmad Fadzil Nayan, Ragu Ram, Zarul Shafiq Zulkafli, Thaw Chee Hou and Mohd Johan Iskandar--shared the fifth to tenth positions with five points each.

The girls' under-14 title was won by Lim Han Ying with six points. Tied for joint second and third placing were Lee Su Lynn and Hazuin Husain with 5.5 points each.

The boys' under-16 section was hotly contested, and Nicholas Chan emerged as the winner with 6.5 points, half a point ahead of Jonathan Chuah. In third place was Hafiz Shafruddin with 5.5 points. The players with five points each were Au Yoong Yow Loo, Gerald Soh, Effawira Mohd Farid, Aaron Yee Keng Yew, Foo Chee Kin, Hisyam Ismail, Wan Jen Lye, Mohd Nazmi Ahmad and Mohd Musa Alashaari Mohd.

The girls' under-16 section was won jointly by Hazerina Jaffar and Nishaah Rengahathan who both scored 6.5 points. In third place with five points was Norhidayah Azman.

The most keenly-contested event was for the boys' under-20 title. Two players, Lim Chuin Hoong and Wong Zi Jing, were equal firsts with six points each. There was also a five-way tie on five points among Lim Yee Weng, Khor Shihong, Thaw Chee Yin, Lim Beng Tatt and Faiezul Zainal for the third to seventh places. Abdul Haq, Marcus Chan and Ooi Chong Hean scored 4.5 points to take the eighth to 10th places.

Seven players took part in the under-20 girls' section which was won by Lim Jean Nie (six points). Second was Marina Soh (five points) while in third place was Sim Chui Fong (four points).

Dell League

The fourth and fifth rounds of the 11th Dell Penang Chess League will be played this Sunday at the Kolej Damansara Utama premises in Jalan Anson.

Thirty teams divided into three divisions are taking part.

After three rounds, the Penang Free School A is leading in the Premier Division with 10 points. Close on their heels, however, are the Chung Ling Old Boys Association, Old Frees Association and Chung Ling High School A with 9.5 points each.

The Penang Chess Association Novices has six points while Pessca has 5.5 points. Placed further back are Penang Free School B with 4.5 points; Penang Development Corporation, 2.5 points; and both Dell Asia Pacific A and Kolej Damansara Utama with 1.5 points each.

In Division One, St Xavier's Institution A is in the lead with 9.5 points. Next in the standings are the Penang Chess Association Ladies with nine points; Universiti Sains Malaysia, 7.5 points; Chung Ling High School B, 6.5 points; Chung Ling High School C, six points; and Hitachi, 5.5 points. Both Penang Chinese Girls High School and MSSPP Juniors have 4.5 points each, while Penang Free School C has four points and SM Hamid Khan A, three points.

In Division Two, Tunku Abdul Rahman College has collected the maximum 12 points so far, but close at their heels is St Xavier's Institution B with 11 points. Malayan Sugar has eight points, followed by Chung Ling High School D and Penang Free School D with seven points each. SM Hamid Khan B has 6.5 points; Dell Asia Pacific B, six points; St George's Girls School, 1.5 points; and Union High School, one point. Penang Free School Girls has yet to score.

There will be two matches this Sunday. The fourth round begins at 10am while the fifth round starts at 2pm. Dell Asia Pacific is the main sponsor for this annual event while Kolej Damansara Utama is the sponsor for the venue.

UP NEXT

BPM national allegro

THE next two legs of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit will be played in Penang on July 15 and Perak on July 22.

These events will be held over six rounds with a 30-minute time control for each game. However, if the number of participants exceeds 100, the tournaments will be played over seven rounds, using a 25-minute time control.

Entry fees are RM10 for ladies, Bank Pertanian employees and members of the two chess associations running these legs, RM5 for players below 12 years old, and RM15 for all other participants.

To register, contact Ooi Kiem Boo in Penang (04-226 2209) and Dr Yee Meng Kheong in Ipoh (05-5464 5308). Selangor under-16 grand prix

THE Chess Association of Selangor is now in the midst of organising the under-16 grand prix chess tournament to be held at Sunway College, Petaling Jaya. The second leg will be played this Sunday, followed by the third leg on July 8, and the final leg on July 14 and 15.

