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).

 

Rapid fire

 

Action ahead

 

Malaysia chess fest

LAST SUNDAY at the closing ceremony of the four-weekend 16th Penang Chess League at the Han Chiang College in Penang, there was much excitement in the air as discussions inevitably turned to next month’s annual Malaysian chess fest in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite the temporary absence of one of its core events – the Merdeka team open chess tournament – from the chess fest, many state chess associations are just as likely to take part in the Merdeka rapid chess open team chess championship.

That’s true fervour for you. The Malaysia chess fest in general, and the Merdeka team events specifically, has become so ingrained in the minds of chess players that it is simply “not done” if they do not participate in this once-a-year affair.

It is a huge social event, a melting pot where players from every state are thrown in and stewed until they become so satiated with the game. Despite the rivalry, emotions do run the full gamut from exhilaration to glumness. 

It is exhilarating to win the top prize but there can only be one winner. Nevertheless, there are so many other big cash prizes being offered that it makes it worthwhile to finish in 10th position. Okay, you may not even cover all your expenses in 10th position but it is still the satisfaction of winning something, isn’t it?

On the other hand, glumness can of course mean a severe beating in the last round of the Merdeka team event which pushes the losing team way, way down the tournament standings. All your hard work in the earlier rounds will account for nothing because it is the final standing that counts at the end of the tournament.

Glumness can also mean just losing out on a better prize. In any team event, even a half-point difference in the tie-break can mean a big difference in fortune. 

Let me summarise just what are available at the Malaysian chess fest. 

Firstly, there is the ASTRO Merdeka rapid chess team open championship at the MidValley Megamall on Aug 19 and 20. Total prize fund is RM32,350 and the prize for the winning team is RM10,000. Even the best local team will receive RM3,000.

Also, running concurrently on Aug 19 and 20 will be the ASTRO Merdeka junior team open championship. Prize fund is RM2,650 with the winning team getting RM1,000.

Next, we have the showcase event of the chess fest, namely, the IGB Arthur Tan Memorial Malaysia open championship at the Cititel Hotel on Aug 21 to 27. The prize fund is US$18,000 (about RM66,500) and the winner’s purse is US$4,000 (about RM14,800). Big names among the foreign players are expected at this event.

Finally, there is also the AmBANK Group Malaysia chess challenge on Aug 21 to 27. Two weeks ago, I mentioned the prize fund stood at RM5,700 but the good news is that it has been increased to RM10,000. This also means that the first prize has also gone up correspondingly to RM2,000.

I should also mention that there will be a Malaysian blitz open tournament at the end of the chess fest on Aug 27.

You can download all details pertaining to these events, including the entry fees and prizes, from The Chess Network website at http://tcn.sourceforge.net

Alternatively, you can give the Malaysian Chess Federation secretary, Abdul Hamid Majid, a call on 019.3158098 or email him at aham@pc.jaring.my 

UP NEXT

Royal Selangor grand prix

The third and final leg of the Chess Association of Selangor’s 11th Royal Selangor Grand Prix for under-15 and under-12 players will be played ath the Sunway University College on Jul 30. 

Entry fees for the association’s members are RM15 while it will be RM20 for non-members. To pre-register for this event, email your name and age category to  selangorchess@gmail.com

SMK Ibrahim open

The Sek Men Keb Ibrahim in Sungai Petani, Kedah, will organise an open tournament at their school hall tomorrow.

Entry fees are RM5 for school students and RM10 for all others. Apart from the open prizes, there are separate prizes for the best under-15 players. To register, contact Yeoh Jia Dong (tel: 012.4247261), Loo Tung Lun (tel: 012.5136583) or Ch’ng Wei Seong (tel: 016.4895197).

Pelangi open

The Johor Bahru District Chess Association will organize the 17th Tebrau open chess tournament at the Pelangi Plaza in Johor Bharu this Sunday.

Entry fees are RM20 for players in the open section, RM8 for under-16 players and RM6 for under-12 players. The entries will close today, so do contact Narayanan Krishnan (tel: 07.3338215, email: naraa@tm.net.my) if you wish to participate.

UTM Convofair

The Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Tronoh, Perak, will organise a one-day tournament at the Foyer Chancellor Hall in conjunction with the university’s Convofair on Aug 13.

The organisers are aiming to attract around 900 players as this will also be an attempt by the university to get into the Malaysia Book of Records.

Altogether, there will be 10 categories – the open and institutions of higher learning (men and women), the under-12, under-15 and under-18 (boys and girls).

For more information on the entry fees, prizes and accommodation for outstation players, contact Raja Farah (tel: 012.7749891 email: etakarina05@yahoo.com), Ku Nor Azmira (tel: 012.5951065, email: ku_miera@yahoo.com) or Mazila (tel: 012.6573683, email: mazilamohamad@yahoo.com).

Loeffler's inspirational play

 

Back in action

 

Face-lift for Penang chess league

 

One for the kids

 

Merdeka 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).

11th edition

ONE of the most enduring events on the Malaysian chess calendar that is organised regularly by the state chess associations is the Penang Chess League. This Penang Chess Association (PCA) event is in its 11th edition this year and has come a long way since its inception in 1991.

At that time, the PCA was slowly emerging from a long period of the doldrums in the second half of the 1980s and the new committee that was elected into the picture had decided that the best way to raise the association's profile again was to have a sustained chess programme over a number of weeks.

Thus was born the concept of the Penang Chess League. It would be open to teams from the commercial, business and government sectors as well as from factories, institutions of learning and bona fide associations and clubs. In an effort to increase participation, all teams were allowed to include guest players who could effectively boost the teams' playing strengths.

By playing games on Sundays, it was envisioned that the participants could enjoy playing serious games with proper time controls over a period of about three months.

When the chess league first started, there were only 12 teams taking part. However, over the years, its popularity meant that the chess league had to be split into different divisions to cater for the wide spectrum of playing abilities. In its latest format, there are three divisions, with the third division comprising teams of mainly novice players.

In 1991, the PCA was lucky in that its proposals for this league was met with a sympathetic ear from the owners of the Bayview Hotel chain who allowed the association to hold the chess league at its two hotels in George Town and Batu Ferringhi in the first two years.

From the third year onwards, sponsorship for the chess league was undertaken wholly by The City Bayview Hotel which even contributed a challenge trophy for the competition.

However, a new challenge confronted the PCA in the late 1990s when a new management took over the running of the hotel. Coupled with the regional economic crisis at that time, the PCA suddenly found that the hotel was only willing to provide the venue for the chess league and the association had to dig deep into its small financial reserves to keep the event running.

There was a search for new sponsors and the PCA found a willing party in Dell Asia Pacific, now the number one manufacturer of personal computers worldwide. Dell Asia Pacific was convinced of the viability of the chess league and the commitment of the PCA to popularise a thinking game in the state, and agreed to sponsor the association for three years.

