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).

A new winner

THERE weren't many surprises at the national closed championship played at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur recently. None of last year's trio of joint winners managed to repeat their feats, meaning there is a new winner of the National Master title in the men's section.

Ng Tze Han played the steadiest chess during the five days of the championship and finished with eight points. A good start in the first half of the nine-round event, comprising four wins and a draw with Lim Chuin Hoong, enabled him to keep within striking distance of Fide master Wong Zi Jing who led the field for most of the way.

Ng drew with Wong in the sixth round and then put in a spurt of victories in his last three games to clinch the title. Ng was helped along the way when Wong fell to Lim in a very crucial game in the penultimate round and thereby allowed Ng to overtake him as tournament leader.

At this stage, Wong's title aspirations were as good as gone. Ng, realising that the National Master title was almost his, mopped up the event with a win over one of last year's joint winners, Teng Wei Khoon. It was little consolation for Wong who tied for the second place with 7.5 points.

Wong had by far the best start in the competition when he won his first five games. He installed himself as a firm favourite after beating last year's joint winner Jonathan Chuah in the fifth round. Wong drew with Ng in the sixth round and then beat Cheah Eu Gene in his next game. Then came the loss to Lim which dashed all his hopes.

Lim, the joint runners-up, was one of two players who went undefeated in this event. However, Lim drew one game too many. Apart from his draw with Ng, Lim also dropped valuable half points against Chuah and Chan. But possibly, his win against Wong counted as one of the biggest highlights of the championship.

One player whom I think we shall be hearing of more often in the future is 13-year-old Nicholas Chan. In the past year, he had been quietly improving in junior events in the Klang Valley but at the national closed this year, Chan surprised everyone with a creditable performance.

Although his results were still scrappy--two losses and a draw interspersed with five wins--Chan did well to score 6.5 points and finish among the top four. Among his wins was one against last year's joint winner, Jonathan Chuah.

The three players who scored six points in this event were Jonathan Chuah, Chan Meng Yang and Thaw Chee Yin. Further down the field were Teng Wei Khoon, Khor Shihong, Rizal Ahmad Kamal, Marcus Chan, Ling Kay Soon, Deon Moh and Ahmad Hafiz Shafruddin with 5.5 points each.

There were 47 players from the various state chess associations taking part in the championship. The top four players--Ng Tze Han, Wong Zi Jing, Lim Chuin Hoong and Nicholas Chan--will be eligible to participate in the Malaysian Master which the Malaysian Chess Federation will organise in Kuala Lumpur starting Sept 2.

This event will pool together six other players already listed on the Fide rating list. According to the MCF, this event will determine the national champion for the year. It will also be used to select three other players who will join Ng in the national team that will be playing in the Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.

Together with the men's section of the national closed championship, the women's section was held concurrently at the PWTC but it was over only seven rounds.

Defending champion Siti Zulaika Foudzi showed that her success in last year's championship was not a fluke as she easily staved off challenges from other established players like Samantha Lee, Lim Jean Nie, Eliza Hanum Ibrahim, Eliza Hanim Ibrahim, Marina Soh and Nurul Huda Wahiduddin.

Technically, Zulaika and Lee finished as joint winners with 5.5 points each, but the former was declared the national women's champion based on a playoff. For the women's team that will be attending the Chess Olympiad this year, it is expected that Mumtaz and Lim will be selected by the MCF to join Zulaika and Lee.

10th Penang Dell League

The northern region's biggest local chess event, the annual Penang Dell Chess League, began last Sunday at the Dell Asia Pacific premises 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 rounds are played on most Sundays and the event is scheduled to end on Aug 6.

UP NEXT

Royal Selangor under-16 GP (June 18, July 8-9): The Chess Association of Selangor will continue with the second, third and fourth legs at the Sunway College on these dates respectively.

Each leg will be a six-round contest with a 30-minute time control. For details, call Mrs Jackie Wong ( 03-703 8237) or Lim Tse Pin ( 012-298 4922 / e-mail: tsepin@maxis.net.my).

Kuala Terengganu Open (June 23-24): The Terengganu Youth and Sports Department will organise an open competition in conjunction with the state-level Sports Month celebrations. The venue of this event will be the Kompleks Belia Dan Sukan in Jalan Pasir Panjang, Kuala Terengganu.

The tournament is divided into the open, under-12 and novice sections, and entry fees are RM10 for the open section, RM5 for the novice section and RM3 for the under-12 section.

Total prize money is RM1,200 which will be distributed to the top winners of the three sections. The first round on June 23 will start at 9.30am, and the time control adopted will be 30 minutes per game.

For details, call Muhammad Arshad ( 018-895 8041 / e-mail: terengganuchess@hotmail.com).

BPM national allegro (June 25): The next leg of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro circuit will be played at Seremban Parade.

The prizes for the open section are: 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.

For details, call Charles Chan ( 012-683 5587 / e-mail: izhome@tm.net.my).

JB Carnival Open (June 25): The Johor Baru municipal council will organise an open tournament at the Plaza Kotaraya in Jalan Ibrahim with assistance from the Johor Baru District Chess Association.

The event is divided into the open, under-18 and under-12 sections, and entry fees are RM13 for the open section, RM7 for the under-18 section and RM5 for the under-12 section.

The winner of the open section will receive RM200, a one-night stay in Pulau Tioman, a hamper and a certificate. The runners-up will get RM100, a hamper and a certificate, while the third-placed winner will receive RM70, a hamper and a certificate. The other winners within the top 10 will get certificates and cash prizes ranging from RM50 for fourth to RM15 for the eighth placed.

The top three prizes for the two junior sections will be cash, hampers and certificates, and the remaining winners in both sections will get cash and certificates.

Participants are required to register with the organisers before June 22. For details, call Narayanan Krishnan ( 07-333 8215 / e-mail: naraa@tm.net.my).

Kellie's Castle Open (July 2): The Perak International Chess Association will organise an open tournament to be held at Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah.

Kellie's Castle, the unfinished monument to William Kellie Smith who was a pioneer rubber planter in Perak at the turn of last century (the Kinta Kellas Rubber Estate was planted by him), had lain overgrown with weeds for the past 70 years until its recent restoration by Rekreasi Kellie's Castle Sdn Bhd. Now, Rekreasi Kellie's Castle has teamed up with the PICA to organise presumably the first of many chess events in Batu Gajah.

The July 2 competition will be a one-day event, played over six rounds and with a 25-minute time control per player for each game. Registration of players will be at 8am and the first round is scheduled for 9.10am.

The top three prizes will be trophies and RM500, RM300 and RM200. There are seven other cash prizes ranging from RM120 to RM50; the best women's, under-12 and veteran (above 50 years old) players will receive RM50 too.

For details, call W.K. Wong ( 05-366 1692) or Steven Ng ( 05-366 8198).

Close fight

DESPITE the absence of prize monies, the East Asian (Zone 3.2a) men's zonal tournament which ended earlier this week in the Vietnamese town of Vung Tau still attracted five grandmasters and six international masters among the field of 32 players.

At stake were at least two precious tickets to this year's world chess championship. Playing in the world championship would mean the opportunity for qualifiers to earn more money than most regional events could offer. Thus, the importance of the zonal tournament becomes more significant.

The World Chess Federation (Fide) divides the world into many zones and sub-zones. Normally, each zone or sub-zone will consist of several countries in the geographical vicinity but at times it can also be made up of only one country especially if the country is big enough to be a chess power on its own.

For example, in Asia there are six zones or sub-zones. Zone 3.1a comprises the Middle Eastern countries, Zone 3.1b the countries of the Indian sub-continent, Zone 3.2b the southern Pacific countries, Zone 3.3 is the regional chess powerhouse China, while Zone 3.4 is made up of the former Soviet Union countries in central Asia.

Zone 3.2a consists of countries in the east Asia corridor which are Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each of these Asian zones and sub-zones, as well as the others around the world, have either held or are presently holding their zonal tournaments to determine their respective qualifiers to Fide's world championship.

