Redeeming moment

For the most part of the past week, I’ve been trying to follow the Medias Kings tournament that was going on in Romania. The first time that I heard about this tournament, I thought that it would be an interesting event, seeing how the organizers had managed to invite some of the top players in the world to compete.

Leading the pack of six players in this double round-robin event was the Norwegian grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen who is currently the second highest rated player around. Then there was Russia’s Sergey Karyakin who was once the youngest grandmaster in the world and is still an immensely talented player.

Also in the field were Vasily Ivanchuk, the Ukrainian grandmaster who has climbed back to being number five in the world, top American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura who had won the strong Wijk aan Zee tournament earlier this year and the Azerbaijan grandmaster Teimour Radjabov who had recently competed in the Candidates elimination tournament.

Of course, this event being held in Romania meant that there would also be a place for a Romanian in the tournament and it fell to Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu to complete the sextet of players. Nisipeanu isn’t very well known but he is not unknown either. In 1999, he made it to the semi-finals of the FIDE world chess championship and six years ago, he had won the European individual chess championship.

But former successes counted for nothing in this Medias Kings tournament as Nisipeanu, the lowest rated player in the field of six players, found himself outclassed by most of his rivals. Most of his rivals, that is, except one. If not for Ivanchuk’s form, Nisipeanu could have found this tournament an embarrassment. Ivanchuk was so listless that I kept getting the impression that his mind was elsewhere and that he was in Romania only to fulfil an obligation to compete. 

However, the Ukrainian grandmaster was not the only disappointment of the tournament. Broadly, I found the excitement of the whole event rather below my expectations and uninspiring. Still, there were some redeeming moments, such as in this game below, which was played in the fifth round.

Vasily Ivanchuk – Sergey Karyakin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.h3 (In case you are wondering what the players are up to, they are playing an ultra slow variation of the Guioco Piano. In my opinion, a not very inspiring choice except that soon, I was surprised by the exciting direction that the game was going to turn.) 7…Ne7 8.Re1 Ng6 (Even Black has the luxury to waste two moves in relocating his knight to a presumably better square on g6.) 

9.Nbd2 c6 10.Nf1 d5 (By allowing this centre pawn thrust, White indirectly admits that Black has already equalized.) 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Ng3 (White cannot win the e5-pawn by 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Rxe5 because of 13…Bxf2+ and the bishop cannot be captured due to the queen check on f6.) 12...h6 13.Bb3 Re8 14.Bd2 (I really don’t know. Until here, White’s game has really looked passive to me. Wouldn’t 14.d5 be a better choice?) 14…Bb6 15.Qc2 Be6 16.Rad1 (White continues to play mechanically but with this move, he totally cuts off his queen from the main play ground which is the kingside. But then, 16.Nxe5 is still not possible because of 16…Nxe5 17.Rxe5 Bxf2+, etc) 16...Bxh3! (See Diagram One)

(Black does not miss the opportunity. After this sacrifice, White is in deep trouble. Capturing the bishop loses, for example, 17.gxh3 Qf6 18.Kg2 Nh4+ 19.Nxh4 Qxf2+ 20.Kh1 Qxg3 and threatens checkmate next with …Qxh3.) 17. c4 Ndf4 18.c5 Nxg2 19.cxb6 Qf6 20.Nh2 Nxe1 21.Rxe1 axb6 (Only a miracle can save White now. Despite the recent pieces exchanges, Black hasn’t let up on his attack on the white king. The position is close to winning.) 

22.Bc3 Be6 23.Re3 Nf4 24.Rf3 Qh4 25.Bd2 Bg4 26.Qc4 Be6 (With this move, Black exchanges off the bishop and removes possible counter-threats against his f7-square.) 27.Qc2 Bxb3 28.Qxb3 Re6 29.a3 (White cannot afford to allow the black rook to capture the a2 pawn which would then expose his king to a back rank mating attack.) 29...Rae8 30.Qb4 (White tries to keep control of the e1 square but it is useless. Note that 30.Qxb6 loses to 30…Qh3 31.Bxf4 exf4 32.Rxf4 Re1+ 33.Nhf1 Rxf1+ 34.Nxf1 Re1) 30...Rf6 31.Qe4 Ree6 32.Ne2 (See Diagram Two)

(With his next move, Black signals his readiness to simplify into a winning endgame.) 32…Nxe2+ 33.Qxe2 Rxf3 34.Qxf3 Rg6+ 35.Kh1 Rf6 36.Qg3 Qxg3 37.fxg3 Rd6 (Faced with the prospect of losing a fourth pawn to Black, White decided to give up the game.) 0–1

Up next

Hillcrest open

The Sek Men Keb Hillcrest in Taman Seri Gombak, Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur will organize their first Hillcrest open tournament at the school premises on July 10. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM25 (players below 18 years old), RM30 (others). Closing date for entries is July 1. For more information, contact Wong Yen Lee (017.3577788, yenlee741011_u@hotmail.com), Farah Alwani (013.3336849) or Manivannan (018.3757339).

JB Rakan Muda open

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, Rukun Tetangga Taman Sri Tebrau and Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing the 22nd Rakan Muda Tebrau open chess tournament at the Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru on July 10. Seven round Swiss with 25-minute time control. Entry fees: RM30 (open section), RM16 (under-16 section) and RM12 (under-12 section). Closing date is July 6. For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717 525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com). 

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

Festival frenzy

Many chess players will be heaving a sigh of relief when they read this, and I mean a really big sigh. I know, because that was what I did upon learning last week that there will be a new edition of the Malaysian Chess Festival this year. 