The Year 2000 edition of the competition, now aptly named Dell Penang Chess League, was held at Dell's impressive factory premises in the Bayan Baru Industrial Zone. This year, however, the venue changes to the Kolej Damansara Utama in Anson Road, Penang.

More information about this year's chess league below.

UP NEXT

11th Dell Penang chess league

Entries are now open for the above which kicks off on June 10. Dell Asia Pacific is the main sponsor while KDU is co-sponsoring the venue.

The championship will be played on consecutive Sundays (except July 8 and 15) and is scheduled to end on Aug 5.

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 join as guest players in any team are requested to contact the PCA immediately. The PCA will consider grouping them together to play under the association's banner.

The entry fee is RM150 per team and cash prizes are guaranteed for the top teams in each division.

For more details, contact Chan Kim Beng at (012-451 8811 / e-mail: KimBengChan@Dell.com), Goh Yoon Wah ( 04-645 5362 / e-mail: yoon@caissa.pc.my) or Ung Tay Aik ( 017-477 5418 / e-mail: taung@alumni.uwaterloo.ca).

BPM national allegro

The next three legs of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit will be played in Perlis on June 9 and both Kedah and Pahang on June 10.

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 respective chess associations running these legs, RM5 for players below 12 years old, and RM15 for all other participants.

The prizes for the open section will be RM300 for the winner, RM200 for the runner-up, RM150 for the third-placed and RM100 each for the fourth- and fifth-placed. Players coming in the sixth to 10th place will receive RM60 each. The best Bank Pertanian player will also win RM60 while the best players in the other categories will get RM50 each.

To register for the three events, contact Bahari Baharom in Kangar ( 019-568 6256), Sohaimi in Alor Star ( 04-730 7288) and Wan Abdullah in Kuantan ( 019-916 3824).

The remaining legs in the series are in Penang on July 15 (Ooi Kiem Boo; 04-226 2209), Perak on July 22 (Dr Yee Meng Keong; 05-546 4530), Negri Sembilan on Aug 12 (Charles Chan; 06-631 7971), Sabah on Aug 12 (Sylvester Asai; 088-764 305), Sarawak on Aug 19 (Lim Kian Hwa; 082-427 772) and Labuan on Oct 28 (Sebli Hassan; 087-463 471).

Sri Aman junior tournament

The Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Aman in Penang will organise a chess tournament for under-12 boys and girls at the school on Sunday. This is a six-round event and there will be seven prizes for the under-12 players and three prizes for those under 10 years old.

Entry fee is RM5 per player. To register, be at the school by 8.30am on the day of the competition or alternatively, contact Eoh Hook Kim ( 04-826 0196 / e-mail: hkeoh@tm.net.my).

Selangor AGM

The Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) will hold their annual general meeting at 1.30pm this Sunday at the Sungai Wang Plaza exhibition hall in Kuala Lumpur. Among the highlights of the meeting will be the official launch of the CAS homepage, known as CASWeb, <http://www.cas.com.kg/>, and changes to their constitution on the types of membership and their fees.

Meanwhile, if you are in KL, do pay a visit to the exhibition hall on the third floor of the Sungai Wang Plaza (next to the IT Centre) this weekend to watch the 28th Royal Selangor open chess tournament which started yesterday. This event is traditionally one of the strongest tournaments held annually in the country.

Sarawak Open

The Sarawak Chess Association (SCA) will hold the Sarawak open tournament at the Dewan Suarah in Jalan Taman Budaya, Kuching, from June 3 to 5.

This event is divided into the open and under-18 sections. The open section will have 10 prizes, which includes RM600 and a trophy for the winner. There are prizes for the top eight winners of the under-18 section and the winner will receive RM180 and a trophy. There are also three special prizes for the best women players from the two sections.

Entry fees are RM10 for the open section and RM5 for women and under-18 players.

The SCA will provide free accommodation at the Telekom Training College in Semariang from June 2 to 6 for the first 30 outstation players who register for this tournament. The best players from Sarawak will be selected to represent the state in the Merdeka state and youth team chess championships in KL from Aug 31 to Sept 2.

Anyone interested in taking part can contact James Brodie in Kuching (082-616 177, 082-451 973 / fax: 082-610 757); Lim Kian Hwa in Kuching (082-203 112, 082-427 772, 011-218 192 / fax: 082-424 544); Bujang Poli in Miri (085-456 176, 085-654 487); Marzuki Hussain in Bintulu ( 086-252 300 ext 226, 086-252 902, 019-814 4369 / fax: 086-253 661); Ong Bee Hua in Sibu (084-336 909, 010-819 1129) or Tiong Chiong Ling in Sibu (084-322 327, 084-323 931).

Consistent champions

FOR the fourth successive year, the Penang Chess League challenge trophy has gone the way of the Penang Free School. In the 10th edition of this annual chess competition in Penang, now sponsored by leading global personal computer manufacturer Dell Computers, the PFS (A) team showed why they continue to be the dominant force in the state.

They started the tournament on a rather subdued note, trailing behind the early leaders, the Chung Ling Old Boys Association and the Old Frees Association. By the fourth round, however, the PFS (A) had caught up with these two leaders and a round later, the team moved into the lead with a slim one-point margin ahead of Chung Ling Old Boys.

This was the opportunity that the Free School players had been waiting for. For the rest of the tournament, they simply built on this lead and were, in fact, never in danger of losing it to any of the other teams.

The Penang Free team receiving their trophy from Penang state executive
councillor Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon. Dell Computer managing director
Simon Wong is third from left.

Second-placed Chung Ling High School (A) had perhaps the best chance of closing the gap on the league leaders. The two teams met in the crucial eighth round but whereas a 3-1 result should be the least that the CLHS (A) could look for in order to tie with the PFS (A) on equal points, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

This interesting match practically decided the winner of the chess league's premier division since in the final round, PFS (A) was never troubled by Dell (A), winning by an expected 4-0 result.

By contrast, the Chung Ling team had to play their seniors, the Chung Ling Old Boys. Although CLHS (A) prevailed at the end, their triumph was only achieved with great effort as they only managed a 3-1 win.

The winner in the league's first division was the Universiti Sains Malaysia team which finished with a comfortable three-point lead over their nearest rivals, CLHS (D).

The Penang Development Corporation (B) team emerged victor in the second division, taking the top prize with a round to spare. Despite drawing a bye in the final round, the PDC (B) could afford to relax as they were leading by 4.5 points. None of the other teams were successful in closing the gap significantly on PDC (B).

Final standings in the Premier Division: PFS A (28 points), CLHS A (25.5), CLOBA (22), OFA (18.5), Dell A (13), CLHS B (12), PFS B (10), Pessca (9.5), PCA Novices A (4.5).

Division One: USM (22.5), CLHS D (19.5), CLHS C (18.5), PDC A (18.5), PCA Novices B (15), SXI (13.5), SMK Hamid Khan A (13), Hitachi (12.5), PFS C (11).

Division Two: PDC B (23.5), Dell B (21), PCA Ladies (20), MSSPP Girls (19.5), MSSPP Juniors (18), PFS D (14), CLHS E (10.5), SMK Hamid Khan B (9), PFS E (8.5).