According to Fide, India and Iran have put in a joint bid of US$2.7mil (RM10.26mil) to host both the world championship and the women's world championship. The total cost of holding these events is expected to be US$3.6mil (RM13.68mil) and the shortfall of US$900,000 (RM3.42mil) will be met from elsewhere.

New Delhi will host the preliminaries to the semi-final of the world championship and the whole of the women's world meet, while the final match for the world championship will be held in Tehran. The preliminary rounds will start on Nov 25.

Representing the east Asian zone will be Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam and Buenaventura Villamayor of the Philippines who finished joint first in the Vung Tau tournament with seven points from nine rounds.

Dao, Vietnam's only grandmaster, was the sole leader in the tournament after the third round. He was only the fourth seed in this event but it was obvious that the home crowd was rooting for him all the way. Dao beat two other Vietnamese players in his first two games and in the third round, he beat the Mongolian grandmaster Dashzeveg Sharavdorj.

Interestingly, Dao's remaining five games in the tournament were all against Filipino players. In successive rounds, he drew with international master Rico Mascarinas, co-winner Villamayor and Petronio Roca, then he beat unheralded Enrique Pacienta before ending the event drawing with third-seeded grandmaster Rogelio Antonio.

International master Villamayor was even ranked lower in the pecking order. He was designated as the eighth seed and his progress through the tournament began with two draws with Thailand's Banjuab Jiravorasuk and Vietnam's Vinh Bui.

Then came a spate of good results: winning against Indonesians Sebastian Simanjuntak and Cerdas Barus, and Myanmar's Wynn Zaw Htun, then drawing with Dao and Mascarinas, before finishing with triumphs against an off-form top-seeded Indonesian grandmaster Utut Adianto and Vietnamese international master Thanh Trang Hoang.

Six players shared the third to eighth placings with six points: Mascarinas, Roca, Adianto, Antonio, Pacienta and Filipino player Richard Bitoon. To get an idea of how strong this event was, it is sufficient to add that the illustrious second-seeded Filipino grandmaster Eugene Torre could only score five point and finished jointly ninth to 12th with the likes of Barus, Tu Hoang Thai and Simanjuntak.

Lower down the table of final standings, sixth seed Wynn Zaw Htun and fifth seed Myo Naing (the two Myanmar players who had played in Penang last February) had only four points.

Malaysia's two representatives failed to make any headway in this strong event. Mok Tze Meng finished with 3.5 points while Ismail Ahmad scored only 2.5 points.

UP NEXT

Chess Association of Selangor AGM (tomorrow): Sungei Wang Plaza exhibition hall, Kuala Lumpur (2pm). A new council for the next two years will be elected.

Selangor girls under-20 (tomorrow and Sunday): Organised by CAS, this event will be held at Sungai Wang Plaza. Registration of players will open tomorrow at 9am.

Fifth Royal Selangor under-16 grand prix (June 11, 18, July 8, 9): Also organised by CAS, this event will be held at the Sunway College. For the first leg, players can register at the playing venue at 9am.

Direct inquiries pertaining to the three aforemonetioned events to Mrs Jackie Wong ( 03-703 8237) or Lim Tse Pin ( 012-298 4922, e-mail: tsepin@maxis.net.my).

27th Royal Selangor open: Ending this Sunday at Sungai Wang Plaza.

10th Penang Dell league (June 11): Organised by the Penang Chess Association and sponsored by Dell Asia Pacific, the tournament will be played on Sundays and is scheduled to end on Aug 6. Only teams representing the public and private sectors, institutions of learning, registered associations, societies and clubs are eligible to play. A guest player may be included in each team, but the rest must be employees, students or members of the organisation which they represent. Players without a team to represent can contact the PCA; if there are enough players, the PCA may form a team. Closing date for entries is tomorrow. For details, call Chan Kim Beng ( 012-451 8811, e-mail: Kim_Beng_Chan@Dell.com), Goh Yoon Wah ( 04-644 5687 evenings, e-mail: yoon@pdc.gov.my) or Ooi Kiem Boo ( 04-826 3764 evenings, e-mail: ooilsv@pd.jaring.my).

Bank Pertanian Malaysia allegro circuit: June 11 in Johor Baru, call Stephen Cheong ( 07-333 9636) to register. June 24 in Seremban, call Charles Chan ( 06-631 7971). The dates and venues for the Kedah and Perlis legs will be announced later.

Kuala Terengganu (June 23 and 24): The Terengganu Youth and Sports Department will organise an open chess competition in conjunction with the state's Sports Month celebrations. For details, contact Muhammad Arshad (018-895 8041, e-mail: terengganuchess@hotmail.com).

Radical policy change

LAST December's national closed championship in Kuala Lumpur brought an unprecedented result when three players tied for the top three places.

According to the rules of the championship, the Malaysian Chess Federation quickly held a play-off blitz competition among the three players to decide the eventual award of the national champion and national master titles. I felt it was rather farcical that the national champion would be picked based on blitz games between the players.

Even if the World Chess Federation (MCF) had allowed in its rules that the outcome of the world championship series in its present format could be decided by the results of blitz games, it does not mean that this system is ideal.

Besides, before the players can even reach this stage, they would have played their play-off games using longer time controls first, like quicktime play over an hour, before progressing to shorter time controls.

Of course, we cannot afford such a luxury here simply because there is not enough time to conduct the play-off games in this protracted manner. So this begs another question: why have a play-off at all when a suitable tie-break system can be announced before the start of the competition?

Of course, any tie-break system that is adopted will not be the perfect solution but in the circumstances where the organisers are short of time for a proper play-off, it may be the most practical.

Anyway, the MCF has spent the past five months mulling over this problem and they believe that a fairer and more competitive solution of declaring the national champion is now available.

The most radical change is that this year's national closed chess championship has been brought forward to the middle of the year. For five days beginning May 27, chess players--both men and women--will again descend on the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur.

There will still be a quick play-off if there is more than one player tying for the first spot in either the men's or women's events, and the eventual winners will be awarded the national master and national woman master titles respectively.

However, the winner of the men's event will not be known as the national champion (the women's winner will be, though). Instead he, together with the next three players from the national closed championship, will be invited to play in a Malaysian Masters tournament at the end of the year.

This Malaysian Masters event will also include the top six internationally-rated players in the country. The 10-men event will be Fide-rated, and the ultimate winner will be the national champion for the year. This is a grand scheme and it will be most interesting to see how the events unfold by then.

In the meantime, for the national closed championship, the men's section will be a nine-round event with the winner given the Datuk Hussein Onn challenge trophy. The winner of the women's section, which will be played over seven rounds, will receive the Dato Seri Sabbaruddin Chik trophy. The PWTC will award trophies to the most promising under-18 male and female players.

In addition, the winners of the two sections will be awarded the titles of national master and national woman master respectively.

Meanwhile, contrary to what was mentioned here two weeks ago, the MCF has clarified that all the state chess associations can only send up to four players officially for the men's section and another four players for the women's.

There was a proposal earlier that certain associations could send a maximum of six players to the men's section but the idea was rejected by the MCF council.

This ruling, however, does not mean that the MCF is restricting people from taking part in the championship. Anyone not selected by their respective chess associations can still participate by paying a RM100 fee directly to the MCF before the closing date for entries which is only six days away.

Those who have been selected can contact their state chess association immediately for confirmation.

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, Negri 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.

For more details of this championship, please download the zipped copy of the MCF entry form from my webpage at http://www5.mol.com.my/qss/Library

UP NEXT

Exciting line up for enthusiasts

BEGINNING from tomorrow, the Chess Association of Selangor will organise a series of events for chess enthusiasts.

The first event, exclusively for CAS members, will be an under-20 team closed tournament this weekend at the Sunway College in Petaling Jaya. This is a six-round event with a one-hour time control for the games. Cash prizes, trophies and certificates will be given to the top three teams. Each team of four players, including a reserve, can register at the playing venue tomorrow before 1pm.