Each of these legs will be played over six rounds with a 30-minute time control. Entry fees are RM10 for CAS members and RM15 for non-members.

For more information, contact Lim Tse Pin (012-298 4922), Norhana (03-4108 2590) or Jackie Wong (012-261 3688), or you can e-mail CAS at chessmate@cas.com.kg.

Kepong Baru Open

THE SMK Kepong Baru chess club will organise an open chess tournament at the school this Sunday. Prizes comprise trophies, cash, hampers and certificates. The best girl player and the top five under-12 players will also receive prizes.

Entry fees are RM12 per person inclusive of lunch during the tournament.

For more details, contact Tan Eng Kian (03-6274 0635) or Chin Kai Sin (03-6276 4403).

Insofar Chess

THE Insofar Chess Club in Perak will hold a one-day chess tournament at the Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh this Sunday.

There are 10 cash prizes offered for the open section, ranging from RM300 to RM30, and 27 trophies for the best veteran, ladies, under-10, under-12 and under-16 players.

Members of the chess club will get to play in the tournament for free while non-members are required to pay RM10. Primary schoolchildren are charged RM8 per player. Only the first 60 entries will be accepted.

For more information, contact Mat Zaki Yeop ( 05-312 6696 / 019-540 5677).

Alive and kicking among the young

I WAS at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur last month to see for myself this year's national age-group chess championship and I must say I was rather unprepared for the sight of more than 300 enthusiastic schoolchildren competing in the big hall.

Yes, I am proud to say that despite the setback caused by the withdrawal of the game from the Majlis Sukan Sekolah-Sekolah Malaysia (MSSM) calendar three years ago, scholastic chess is still very much alive in the country.

In fact, I can safely say that the popularity of chess among the school-going population is showing no sign of diminishing, thanks to parental encouragement as well as continuing support from the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF).

Ever since chess was removed from the MSSM programme, the MCF had tried its best - and succeeded - in raising the quality of the national age-group championship so that schoolchildren would not be deprived of the chance of playing in an important competition at least once a year.

To see the hall and the corridors filled with supportive parents says a lot about what they think of the MSSM's short-sighted decision. I had the opportunity to speak to some of them and I could sense the hidden anger when they talked about the MSSM's failure to reinstate the game in its calendar.

They talked of discrimination and of getting the short end of the stick from the MSSM. Basically, the parents could not express their frustrations to the education authorities because most of the schools' chess advisors (that is, the teachers) are themselves not very concerned about the fate of the game in the MSSM programme.

Without a direction, most of the schools meekly go along with their Majlis Sukan Sekolah-Sekolah Negeri, which in turn simply follow the decisions made at national level.

Apart from Selangor and Penang, I do not know of any other state that continues to have their respective schools' chess competitions at the state level every year. The absence of such competition deprives the students of an opportunity to develop themselves mentally in one of the most structured and expressive means.

In the meantime, the national age-group championship will have to remain as the only conduit in the country for chess-playing schoolchildren to compete with one another.

The championship was divided into six age-groups, with separate events for the boys and girls.

The under-eight boys' section attracted 22 players and the top five winners were Tai Wei Yang (6.5 points), Sumanth Subramaniam (six points), Joel Tan Weng Yu (five points), and Koh Zhuan Khye and Bryan Homi Mehta (both with 4.5 points). The under-eight girls' section had 17 players and the winners were Adeline Gan Li Ling and Har Wanth Kaur (both with 5.5 points) and Alena Wan Yuin Yee (five points).

There were 44 players in the under-10 boys' section and the winners were Anas Nazreen Bakri (6.5 points), Loke Zhi Kin (six points), Tan Wei Jian (5.5 points), and Lim Tao Sheng and Abdul Kadir Jailani Ramli (five points each). However, there were only 14 players in the under-10 girls' section and the three winners were Effaliana Farid (clean score of seven points), Wan Khye Theng (5.5 points) and Ong Mei Wen (five points).

The under-12 boys' section had 48 players and the event was won by Zarul Shazwan Zulkafli with seven points. The other winners were Joshua Tan Hoong Yu (six points), and Thaw Chee Hou, Chan Litt Binn and Hemnath Renganathan (all with five points). With only 11 players in the under-12 girls' section, the winners were Nur Shazwani Zulkafli (six points), and Lee Su Lynn and Lim Han Ying (both with 5.5 points).