Yes, the country’s premier chess festival will definitely continue for at least one more year. And what it means in practical terms for chess aficionados in this region is that the frenzy of almost non-stop chess activities this year will stretch from Aug 17 until Sep 10, save for a short holiday respite as the country celebrates both National Day and Aidil Fitri.

At the conclusion of last year’s Festival, there were real fears that we could have seen the last of the event in its present format. 

Datuk Tan Chin Nam, long the doyen of the Malaysian chess scene, had been hinting rather loudly throughout last year’s festival that he was going to take a sabbatical from sponsoring future major chess tournaments in the country.

When asked why, he had said that his continued presence was casting a very long shadow on the development of Malaysian chess. As long as he was putting up the money to sponsor chess events here, he feared that other sponsors would be reluctant to step into the picture.

Malaysian chess, he told me, could not depend on his largesse forever. Malaysian chess, he said, needed to seek and have other sponsors to rejuvenate the game. If he were to move out of the picture, he believed new sponsors could be found.

True enough, when the new year (2011) came around, chess organizers found that Tan had stuck to his promise not to fork out more money for chess. The hardest hit was, of course, the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur, the chess centre that bore his late son’s very name. It is to this chess centre’s credit that it has managed to reinvent itself and survive. 

Nevertheless, there would remain a big question mark over the future of the Malaysian Chess Festival, of which the Datuk Arthur Tan Malaysia open tournament was the flagship event. It was the event that attracted foreign chess masters to Kuala Lumpur; it was the event that was synonymous with the reputation of the Malaysian Chess Festival.

But in the event that there really was little funds to run a full-scale Malaysian Chess Festival, what could happen?

The worst case scenario was that the Malaysian open and the other supporting events could be scrapped and the organizers would revert back to organizing only the Merdeka chess events. If that were to happen, it would be a complete letdown for Malaysian chess and a huge blow to the foreign and local chess players who support the Festival every year. 

Therefore, scrapping the Malaysian open was not going to be a popular option. By hook or by crook, the Festival would have to go on and the organizers, a responsible lot, knew that. 

And finally, after many months of suspense and hard work to convince sponsors to continue backing the Festival, the Year 2011 Edition is announced.

So what can we expect this year? First of all, I am looking forward to the eighth edition of the Datuk Arthur Tan Malaysia open. As it still retains the name of Datuk Arthur Tan in the title, I can only presume that there is continuing sponsorship from IGB Corporation Berhad.

Then there are also the Malaysia Chess Challenge and the second Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng seniors open tournament which is sponsored by Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad.

Apart from these three main events – all Fide-rated, by the way – there are four other tournaments that are now considered part and parcel of the Malaysian Chess Festival: the Swensen age group rapid chess open tournament, the Malaysian Chess Festival blitz open tournament, the Merdeka individual rapid open tournament and the 31st ASTRO Merdeka rapid chess team chess championship.

The three mentioned Fide-rated events will be played on Aug 17-25 while of the others,  the age group rapid chess open will be held on Aug 21, the blitz open on Aug 25, the Merdeka individual rapid open on Aug 26 and the Merdeka rapid chess team open event on Aug 28-29. All these events will be played at the ballroom of the Cititel Midvalley Hotel.

I mentioned earlier that the chess activities will stretch until Sep 10. This is because we mustn’t forget the fourth Kuala Lumpur open tournament. This event, now officially known as the Raja Nazrin Shah Masters & International Open Chess Championship, will take place starting Sep 4 at the Swiss Garden Hotel and Residences in Kuala Lumpur. 

This championship is under the purview of the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association and technically distinct from the Malaysian Chess Festival. There are two separate tournaments here. The first is a Masters event which is a 10-player round robin invitational grandmaster tournament that provides the invited hopefuls with the chance of attaining a grandmaster title norm. And the second is an open tournament that is something very similar to the Malaysia open tournament, that is, with title norm aspirations for the participants too. 

So basically, chess players will be rather spoilt for choice again come this August and September. If I were you, I would start thinking now about applying for my annual leave.

Up next

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the fourth leg of the second Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Grand Kampar Hotel this Sunday. Like the three previous tournaments, this leg in Kampar will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The grand final will be contested in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Kampar tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is Jun 16. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

SJKC Jalan Davidson open

The Cheras Chess Academy and Percawi will assist the SJK(C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur to organize an open chess tournament at the school hall on Sunday. Entry fees: RM12 (students from the school and Percawi members) and RM15 (others). To register, contact Kids For Chess (03.91316474 or 016.2123578).

JB Rakan Muda open

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, Rukun Tetangga Taman Sri Tebrau and Rakan Muda Johor Bahru are jointly organizing the 22nd Rakan Muda Tebrau open chess tournament at the Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru on July 10. Seven round Swiss with 25-minute time control. Entry fees: RM30 (open section), RM16 (under-16 section) and RM12 (under-12 section). Closing date is July 6. For more information, contact Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717 525, jb_chess_association@yahoo.com). 

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

Full house

It's not often that I get to attend a MSSM chess tournament, so the fact that this year's national schools chess tournament was held in Penang meant that, by hook or by crook, I had to go and see this competition of the best of the nation's schoolboys and schoolgirls.

I was surprised when I arrived at the beach hotel in Tanjung Bunga, where the MSSM chess was taking place. The hotel was practically overrun by youthful chess players. On the sixth floor where the competition was played, the crowd had spilled out of the tournament hall into the foyer.

Players, teachers, coaches and parents: they were sprawled all over the floor. The noise level was high as the chess players, those who had finished their games and were required to leave the tournament hall, were either talking chess or in the midst of playing still more chess. 