The second event is the 27th Royal Selangor open chess tournament from May 31 to June 4. Originally, CAS had planned to use the Sunway College for the tournament but because the organisers want to accommodate players from the national closed championship (which ends by 1pm on May 31), the venue has now been changed to the Sungai Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur.

This event is played over nine rounds with a two-hour time control for the games. Entry fees are RM30 for junior members of the CAS, RM40 for adult members, RM50 for members of clubs affiliated to the CAS, and RM60 for non-members. International masters and visually-handicapped players get free entry into the competition.

The first round starts at 3pm on May 31; thereafter, two rounds will be played on each of the next four days.

The winner of the tournament will receive RM1,200 and a trophy. The second prize is RM800 and a trophy, the third prize is RM600 and a trophy, fourth prize RM450, fifth prize RM350, sixth prize RM300, seventh prize RM200, eighth to 10th prizes RM100 each, and 11th to 15th prizes RM60 each. There are five cash prizes for CAS members who have paid their membership subscriptions before May 1.

There are also hampers for the best woman, under-12, under-16 and veteran (aged 50 years and above) players.

Finally, the third event from the CAS will be the fifth Royal Selangor under-16 grand prix circuit at the Sunway College. The four legs of this circuit will be played on June 11, June 18, July 8 and July 9. For the first leg, players can register at the playing venue at 9am.

Each of these legs will be a six-round contest with a 30-minute time control. Prizes, consisting of 40 pewters and 10 hampers, will be given to the players with the best accummulated results from any three legs.

For these three events, enquiries can be directed to Mrs Jackie Wong (Tel: 03-703 8237) or Lim Tse Pin (Tel: 012-298 4922).

BPM allegro events

The next two legs of this year's Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit will be played in Perak this Sunday and Johor on June 11.

The entry fees are RM10 for members of the organising chess association, 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.

To register for the event, contact W.K. Wong (05-355 1692) for the Ipoh leg and Stephen Cheong (Tel: 07-333 9636) for the Johor Baru leg.

The remaining legs of the BPM allegro series are: Negri Sembilan on June 24 (Charles Chan Tel: 06-631 7971), Kedah on July 23 (Abdul Hamid Majid Tel: 03-4021 9576 or e-mail:aham@pc.jaring.my) and Perlis on July 24 (Khirluddin Darus Tel: 04-976 5485).

10th Penang Dell chess league starts soon

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 (PCA) 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 PCA immediately. If the response is encouraging. 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.

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 details, contact Chan Kim Beng (Tel: 012-451 8811 or e-mail: Kim_Beng_Chan@Dell.com) Goh Yoon Wah (tel: 04-644 5687, evenings or e-mail: yoon@pdc.gov.my) or Ooi Kiem Boo (04-826 3764, evenings or e-mail: ooilsv@pd.jaring.my).

JB Carnival Open

Majlis Bandaraya Johor Baru will organise an open chess tournament at the Southern City within the Extra Shopping Complex in Taman Putera, Johor Baru, on May 28.

The event is divided into the open, under-16 and under-12 sections.

The winner of the open section will receive RM200, a hamper and a certificate, while the top 10 players will get certificates and cash prizes ranging from RM100 for second to RM15 for the 10th placed. The top prize for the two junior sections will be hampers and certificates, and the remaining winners in both sections will get souvenirs and certificates.

Please register with the organisers before 1pm on May 22. For details call Narayanan Krishnan (Tel: 07-333 m8215 or e-mail: naraa@tm.net.my).

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.

  

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.

Lessons from an international tourney

FROM the organiser's point of view, there were several significant games played during the Wah Seong Penang International master chess tournament last month.

In the fourth round, Malaysia's current national champion inflicted a loss on one of Indonesia's most experienced players. Jonathan Chuah, 14, is the youngest Malaysian to have beaten a grandmaster in competitive play.

Ardiansyah - Jonathan Chuah

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nc3 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Qd2 b6 9.0-0-0 Bb7 10.h4 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nd7 12.Qc2 Qe7 13.Ne4 c5 14.g4 cxd4 15.g5 Bxe4 16.Qxe4 Rac8 17.gxf6 Rxc4+ 18.Kb1 Nxf6 19.Qd3 Qc7 20.Nxd4 Rc8 21.Nb5 Qe5 22.Nd6 Rc2 23.Qb3 R8c6 24.f4 Qc5 25.e4 Re2 26.e5 Ne4 27.Qd3 Qf2 28.Qb5 Rcc2 0-1

One round later, yet another foreign player fell at the hands of a Malaysian. Though not as earth-shattering as the preceding game, this game showed Wong Zi Jing at his most dangerous when he has the upperhand in an attack.

Wong Zi Jing - Liu Wenzhe

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Be3 Qxb2 8.Ndb5 Qb4 9.Qe2 Qa5 10.Bd2 Qd8 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Ne5 13.Bb3 a6 14.f4 Ng4 15.Na3 b5 16.c4 Bd7 17.cxb5 axb5 18.Nxb5 Qb6 19.Bc4 Ra4 20.Rb1 Rxc4 21.Qxc4 Qf2+ 22.Kd1 f5 23.Re1 Kf7 24.Re2 Qb6 25.Nc3 Qa7 26.h3 Nf6 27.Be3 Qa8 28.Bd4 h5 29.Ke1 h4 30.Qc7 Qc8 31.Rb7 Qxc7 32.Rxc7 Be8 33.Bxf6 gxf6 34.a4 Kg6 35.a5 Bh6 36.Rexe7 Bxf4 37.Ne2 1-0

Unfortunately, one round later, Wong was brought down to earth when he walked into a prepared variation. The game mirrored a similar one Wong had played two months earlier but Lim Chuin Hoong found an appealing improvement which Wong could not solve in over-the-board play.

Lim Chuin Hoong - Wong Zi Jing

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.f3 e6 6.e4 exd5 7.e5 Qe7 8.Qe2 Ng8 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Nh3 c4 11.Be3 axb5 12.0-0-0 Qb4 13.Nf4 Ne7 14.Qf2 Qa5 15.Bb6 Qa6 16.Rxd5 Bc6 17.a3 Ng6 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.Rxb5 Bxb5 20.Nd5 Qb7 21.Nc7+ Kd8 22.Nxb5+ Kc8 23.Bxc4 Qc6 24.Kb1 Qxc4 25.Rc1 Qxc1+ 26.Kxc1 Nc6 27.Bc7 Ra6 28.Qe2 Ra8 29.Qc4 f6 30.Qf7 Bc5 31.Qxg7 Rxh2 32.exf6 Rh1+ 33.Kd2 Nd4 34.Qg8+ Kb7 35.Qd5+ 1-0

Lim's quest for an international master result ended when he lost a do-or-die game in the seventh round to Mok Tze Meng. This win was vital for Mok who later went on to achieve an IM result. In the game, the wily Mok paralysed Lim by simplifying the game through the exchange of many pieces. Later, he won a pawn and the game.