The under-14 boys' section was hotly contested and the winners were Jonathan Chuah and Nicholas Chan (6.5 points each), and Zach Han Kun Lin, Hafiz Shafruddin and Lim Choo Seng (all with five points each).

The girls' section, with nine players, was won by Nishaah Renganathan (6.5 points), Effalini Farid (six points) and Hazuin Husain (five points).

There were 57 players in the under-16 boys' section which were won by Khor Shihong (6.5 points), Deon Moh Teng Keong and Au Yoong Yow Loo (six points each), and Aaron Yee Keng Yew and Low Han Boon (five points each). There were 15 players in the under-16 girls' section which was won by Lim Jean Nie (6.5 points), Norsyafawati Ishak (six points) and Jolene Lim Suet Fung (4.5 points).

The top section of the championship for under-18 boys' attracted 35 entries and the winners were Lim Chuin Hoong (6.5 points), Teng Wei Khoon and Lim Yee Weng (5.5 points each), and Thaw Chee Yin and Ahmad Abid (five points each).

Nine players took part in the under-18 girls' section which was won by Lee Su Ann (6.5 points), and Sim Chui Fong and Marina Soh (five points each).

Meanwhile at the Malaysian Chess Federation's annual general meeting held on April 1, Datuk Sri Sabbaruddin Chik was unanimously re-elected president for a further two years. The incumbent deputy president, Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdul Aziz, also retained his post.

The three vice-presidents are Ibrahim Abu Bakar, Mrs Jackie Wong and Nasir Hussein. The secretary is Abdul Hamid Majid and his assistant is Ghazali Che Cob. The treasurer's post is filled by Collin Madhavan and the six committee members are Chan Kwai Keong, Zainal Ishak, Wong Fook Loy, Ahmad Safruddin, Haslindah Ruslan and Ibrahim Yaacob.

National closed tourney

National closed championship The Malaysian Chess Federation will organise this year's national closed chess championship at the Putra World Trade Centre from May 27 to 31. It is the most important annual event in the Malaysian chess calendar and will have separate sections for men and women.

The men's section will, at the very least, be a nine-round event and the winner will be awarded the Datuk Hussein Onn challenge trophy. The winner of the women's section, which will be played over seven rounds, will receive the Datuk Sabbaruddin Chik trophy. In addition, the PWTC will award trophies to the most promising under-18 male and female players.

The Penang Chess Association, Chess Association of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur Chess Association, Malaysian Malays Chess Association and Terengganu Chess Association can send a maximum of six players to the men's event and four to the women's, while the other state chess associations can each send a maximum of four and two players respectively.

Anyone interested in this competition and who would like to be selected, should contact their respective chess associations immediately.

The persons to contact are Mrs Jackie Wong, Selangor 03-703 8237; Ooi Kiem Boo, Penang 04-826 3764; Dr Yee Meng Kheong, Perak 05-546 4530; Stephen Cheong, Johor 07-333 9636; Muhammad Arshad, Terengganu 018-895 8041; Wan Abdullah, Pahang 09-583 3205; Khirluddin Darus, Perlis 06-976 5485; Dr Mohd Ishak, Malacca 06-283 5878; Charles Chan, Negeri Sembilan 06-631 7971; Sylvester Asai, Sabah 088-764 305; Lim Kian Hwa, Sarawak 082-427 772, Dr Mohd Foudri, Kuala Lumpur 03-9074 4810 and Rahman, Kelantan 09-787 8079.

The national champions of the past 16 years and local players who are on the FIDE rating list are given direct entry into the competition. However, they must still be registered for the championship through their respective chess associations.

10th Penang Dell chess league

The northern region's biggest chess event, the annual Penang Dell Chess League, starts on June 11 at the premises of Dell Asia Pacific in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The tournament, now in its 10th year, is organised by the Penang Chess Association and sponsored by Dell Asia Pacific.

The championship will be played on Sundays and is scheduled to end on Aug 6.

Only teams representing the public and private sectors, institutions of learning and registered associations, societies and clubs are allowed to play in the league. A guest player may be included in each team, but the other players in the team must strictly be employees, students or members of the organisation which they represent.

Players who are unable to play as guest players in any team are requested to contact the Penang Chess Association (PCA) immediately. If the response is encouraging enough, the PCA will consider grouping them together to play under the association's banner.