In a corner of the foyer, the organisers had thoughtfully set up a closed circuit television to beam one or two games from the tournament hall. People were standing around and casting glances at the screen every now and then.

I looked around the foyer and picked my way gingerly towards the door of the tournament hall. I knew that once inside, I would be able to find some peace and quiet, look at a few of the unfinished games and perhaps even catch up with some familiar faces.

Of course, this MSSM being held in Penang meant that it did not surprise me to see several of the Penang Chess Association's committee members present to help in the running of the event. But I was surprised to see the Malaysian Chess Federation's secretary, Gregory Lau, there too. It was certainly a good gesture of him to lend the MCF’s presence to this national tournament.

Lau grabbed hold of me and started introducing me around as one of the pioneers of the MSSM chess movement. “You know,” he was saying, “this chap was actually playing in the very first MSSM tournament here in Penang in 1972?”

I could see people's eyes lighting up. Boy, was I uncomfortable. The very first MSSM at the Dewan Sri Pinang was 40 years ago. That really showed up my age, hasn't it? Luckily, the moment quickly passed.

But I’d like to make a swift observation between 1972 and 2011. Way back then, there were only eight state teams participating in the inaugural MSSM chess competition. The number of chess players involved? A grand total of 32 players. Boy, were we lost in the vast expanse of the Dewan Sri Pinang’s big auditorium! 

Last week, however, there were no less than 540 participants divided into three age groups (under-18, under-15 and under-12) and separated into events for teams and individuals, and boys and girls. In fact, there weren’t enough space to seat all of the players together in the tournament hall – and they were sitting elbow to elbow – which meant that the organizers were forced to adopt a novel solution which reduced the number of rounds from seven to six, and resting each age group once during the tournament. 

For the record, this is the list of winners at this year’s MSSM chess competition: 

Individual section: boy’s under-18 champion – Muhd Nabil bin Azman Hisham (Selangor); girl’s under-18 champion – Alia Anin Azwa bt Bakri (Melaka); boy’s under-15 champion – Elgin Lee Kah Meng (Penang); girl’s under-15 champion – Nur Nabila bt Azman Hisham (Selangor); boy’s under-12 champion – Muhammad Sirajuddin Munawar (Kedah); girl’s under-12 champion – Puteri Rifqah Fahada bt Azhar (Selangor).

Team section: boy’s under-18 champion – Penang; girl’s under-18 champion – Wilayah Persekutuan; boy’s under-15 champion – Wilayah Persekutuan; girl’s under-15 champion – Wilayah Persekutuan; boy’s under-12 champion – Wilayah Persekutuan; girl’s under-12 champion – Penang.

Up next

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the fourth leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Grand Kampar Hotel on Jun 19. Like the three previous tournaments, this leg in Kampar will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The grand final will be contested in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Kampar tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is Jun 16. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

SJKC Jalan Davidson open

The Cheras Chess Academy and Percawi will assist the SJK(C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur to organize an open chess tournament at the school hall on Jun 19. Entry fees: RM12 (students from the school and Percawi members) and RM15 (others). To register, contact Kids For Chess (03.91316474 or 016.2123578).

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

The contender

 Boris Gelfand, the 42-year-old former Soviet chess grandmaster who emigrated to Israel in 1998, has earned the right to become the official challenger in the current world chess championship series.

Gelfand qualified from the recently concluded Candidates tournament in Kazan, capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, and he will play against defending world chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India in a world title match that is scheduled for sometime next year.

In a tense final of the Candidates tournament, he defeated Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk in a six-game match. The first five games of the final had been drawn with neither player able to strike a decisive blow in the games. 

Before the start of the sixth and final game, many had wondered whether it would again end in a draw, as had many other games in the tournament, thereby plunging the tournament into yet another play-off to break the tie.

But this time, Gelfand managed to gain the upper hand after Grischuk mismanaged his position, and the Israeli grandmaster held on to his advantage to win the game and the match. 

This was a heartbreak result for Grischuk for after all, he had progressed through the Candidates tournament by eliminating more favoured contestants like Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.

However, he has no reason to really complain because in the first place he was able to take part in the Candidates tournament after Norway’s leading grandmaster, the 20-year-old Magnus Carlsen, pulled out from playing. 

So as a replacement player, being able to go this far in the final was more than he had bargained for.

On the other hand, Gelfand had qualified for the Candidates tournament from the Chess World Cup in 2009, which he won. Like his opponent, Gelfand’s progress through the Candidates tournament had been a revelation. Along the way, he eliminated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Gata Kamsky in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively.

The only question that remains at this stage is how Gelfand will stand up against Anand in their world championship match. But that too would also be the same question asked even if Grischuk had qualified instead of Gelfand. 

Chess observers and promoters would have been happiest if the higher profile players like Carlsen, Kramnik, Aronian or Topalov had become the official challenger instead of second-line grandmasters such as Gelfand or Grischuk. But we know that it is now not going to happen.

As it turned out, people will have to sit up and take notice of Gelfand. To many people, he has always been a lower profile player living in the shadows of more well-known chess grandmasters. 

But there is no doubt that he is an excellent top chess player who has shown an ability to survive the process of elimination and qualification in a grueling event that had lasted some three weeks. Surely, that counts for something in his credentials.

Up next

Chess camp 1

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess camp at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Monday and Tuesday. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

Chess camp 2

There will be a two-day Kids For Chess camp at the Pandan Lake Club in Pandan Perdana, Kuala Lumpur next Tuesday and Wednesday. Entry fees: RM90 (player of any level: absolute beginners, beginners, intermediate and aspiring tournament player). For inquiries, contact Kids For Chess (03.91316474 or 016.2123578, http://www.kids4chess.com). 