Detailed results can be viewed on the Penang Chess Association homepage (http://www.geocities.com/pg-chess).

UP NEXT

Langkawi (Sept 7): The Malaysia Book Village will organise the first Langkawi International Chess Tournament at their premises in Lubuk Semilang, Langkawi. This event is sponsored by RHB Bank.

The open section of the tournament will offer three main prizes: RM750, RM500 and RM300, with five consolation prizes of RM50 each. For the under-16 section, the main prizes are RM150, RM75 and RM50, while the three winners of the under-12 section will get RM100, RM75 and RM50. Each section will also have three consolation prizes of RM20 each.

Entry fees are RM15 for the open section, and RM5 for both the under-16 and under-12 sections. Closing date for entries is Sept 5. To register or for further details, contact the Book Village secretariat ( 04-955 5568 / fax: 04-955 5562 / e-mail: kedah@worldfide.com).

Terengganu Open (Sept 7 to 9): The Terengganu Chess Association (TCA) will hold their annual state chess tournament at the Batu Burok Beach Resort in Kuala Terengganu.

There are 10 cash prizes for the open section of this event with RM1,000 going to the winner and RM700 to the runner-up. The minor prizes range from RM500 for the third, to RM50 for the 10th.

There is also a novice section in this event. Entry fees for the open section are RM20 for TCA members and RM30 for non-members. Fees for the novice section are RM10 for TCA members and RM15 for non-members.

For more information, contact Muhammad Arshad ( 018-895 8041 / e-mail: terengganuchess@hotmail.com).

In a quandary

More than any other chess event in Malaysia, the Merdeka Championships in Kuala Lumpur brings together all sorts of chess players from throughout the country.

In this tournament, you can find a broad spectrum of old and young, strong and weak, male and female, disabled and able-bodied chess player of various cultures, races and from all walks of life, pitting their skills in a common arena.

These are the professionals, specialists, consultants, educationalists, business people, office workers, factory workers, retirees, parents and students. Together, they make up a big happy family, an interesting mix, something you very seldom find in any other game or sport.

Unfortunately, there is now a question mark over the very existence of the Merdeka team chess championship this year. The championship is in danger of being called off this year because it has not been included as a programme by the National Merdeka Day Celebrations Committee.

Normally, at the beginning of every year, the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) would forward a working part to the Merdeka Day Celebrations Committee, outlining its proposals for the team championship and including a budget for approval. In February, like for the past four years, this year's proposals were submitted to the committee via the Youth and Sports Ministry.

According to the MCF, nothing was heard from the committee or the Ministry for months and late last month, enquiries were made to ministry officials to check on the status of the proposal.

What the MCF learnt was not very good news. They were told that the whole Merdeka Day Celebrations Committee had been ordered to revamp by the Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister. With the emphasis now on patriotism and cultural events, the ministry has decided that there would be no place for the Merdeka team chess championship.

This piece of news, coming just about two months before this year's Merdeka team championship, scheduled to start on Aug 31, is shocking. Firstly, I can sense the deep disappointment developing in chess players everywhere. Even if they are not involved with the tournament, I am sure that these players are just as interested and curious about the event and would like to see it continue.

Secondly, I do not understand why the Culture Ministry or the Sports Ministry had not conveyed this important decision to the MCF earlier. Does a tournament's long history and tradition count for nothing in this day and age? After all, the Merdeka team chess championship has existed for 19 long years and this year's event will be its 20th.

Instead of celebrating this landmark event, it will be a sad day indeed if the MCF is forced to discontinue the event without any attempt to finding a solution.

Fortunately, there may be one. In recent weeks, arising from discussions between the MCF and the Sports Ministry, it is learnt that the ministry has agreed in principle to sponsor this year's Merdeka event. A final decision is still pending.

Cloba wins appeal

Remember the technical dispute over the line-ups of the Chung Ling Old Boys Association (Cloba) and the Penang Chess Association Novices (PCAN) teams from the 10th Penang Dell Chess League, which I highlighted two weeks ago?

The appeals committee met soon afterwards to discuss this matter and I am glad to say that it made the correct decision to retain the original score of the match between the two teams, which is a 3-1 result in Cloba's favour.

But before I go any further, there are a few pertinent points that require some clarification in order to set the record straight.

Firstly, I have to mention that the Cloba team although late for the round, did not fully assemble untilsome 20 to 25 minutes into the round. Some had arrived earlier and were already seated at their boards within the first 15 minutes. PCAN's irregular line-up, meanwhile, was noticed by the Cloba captain about 20 minutes into the round.

Secondly, the PCAN's only winning point had come from the fourth board and not the second board which I had reported a fortnight ago.

Thirdly, PCAN's counter-appeal was lodged only after the round had finished and fourthly, there were some written and unwritten supplementary rules that governed this tournament in addition to the normal FIDE rules of chess.

By "unwritten rules'', I mean the additional undocumented rules that were agreed upon by the teams at the managers' meeting before the chess league started.

One of these rules had stipulated that in the event of an inverted pair of players, both would be disqualified. Thus, it was correct for the appeals committee to disqualify PCAN's second and third boards, while leaving the fourth board's result unchanged.

As for PCAN's counter-appeal, it was really irrelevant as the committee felt that it should have been lodged during the match and not as an afterthought after it had ended. This was entirely correct too. However, even if the appeal had been lodged during the match, it would also have failed because the supplementary rules in their totality would have overruled it.

According to the rules, if a team's line-up is not submitted before the start of a round, it would mean that the first four players are fielded automatically. However, the team captain could still choose to submit his preferred line-up if he agrees to a penalty deduction of 10 minutes from his players' times.

The PCAN captain, by referring to the first half of this rule without considering the second half, was therefore wrong in interpreting the supplementary rules selectively. Furthermore, the tournament arbiter himself admits to not enforcing the rules strictly in the rounds preceding this dispute.

This being the case, it would be highly inappropriate to penalise the Cloba team for their infringement. Like I told someone in the tournament hall when the appeals committee was meeting, I would have been unhappy if the committee decided to take some strong action against Cloba, such as docking their points.

Moderation is required, and the severest action I could see would be to issue a verbal warning, and let it serve as a notice to the rest of the teams that the next time the rules are breached, the arbiter's decision could very well be very different indeed.

When this technical dispute came to my attention, the first thing that struck me was that it was all about chess education. Chess is more than just knowing how to shift 32 pieces around the chessboard.

Knowing how to rationalise and deal with off-the-board situations is equally important. So here, you have two teams with diametrically opposite viewpoints of the supplementary rules.

I had presented the main facts of the case (though there were some minor inaccuracies which did not affect the general picture) so that you, the readers, could think and discuss the best way, in your own opinion, to resolve the matter.

Quah Seng Sun's e-mail address is ssquah@schach.pc.my His previous chess articles are now archived at http://chesscolumn.20m.com/.