Mok Tze Meng -Lim Chuin Hoong

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5 Re8 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.cxd5 c6 12.Bc4 cxd5 13.Bxd5 Nd7 14.Rc1 Nb6 15.Bb3 Be6 16.Bxe6 Rxe6 17.Ke2 h6 18.Be3 f5 19.Rhd1 f4 20.Bc5 Rc6 21.Bxb6 axb6 22.a3 Rac8 23.Rxc6 Rxc6 24.Ne1 Bf8 25.Rd7 Rc4 26.f3 Bc5 27.Rc7 Ra4 28.Nd3 Bd4 29.Kd2 Ra8 30.Kc2 g5 31.Kb3 h5 32.h3 Re8 33.Rxb7 Re6 34.Rd7 Rg6 35.Rd5 g4 36.hxg4 hxg4 37.fxg4 Rxg4 38.Nxe5 Bxe5 39.Rxe5 Rg3+ 40.Ka2 Rxg2 41.Rf5 Rf2 42.e5 f3 43.e6 Re2 44.Rxf3 Rxe6 45.Kb3 Kg7 46.Kb4 Re5 47.Kc4 Rc5+ 48.Kd4 Rb5 49.b4 Rh5 50.a4 Rh4+ 51.Kc3 Rh5 52.Kb3 Rh1 53.Rf4 Rh5 54.Rd4 Kf7 55.Rd6 Ke7 56.Rxb6 Kd7 57.a5 Kc7 58.Rg6 Rh1 59.Ka4 Kb7 60.Rg7+ Kb8 61.a6 Ra1+ 62.Kb5 Rh1 63.Kb6 Rh6+ 64.Ka5 Ka8 65.b5 Rh5 66.Rc7 Rg5 67.Kb6 Rg6+ 68.Rc6 Rg8 69.Rh6 Rc8 70.Ka5 Rc5 71.Kb4 Rg5 72.b6 Rg4+ 73.Kb5 Rg5+ 74.Kc6 Rg8 75.Kd6 Rf8 76.Ke7 Rb8 77.Rd6 Rh8 78.Rd8+ Rxd8 79.Kxd8 Kb8 80.b7 Ka7 81.Kc7 Kxa6 82.b8Q Ka5 83.Qb3 1-0

Ng Tze Han, with nothing else remaining for him in the tournament after failing to achieve a title result, faced a daunting task against the Chinese player Liu in the final round. It is a great credit to Ng that he withstood the pressure from Liu. This interesting game was the last to finish as Liu wanted the full point to place himself more respectably in the final standings. In the end, however, he had to concede that all he could get was a half point.

Ng Tze Han - Liu Wenzhe

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.Bf4 Ne5 9.Be2 Be7 10.g4 a6 11.g5 Nfd7 12.Qd2 Qc7 13.0-0-0 b5 14.Qd4 Rb8 15.a3 0-0 16.Kb1 Nc4 17.Bc1 Bb7 18.h4 Rfc8 19.Rh3 Qb6 20.f4 Qxd4 21.Rxd4 Ndb6 22.f5 e5 23.Rd1 Rc7 24.Nd2 Rbc8 25.Nxc4 Nxc4 26.Rdd3 Nb6 27.Rhe3 Rc5 28.f6 Bf8 29.fxg7 Kxg7 30.Bh5 R8c7 31.Rf3 Na4 32.Rfe3 Nxc3+ 33.Rxc3 Rxc3 34.bxc3 Rc4 35.Bf3 Be7 36.Kb2 f6 37.gxf6+ Bxf6 38.h5 Kf7 39.Re2 Ke7 40.Bd2 Bc6 41.Re1 Ke8 42.Re2 Ra4 43.h6 Ke7 44.Re1 Rc4 45.Re2 Be8 46.Re1 Bg6 47.Re2 Kf8 48.Re1 Bh4 49.Re2 Bd8 50.Re1 Bb6 51.Bg5 Rxc3 52.Kxc3 Ba5+ 53.Kd3 Bxe1 54.Bg4 Bf2 55.Bc8 a5 56.Bb7 Bc5 57.Bc1 Bf7 58.Bc8 Bc4+ 59.Kd2 b4 60.a4 Bd4 61.Bf5 Kg8 62.Bd7 Bf2 63.Kd1 Bg3 64.Bg5 Bf4 65.Be7 b3 66.cxb3 Bxb3+ 67.Ke2 Bxh6 68.Bxd6 Bf8 69.Bxe5 1/2-1/2

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 Kota Baru tomorrow, Malacca on April 15 and Kuala Lumpur on April 23.

The entry fees are RM10 for members of the organising chess association, 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 event contact:

Nizam Hamzah ( 09-790 9870) for the Kelantan leg;

Abdul Hamid Majid ( 03-4021 9576, fax 03-4024 4337, e-mail aham@pc.jaring.my) for the Malacca leg;

Ibrahim Yaacob ( 03-636 3082) for the Kuala Lumpur leg.

Readers in Malacca can collect the 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 in:

Sarawak, May 1 (contact Lim Kian Hwa 082-427 772);

Perak, May 21 (contact Dr Yee Meng Keong 05-546 4530);

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

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

Kedah, July 23 (contact Mansor Muda);

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

Free School Open

The Penang Free School will hold their annual Free School open tournament this Sunday. It will be an eight-round event with an entry fee of RM8 per person and a total cash fund of RM600.

The first prize is RM200, second RM120, third RM80, fourth RM50, fifth RM40, sixth RM30 and seventh to 10th RM20 each. There will also be prizes for the three best players in the under-15, under-12 and ladies groups, and the best performers among the under-10, Penang Free School and Old Frees players.

Closing date for entries is tomorrow. The first 200 people to register before this date will get souvenirs. To register, contact Saw Chee Wooi ( 04-8297695) or Tan Jee Jian ( 04-8284487) or e-mail pfschessclub@yahoo.com.

Union Open

The Union High School in Penang will organise their Union open tournament on April 23. This is an eight-round contest and it will be played at the school hall using a 25-minute time control. The first round will start at 8am.

Entry fee is RM10 per player. For more details, 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 participate in the Chess Association of Selangor's (CAS) second quarter allegro open chess tournament this Sunday at the Sunway College in Bandar Sunway.

This event, organised by the CAS, will be contested over six rounds and features 16 prizes which include a top prize of RM100, other cash prizes, books, chess sets and free entry to the CAS third quarter allegro tournament.

Entry fees are RM10 for CAS members and RM15 for other players. However, there is an incentive for non-CAS, under-20 players from schools and colleges: they need pay only RM12 per participant if they have at least three participants from the same school or college.

On April 16, the CAS will hold its first closed junior blitz tournament at the same venue. There are nine rounds and the prizes include cash and free entry to the Selangor blitz open tournament later this year.

Entry fees are RM5 for current CAS members and RM25 for players joining the CAS for the first time.

The third Selangor blitz open team tournament will be played at the Sunway College one week later on April 23. This is a seven-round event and the top three prizes are RM200, RM120 and RM80 respectively. The best team in the schools category will receive RM100, RM75 and RM50 and certificates. CAS chess mats will also be given to some winners.

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

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

Chance of a lifetime

ABDULLAH Che Hassan is one lucky kid. While most chess players only dream of playing against the strongest chess player in the world, Abdullah actually did it.

Thanks to the Internet, Abdullah played Gary Kasparov in the early hours of March 15; he was one of 30 children worldwide selected to play the former world champion in a clock simultaneous chess exhibition.

The event, set in New York City, was billed the "United Nations of Chess." It involved players from every continent except Antarctica. The simultaneous exhibition marked the worlwide launch of Kasparov's http://kasparovchess.com website.

Ten children played him live in the ABC Times Square television studios and 20 more were logged online in the website's Playing Zone. In the television studios, 20 computers, each representing one online player, were set in two rows next to where the other 10 kids were playing. Kasparov went from hand to mouse and back again as he walked round and round the room.

In a normal simultaneous exhibition, a player is required to make his move immediately when the chess master arrives at his board. But for the online simultaneous exhibition, some technological tricks were employed to ensure smooth play. When Kasparov arrived at a computer, he clicked a special "Move Now" button that sent a signal to the player to let him know that Kasparov was at his board.

Kasparov was in no way distracted by this unusual format, winning 28 games and drawing only one against his opponents. Unfortunately, the 30th game was not played as the player could not log onto the website. The lone draw was achieved by Victoria Zaks of Israel and it came from a repetition in a position where the 12-year-old girl was doing fine.

Abdullah was not so lucky in his game. He was nervous initially because, he says, "I respected Gary too much." Although he had prepared for Kasparov's opening move, 1 d4, Abdullah said that he played too fast, hoping to beat the grandmaster on time. He managed to hold on for 51 moves, finally resigning because he had to go to school. Despite the loss, the young lad said that playing Kasparov was a chance of a lifetime.