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the fourth leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Grand Kampar Hotel on Jun 19. Like the three previous tournaments, this leg in Kampar will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The grand final will be played in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Kampar tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is Jun 16. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

SJKC Jalan Davidson open

The Cheras Chess Academy and Percawi will assist the SJK(C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur to organize an open chess tournament at the school hall on Jun 19. Entry fees: RM12 (students from the school and Percawi members) and RM15 (others). To register, contact Kids For Chess (03.91316474 or 016.2123578).

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

KL open announced

WILL WE ever get to see Hou Yifan, the women’s world chess champion from China, grace any of our local tournaments this year or ever again? I wonder.

The first and last time that she played in this country was in April last year when she participated – and won rather convincingly – the third Kuala Lumpur open chess tournament. 

A lot has happened since then. When she was playing here last year, she was still not the women’s chess champion. That crown was earned much later, at the women’s world chess championship in Turkey last December when she beat Ruan Lufei.

But personally, I shall doubt that she will play in this year’s fourth Kuala Lumpur open chess tournament. Come this November or December, Hou will be defending her world champion’s title against Koneru Humpy.

Of course, Hou may still want to come here and use the tournament as a training event to build up towards her title defence but really, there’s no real reason to do so. She might as well stay back in Beijing to train with the best of the Chinese coaches.

But coming back to the Kuala Lumpur open, it’s been confirmed by the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association that they will organize this competition at the Swiss Garden Hotel and Residences on Sep 4-10. The Masterskill Education Group is coming in again as the main sponsor.

The total prize fund for this year has been increased from RM30,000 to RM45,000, although the winner’s purse remains unchanged at RM10,000. However, there are now additional prizes for both women and junior chess players as recognition of the huge support from them in previous years. In addition, the final day blitz tournament has been reinstated. 

In the meantime, here is a game from the Candidates tournament which just ended in Kazan, the capital city of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic. 

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is quite a tactician. In this game, he planned on a direct attack on Boris Gelfand’s king. However, his attack fizzled out after his opponent made a thematic exchange sacrifice on the c3 square. Regardless, Mamedyarov tried to soldier on in a position that was fast turning against him. But at the end, faced with three black pawns threatening to roll down the centre of the board, he had to accept his fate. This was one of the very few decisive games in the quarter-finals. 

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – Boris Gelfand

Candidates quarter-finals, Kazan, Russia

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. f4 Nc6 14. f5 Nxd4 15. Rxd4 Kh8 16. Be3 Nf6 17. Qh3 d5 18. e5 Qxe5 19. Rh4 Rfc8 20. Kh1 Rxc3 (This is the thematic sacrifice. See the diagram. Actually, for a player of Mamedyarov’s stature, he should have seen it coming. Maybe he did, but he underestimated its effect. In any case, after the exchange, his attack was stalled and it allowed Gelfand to take full control of the centre and hence, ultimately the game.) 21. bxc3 Qxc3 22. Rd4 a5 23. Rd3 Qc6 24. c3 a4 25. Bc2 e5 26. Bg5 b4 27. Qh4 bxc3 28. Rh3 Kg8 29. Re1 e4 30. g4 Kf8 31. Be3 Qc4 32. g5 Bxf5 33. gxf6 Bxf6 34. Qh5 Bg6 35. Qg4 Qxa2 36. Bb1 Qc4 37. Qg2 a3 38. Ba2 Qc6 39. Rg3 Rb8 0-1

UP NEXT

Giant Tampoi youth open

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, Rakan Muda Johor Bahru and the Giant Hypermarket Tampoi are jointly organizing the Giant Tampoi youth tournament at the hypermarket in Tampoi on Sunday. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM15 (players under 16 years old) and RM12 (players under 12 years old). Closing date for entries is May 25. More details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@jyahoo.com). 

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the fourth leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Grand Kampar Hotel on Jun 19. Like the three previous tournaments, this leg in Kampar will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The grand final will be played in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Kampar tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is Jun 16. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

All eyes on Candidates

Chesswise, this has been a rather eventful fortnight. The field, which started out with eight players, has by now been whittled down to only two.

In case you do not know what I’m talking about, it’s about the world championship Candidates tournament. Ever since it was announced at the end of last year that Kazan would be the venue of this series of elimination tournament, I have been, well, eagerly awaiting it.

Before anyone asks, “Kazan, where?” let me just add as a preamble that this is the capital city of the Tatarstan Republic in Russia. It is supposed to be the eighth largest city in Russia. And it is also supposed to have a sport-mad culture. Come 2018, Kazan will be a venue for the FIFA World Cup.

But before then, it is the Candidates tournament that takes centrestage in Kazan and the rest of the chess world. The tournament actually consists of three stages: the quarter-finals on May 5-9, followed by the semi-finals on May 12-16 and the final which kicked off yesterday. The event ends next Thursday and that is when the official Challenger to the world champion will be known.

The Norwegian grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen, was supposed to be participating in this Candidates cycle but last November, he announced his withdrawal. He was replaced by Alexander Grischuk.

I think nobody misses Carlsen’s absence too much. Regretting his absence, maybe, but not to the extent of missing him. After all, this Candidates cycle still happen to feature, let me see, two former world chess champions, one former Challenger and five others who happen to be in the current list of top 15 chess players in the world. Yes, Carlsen isn’t missed much.

So back to the quarter-finals and the first two players to qualify through were Gata Kamsky and Boris Gelfand. Both were born in Russia but Kamsky is now an American citizen while Gelfand has become an Israeli. 