Provision has been made for a maximum of 30 teams to take part, and each team is allowed up to eight players. However, only four players from each team will play in every round.

This year's event will again be split into three divisions. The third division will comprise teams of mainly novice players, while the first and second divisions will be made up of the more regular teams that have been taking part in previous chess leagues.

The entry fee is RM150 per team and cash prizes are guaranteed for the top teams in each of the three divisions. Closing date for entries is June 3.

For more details, contact Chan Kim Beng 012-451 8811 Goh Yoon Wah 04-644 5687 or Ooi Kiem Boo 04-826 3764 in the evenings.

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will hold their latest grand prix events at the Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh next weekend.

The two-day Category A event for players with PICA ratings of above 1700 will be played on May 13 and 14, while the Category B event for players with no PICA ratings or with rating points below 1700 will be held on May 14. Both events will be conducted over six rounds but with different time controls.

For more information, contact WK Wong 05-366 1692.

Sri Aman Junior Open

The Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Aman in Penang will hold an open tournament for boys and girls in the under-12 and under-10 age categories from 8am to 1pm on May 14. Entry fee is RM3 per player and registration closes on May 12. For details, contact Eoh Hook Kim 04-826 0196.

  

Good turnout for Asian chess challenge

LAST October's fourth Grand Asian Chess Challenge was a considerable success for the Universiti Malaya's Second Residential College; the event took place at the university's Engineering Faculty and the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

The tournament attracted some 138 players from 12 universities in Asia, and among them were numerous titled and rated players. It was conducted as an individual Swiss event and the accumulated results of the best four players from the same university, inclusive of a woman player, were used to compute team results.

The winner of the tournament was the Mongolian State Pedagogical University which accummulated 29.5 points from nine rounds. The points came from Duurenba Erkhembayar who won the men's Swiss event with 7.5 points, WFM Tuvshintugs Battsetseg who scored 8.5 points in the women's event, Grand Master Dashzeveg Sharavdorj with seven points and FM Odondoo Ganbold with 6.5 points.

The University of Gunadarma (Indonesia) was second in the tournament with their points coming from IM Liu Dede and Eko Supriyono (both seven points), Majella Rudijanto (six points) and WIM Upi Darmayana Tamin (eight points).

Other standings in the tournament: Rizal Technological University (Philippines) 27 points; University of Khorassan (Iran) 23.5 points; Cyberjaya Multimedia University "A" 23 points; Hue University (Vietnam) 22.5 points; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 22 points; University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) 21.5 points; Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), University of Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Malacca Multimedia University "A" 20 points each; Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman 19 points; Universiti Malaya "A," Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Sabah Malaysia 18 points each; Parayangan Catholic University (Indonesia) 17 points; Universiti Utara Malaysia "B" 16.5 points; Cyberjaya Multimedia University "B" 16 points; Universiti Malaya "B" 15.5 points; Kolej Yayasan Mara Kuantan and Malacca Multimedia University "B" 13.5 points each; Universiti Utara Malaysia "A" 11.5 points; and Universiti Brunei Darussalam 10.5 points.

Impressive Juniors

Also in October, the Royal Selangor Club organised a junior chess tournament for 97 children at its new sports annexe in Bukit Kiara, Selangor.

The six-round tournament featured separate events for children in the under-8, under-10 and under-12 age categories.

There were 42 players in the under-12 category and the winner was Wong Zi-chuang who scored 5.5 points. In second place was Chan Litt Binn with five points, while Eric Ng Keng Gee, Low Chung Deng and Thaw CheeHou--all with 4.5 points each--were joint third to fifth. The best girl player was Lim Huey Jer who scored four points.

Litt Binn was the winner of this year's national under-10 age-group championship at the PWTC while Eric was the winner of the same event a year ago. They are still 10-year-olds, so it was a great credit to them that they chose to play in the under-12 category. Zi-chuang was the national under-10 champion in 1997.

The under-10 category attracted 28 players and the winner, Mo Kim Hung, scored five points. The second prize went to Wong Sing Kiat and the third prize to Ooi Ching Chung, both having obtained 4.5 points. Chan Wei Qi, with four points, was the best girl player.