(In the exhibition, Kasparov was given two hours on his clock while each of his opponents had one hour. Considering that Kasparov had to play 29 opponents moving from one game to another, his average time spent on each game was a mere three minutes!)

Abdullah was informed of this opportunity to play Kasparov through an e-mail message from the International E-mail Chess Group, of which he is a member.

The message said that Kasparov would be launching his new http://kasparovchess.com website in New York City and the organisers of the event were looking for 25 to 30 chess players from around the world, aged 16 years and under, who would be interested to play in the exhibition through the Internet.

Abdullah responded to the e-mail and, as he was the only one from Malaysia to submit an application, he was given the opportunity to play.

Two weeks before the event, the organisers had a few anxious moments when they lost touch with Abdullah. They even contacted me to help them find the boy. Fortunately, Abdullah replied to the organisers in the nick of time.

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 Kuantan on March 25, Kota Kinabalu on March 26 and Kota Baru on April 8.

The entry fees are RM10 for members of the organising chess associations, Bank Pertanian employees, players above 50 years old and girls below 12 years old (there are no under-12 boy players), 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 Wah Abdullah ( 09-583 3205) for the Kuantan leg, Sylvester Asai ( 088-764 305) for the Kota Kinabalu leg, and Nizam Hamzah ( 09-790 9870) for the Kota Baru leg.

The other legs of the series are in:

Malacca: April 15 (contact Eugene Kong 06-232 1018)

Kuala Lumpur: April 23 (Ibrahim Yaacob 03-636 3082)

Sarawak: May 1 (Lim Kian Hwa 082-427 772)

Perak: May 21 (Dr Yee Meng Keong 05-546 4530)

Johor: June 11 (Stephen Cheong 07-333 9636)

Negri Sembilan: June 24 (Charles Chan 06-631 7971)

Kedah: July 23

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

Shah Alam Open

The Selangor Library will organise the Shah Alam Open over four days from March 26 to 29 at the Radisson Hotel, Shah Alam. The event, sponsored by Tenaga Nasional Bhd, offers cash prizes totalling RM5,000.

The tournament will be divided into five categories with each category played on a different day and with different entry fees:

Under-12: March 26, RM10

Open: March 26, RM25

Student: March 27, RM15

Under-12 team: March 28

Under-18 team March 29

For more details, contact Hashim 03-5519 7667.

National Age-Group Chess Championship

The second Bank Rakyat-PWTC national age-group chess championship will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 1 and 2. This tournament will be played over seven rounds with a time control of one hour per player for each game.

There are six age-groups in this event: under-eight, under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18, with separate competitions for boys and girls.

The prize fund of RM6,000 is sponsored by Bank Rakyat Malaysia and this amount will be awarded between the top five players in each category. In addition, champions will receive challenge trophies.

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

Entry fees for the Bank Rakyat-PWTC tournament are RM15 for the under-18, under-16 and under-14 age groups, and RM10 for the under-12, under-10 and under-eight age groups. Registration will be in PWTC's lobby foyer between 3pm and 6pm on March 31; last-minute entries will not be entertained.

Participants are required to produce either their identity cards or birth certificates for verification upon registering. If you have Internet access, you can download the entry form from my web page at http://www5.mol.com.my/qss/Library

The completed entry form can be posted, without the entry fees, to Hamid Majid, 5-1-10 Medan Intan Apartments, Jalan 1/21-C, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively, e-mail him at aham@pc.jaring.my

Tebrau Open

The Johor Baru District Chess Club will hold its 11th Tebrau open chess tournament at SM Sri Tebrau in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Baru, on April 2. The event is divided into the open, under-16 and under-12 sections with each section offering 10 prizes.

The entry fee for the open category is RM10; for the under-16, RM7; under-12, RM5. Games start at 8am. Participants are required to register with the organisers by March 30. Only the first 300 particiapnts will be accepted.

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

Free School Open

Penang Free School will hold its annual open tournament on April 9. It will be an eight-round event with an entry fee of RM8 per person and prizes totalling RM600.

The first prize is RM200, second RM120, third RM80, fourth RM50, fifth RM40, sixth RM30 and seventh to 10th RM20 each. There will also be prizes in kind for the three best players in the under-15, under-12 and ladies groups, and the best performers among the under-10, Penang Free School and Old Frees players.

Closing date for entries is April 8. The first 200 people to register before this date will get souvenirs. To register, contact Saw Chee Wooi ( 04-829 7695) or Tan Jee Jian ( 04-828 4487) or e-mail pfschessclub@yahoo.com

 

Tournament ends on high note

WHEN I set out to organise the Wah Seong Penang international master chess tournament two months ago, one of the main objectives was to provide an opportunity for local players to achieve international master title norms.

There was no lack of title aspirants in this tournament. Apart from Mas Hafizulhilmi who was already an international master, there were five other local players who were hopeful of playing well enough to get their norms.

Unfortunately, in an event of this kind where none of the players can be considered a pushover, not everyone would be able to realise this target. Exemplary play would have to be the order of the day, and the players would have to sort it out themselves over the chess board to see who was best qualified to gain the title norm.

I had written two weeks ago that if there was anyone who could earn an international master title norm, Mok Tze Meng would be a prime candidate. As the tournament progressed, Mok proceeded to show that I was correct in my prediction.

He had a very encouraging game in the first round against Wynn Zaw Htun, stretching the Myanmar player into a long drawn endgame before they finally agreed to a draw. In the second round, Mok made short work of national champion Jonathan Chuah and continued with another win in the third round against Ng Tze Han.

Two draws then followed against Myo Naing, an international master (IM) from Myanmar, and IM Mas Hafizulhilmi before he suffered a defeat at Chinese IM Liu Wenzhe's hands. It was a loss which could have been avoided if Mok had not been overly ambitious. A safe draw against the Chinese would have seen him on an easier track towards the title norm.

Instead, Mok found Lim Chuin Hoong very determined to stop him in the seventh round. However, he managed to avoid complications when he successfully negotiated an early simplification of the position. Lim tried hard but could not win and in the end, he had to concede defeat to Mok.

In the eighth round, despite spirited play by Wong Zijing, Mok managed to pocket the full point. Finally, Indonesian grandmaster Ardiansyah's offer of a draw in the ninth round was sufficient for Mok to reach the target of six points which was the requirement for the international master title norm in this tournament.

Amidst all the excitement over a Malaysian player getting this norm was the fact that another player had also played well enough to get a similar norm. Seventeen-year-old Wynn Zaw Htun, who came into this tournament with an impressively high rating of 2,524, played solidly enough to score six points.

He had a slow start in this event: a draw with Mok in the first round was followed by a loss to Ardiansyah. But then Wynn beat Chuah in the third round, drew with Ng, Myo and Mas in the fourth to sixth rounds, and then unleashed a victory against Liu in the seventh round. Wynn put in a final spurt in the last two rounds of the tournament by defeating Lim and Wong to achieve his norm.

The nine-day tournament, sponsored by Wah Seong (M) Trading Co Sdn Bhd and played at the CitiTel Penang, was won by Mas Hafizulhilmi. This was my first opportunity to see Mas Hafizul play in an international event and I was suitably impressed with his confidence and preparation. He made all his games seem rather effortless.

He was particularly deadly against the foreign competitors and he scored victories against Ardiansyah, Liu and Myo. Wynn was the only player to give Mas Hafizul some initial difficulties but the draw was never in doubt.

He was generous with the local players at the start of the event but towards the end when it became clear that some could no longer get their norms, Mas Hafizul moved into higher gear and mopped up everyone else.

Gone are the days when the foreigners can beat our players at will--as proven by the results of this tournament. Our players are on par with the foreign players. Otherwise, how would you explain the performances of the foreign players?

Ardiansyah, Liu and Myo obviously did not play at their very best levels or else they would not have suffered embarrassing losses to our own players.

In the fourth round, Ardiansyah went down to a shock defeat at the hands of Chuah; and one round later, Wong defeated Liu. Ng's high point in the tournament was when he beat Myo in the seventh round.