 

UP NEXT

Big Event in Johor

Chess players in the southern peninsula can look forward to the Bandar Raya Chessmaster 2000 Open chess tournament this Sunday which features the biggest prize monies so far for a local chess event in Johor this year.

The event, jointly run by the Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru and the Johor Bahru District Chess Association in conjunction with the Johor Bahru City Carnival, will be played at the Plaza Angsana in Tampoi, Johor Bahru.

Entry fees are RM30 for the open section, RM7 for the under-16 section and RM5 for the under-12 section.

The winner of the open section will receive RM1,000 and a challenge trophy. The other prizes are RM800 for second, RM600 third, RM400 fourth, RM350 fifth, RM300 sixth, RM250 seventh, RM200 eighth, RM150 ninth and RM100 for 10th. All winners will also get certificates.

There are also 10 prizes each for the two junior sections. The under-16 winner will receive RM150 and the winner of the under-12 event RM80.

For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan 07-333 8215 or email: naraa@tm.net.my

 

Line-up mix-up

IT IS not often that the organisers of the chess league in Penang are confronted with disputes. Indeed, the last time it happened about five years ago involved, sad to say, the team I was playing for.

However, by and large, local chess players are a reasonable lot and disagreements rarely occur.

Therefore, it was with a raised eyebrow that I learnt of a dispute in the fifth round of the 10th Penang Dell Chess League, played about a fortnight ago.

I shall not give any opinion on this case as it may prejudice the decision of the tournament's appeals committee which has yet to meet, but I will just limit myself to describing what transpired.

The Penang Chess Association had scheduled two rounds to be played at Dell Asia Pacific's premises in Bayan Lepas on July 2. Come 2pm, when the afternoon round was to begin, the Chung Ling Old Boys Association (CLOBA) team was nowhere to be seen. In the meantime, their opponents, the Penang Chess Association Novices, were eager to begin.

Unfortunately, the PCA Novices had mixed up their team's line-up and placed their fourth player to play on the second board. Non-chess players may question whether this constitutes anything serious for a team which submits a wrong line-up of their players, but it is an established convention in team events that the players in a chess team must play according to the registered line-up.

The reason is that in team competition, each side must place their four players in descending order of their strengths, as registered, so that the strongest of two opposing teams meet on the first board, the next strongest on the second board, and so on down the list.

About 20 to 25 minutes into the round, the CLOBA team entered the tournament hall, submitted their team line-up, then started playing.

The facts are a little hazy as to who first noticed the error in the PCA Novices team line-up but after a while, the CLOBA captain asked for action to be taken against one of the Novices due to the wrong line-up. The Novices' third board player was subsequently disqualified.

Much later in the round, the CLOBA captain again asked the arbiter whether the Novice's second board player should be disqualified as well, explaining that the inversion of their players on the second and third boards meant that both were playing in the wrong board order.

The perplexed arbiter, never having had to deal with so many disputes before in a single round, requested that the game be continued but if the CLOBA team was unhappy about his decision, they could play under protest and let the appeals committee decide on the matter.

By this time, it would be an understatement to say that the Novices team was simply unhappy about the developments. The players were in fact livid. With one player already disqualified, they faced the prospect of a second player being disqualified as well. Here was where their ingenuity came in.

The Novices' captain took stock of the situation and realised that he too could file a counter protest against the CLOBA team's line-up. According to tournament regulations, a team's captain is required to submit his players' line-up before the start of a round (2pm in this case) and failure to do so would mean that the first four players must be fielded automatically.

Well, the CLOBA team, having arrived 20 to 25 minutes late for the round, had forgotten about this rule and put in their third, fourth, fifth and eighth players instead. The Novices captain, believing he had legitimate grounds to complain, asked for the disqualification of the entire CLOBA team and the award of the full four points to the PCA Novices.

By the way, after the Novices team had been disqualified on the third board, the CLOBA team subsequently won the match with a 3-1 score. The CLOBA player lost on the disputed second board.

The appeals committee will be meeting this Sunday morning to resolve the issue but in the meantime, what would you (if you were the arbiter) have done do in this situation? You can e-mail your opinion to ssquah@schach.pc.my.

Meanwhile, here are the standings after the fifth round:

Premier Division: Penang Free School A (14.5 points), CLOBA (13.5), Chung Ling High Scool A (13), Old Frees Association (10.5), Dell A (7.5), PFS B (6.5), CLHS B (6), Pessca (6), PCA Novices A (2.5).

Division One: Penang Development Corporation A (12.5), CLHS D (11.5), USM (11), CLHS C (9), Hitachi Semiconductor (8.5), St Xavier's Institution (8.5), PCA Novices B (8), SMK Hamid Khan A (6.5), PFS C (4.5).

Division Two: PDC B (13.5), MSSPP Juniors (12.5), PCA Ladies (11), Dell B (10), PFS D (9.5), MSSPP Girls (9.5), SMK Hamid Khan B (6.5), PFS E (4), CLHS E (3.5).

UP NEXT

Johor

Players here can look forward to the Bandar Raya Chessmaster 2000 open tournament on July 30 which features the biggest prize monies so far for a local chess event in Johor this year.

The event, jointly run by the Johor Baru city council and the Johor Baru District Chess Association in conjunction with the Johor Baru City Carnival, will be played at the Plaza Angsana in Tampoi. Entry fees are RM30 for the open section, RM7 for the under-16 section and RM5 for the under-12 section.

The winner of the open section will receive RM1,000 and a challenge trophy. The other prizes are RM800 for second, RM600 third, RM400 fourth, RM350 fifth, RM300 sixth, RM250 seventh, RM200 eighth, RM150 ninth and RM100 for 10th place. All winners will also get certificates.

There are also 10 prizes each for the two junior sections. The under-16 winner will receive RM150 and the winner of the under-12 event, RM80.

Participants are required to register with the organisers before July 23. For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan ( 07-333 8215 / email: naraa@tm.net.my).

BPM allegro

The final two legs of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit will be played in Kedah and Perlis next weekend.

The Alor Star leg on July 22 will be held at the Komplex Jabatan Belia dan Sukan Negeri Kedah, while the Kangar leg will be played on July 23 at the Komplex Jabatan Belia dan Sukan Negeri Perlis.

Entry fees are RM10 for residents of Kedah or Perlis (depending on the event), Bank Pertanian employees, players above 50 years old, and girls below 12 years old, and RM15 for all other participants.

The prizes for the open section will be RM300 for the winner, RM200 for the second-placed, RM150 for third, RM100 for fourth and fifth, and RM60 for sixth to 10th. The best Bank Pertanian player will also win RM60, while the best players in the other categories will get RM50.

To register for the Kedah leg: ( 04-733 6334, 03-4021 9576 / fax: 04-976 7406, 03-4024 4337). For the Perlis leg ( 04-976 7406, 03-4021 9576 / fax: 04-977 1808, 03-4024 4337).