In his quarter-final tournament match-up, Gelfand had beaten the Bulgarian grandmaster, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, by a 2½-1½ score over four games. Similarly, Kamsky had shocked the Bulgarian former world champion Veselin Topalov by the same score line. 

Topalov’s defeat was easily the biggest upset result among the four quarter-final tournaments. Kamsky simply absorbed all the pressure from Topalov, even subjecting himself to defending difficult positions and falling into great time pressure. 

The other two quarter-final tournaments went into the play-offs. 

The first to qualify from these play-offs was Grischuk who beat the world number three player, Levon Aronian. All their four normal time control games were drawn but in the rapidchess play-off, Grischuk struck Aronian a big blow by winning two games.

Vladimir Kramnik, also a former world champion, scraped through the other play-off match which went into extra time. After having achieved four drawn games against the Azerbaijani grandmaster, Teimour Radjabov, in the normal regulation time control games, the two players again split the points in the four rapidchess play-off games. 

Progress to the second round or semi-final matches thus depended on a mini-series of blitz games. Radjabov won the first blitz game and was set to qualify when a draw hovered above the second blitz game.

However, Radjabov came undone by the chess clock. Quite inexplicably, the clock suddenly reset by itself in the midst of the game. By the time the game resumed, Radjabov’s concentration was gone and he lost tamely to allow Kramnik to level the score. 

It was now on to the second blitz mini-series. This time, it was Kramnik that won the first blitz game to take the lead in the match. There was to be no repeat of the same clock problem in the second blitz game which ended drawn. So at the end of a thrilling set of play-off games, Kramnik was the last player to advance to the semi-finals.

After two days of rest and recovery, the semi-final stage began on May 12. Kramnik found himself paired against Grischuk while Gelfand was drawn to play Kamsky. Needless to say, the tension that was so evident in the quarter-finals spilled over to the semi-finals. The four games in each match, played with normal regulation time control, were drawn and so, the players went into the rapidchess play-offs.

Here, Kamsky was the first to draw blood when he won the third game after a horrible blunder by Gelfand. Normally in such short matches, losing a game could prove fatal since there would not be enough games to recover sufficiently. 

But it wasn’t the case with Gelfand. With nothing left to lose, he threw everything against Kamsky in their last rapidchess game. And it was Kamsky that could not handle the psychological pressure. Almost immediately, he succumbed to Gelfand’s attack. The match was tied again and it would now go on to the blitz games. 

In the other match, Grischuk and Kramnik headed to their own blitz showdown after all their four rapidchess games ended drawn. 

It was here, in the blitz play-offs, that Grischuk and Gelfand finally prevailed in their respective matches to advance to the Final.

Tonight at seven o’clock, the second game of the Final between Grischuk and Gelfand will start. There are altogether six games at normal regulation time control. Who will be the eventual winner of this Candidates tournament, then? It’s going to be a thrilling finale which all of us can watch live on the Internet.

Various websites and blogs are carrying the games live and some of the best I can recommend are ChessDom (http://www.chessdom.com) and PlayChess (http://www.playchess.com). Alternatively, the Internet chess servers are all buzzing with activity as their members log in to watch. 

Up next

Warrior weekend

The Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) will organize the Warrior rapid chess weekend tournament at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Closing date for entries is today. Entry fees: RM20 (players below 12 years old) and RM30 (others). To register, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com). 

Giant Tampoi youth open

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, Rakan Muda Johor Bahru and the Giant Hypermarket Tampoi are jointly organizing the Giant Tampoi youth tournament at the hypermarket in Tampoi on May 29. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM15 (players under 16 years old) and RM12 (players under 12 years old). Closing date for entries is May 25. More details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@jyahoo.com). 

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

Down to the wire

Last weekend, the national selection trials for the SEA Games continued from where it had left off two weeks earlier. 

When the men’s trials took a break in mid-event, international masters Mas Hafizulhelmi and Jimmy Liew were in the joint lead with four points from their first five games. One point behind them were international master Lim Yee Weng, current national champion Lim Zhuo Ren and Sumant Subramaniam. Further back were international master Mok Tze Meng, former national champion Kamalariffin Wahiduddin, Fong Yit San, Fong Yit Ho and Tan Jun Feng.

The race in the women’s selection trials was equally tight. At the midway stage, former national women’s champion Fong Mi Yen and Camilia Johari were both in the lead with four points and right behind them were the current national women’s champion, Nur Nabila Azman Hisham, and her sister, Nur Najiha Azman Hisham. Further back were Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar, Tan Li Ting, Sarika Subramaniam, former national women’s champion Nurul Huda Wahiduddin, Tang Kar Khei and Puteri Munajjah Az-zahra Azhar.

Normally, half-way standings can give a pretty good guide on how tournaments will turn out at the end but at the same time, they can be pretty misleading too.

The only non-surprise in the men’s selection trials was the consistency of Mas Hafizul in demonstrating that he was, perhaps, still the top player in the country. By the end of the tournament on Sunday, Lim Yee Weng had climbed up above Jimmy Liew in the standings although technically, both of them were tied in joint second place. 

There was a dead heat tie for the fourth and fifth places by Sumant and Kamalariffin, which even the tie-break systems were unable to resolve, but more about that later. And further down the list, Lim Zhuo Ren was in sixth place above his coach and mentor, Mok Tze Meng, who was in seventh position. Finishing below them were Fong Yit San, Tan Jun Feng and Fong Yit Ho.

And in the women’s selection trials, Fong Mi Yen had a rude awakening when she was bumped off the perch and could only finish joint fifth with Puteri Rifqah. Nur Najiha came triumphant to top the table while sandwiched in between the three of them were Tan Li Ting, Camilia Johari and Nur Nabila. In the second half of the table were Puteri Munajjah, Nurul Huda, Sarika and Tang Kar Khei.