Anyway, it would be too presumptous to dismiss the foreigners for not trying hard enough. I know they did try very hard. In the second round, for instance, Ardiansyah pulled himself together to defeat Wynn in a delicate endgame position. In the final round, Liu piled a lot of pressure on Ng's position but failed to make a breakthrough and had to agree to a draw.

The tournament homepage is located at http://www.geocities.com/pg-chess/WahSeong2000/index.html

UP NEXT

BPM Allegro events

Readers wishing to take part in the Penang leg of the Bank Pertanian Malaysia national allegro chess circuit this Sunday are reminded that today is the closing date for entries.

The entry fees are RM10 for members of the Penang Chess Association, Bank Pertanian employees, players above 50 years old and girls below 12 years old, and RM15 for other participants.

To register for the event, contact Ooi Kiem Boo ( 04-657 4596), Eoh Hook Kim ( 04-826 0196; e-mail: hkeoh@tm.net.my) or Chuah Soon Pheng ( 04-657 4316; e-mail: jinhai@tm.net.my). Participants are required to turn up at Kolej Damansara Utama in Anson Road, Penang, at 8am on Sunday.

The other legs of the BPM allegro series in the next couple of months are: Pahang leg on March 25 (contact Wan Abdullah 09-583 3205), Sabah leg on March 26 (Sylvester Asai 088-764 305), Kelantan leg on April 8 (Nizam Hamzah 09-790 9870), Malacca leg on April 15 (Eugene Kong 06-232 1018) and Kuala Lumpur leg on April 23 (Ibrahim Yaacob 03-636 3082).

Perak Grand Prix

Next weekend will be a busy time for the Perak International Chess Association which will be holding their annual general meeting at 9am on March 19 at Sek Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh. In conjunction with this meeting, a two-day chess competition has been planned.

The first event is a continuation of the Perak chess grand prix for their Category A players who are locally rated above 1,700. The top prize for this event is RM150, so anyone wishing to take part should be present at Sek Tuanku Abdul Rahman by 2pm on March 18. A separate one-day Category B event for players below 1,700 will be held at the same place beginning 10.30am on March 19.

Both are six-round tournaments. The time control for the Category A event is one hour, while that for the Category B tournament is 25 minutes. For more details, call W.K. Wong ( 05-366 1692).

Shah Alam open

The Selangor Library will organise the Shah Alam open tournament over four days from March 26 to 29 at the Radisson Hotel in Shah Alam. The event, sponsored by Tenaga Nasional Berhad, will feature total prize money of RM5,000.

The tournament will be divided into five categories, with each category being played on different days. The under-12 category will be contested on March 26; the entry fee is RM10 per player. On March 26 and 27, the open and student categories will be held. Entry fees are RM25 and RM15 respectively. For these events, the games will start at 2pm on the first playing date.

The under-12 team tournament will be played on March 28 while on March 29, the under-18 team tournament will be held. Entry fees are RM40 and RM60 respectively. For more details, call Hashim (03-559 7667).

National Age-Group championship

The Malaysian Chess Federation will organise the second Bank Rakyat national age-group chess championship at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 1 and 2.

Entry fees are RM15 for the under-18, under-16 and under-14 events, and RM10 for the under-12, under-10 and under-8 events. Entries will be accepted until March 31. For details contact Hamid Majid ( 03-402 19576; e-mail: aham@pc.jaring.my)

Winners of the various age-group events will be considered for qualification to the world age-group chess championship in Spain this October or November.

 

10 to slug it out

TODAY is the eve of the nine-day Wah Seong Penang international master chess tournament. All hostilities over the chess board will begin tomorrow at the CitiTel Penang and continue daily until March 5.

The past two months had been very trying for me as I had to cope with the organising of this event. Luckily, I had the full support of Datuk Tan Chin Nam, honorary life president of the Malaysian Chess Federation, and the assistance of friends in the chess circle, without whom my task would have been very difficult.

For instance, there was the selection of foreign players. World Chess Federation (Fide) regulations require that at least one-third of players at an international master event must be foreigners. For a 10-player event, I needed four.

Initially, I had shortlisted grandmaster Ardiansyah from Indonesia, Chinese international master Liu Wenzhe, Indonesian international master Nasib Ginting, and Myanmar Fide master Maung Maung Lwin.

However, Ginting, who for the past year had been in Malaysia, could no longer be contacted while Maung had commitments elsewhere. But Maung offered to arrange for two highly-rated players from Myanmar to play, thus I now have their international master Myo Naing and untitled Wynn Zaw Htun.

The only thing left to do was wait and see whether the four foreigners would accept this invitation to play. As a standby, I have Singapore's international master Giam Choo Kwee who could come at very short notice.

It was a long wait, especially with the Chinese player. I received a message from Beijing that Liu's passport needed renewal and he would have to apply for a visa from the Malaysian Embassy in China. Compounding this problem was the long lunar festival in China when it was almost impossible to get in touch with many people. Luckily, the problem quickly sorted itself out after a few frantic phone calls to friends in Kuala Lumpur.

Another major task was to select local players for this event. From the onset, our international masters Mas Hafizulhelmi and Jimmy Liew are automatic choices for two of the six places.

The criterion for selecting the other four was simple. The Penang Chess Association would nominate two of their players while the remaining two would be selected by going down the latest Fide rating list. Local players who were overseas or had retired from playing were automatically scratched.

Aaron Yee was the first consideration but he declined from playing due to his school work. This left the field open to Fide master Wong Zijing and national master Jonathan Chuah, and they duly accepted the offer to play.

As for the Penang Chess Association nominations, Ng Tze Han and Lim Chuin Hoong were clearly the best choices.

Soon after invitations had been sent out, it occurred to me that Mok Tze Meng would be a good addition to this event if there were more places available. After all, Mok is a very experienced player, next in line in the Fide rating list after Jonathan Chuah. If there is anyone who could earn an international master norm, Mok would be a prime candidate.

Malaysian Chess Federation's Tan gave the okay for me to expand the field to its maximum 12 players. It should have been a 12-man event in the first place, but I was working within a budget. After referring to Fide regulations, I concluded that it is legitimate to have an 11-man event or the first four games played over two days.

(Fide regulations allow for a maximum two rounds per day for an international master result. For a grandmaster result, there can be no more than two days of two rounds each but definitely not in the final three rounds.)

A peculiar number, I must admit, but there were also two other reasons for staying with 11 players. For one thing, this event would be played without a rest day and I believe the players would welcome having a round during which they can relax.

The other reason was, despite confirmation from all the local players that they would play, there was a possibility someone would withdraw later. Call it intuition if you like, but Jimmy Liew later informed me that he was withdrawing due to his unavoidable work commitments.

So there I was, down to 10 players, the original number that I started out with. All the players are arriving today but I will not be able to rest completely until I see them all!

With these 10 players, the tournament is now a Category Five. To qualify for an international master result, our Fide master and untitled players must score at least six points from nine games.

I do not think it is an insurmountable target. Gone are the days when the foreigners can whip our players at will; our players can at least be their equals now.

It is not very often that an international chess event of this sort is held in Malaysia. I sincerely hope that chess enthusiasts, even those from outside Penang, can make it a point to visit the CitiTel Penang from tomorrow until March 5 to see these players in action. The playing times are from noon to 7pm daily at the hotel's Bayan Room.

Wah Seong (M) Trading Co Sdn Bhd is the sponsor of this event, while the CitiTel Penang is the official hotel for the tournament.

For readers with Internet access, you can follow the progress of the tournament at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/WahSeong2000/index.html

Chinese demo

In conjunction with the Wah Seong Penang international master chess tournament, the Penang Chess Association is arranging for Chinese international master Liu Wenzhe to give some simultaneous chess displays to schools in Penang and selected members of the association.

Tentatively lined up is a simultaneous chess display to 30 students on March 7, a clock simultaneous chess match with six senior members of the PCA on March 8, and a second clock simultaneous chess match with six top junior players on March 9.