Malay Open 2000

The Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia will organise this year's Malay open championship at the Bank Pertanian Malaysia head office in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow and Sunday. This is a seven-round event with a one-hour time control.

The first prize is RM1,000, second prize RM700, third prize RM500 and fourth RM300. The fifth to 10th prizes range from RM200 to RM50. In addition, there are attractive prizes for the best under-16, under-12, women and veteran players.

To register, contact Ibrahim Yaacob ( 03-636 3082, 012-380 3202 after 8pm) or Haslindah Ruslan ( 03-7885 5257).

Forceful Filipinos

YOU would be forgiven if you had thought that the Filipino chess players were here for a holiday. After all, grandmasters Eugene Torre and Rogelio Antonio, international master Rico Mascarinas and untitled player Ronaldo Nolte were on their way home to Manila after playing in the Vung Tau east Asian zonal tournament in Vietnam when they decided to break their journey in Kuala Lumpur.

When news first broke that these Filipino chess masters were interested in playing in the Royal Selangor Open at the Sungai Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur, many were rather excited about it. Would it not bring a certain glamour to one of Malaysia's biggest local events and pose a challenge to our players?

Unfortunately, it was not until play had begun that people started to realise that the Filipinos' presence was not exactly good for the tournament in general. In the first place, the chasm between these four seasoned international players and our local competitors proved far too wide.

Of the 24 games that the Filipinos played against our local players, they conceded only two draws. Nolte drew a game with Christy Chia while Mascarinas dropped half a point to Mak Weng Yee.

If the results looked rather disappointing, the second realisation was that the Filipinos' game plan was to draw all the games played among themselves. Every game among the foursome was drawn while they were ruthless against the local players. If not for the two small hiccups against Chia and Mak, I would dare say that Torre and company would have become joint-winners of this year's Royal Selangor Open.

In hindsight, I suppose the Filipino players did take the challenge to our local players. In the 24 games, they were effectively challenging the locals to show them what they were capable of. Would our established players be able to pierce the foreigners' defences? Could our up-and-coming junior players outwit these old foxes?

Regrettably, the answer is no. Mohd Saprin Sabri failed to make any headway in the two chances that he got against Nolte and Torre, Ismail Ahmad fired blanks against Antonio and Torre, and Mok Tze Meng came up against a brick wall in Torre and Nolte. Many others had a chance to play at least a game against these four experienced Filipino players but none made an impression.

The top scorers in the Royal Selangor Open were Torre and Antonio with 7.5 points, Nolte and Mascarinas with seven, and Mak Weng Yee and Mohd Saprin with 6.5. Bunched together on six points were Christy Chia, Ismail Ahmad, Joseph Toh, Mok Tze Meng, Nicholas Chin and Gerald Soh. A further half-a-point behind were Agus Salim, Lim Yee Weng, Abdullah Che Hassan, Lim Ven Gee and Muhamad Aizuddin.

Sixty players took part in this tournament organised by the Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) and sponsored by Royal Selangor.

Together with this event, CAS also held the Selangor ladies' open at the same venue. However, there were only 12 participants.

Winning this event was Lee Su Ann who scored 6.5 points from seven games. Lim Han Ying was unfortunate to have lost her final game otherwise she would have tied with Lee at the top. Because of the loss, Lim's final score was 5.5 points.

Third was Nurshazwani Zulkafli with five points, while Norhidayah Azman and Wan Khye Theng both got four points.

10th Penang Dell league

WITH only three rounds completed in this year's Penang Dell chess league, the race for the premier division title looks wide open. Although Penang Free School is favoured to win the title again, it's facing stiff challenges from Chung Ling High School (CLHS), Old Frees Association (OFA) and Chung Ling Old Boys Association (CLOB).

Already, CLOB has taken a slim one-point lead over its closest rival OFA, with both CLHS A and Penang Free School A trailing not far behind. Dell Asia Pacific A which gained promotion to the premier division this year is showing good promise and is firmly entrenched in the middle of the tournament standings.

Among the Division One teams, the challenge for the title looks likely to be between the CLHS C and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) A. However, teams like Hitachi Semiconductor and Universiti Sains Malaysia are quite capable of overhauling the two leaders.

In Division Two, PDC B is presently ahead in the standings, but MSSPP Juniors and Dell Asia Pacific B are very close behind. PFS D, MSSPP Girls and the Penang Chess Association Ladies are performing well too and may provide the surprises in this division.

The Penang Dell chess league is the biggest local chess event in the northern region. The tournament, now in its 10th year, is organised by the Penang Chess Association and sponsored by Dell Asia Pacific. Nine rounds have been scheduled for this year's event and the games are played on most Sundays until Aug 6 at the Dell Asia Pacific premises in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone.

UP NEXT

Kellie's Castle Open (July 2): The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) will organise a one-day open tournament at Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak. For details, call W.K. Wong ( 05-366 1692) or Steven Ng ( 05-366 8198).

Royal Selangor under-16 GP (July 8-9): The Chess Association of Selangor will hold the fourth leg of its fifth Royal Selangor under-16 grand prix circuit at the Sunway College. For details, call Mrs Jackie Wong ( 03-703 8237) or Lim Tse Pin ( 012-298 4922, e-mail: tsepin@maxis.net.my).

Systematic College Open (July 9): The Systematic College in Johor Baru, with assistance from the Johor Baru District Chess Association, will stage an open tournament at the college premises in Wisma Cheong Yee Kee, Jalan Meldrum. For details, call Narayanan Krishnan ( 07-333 8215, e-mail: naraa@tm.net.my).

Chess-computing connection forged

THE Penang Chess Association has entered into a partnership with Dell Asia Pacific to promote chess in Penang.

For the next three years, Dell Asia Pacific will give RM12,000 annually towards Penang Chess Association activities. Among the activities Penang chess players can look forward to are the 10th Penang Dell chess league, the Penang grand prix chess circuit and the Penang closed chess championship.

In addition, Dell Asia Pacific will sponsor the Penang state teams that will be playing in the annual Merdeka team chess championship in Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement released by Dell Asia Pacific in conjunction with the cheque presentation ceremony on March 30, the company said that the three-year partnership beginning in May will assist the country in strengthening the intellect and discipline of youth. Chess is a discipline which harnesses the mental capacity and releases the human potential of the players. The game requires strategy, tactics, foresight, and the ability to take calculated risks.

Dell Asia Pacific's parent company, Dell Computer Corp, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is an acknowledged leader in the direct marketing of computers worldwide. From Dell Asia Pacific's regional headquarters in Penang, the company provides services and support to its Asian customers. It provides global customers with centralised ordering and billing, customised products and the advantages of local delivery and local on-site service.

Some east coast results

THE Terengganu Chess Association recently concluded its 23rd Terengganu closed championship with veteran chess player Ghalam Sani Abdul Rashid and Heng Aik Kiat jointly tying for first and second in the open section of the tournament.