Fong Mi Yen would be deeply disappointed with her play over the weekend because finishing in fifth place meant that effectively, she had missed qualifying for the four places in the women’s chess team that would be going to this year’s SEA Games in Jakarta. 

There would also be four places in the men’s chess team and three of these places are filled by Mas Haifzul, Lim Yee Weng and Jimmy Liew. Determining the last qualifier was more problematic and both Sumant and Kamalariffin had equal points and equal tie-breaks. Moreover, they had also drawn with one another in this tournament.

In order to break this tie, the Malaysian Chess Federation organized a play-off mini-match of two rapidchess games. Sumant won the first game but then, Kamalariffin struck back to win the second game. 

It was a tie again. According to the regulations, the two players now had to play two blitz chess games. Blitz games are normally played with five minutes on the chess clock so you can imagine tension running high in the two games. But then, there were still no decisive results when the two blitz games ended. Sumant and Kamalariffin were still tied.

The final resolution was to play Armegeddon blitz chess. Here, one player would be allotted five minutes on his chess clock while the other was given four minutes. The player with five minutes would be required to win his game, no if’s and no buts. If the game ends drawn, the player with four minutes would be adjudged the winner.

So this was going to be the decisive moment. There would be no more second chance for either player. In this game, Kamalariffin cracked and lost, thereby sending Sumant to the SEA Games. 

 

Up next

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the third leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Slim River in Slim River on Sunday. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). To register, call Yunus (013.3908129), Abu Bakar (014.2510852) or Uztaz Ismail (019.5520391). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

Ampang chess master

The Ampang Jaya Chess Club and the Office of the Member of Parliament for Ampang are jointly organizing the Ampang chessmaster open tournament at the Medan Selera Ampang Waterfront on Sunday. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM10 (school children) and RM25 (others). For more information, contact Abdul Hakim Nordin (019.3925828). To register, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com). 

Warrior weekend

The Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) will organize the Warrior rapid chess weekend tournament at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on May 22. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Closing date for entries is May 20. Entry fees: RM20 (players below 12 years old) and RM30 (others). To register, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com). 

Giant Tampoi youth open

The Johor Bahru Chess Association, Rakan Muda Johor Bahru and the Giant Hypermarket Tampoi are jointly organizing the Giant Tampoi youth tournament at the hypermarket in Tampoi on May 29. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM15 (players under 16 years old) and RM12 (players under 12 years old). Closing date for entries is May 25. More details available from Narayanan Krishnan (013.7717525, jb_chess_association@jyahoo.com). 

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Discount of RM20 applies to anyone registering before May 15. Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees: RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

Three times a winner

Now, don’t start me off. I’m not going to launch myself with superlatives to describe Dr Nicholas Chan’s feat in winning the annual Selangor open chess tournament for the third year in succession.

All that I’m going to say to him is, congratulations. Short and simple.

Really, there are no big words to describe Chan’s hat-trick of Selangor open achievements. He was the champion in 2009, he made a great defence of this title last year and then, earlier this week, he overcame some mid-tournament jitters to become the Selangor open champion again. 

Add in his tournament victory in 2004 and Chan has won this event four times in the past eight years. 

It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. He led until the sixth round and even reeled off five wins in a row which included a win over international master Jimmy Liew. Then Chan hiccupped in the seventh round, losing to Indian international master Srinath Narayanan. Suddenly, he found Liew, Srinath and familiar Filipino player Ian Udani leap-frogging half a point over him.

With two rounds remaining, the tournament now became alive. There were four contenders who could easily be winner of the tournament. However, some of them had still to play one another and so, there would be no easy gallop towards the finish line. The event was wide open. 

In the eighth round, two of the leaders met. Udani and Srinath were paired together, but their game was drawn. Then, Chan beat Mohd Irman Ibrahim to draw level with the Indian and the Filipino. In the meantime, Liew took advantage of their lapse by disposing off his opponent, Abdul Rahim Ramli, to take the sole lead for the first time in the tournament. 

So by the end of the eighth round, the standings were: Liew in front with seven points and followed by Udani, Srinath and Chan just half a point behind. The ninth and final round would be crucial.

To end up as the champion, Liew would need to win his final game. A draw might have been enough too but he could possibly be subjecting himself to a tie-break with two other players. It wasn’t a completely appealing situation but maybe, it would be better than nothing. In any case, his final-round opponent, Udani, refused to follow the same script and in a tensely fought game, the Filipino prevailed over Liew.

Srinath was also in a good position to join Udani at the top of the standings if he could beat his opponent, the newly minted national closed champion Lim Zhuo Ren. But Lim proved to be a tougher nut than expected and he put paid to any idea that the Indian player could have.

These unexpected results presented Chan with a precious lifeline which he seized gladly. Among the top contenders, he had possibly the most comfortable pairing of all. Sitting across from Mark Siew, Chan outplayed his opponent to win the game and thus finish on equal points with Udani. 

But this is not the end of the story. Two players stood at the top of the standings with equal points. Who would be the champion? For Chan, his spurt of five wins in his first five games would now ensure him a much superior tie-break than Udani. And with this better tie-break came the coveted winner’s purse at the conclusion of this 38th Selangor open chess tournament.  