In the under-8 category, the three players who took the top prizes had similar scores of five points each. Chong Geng Cheng was declared the overall winner, followed by Teh Qing Yang and Arshant Nair. The best girl in the event was Harwanth Kaur who scored four points. There were 27 players in this category.

The two youngest players were both five years old. Brian Homi Mehta, who scored three wins against his older opponents, learned to play chess solely by following the simple diagrammed instructions that came with a chess set his father had bought him. The other five-year-old, Teh Kai Wen, was largely outplayed in the competition but she was able to correct her older opponents who had wrongly recorded their moves.

According to RSC chess convenor Dr Wahid Karim, 28 of the 97 participants were girls. Although none of them finished within the top three in any category, they scored many wins against the boys. The top girls in the three categories all scored four points each, which he considered very encouraging as the tournament had attracted many current and former national age-group winners.

Penang Grand Prix

The fourth and final leg of the Penang Chess Association's Penang Grand Prix chess circuit will be played at the Bukit Mertajam Country Club on Dec 12 starting at 8am.

The main prizes range from RM200 for the winner to RM30 for the eighth place. In addition, consolation prizes will be given to the best under-15 boy and girl.

To encourage more participation by players from the island, the PCA is arranging for a bus to take them to the tournament venue.

Readers interested in playing should contact Goh Yoon Wah

(04-644-5687, evenings) or Ooi Kiem Boo (04-657-4596, office hours).

MAIL

I WISH to comment on your article in Section 2 (Sunk in Oblivion, Oct 22) on the selection of players who participated in the Asian team championship in China. I wonder why, in the first place, Agus Salim's name was chosen by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) when it was clear that he is not a Malaysian citizen. In fact, I remember reading that Agus Salim had even played in last year's national closed championship.

I am quite surprised that nobody was interested in Agus' status. I should think that this tournament, being the top one which chooses players to represent Malaysia, would be exclusively for Malaysians only. The MCF should be more careful about whom they allow to play in this tournament. I hope that it will not be repeated.

Anon2342 (via e-mail)

THANK you, Anon2342, for your e-mail. Normally, I do not respond to letters or e-mail in which the writer has not identified him/herself adequately--but you have brought up a point which is too pertinent to ignore, especially with this year's national closed championship just round the corner.

Yes, I do agree with you that the MCF must be more careful about the people they allow to participate in our country's top tournaments. But, maybe, the inclusion of Agus' name in last year's national closed championship was a plain oversight.

What I do know is that the MCF's rules are silent on a player's eligibility. The state chess associations are allowed to send four representatives to the national closed championship but the selection of the representatives is left entirely to the associations. Traditionally, the MCF accepts all names in good faith.

Perhaps the MCF should lay down clear guidelines for the state associations on whom they can or cannot select for national events like the national closed championship or the state section of the Merdeka team championship. It goes without saying that the MCF should screen their own tournaments to ensure that their own guidelines are followed.

I, for one, would like to see only local participation in these two national events. We already have such a wealth of talent at the grassroots level. Therefore, we have to be possessive of these two titles--our national individual and team champions--and we should be proud of the Malaysians who have won them. It will be awkward if a non-Malaysian were to win the national closed championship or be part of the winning state team in the Merdeka chess championship.

In defence of Agus, maybe I should say that there is nothing to prevent him from playing in the many open tournaments in the country. In fact, he is already a very familiar face. A popular figure with many chess friends in this country, Agus is also a strong player and organisers readily accept him into local events.

UP NEXT

National Closed Championship

The Malaysian Chess Federation will organise this year's national closed chess championship at the Putra World Trade Centre from Dec 16 to 20. The men's section will be a nine-round Fide-rateable event while the women's section will most probably be played over seven rounds.

MCF-affiliated chess associations can each send a maximum of four official representatives for the men's section and two players for the women's section. With eight days left before the closing date, readers interested in being selected should contact their respective chess associations as soon as possible.

The persons to contact are Jackie Wong, Selangor ( 03-703 8237); Ooi Kiem Boo, Penang ( 04-657 4596); Dr Yee Meng Khoon, Perak ( 05-546 4530); Stephen Cheong, Johor ( 07-333 9636); Muhammad Arshad, Terengganu ( 018-849 0497); Wan Abdullah, Pahang ( 010-989 4924); Norlaili, Perlis ( 06-976 0006); Eugene Kong, Malacca ( 06-232 1018); Charles Chan, Negeri Sembilan ( 06-631 7971); Taulani, Sabah ( 088-788 843); Lim Kian Hwa, Sarawak ( 082-427 772), Ibrahim Yaacob, Kuala Lumpur ( 03-636 3082) and Nizam, Kelantan ( 09-790 9870).