All these programmes are scheduled for the evenings starting at 7pm. Students who wish to play against the Chinese international master on March 7 should contact Chuah Soon Pheng ( 04-657 4316 / e-mail: jinhai@tm.net.my) or Khor Bean Hwa ( 04-658 1662 / e-mail: shihong@pl.jaring.my). The fee is RM2 per student.

UP NEXT

March 12: The Penang Chess Association will hold the Penang leg of the second Bank Pertanian Malaysia allegro grand prix at the Kolej Damansara Utama premises in Jalan Anson.

The event will consist of six rounds and there is a total cash prize of RM1,500. The bulk of this prize fund will go to the main winners while RM500 is set aside for the minor winners such as the best women, under-16 or under-12 players.

Entry fees are RM10 for adults and RM5 for junior players. Closing date is March 10. Late entries will not be accepted. There is also a cap at a maximum of 100 players.

For registration, contact Eoh Hook Kim ( 04-826 0196 / e-mail: hkeoh@tm.net.my), Chuah Soon Pheng ( 04-657 4316 / e-mail: jinhai@tm.net.my) or Ooi Kiem Boo ( 04-657 4596). Registered players are required to turn up at KDU by 8am on March 12.

Intriguing tournament

THE Wah Seong Penang international master chess tournament is set to become one of the most intriguing tournaments ever organised in this country. Slated to begin in 15 days' time, the tournament will feature a group of experienced, highly-regarded foreign chess players facing off against what is considered to be the cream of Malaysian chess players.

Led by two veterans--Indonesian grandmaster Ardiansyah and Chinese international master Liu Wenzhe--the foreign chess masters are obviously not interested in having a holiday here.

They are well-known for their fierce competitive spirit, so the other participants had better be well-prepared when they sit down to face the Indonesian and the Chinese across the chessboard.

Ardiansyah was one of the very first Asians to become a grandmaster. When he was at the height of his playing powers in the 70s and 80s, he could claim to be among Indonesia's top three players.

Datin Rebecca Tan, wife of the late Datuk Tan Kim Yeow, former chairman
of Wah Seong group of companies, presenting a mock cheque to Datuk Toh
Kin Woon, Penang State executive councillor and president of the Penang
Chess Association. Looking on is Pauline Tan, Wah Seong director.

However, the emergence of new players in the last decade has gradually sidelined him. With a World Chess Federation rating of 2396, Ardiansyah is presently ranked 10th in Indonesia. He remains active in chess circles there and is still capable of delivering a few stings.

Interestingly, China's Liu Wenzhe is in a similar situation as his Indonesian counterpart. In the late 70s, he was considered the strongest player in China but now, with an international rating of 2451, he is ranked only 25th in his country. But his exploits are almost legendary. Till today, Liu is held in awe, especially for his celebrated victory over the late Dutch grandmaster Jan Donner during the Buenos Aires Chess Olympiad in 1978.

At that time, China was just making its presence felt in international chess circles, so it was inconceivable to many that Donner could lose to an unknown player. Yet, in the China-Netherlands game, Liu completely smashed Donner's defence and capped the game with a queen sacrifice that rippled through the Olympiad.

The two other foreign players invited to the tournament are from Myanmar. Myo Naing is an international master with a rating of 2545 while Wynn Zaw Htun, although untitled, still has a high rating of 2524.

On the Malaysian side, we have our two international masters who are expected to lead the challenge: Mas Hafizulhelmi, who is rated 2413, and Jimmy Liew, whose rating is 2325. Others who have confirmed their participation are Fide master Wong Zijing (rated 2324), Jonathan Chuah (rated 2271), Mok Tze Meng (rated 2270), Ng Tze Han (rated 2216) and Lim Chuin Hoong (rated 2214).

It will be interesting to follow the fortunes of our local, untitled players in this event as all of them will certainly aspire to play well enough to gain their first international master title norms. If any of them achieves the norm, it is by no means a guarantee that they will have the title but, nevertheless, it will be the first of several stepping stones towards becoming a master.

At Wednesday's cheque presentation ceremony in Penang, Datin Rebecca Tan of the Wah Seong Group of Companies presented a cheque of RM40,000 to Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon, State Executive Councillor and president of the Penang Chess Association (PCA). The Wah Seong Group are the sponsors of the tournament while CitiTel Penang is the official hotel.

Busy year ahead for local chess

If this year's chess calendar--released recently by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF)--is anything to go by, it promises to be a year jam-packed with activities for chess enthusiasts of all playing levels.

It's only the second month of the new year but both the Chess Association of Selangor and the Perak International Chess Association have already held a few programmes for their members.

From this month onwards, the Bank Pertanian Malaysia-sponsored national allegro chess circuit starts anew. The circuit is now in its second year and, according to the MCF calendar, the first leg was organised by the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia at the start of this month in conjunction with Federal Territory Day.

Altogether, there will be 14 regional legs which the various state chess associations are scheduled to hold. The second leg will be played in Kuala Terengganu on Feb 25, the Selangor leg in Petaling Jaya follows two days later.

The other legs in this series are Penang (March 12), Kota Kinabalu (March 26), Kota Baru (April 14), Kuantan (April 16), Kuala Lumpur (April 23), Kuching (May 1), Ipoh (May 21), Johor Baru (June 10), Malacca (June 11), Seremban (June 26), Alor Star (Aug 12) and Kangar (Aug 13).

At the end of these legs, the final will be played in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 6 and 7. For the grand final, the winners of the various regional legs will be invited to join the paying participants to compete for the grand prizes on offer.

Next month, the programmes will include a three-day inter-university chess competition organised by Universiti Telekom in Malacca beginning March 10, the 14th Royal Selangor junior open tournament for the under-12 and under-18 organised by the Chess Association of Selangor on March 11 and 12, and the second Perak International Chess Association tournament in Ipoh on March 18 and 19.

The Selangor asssociation will also hold its closed allegro tournament on March 19, followed by the 14th Royal Selangor junior open tournament for the under-14 and under-16 on March 25 and 26.

One of the main local events that many chess players look forward to is the national men's and women's closed chess championships. These two MCF events are traditionally held in December but the federation has now decided to bring them forward to the first half of the year.

Thus, the Year 2000 edition of the two championships will be played beginning on March 31 and they will continue until April 4. On April 1, the federation will also be having its annual general meeting with the main item on the agenda most likely being the biennial election of new office bearers.

Some of the other events that will take place in April are the second Chess Association of Selangor allegro open tournament on April 9, the association's third blitz open tournament on April 23 and the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia-organised Labour Day team tournament which will be played from April 29 till May 1.

May and June are similarly quite busy months for chess organisers with Chess Association of Selangor planning the most number of activities. For instance, there will be the closed under-20 team tournament on May 20 and 21, the 27th Royal Selangor open chess tournament from May 31 to June 4, the third girls open tournament on June 3 and 4, the Royal Selangor under-18 grand prix on June 11 and 18, and the inter-institution team tournament on June 24 and 25.

The MCF will not be sitting still as it has its own chess events lined up. After the national closed championship in March/April, there will be a Government versus Private Sector match scheduled for May 18, and the national youth age-group chess championship which the federation will co-organise with the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia from May 28 to 30.

Almost immediately after the end of this event, two groups of Malaysians and Singaporeans will have the opportunity to renew their rivalry over the chessboard when the federation plays host to this year's annual Malaysia-Singapore match on June 2 and 3 in Kuala Lumpur.

The other significant federation event this year will be the annual Merdeka team chess championship in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 31 to Sept 3.

Apart from these tournaments, there is the third Perak International Chess Association tournament in Ipoh on May 13 and 14, the Selangor Merdeka tournament which will be organised on July 1 and 2 by the Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam, the fourth PICA chess tournament in Ipoh on July 13 and 14, the Terengganu open tournament in Kuala Terengganu on Aug 5 and 6, the Kuala Kubu Baru Merdeka tournament organised by the Persatuan Catur Kuala Kubu Baru on Aug 23, the Malay Masters tournament organised by the Persatuan Catur Melayu Malaysia in Bangi (Selangor) from Oct 26 to 28, and the Universiti Malaya Second College's seventh Grand Asian Chess Challenge sometime in October.