Both players obtained equal 5.5 points from seven games, which placed them a half point ahead of Hashim Jusoh and Adnan Salleh who tied for third and fourth places. On 4.5 points were Muhammad Arshad, Abdul Rahim Ramli, Ruzenan Abu Bakar and Fairul Yusoff, while Ahmad Rizal Othman and Senu Mohd Nor were among the four pointers who finished within the top 10.

The novice section was won by Abdul Kadir Jailani Ramli who scored 5.5 points from six games. Other prizes were given to Wan Najihah Farhanah for being the best woman player and Afif Abdul Fattah Che Omar for being the best under-12 player.

Meanwhile, the Terengganu leg of the Bank Pertanian national allegro chess circuit, held at the Dewan Jabatan Laut in Kuala Terengganu on March 4, was won by Muhammad Arshad who scored the maximum six points.

There was a four-way tie for second to fifth places between Mohd Nizam Hamzah, Hashim Jusoh, Lufti Amir Abdul Rahman and Ahmad Rizal Othman, who all scored five points each. The players with four points who also won prizes were Heng Aik Kiat, Alias Mohd Amin, Zaharuddin Sulaiman, Abdul Rahim Ramli and Mohd Zulhaimi Awang.

Senu Mohd Nor won the prize for the best Terengganu Chess Association member, Ramli Setapa took the veteran's prize, Mohd Ariff Ramli won the under-12 prize and Noor Hafiq Noor Ariff received the under-16 prize. All four players obtained four points. The prize for the best woman player went to Siti Sharina Abdul Rashid. A total of 56 players took part in this tournament.

In Kota Baru, the Kelantan leg of this chess circuit was played on April 8 with 37 players; the joint winners were Nizam Hamzah and Abdullah Che Hassan who both scored 5.5 points. Ezanie Mohamad and Muhammad Arshad were third and fourth with five points, Mohd Aizuddin was fifth with 4.5 points, while tied from sixth to 10th were Abdul Haq Mohamad, Wan Abdul Fatah Ali, Mohd Syaiful Azli, Zaharuddin Sulaiman and Wan Rozuhan with four points each.

UP NEXT

BPM Allegro Events

The next three legs of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit will be played in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Kuching on May 1 and Ipoh on May 21.

The entry fees are RM10 for members of the organising chess associations in each state, Bank Pertanian employees, players above 50 years old and girls below 12 years old, and RM15 for all other participants.

Prizes for the open section will be RM300 for the winner, RM200 for the second-placed, RM150 for third, RM100 for fourth and fifth, and RM60 for sixth to 10th. The best Bank Pertanian player will also win RM60, while the best players in the other categories will get RM50.

To register for the event, contact Ibrahim Yaacob for the Kuala Lumpur leg ( 03-636 3082); Lim Kian Hwa for the Kuching leg ( 082-427 772) and Dr Yee Meng Keong for the Ipoh leg ( 05-546 4530).

Chess players in Malacca can collect entry forms for the Malacca leg from the Mahkota Parade shopping complex, while entry forms for the Kuala Lumpur leg are available from the Riverside Restaurant at the Putra World Trade Centre.

The other legs of the Bank Pertanian Malaysia allegro series are:

* Johor, June 11 (contact Stephen Cheong 07-333 9636);

* Negri Sembilan, June 24 (contact Charles Chan 06-631 7971);

* Kedah, July 23 (contact Abdul Hamid Majid, e-mail aham@pc.jaring.my);

Perlis, July 24 (contact Khirluddin Darus 04-976 5485).

Union School Open

The Union High School in Penang will hold its annual open tournament this Sunday in the school hall beginning at 8am. Entry fee is RM10 per person. According to the organisers, lunch will be served to all participants who will also receive copies of the school's Chess Digest.

The closing date for entries is tomorrow and players are required to register at the school between 10am and noon. Those who have yet to pay the entry fees are also requested to do so by tomorrow.

Enquiries, contact Teoh Sze Ni ( 04-643 7037), Grace Lee ( 04-829 6268) or Evelyn Chang ( 04-228 9829).

Selangor events

Klang Valley chess players can play in the third Selangor blitz open team tournament at Sunway College this Sunday. This is a seven-round event and the top three prizes are RM200, RM120 and RM80 respectively. The best teams in the schools category will receive RM100, RM75 and RM50 and certificates. Chess Association of Selangor chess mats will also be given to some winners.

Entry fees are RM10 for association members and RM15 for others. Schools entering at least two teams qualify for a 20% discount from their total entry fees.

To register, contact Jackie Wong ( 03-703 8237), Lim Tse Pin ( 012-298 4922) or Jason Yap ( 017-888 9121).

JB Unity Open

The Jabatan Perpaduan Negeri Johor will organise an open chess tournament at Dataran Bandaraya in Johor Baru on April 30. The tournament is being held jointly with the Johor Baru District Chess Club.

The event is divided into the open, under-16 and under-12 sections, and the entry fees are RM10 for the open section, RM6 for the under-16 section and RM5 for the under-12 section.

Prizes for the open section will include cash and trophies, while winners in the two junior sections will receive trophies. Certificates will also be given to the top six players in each section.

The games start at 9am on April 30; participants are required to register with the organisers by April 28. For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan ( 07-333 8215 or e-mail naraa@tm.net.my).

Penang Chess Association AGM

The Penang Chess Association will hold its annual general meeting at 6pm on April 30 at the clubhouse of the Residents' Association of Bayan Baru. Dinner will be provided to members after the meeting.

Preceding the meeting will be a friendly blitz tournament with prizes in kind put up by the association. Members have been requested to turn up at the clubhouse by 4pm if they want to take part in the blitz event.

World chess championship kicks off

THE famed Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas is the venue for the World Chess Federation's latest world chess championship which begins tomorrow. Already, most of the 100 players in this month-long event are assembled in Las Vegas to await the start of the first round.

Like the previous championship that was played in Groningen at the end of 1997, this present one is organised as a knock-out event. In the first round are 72 players who will be engaged in a two-game match against their opponents.

Asia is represented by 10 players: IM Imad Hakki (Syria), IM Amir Bagheri (Iran), GM Dibyendu Barua (India), Rogelio Antonio Jr (Philippines), Utut Adianto (Indonesia), FM Vladimir Feldman (Australia), IM Liang Chong (China), GM Peng Xiaomin (China), GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan) and GM Pavel Kotsur (Kazakhstan).

The surviving 36 players will join 28 other participants who have been seeded directly into the second round by virtue of their high Fide ratings.

In a departure from tradition, the defending world champion is required to enter the championship from the second round. Obviously, this decision has not gone down well with Anatoly Karpov and it is not known whether he has decided to play or not. Earlier, there were threats from Karpov to take legal action against Fide if the world championship in Las Vegas were to proceed.

If Karpov does not play, it will mean that he will join India's Viswanathan Anand and former world champion Gary Kasparov as notable absentees. Viswanathan and Kasparov are trying to put together a separate match of their own which they want to call a world championship match. Although such a contest between the two strongest players in the world will generate a lot of interest, playing it outside the ambit of the World Chess Federation makes it rather pointless.