The entry forms for the championship can be downloaded from my website at (http://www5.mol.com.my/qss/Library). For more information, contact Hamid Majid at 03-4021 9576 or e-mail (aham@pc.jaring.my).

New dates for event

THE Malaysian Chess Federation has fixed July 4 and 5 for this year's national age-group chess championship. This event, which was originally supposed to have been held in Shah Alam, Selangor, earlier this month, will now be played at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

There will be five categories of play for the event: the under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 sections. Each participant will be charged an entry fee of RM10. Although there are no cash prizes, winners will get the opportunity to be selected for the world age-group championships later in the year.

Those interested in playing in this event should be in PWTC's foyer by 8am on July 4. For more details, contact Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid ( 03-421 9576).

Other matches coming up include the first leg of the Penang Chess Association's second Penang grand prix chess circuit . It will be held on June 28 at the clubhouse of the Bayan Baru Residents' Association in Bandar Bayan Baru. Only paid-up members of the PCA are allowed to take part in this circuit.

The circuit is divided into four preliminary legs and a final; each of the preliminary legs will be a six-round event using a 30-minute time control.

For these legs, the prizes include RM200 for the winner, RM120 for the runners-up and RM80 for those placed third. There are five other minor cash prizes, and also prizes for the best junior and woman players. The entry fee is RM10 per player.

Besides the cash prizes, the top players from each leg will be awarded Grand Prix points. Ten finalists will be selected according to the total GP points accummulated from the best three legs. Entry to the final will be by qualification only.

The final will be a round-robin tournament with a one-hour time control. The winner will receive RM400 and a challenge trophy; the second prize is RM200; third RM100; and fourth and fifth RM50 each.

Details of this circuit can also be obtained from the PCA homepage at ( www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/ ).

Bayview chess league results

In the second round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School "A" took a significant lead in the Premier Division after scoring a 3 1/2-1/2 victory over Pessca.

Their two nearest rivals were Chung Ling High School "A" and Chung Ling Old Boys Association. The CLHS team played the Old Frees Association "A" to a 2-2 draw, while the CLOBA beat Universiti Sains Malaysia 3-1.

Two other matches also ended with the same 3-1 scoreline: Methodist Boys School beat Chung Ling High School "B", and the MSSPP (Penang Schools' Sports Council) Juniors pulled off a surprising win against the Old Frees Association "B".

The Division One results saw Penang Free School "B" taking a slim lead after whitewashing their "C" team 4-0. CLHS "C" also scored 4-0 against Chung Hwa Confucian School "A".

The matches between CLHS "D" and Hewlett-Packard, St Xavier's Institution "A" and Penang Development Corporation, and the Penang Chess Association Novices and Union High School all ended in 3-1 results.

In Division Two, the MSSPP Girls scored a thrilling 4-0 win over Westlands Secondary School, Chung Hwa Confucian School "B" handily despatched Dynacraft 4-0, and St Xavier's "B" beat Penang Chinese Girls High School 4-0. Polis Di Raja Malaysia scored a 3-1 win over Methodist Boys School "B" 3-1, while PFS "D" narrowly beat CLHS "E" by 2 1/2-1 1/2.

Standings

Premier Division: PFS "A" 7 1/2 pts; CLHS "A", CLOBA 6 pts each; OFA "A" 5 1/2 pts; MSSPP Juniors 5 pts; MBS "A" 4 pts; Pessca 2 1/2 pts; OFA "B" 1 1/2 pts; USM and CLHS "B" 1 pt each.

Division One: PFS "B" 7 1/2 pts; SXI "A", CLHS "C" 7 pts each; PDC, CLHS "D" 4 pts each; PCA Novices 3 1/2 pts; CHCS "A" 3 pts; HP 2 pts; PFS "C", UHS 1 pt each.

Division Two: MSSPP Girls 7 pts; Polis, CHCS "B" 6 pts; SXI "B" 5 pts; CLHS "E" 4 pts; PFS "D" 3 1/2 pts; MBS "B" 3 pts; Dynacraft, PCGHS 2 pts each; Westlands 1 1/2 pts.