Up next

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the third leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Slim River on May 15. Like the two previous tournaments in Taiping and Bagan Serai, this leg in Slim River will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The two remaining legs will be played in Kampar on Jun 19 and the grand final in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Slim River tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is May 12. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129), Abu Bakar (014.2510852) or Uztaz Ismail (019.5520391). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

Ampang chess master

The Ampang Jaya Chess Club and the Office of the Member of Parliament for Ampang are jointly organizing the Ampang chessmaster open tournament at the Medan Selera Ampang Waterfront on May 15. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees are RM10 (school children) and RM25 (others). For more information, contact Abdul Hakim Nordin (019.3925828). To register, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com). 

Warrior weekend

The Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) will organize the Warrior rapid chess weekend tournament at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur on May 22. Seven rounds, 25 minutes per game. Closing date for entries is May 20. Entry fees are RM20 (players below 12 years old) and RM30 (others). To register, contact Najib Wahab (016.3382542, najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com). 

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Discount of RM20 applies to anyone registering before May 15. Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

MBSSKL open

The Methodist Boys’ Secondary School (MBSSKL) in Kuala Lumpur will hold the sixth MBSSKL open tounament at their school on July 23. Six rounds, 25 minutes per game. Entry fees are RM5 (MBSSKL students) and RM15 (others). Closing date for entries is July 9. For more details, visit http://mbsskl.edu.my or contact Sanusi or Madam Yong LY (03.20782293).

 

Selection trials

Every year, the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) faces the same old dilemma of selecting players to represent the country at official overseas chess tournaments. It’s a problem that the federation has been unable to uncover a satisfactory solution even after almost 40 years.

So many selection methods have been employed in the past. Initially, it was thought that selecting a team based solely on the results of the national closed championships would be good enough but as we all know, how accurate can that be when a chess competition is run according to the Swiss pairing rules with a limited number of rounds? 

At worst, only the champion can really be considered as worthy of selection. All other standings become less accurate as we go down the final prize-winners’ list and that is why organizers use all sorts of tie-breaking systems to justify the players’ standings. Still, it is not quite sufficient.

There were also occasions when the best one or two players in the country were given automatic entry into the national teams and the rest of the players were selected from either the Fide rating list or the results of the national closed championships or a combination of both.

Then it was decided that the MCF president should have the prerogative to select a player of his choice into the national team, based on a short-list provided by the council. Sort of a wild card entry just in case a really worthy case needed to be considered at the last moment.

But any reasonable person will realize that all these alternatives are not really fool-proof. Every method may have its good points but each also has its own different short-comings. So every time a major chess event comes along, there are always new suggestions and new tweaking made to find an appropriate solution to suit that occasion.

Let me say here about Malaysian chess that we do compete regularly at world and regional chess events. At the heart of our activities is the biennial Chess Olympiads but lately, there’s also the Asian Games and the SEA Games. 

Well, with the SEA Games in Jakarta just around the corner – in about six months’ time – the MCF is now in the midst of selecting the players to fill spots in the national men’s and women’s teams.

This year, without any great surprise, we learn that the federation has decided yet again to adopt yet another selection format. This time, there would be round-robin selection trials with the bulk of eligible players to come from this year’s national men’s and women’s closed championships that had concluded recently.

I’m sure that this decision will please several people who feel that the national closed results are now being given more recognition by the same body that organized it. But on the other hand, this decision could also have distressed other people who had expected it their right to compete in the selection. To be fair, the MCF had announced the national selection trials way ahead of the national closed championships so that any of the top players who find themselves now missing from the selection trials have only themselves to kick, isn’t it?

The main basis for a player to be eligible for the selection trials was to finish within the top eight positions in last month’s national men’s and women’s closed championships. If any of the players were to decline participation, their places would be taken up by players from either the FIDE rating list or by going down further through the results of the two national closed events. There are two remaining two slots that would be filled by the participants in last year’s Asian Games.

So last weekend, the selection process for the men’s and women’s teams began in earnest in Kuala Lumpur but it had to break for two weeks in order to accommodate the running of the week-long 38th Selangor open chess tournament, at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur, which overlaps into this weekend. The resumption of the selection trials will be on May 7 and 8 when the sixth to ninth rounds are played. 

In any case, based on these eligibility criteria, the players who started the men’s selection tournament were international masters Mas Hafizulhelmi and Mok Tze Meng (the two had participated in last year’s Asian Games), international master Jimmy Liew, current national champion Lim Zhuo Ren, Sumant Subramaniam, Fong Yit Ho and Fong Yit San (qualifiers from the national closed championship) and international master Lim Yee Weng, former national champion Kamalariffin Wahiduddin and Tan Jun Feng (whom MCF had chosen to replace three players that had declined to take part).

Meanwhile for the women’s selection tournament, the players were Nur Nabila Azman Hashim (qualified from last year’s Asian Games but she is also the current national women’s champion), Nur Najiha Azman Hisham, Fong Mi Yen, Tan Li Ting, Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar, Camilia Johari, Sarika Subramaniam and Puteri Munajjah Az-zahra Azhar (qualifiers from the national women’s closed championship) and Nurul Huda Wahiduddin and Tang Kar Khei (as replacements for two other qualifiers).

I shall leave you this week with a game from the very first round of the selection trials. Sumant Subramaniam is a very promising junior player but he came a cropper in his game with Jimmy Liew. Here it is:

Sumant Subramaniam (rated 2065) – Jimmy Liew (rated 2302)

National selection tournament, 2011

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Be2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Bg5 a6 8.Qd2 b5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Qe3 c6 12.Qg3 Nd7 13.Bh6 Bf6 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Rd2 Nc5 16.Be3 Ne6 17.Rfd1 Nd4 18.Bg4 Bxg4 19.Qxg4 Ne6 20.Ne2 Rad8 21.Ng3 Rxd2 22.Rxd2 Rd8 23.Nf5 Qb4 24.c3 Qc4 25.Rxd8+ Nxd8 (The game had been on a rather even keel with Black having equalized comfortably. Now, White thought that his worthy opponent had missed something. See the diagram: was there a small brilliant combination here in this position that could net him a winning advantage?) 