It is interesting that the American player, Gata Kamsky, has also been slotted into the second round. Kamsky has not played for several years as he had opted to pursue his medical studies. There had been talk of him returning to chess, at least for this event, but until he turns up in Las Vegas, not even the organisers are certain of Kamsky's participation.

The field will be reduced to 32 players for the third round, and will again be halved for each succeeding round until the sixth round is reached by Aug 15. Here, there will be only four players left and they will play a four-game knock-out match to determine the final two players.

The final match will be played over six games beginning on Aug 21, and the new world chess champion will be declared on Aug 29.

Readers can follow the progress of the world chess championship from the official website at http://www.worldfide.com/

Chung Ling boys still leading

Despite losing to Penang Free School "A" in the seventh round of the ninth Bayview Chess League on Sunday, Chung Ling High School "A" still maintained an almost unassailable lead in the Premier Division. With only two more rounds to be played, the Chung Ling boys are leading the standings with 20.5 points while PFS "A" is in a distant second with 16 points.

The Chung Ling Old Boys Association (CLOBA) has climbed back into contention for a top prize with a 3-1 win over the International College, pushing the Old Frees' Association (OFA) into fourth position.

CLOBA now has 15.5 points, followed by OFA with 14 points. Further behind are Pessca with 11 points, Chung Ling High School "B" with 10.5 points, PFS "B" and International College with nine points each, and St Xavier's Institution with 6.5 points.

In Division One, PFS "C" has a big lead and is likely to win the tournament. The team now has 23 points, which is four points more than Chung Ling High School "C".

Dell "A" is close behind with 18 points, while the Penang Chess Association Novices has 16.5 points and Chung Ling High School "D" has 16.

In Division Two, Chung Ling High School "E" continues to lead with 19 points. Chung Hwa Confucian School has played strongly in the last few rounds and is now in second place with 17.5 points.

The Penang Chinese Girls High School has been playing well of late to be in third place with 15 points, while the Penang Chess Association Ladies team has 14 points.

The eighth round will be played this Sunday morning at 10am in the Sri Perak Room of The City Bayview Hotel's newly opened wing, while the ninth round at 12pm on Aug 8 will conclude this year's Bayview Chess League.

UP NEXT

Fight for DPM's trophy

The Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur will again be the venue of this year's 18th Merdeka team chess championship from Aug 29 to Aug 31.

The main attraction of the three-day event is the state category where the fight is for the Deputy Prime Minister's trophy. The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) can expect most of the state chess associations to send their strongest line-ups.

For the youth category, the winner will be awarded the Merdeka youth challenge trophy. The other main feature of the tournament is the open category which has always attracted teams from far and near. Competition in this category is expected to be very keen. Registration for the teams starts at 8.30am on Aug 29. Prizes for the state category are RM2,000, RM1,500 and RM1,000. The winner will also receive the Deputy Prime Minister's challenge trophy. The five prizes in the youth section are RM1,000, RM750, RM500, RM300 and RM150. The Merdeka youth challenge trophy will also go to the winner.

There will be seven prizes for the open category. The winning team will receive RM2,000 and the runner-up RM1,500. The other prizes are RM1,000, RM800, RM600, RM400 and RM200.

Entry fees are RM150 for teams playing in the state and open categories, and RM80 for the youth category. The closing date for entries is Aug 23.

Readers with Internet access can download the entry form from my website at http://www5.mol.com.my/qss/Library

Perak attractions

The Perak International Chess Association will organise two tournaments at the Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman library in Ipoh next weekend.

On Aug 7 and 8, a two-day Category A tournament with a time control of 60 minutes per player for each game will be organised. This is a six-round event and it will be open to all players who have a Fide, MCF, Perak or Penang rating of 1,700 or more.

A one-day Category B event will be held on Aug 8. This six-round tournament, which will use a 25-minute time control for each game, is open to players without a Perak rating or who is rated below 1,700.

For details, call W.K. Wong at 05-366 1692.

Malaysia vs Singapore

THIS year's annual match between Malaysia and Singapore will be played this weekend at the Parkway Parade shopping centre in Singapore. The two-round match will be contested over 40 boards. While the games between the six men and four women players in each side will be of higher profile, the final outcome is expected to hinge on the performances of the veterans and the boys and girls in the under-20, under-18, under-16, under-14, under-12 and under-10 age-group sections.

In last year's match, the Malaysians won 20-14 in the first round and 24.5-9.5 in the second round. The match was played over 34 boards.

Northern challenge

THE northern region's biggest chess event, the annual Penang Bayview Chess League, starts on June 6 and will be on till mid-August. The tournament, now in its ninth year, is organised by the Penang Chess Association.

The City Bayview Hotel, which donated a pewter challenge trophy worth RM6,000 in 1993, is sponsoring the use of its premises for the championship which will be played on Sundays.

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 others 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 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 about 30 teams to take part, and each team is allowed up to eight players. However, only four from each team will play at a time 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 teams that have taken 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 May 30 A managers' meeting will be held at the hotel on June 2 at 8pm.

For more details, visit the PCA website at http://come.to/the.pca.homepage or call Goh Yoon Wah at 04-644 5687, Ooi Kiem Boo at 04-826 3764 or Eoh Hook Kim at 04-826 0196 in the evenings.

Endah Parade challenge

THE four-day Endah Parade Chess Challenge, jointly organised by the Malaysian Chess Federation and Endah Parade, continues this weekend at the shopping centre in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.

The Endah Parade under-12 and under-16 tournaments will be played at 9am tomorrow. There are six cash prizes for each age group, including one for the best girl player. The winners of the two categories will each receive RM150 and a trophy. Entry fee is RM10.

On Sunday, the Endah Parade open tournament will be held. The winner will receive RM250 and a trophy, the second placed RM200 and a medal, and the third RM150 and a medal. The fourth and fifth prizes are RM100 each, and the sixth to 10th prizes are worth RM50 each.

In addition, RM50 prizes await the best under-16, under-14, under-12 and girl players. The entry fee for this final event is RM15 except for under-12 players who need to pay only RM10.

According to the organisers, only a maximum of 100 players will be accepted for each event. For registration or more information, call Zac, Yvonne or Soo Kee at 03-583 0100 or fax: 03-583 0300.

The Endah Parade Chess Challenge had kicked off earlier with two tournaments. Last Saturday, an 11-round blitz event with 56 players was held in the shopping centre's concourse area. Ng Ee Vern came out tops in this tournament with a score of 9 1/2 points. Except for a loss to Cheah Eu Gene and a draw with Ismail Ahmad, Ng won all other games, including the ones against second-placed Jimmy Liew and third-placed Fikrul Saifuddin.

Liew scored nine points while Fikrul, together with Abdul Razak Saidin and Cheah Eu Gene, obtained eight points each. Ismail Ahmad, Wong Zi Jing and Julian Navaratnam scored 7 1/2 points each. Half-a-point behind them were Ahmad Maliki, Kamal Ariffin Wahiduddin and Rizal Ahmad Kamal. Indonesian international master Nasib Ginting led a group of seven players who had 6 1/2 points each.