The third round of the chess league will be played this Sunday beginning at 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant on the 15th floor. The hotel is sponsoring the use of its premises for the weekly games.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

ALEXEI Shirov displayed flashes of brilliance in beating Vladimir Kramnik 5 1/2-3 1/2 in a match held in Cazorla, Spain, earlier this month. Events came to an abrupt end after Shirov won the ninth game to take an unassailable lead in a match which had originally been scheduled for 10 games.

The win over Kramnik, whom many people had predicted would prevail in this match, means that Shirov is poised to collect his biggest ever paycheck when he meets Gary Kasparov in a match this October. This match will be organised by the so-called World Chess Council, a body formed by Kasparov and Luis Rentero to provide Kasparov with a channel to play.

We left off two weeks ago when the score was 3 1/2-2 1/2 in Shirov's favour after six games. Shirov, a former world junior champion, had won the fourth game with the other games ended drawn. Two further draws ensued in the seventh and eighth games, then Shirov won again in the ninth game. Here are the remaining three games of the match.

Kramnik - Shirov, Game 7

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Nc3 d5 6.Qb3 0-0 7.Bg2 Qb6 8.0-0 Bf5 9.Ne5 e6 10.Bf4 Nbd7 11.Qxb6 axb6 12.f3 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 g5 14.e4 Bg6 15.b3 Rfd8 16.Rfd1 dxe4 17.fxe4 Ng4 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Bf3 h5 20.Rd2 Ne5 21.Bg2 c5 22.d5 Nc6 23.Rad1 Nd4 24.e5 exd5 25.cxd5 Re8 26.Re1 Nc2 27.Ree2 Nd4 28.Re1 Nc2 29.Rxc2 Bxc2 30.d6 Bf5 31.Bxb7 Rad8 32.Bc6 Re6 33.Bd5 Rdxd6 34.Bxe6 1/2-1/2

Shirov - Kramnik, Game 8

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 g6 9.Nd4 a6 10.h3 Bg7 11.g4 Bd7 12.Bf3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Bd2 h5 16.g5 Nd5 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.0-0-0 Kd7 1/2-1/2

Kramnik - Shirov, Game 9

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 e5 9.d5 c6 10.h4 h5 11.Be2 cxd5 12.exd5 N8d7 13.d6 Nf6 14.Bg5 Re8 15.Rd1 Be6 16.Nh3 Nc4 17.Bxc4 Bxc4 18.b3 Ba6 19.Nd5 e4! 20.Nxf6+Bxf6 21.d7 Qb6!! 22.dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 23.Qe3 Bxg5 24.Qxb6 Bxh4+ 25.Kd2 axb6 26.fxe4 Rxe4 27.Kc2 Rg4 28.Rd2 Be7 29.Rg1 Kg7 30.Nf2 Rf4 31.Nd3 Re4 32.Rgd1 Bb5 33.a4 Bc6 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Nxe1 Bb4 36.Re2 Bxe1 37.Rxe1 Bxg2 38.Kd2 h4 39.Ke3 Bd5 40.b4 h3 41.Re2 f5 42.Rd2 Be4 43.Kf4 Bg2 44.Rd7+ Kf6 45.Rh7 g5+ 46.Kg3 f4+ 47.Kg4 Ke5 48.b5 0-1

 

No holiday for chess enthusiasts

 

A chess-ful of activities

 

Tournament results

Late last month, the national age-group chess championships were held at the Wisma MPSA in Shah Alam.

This event, organised jointly by the Malaysian Chess Federation and the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia with cooperation from the Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam and the Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia, was again sponsored by the Asia Insurance Co Ltd and the Asia Life Assurance Society Ltd.

The boys' under-18 event which attracted 33 players was won by Ooi Chern Ee who scored six points from seven games. Joint second were Teng Wei Ping and Liong Ing Kiat who obtained 5.5 points each.

Joint fourth were Tan Wei Sin, Ahmad Nazri Muhamad and Chow Shye Ma with five points each, while Eric Ooi Boon Kheng, Lau Kar Wooi and Shahrizal Sharil had 4.5 points each.