Although the MCF has done a commendable job in collating the activities of the various state chess associations into the Malaysian chess calendar, it is quite obvious that the list is not complete as some of these chess bodies have not been able to release their own calendars to the MCF.

The activities of the Penang Chess Association (PCA), for example, are not included in the federation's calendar but it is well-known that yearly, the PCA will hold its Penang Chess League over a number of consecutive Sundays from June to mid-August. There is also the Penang grand prix chess circuit, played over four legs over the course of the year and which culminates in the Penang closed championship.

Awaiting foreign flavours

CHESS enthusiasts in the country can expect some fascinating clashes between our local junior players and several veteran foreign players when they compete in an international chess tournament in Penang towards the end of next month. 

This round-robin event, which will be known as the Wah Seong Penang international master chess tournament, is organised by the Penang Chess Association and will be played at the CitiTel Penang from Feb 26 to Mar 5. The sponsor is Wah Seong (M) Trading Co Sdn Bhd. 

The list of invited foreign players has not been finalised but tentatively, grandmasters Herman Ardiansyah and Edhi Handoko from Indonesia, international master Liu Wenzhe of China and Fide master Maung Maung Lwin of Myanmar have been identified. 

The other six participants in the tournament will be our local players led by international masters Mas Hafizulhelmi and Jimmy Liew, Fide master Wong Zijing and national champion Jonathan Chuah. Ng Tze Han and Lim Chuin Hoong, both nominated by the Penang Chess Association to play in this event, complete the line-up. 

There will not be any prize money for the winners but the champion is given custody of the Dato Tan Kim Yeow trophy. 

However, since the tournament is expected to qualify as a Category Four event, there is an added incentive for the two Fide masters and three non-titled players who can aspire to gain an international master title norm if they can score at least six points from the nine games. 

Although this shall only be the fifth time in 28 years that the Penang Chess Association is organising an international-level event, the association is confident that the Wah Seong Penang IM tournament can be the first of several more that will be held in the state. 

Selangor chess kicks off the new year 

The Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) will organise a six-round CAS closed under-20 tournament for its members on Sunday. Registration for this event starts at 9am and the games will be played from 10am to 6pm. 

Cash prizes, millennium T-shirts and complimentary entries to future CAS tournaments will be given to 10 winners in the under-20 section and three winners in the under-12 section. Non-CAS members who wish to play in this event can contact Mrs Jackie Wong ( 03-7038237) or Lim Tse Pin ( 012-2984922) for more details. 

In the meantime, the CAS first quarter allegro tournament on Jan 16 attracted 70 participants. The open section was won by Ng Ee Vern who scored 5.5 points from six games. The players who scored five points were Law Zhe Kang, Fikrul, Rizal, Chin Ching Shiung and Terry Van Der Veen, while a further half point behind were Thaw Chee Yin, Cheah Eu Gene, Ismail Ahmad and Foong Chee Leng. 

The CAS members section was also won by Ng Ee Vern with Law Zhe Kang placed second, Chin Ching Shiung placed third, Thaw Chee Yin fourth and Cheah Eu Gene sixth. Lim Han Ying won the Best Girls section, Gerald Soh took the under-16 prize with Nicholas Chan and Marcus Chan placing second and third respectively, while the under-12 prize was won by Zarul Shazwan with Fang Chin Yao in second place and Abel Yap third. 

Also, in the first CAS closed blitz tournament held recently, there were 28 players. The winner of the CAS members section was again Ng Ee Vern who scored 6.5 points from seven games. Jointly second and third were Mok Tze Meng and Nicholas Chan with 5.5 points each, while fourth was Julian Navaratnam with five points. The other winners were Navin Pillay, Chin Ching Shiung and Marcus Chan with 4.5 points each, and Thaw Chee Yin, Cheah Eu Gene and Wong Zi Chuang with four points each. 

The under-16 winner was Nicholas Chan, with Marcus Chan second and Wong Zi Chuang third. The best under-12 player was Thaw Chee Hou, while second and third were Anas Nazreen Bakri and Mohd Kamal Firdaus respectively. 

In a Deep Blue funk over Kasparov 

FOR two years after Gary Kasparov lost to IBM's Deep Blue in the historical match between man and machine three years ago, he kept challenging IBM and the Deep Blue development team to a rematch. 

Until earlier this month, computer scientists and chess players worldwide were salivating on the anticipation that a third match would prove once and for all whether Deep Blue's defeat of Kasparov in 1997 was indeed a fluke. The only question was when the match would be played. 

These scientists and chess players do not have to wait anymore. There will not be any third match. 

According to Hsu Feng-hsiung, one of the three main programmers of Deep Blue, the rematch is unlikely to take place because Kasparov has effectively backed down from his challenge. 

About two weeks ago, Hsu released an open letter on the Internet to relate the developments after Deep Blue had beaten Kasparov in 1997. 

Hsu said that he had done everything within his power to make the new match happen, but Kasparov had not responded positively, and added that he doubted Kasparov would change his mind. 

In his open letter, Hsu said that when Kasparov challenged the Deep Blue team for a rematch at the end of the 1997 match, he believed that the Deep Blue team had a personal obligation to honour Kasparov's request. 

When Hsu left IBM a few months ago, he spent a small personal fortune to get the right to the chess chip. Officially, he was getting the right to commercialise the chess chip but his real purpose was to answer Kasparov's challenge. If Kasparov was serious about his challenge, Hsu would see to it that Kasparov got his match. 

Towards the end of last year, Hsu contacted Owen Williams who was Kasparov's agent. In his first e-mail, Hsu asked Owen directly whether Kasparov was serious about the match and whether Kasparov was indeed willing to play the match as a world title match. According to Hsu, the initial response was not encouraging as Owen ruled out the possibility of a title match immediately and was noncommittal about the new match. 

"In reality, I was not unhappy that Owen ruled out the possibility of a title match. I don't believe that a computer should be the World Champion. Personally, I believe that the title should be for humans only. Some of the potential sponsors did indicate that a match with the title on the line was certainly more desirable, although I believed that it might be okay if Kasparov was willing to state that he would treat the match as seriously as if it were a title match," Hsu wrote. 

After a long sequence of e-mail exchanges, Owen sent a message vaguely suggesting that Kasparov was not interested. Hsu now said that he then asked Owen point blank: "Can I safely assume that Gary is not interested in a match any more?" and received Owen's reply that "Gary does not want to be involved in any way." 

Hsu mentioned that throughout the entire sequence of e-mail exchanges, Owen never said a straight yes or no to his question of whether Kasparov was interested in a match. But, Hsu added, the last e-mail has only one reasonable interpretation and that was, after over two years of issuing public challenges, Kasparov was no longer interested in playing a new match. 

"I don't know the reason behind Kasparov's decision. Maybe his priority changed; maybe he felt offended somehow in my dealings with Owen. (But) it is no longer of concern to me. Even if Kasparov somehow changes his mind, the chance of a new match is now very slim," he said. 

"Given what has happened so far, it would be very hard to convince match sponsors or funding sources that the match will happen. Kasparov could change his mind yet again or come up with match conditions that are unacceptable. Anyway, I give up. I have now done everything possible to make the match happen," Hsu added. 

Hsu said that there were people who were interested in seeing the chess chip commercialised. However, he said it was unlikely to happen as the Deep Blue chess chip was not commercially viable. 

To be commercially viable, he would have to redesign a new chip but without a new match, it was difficult for him to muster the energy to create it. He said that the only chance that anyone would ever see the chess chip commercialised would be if he decided to build a Shogi (a Japanese chess game) chip someday. "Then you may see a new chess chip designed as a by-product," he added.