On Sunday, the under-20 age-group tournament attracted 64 entries. The event was also won by Ng who scored the maximum six points. Joint second to fourth were Chew Zi Li, Wong Zi Jing and Effarin Mohd Farid who each scored five points. Thirteen-year-old Nicholas Chan led five players in obtaining 4 1/2 points. The others were Nanda Kumar, Effawira Mohd Farid, Tang Wai Lip and Wong Chong Ee.

Sarawak tournament

CHESS players in Sabah and Sarawak can look forward to the three-day Sarawak open chess tournament from May 30 to June 1. This eight-round event, to be held at the Kelab Shell Lutong in Miri, is jointly organised by the Sarawak Chess Association, Kelab Shell Lutong and the Persatuan Melayu Miri.

The winner will receive RM600 and a challenge trophy, the second placed will get RM400 and the third RM300, the fourth RM200 and the fifth RM100. There are five other smaller prizes ranging from RM90 to RM40. In addition, the under-19 and women's champions will get RM100 each, while the second- and third-placed winners in each of these two categories will receive RM60 and RM40 respectively.

Entry fees are RM10 for adults, RM5 for women and players under the age of 19. Closing date is next Tuesday.

Players in Kuching can get the entry forms from Morsin Ahmad ( (o) 082-235 810 or (h) 082-313 619) or Lim Kian Hwa ( (o) 082-203 202 or (h) 082-427 772 or 011-218 192).

Those in Miri can contact the Kelab Shell Lutong office ( 085-452 453), the Persatuan Melayu Miri office ( 085-431 394), Matthew Lutu ( (o) 085-452 853) or Bujang Poli ( (o) 085-456 176).

Those in Bintulu can contact Marzuki Hussain ( (o) 086-252 300) and if in Sibu, contact Ong Bee Hua ( (h) 084-336 909 or 010-819 1129).

Inter-school event

THE Perak International Chess Association will organise an inter-school team tournament at the Tarcian Convent in Ipoh, tomorrow.

This will be the fourth such event organised by PICA this year. The first, held at the Sek Men Kebangsaan Jalan Pasir Putih on Feb 27, was won by SMK Jalan Pasir Putih team. The second was held on Mar 20 at the Sek Men Kebangsaan Sultan Yussuf and the third was held a week later at the Sek Men Kebangsaan Anderson. These two tournaments were won by SMK Anderson.

Registration for tomorrow's event will start at 8pm at the school hall. For enquiries, call Yau at 05-528 0958 or Mala at 05-526 9904.

Up next

THE Bank Rakyat-PWTC national age-group chess championship will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur from May 28 to 30. This tournament will be played over seven rounds with a time control of one hour per player for each game.

There are five age-groups--under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18--with separate competitions for boys and girls. The top five players in each category will receive cash prizes and medals and the champions will each get a challenge trophy as well. The prize fund of RM6,000 is sponsored by Bank Rakyat Malaysia.

The Malaysian Chess Federation will also consider the champions for qualification to the World Age-Group Chess Championship in Spain in October and November.

The entry fee is RM10 per player. Late entries will not be entertained and players are required to produce either their identity cards or birth certificates.

According to the organisers, entry forms have been sent to all state chess associations. They are also available at the Bank Rakyat headquarters and the PWTC. Readers with Internet access can also download the entry form from my web page at http://www5.mol.com.my/qss/Library/Library.html

The completed entry forms can be posted without the entry fees to Hamid Majid, 5110 Medan Intan Apartment, Jalan 1/21-C, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively, you can e-mail him at aham@pc.jaring.my

 

 

Bayview champ again

PENANG Free School 'A' retained the Bayview challenge trophy at the close of the eighth Penang Bayview Chess League last Sunday.

The team, which had already obtained an unassailable lead as it entered the final round of the competition, played leisurely against Chung Ling Old Boys Association but was still able to eke out a comfortable 2 1/2-1 1/2 win.

The tension was highest in the fight to decide the second place in the Premier Division. Going into the last round, Chung Ling High School 'A' held a slim half-point lead over Old Frees Association 'A'.

While OFA struggled to overcome a determined Pessca team by a 3 1/2-1/2 score, the Chung Ling schoolboys completed a 4-0 annihilation of Methodist Boys School. The win ensured that the CLHS team stayed ahead of Old Frees at the end of the tournament.

In other Premier Division matches, Universiti Sains Malaysia defeated MSSPP Juniors 2 1/2-1 1/2, and Old Frees Association 'B' beat Chung Ling High School 'B' also by this margin.

The three-corner race between Chung Ling High School 'C', St Xavier's Institution 'A' and Penang Free School 'C' for the winner's purse in Division One was expected to be close, but CLHS 'C' surprised everybody by trouncing Penang Development Corporation 4-0 to finish as Division One champion. At the same time, SXI's challenge fizzled out with a 2-2 draw with PFS 'B'.

In other Division One matches, Chung Ling High School 'D' dumped Chung Hwa Confucian School 'A' 3-1, Union High School beat Hewlett Packard 2 1/2-1 1/2, while the Penang Chess Association Novices beat Penang Free School 'C' 2-1. This last match was marred by a default in one of the games when both players failed to turn up.

The results of Division Two proved to be very close. At the end of the league, both Police and Penang Free School 'D' finished with equal points but Police was declared winner based on a better tie-break.

Police met Westlands Secondary School and won 3-1, while PFS 'D' discovered that their similar 3-1 result against Chung Hwa Confucian School 'B' was insufficient for them to head the table.

The MSSPP Girls proved to be the revelation of the chess league when they finished third in Division Two. The MSSPP Girls beat Chung Ling High School 'E' 2 1/2-1 1/2 in the final round. Meanwhile, Penang Chinese Girls' High School beat Methodist Boys School 'B' 3 1/2-1/2, and Dynacraft beat St Xavier's Institution 'B' 2 1/2-1 1/2.

The Penang Bayview Chess League is an annual team tournament sponsored by The City Bayview Hotel. This year's matches had been played on Sundays at the hotel's revolving restaurant since June 7. The final standings:

Premier Division: PFS A (30 points); CLHS A (26 1/2); OFA A (25 1/2); CLOBA (22); Pessca (18); USM (15 1/2); MBS A (13 1/2); OFA B (12); MSSPP Jrs (9 1/2); CLHS B (7 1/2).

Division One: CLHS C (29); SXI A (24 1/2); PFS B (24); PDC (22 1/2); HP (20); CLHS D (16 1/2); PCA Novices (12 1/2); Union (12); Chung Hwa A (10); PFS C (8).

Division Two: Police (26); PFS D (26); MSSPP Girls (24); Chung Hwa B (21 1/2); SXI B (20); CLHS E (15); Dynacraft (15); MBS B (14 1/2); PCGHS (12 1/2); Westlands (5 1/2).