The boys' under-16 event had 64 participants. Teng Wei Hong won this section with maximum points while last year's winner Peter Lim Kam Cheen was second with six points.

Joint third were Mak Weng Yee and Lim Cheng Teik who each collected 5.5 points and among those with five points were Mas Harithulfadh, Ian Lee Wen Chun, Saiful Naim Kamsah, Tor Wee Liam and Mohd Salahuddin Mohd Salleh.

Among the 46 participants in the boys' under-14 event, Mas Hafizul Hilmi, Ng Ee Vern, Wong Zi Jing, Abdul Haq Mohamad and Darryl Koh were the top scorers with 5.5 points each. Tied for the sixth to 10th places with five points each were Lim Yee Weng, Eoh Thean Keat, Mohd Azan Savanoh, Ahmad Fakruden Mamat and Ng Kian Seng.

Out of the 44 participants in the boys' under-12 event, Lim Chuin Hoong was the winner with six points while Lim Yew San, Teh Tze Wey, Liong Wei Li and Khor Shihong were joint second with 5.5 points each. On five points were Seto Tien Hoi, Kamarul Ariffin and Raymond Ng.

In the newly created boys' under-10 event, the top three winners were Ali Ajemi, Hisyam Ismail and Jonathan Chuah.

In the girls' section, there were only eight players in the under-18 event. Eliza Hanum Ibrahim and Norfatitah Saranon were the winners, scoring 6.5 points each. Third was Eliza Hanim Ibrahim with 4.5 points and fourth Zuraihan Zakaria with four points. Soo Ai Leen was fifth with three points.

There were 11 players in the girls' under-16 event and 16 in the under-14 event. The under-16 event was won by Nainee Azimi with six points, joint second were Roslina Marmono and Chai Hwei Meen with five points each and joint fourth were Zeti Ajemi and Surehna Devi.

In the under-14 event, Lee Heng Jun was the winner with 6.5 points while Mardiana Marmono was second with 5.5 points. Joint third were Izlawati Kamsah and Zeni Ajemi with 4.5 points each.

Lim Jeannie won the girls' under-12 event with seven points, while Nor Idani was second with 5.5 points and Lee Su Ann third with five points. For the new under-10 event, Norsyafawati Ishak was the winner with 6.5 points and second was Nur Ashikin Mansoor with six points.

PUBLIC VS PRIVATE SECTOR MATCH

In conjunction with the seventh anniversary celebrations of the City of Ipoh, a public versus private sector chess match will be staged in the Perak capital for the second time.

This event will be held at the Town Hall, Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab, Ipoh on June 24 afternoon. Participation is free but by invitation only.

An additional blitz tournament will also be held in the morning but participants will have to pay RM5.

FIFTH PENANG BAYVIEW LEAGUE

Twenty-two teams will be taking part in the fifth Penang Bayview Chess League starting this Sunday morning at The City Bayview Hotel.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Here is the sensational win scored by Fritz3 over the IBM Deep Blue programme in the eighth world computer chess championship which was reported in this column last week.

[Event "8th World Computer Chess Championship"]

[Site "Hongkong HKG"]

[Date "1995"]

[Round "5"]

[White "Deep Blue"]

[Black "Fritz3"]

[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. Qh5 f4 13. O-O Rg8 14. Kh1 Rg6 15.Qd1 Rc8 16. c4 Qh4 17. g3 Qh3 18. Qd2 f3 19. Rg1 Rh6 20. Qxh6 Qxh6 21. cxb5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Nb4 23. Bf5 Rc5 24. bxa6 Nxa6 25. Nc2 Qd2 26. Ne1 Rxd5 27. Nxf3 Qxf2 28. Be4 Ra5 29. Rg2 Qe3 30. Re1 Qh6 31. Bc6+ Kd8 32. a3 f5 33. Rc2 Rc5 34. Rxc5 Nxc5 35. Rf1 Be7 36. a4 f4 37. gxf4 Qxf4 38. Rg1 Nxa4 39. b4 Qxb4 {Theory gives 13. O-O as bad for White since Black's attack becomes very dangerous after that. It was not a good choice to have Deep Blue play an opening as complicated a line as the Sveshnikov without book-knowledge. Possibly, Deep Blue was already out of theory when it played 13 O-O.} 0-1

 

Great response to junior chess event

 

Junior players lend support to tournament