26.Nxg7? (But this sacrifice turned out to be delusional. Black saw deeper into this move and had a rejoinder ready.) 26…Bxg7 27.Bh6 Ne6 28.Bxg7 h5 (And this is the move that wrecked White’s plans. Black would keep his knight although he loses two pawns. White was actually banking on 28…Nxg7 29.Qc8+ Ne8 30.Qxe8+ Kg7 31.Qxe5+ and Black would be in trouble.) 29.Qxh5 Nxg7 30.Qxe5 Qxa2 31.h4 Qxb2 32.h5 Qc1+ 33.Kh2 Ne6 34.Qb8+ Kh7 35.Qe8 Qf4+ 36.Kg1 c5 37.Qe7 Kg7 38.Qe8 Qc1+ 39.Kh2 Qg5 40.g4 Qh4+ 0-1

Up next

Perlis events

In conjunction with the 68th birthday of the Raja of Perlis, there will be two tournaments in Perlis this weekend. Tomorrow, the Perlis Chess Academy will organize the Perlis open tournament with cash prizes totalling RM1,610. Entry fees: RM10 (players under 18 years old), RM15 (Perlis residents) and RM20 (non-Perlis participants). 

Then on Sunday, Kilang Gula Felda Perlis will organize the Gula Perlis open chess challenge. The cash prizes for the Gula Perlis event amount to RM5,555. Four DGT digital chess clocks are also given as lucky draw prizes. Entry fees: RM15 (players under 18 years old) and RM20 (adults). 

Both events are played at the Dewan Belia in Kangar, Perlis. More details available from Syaifulzamani (013.3939838), Darwis (012.4128207), Abdul Aziz (019.5700828), Azrul Sani (019.4651122).

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will organize the third leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Slim River on May 15. Like the two previous tournaments in Taiping and Bagan Serai, this leg in Slim River will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The two remaining legs will be played in Kampar on Jun 19 and the grand final in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Slim River tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). Closing date for entries is May 12. To register, call Yunus (013.3908129), Abu Bakar (014.2510852) or Uztaz Ismail (019.5520391). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Discount of RM20 applies to anyone registering before May 15. Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

 

Wild draw

It’s just not the same any more. Not since the growing popularity of computer chess programs, anyway. 

Way back in the past when we talked about blindfold chess, it would mean just that: two players who were literally blindfolded. It was great publicity. I remember that in the early 1990s, this newspaper even once published a colour picture of two blindfolded players on the front page. 

It’s not so dramatic nowadays. Players in blindfold games are now more inclined to sit at a laptop computer. Some people say that the players stare blankly at an image of an empty chessboard on the computer’s monitor but there is much more going on than that. You see, their brains are whirring along – thinking, calculating and assessing – and the chessboard, though empty, helps them in the visualization process. And they are still required to record their every move.

So to the experienced chess players, an empty chessboard is not a hindrance at all; not when there are still the visible game scores to follow. These reminders are more than sufficient in allowing them to play normally. 

How normal or accurate could their games be, you may ask? Well, very normal indeed. For example, at the Amber tournament in Monaco last month, half of the games were played in this so-called blindfold fashion and I tell you, there were games of sheer accuracy and brilliancy. 

This week, I would like to show you one rather remarkable game from this event. 

Vladimir Kramnik (rated 2785) – Vassily Ivanchuk (rated 2779)

20th Amber Blindfold, Monaco, 2011

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 c6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.0-0 b6 9.Rd1 Nbd7 10.Bf4 Bb7 11.Ne5 Rc8 12.Nc3 Nh5 13.Bc1 f5 14.Qa4 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Qc7 (Something new from Ivanchuk which left Kramnik wondering how to refute.) 16.cxd5 (Later, Kramnik commented that he should have played the immediate 16.Bf3.) 16…cxd5 17.Qxa7 (And finally, White decides to take the offered a-pawn. So the queen is offside but it’s not so simple for Black to trap it with 17…Ra8 immediately. There is bigger game on the kingside.) 17…Bc5 (To support the b-pawn just in case the black queen needs to move away but more importantly, the bishop occupies the diagonal and gets aimed at White’s king.) 18.Bf3 f4 19.g4 (If 19.Bxh5, then 19…fxg3 rips into the white kingside. White sidesteps this but now comes a stunning move.) 19…Ng3! 

(See diagram) 20.b4 Ra8 21.Nxd5 Nxe2+ 22.Kf1 Rxa7 23.Nxc7 Bxf3 24.Nxe6 Nc3 (Possibly, 24…Bxb4 could have won the game. After Ivanchuk misses that, Kramnik steers the game into safe waters.) 25.bxc5 Nxd1 26.cxb6 Ra4 27.Nxf8 Kxf8 28.Rb1 Rxa2 29.b7 Rxf2+ 30.Ke1 Re2+ 31.Kf1 (Of course, not 31.Kxd1 Rb2+ 32.Ke1 Rxb1 and the white b-pawn falls.) 31…Rf2+ 32.Ke1 ½-½

Up next

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association informs me that the first leg of this year’s Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng chess grand prix tournament in Taiping a fortnight ago was a remarkable success with 217 participants. There could have been more players but the last-minute entries were turned away due to space constraints of the venue.

The second leg of the grand prix will be held at the Sekolah Menengah Teknik Kerian, Jalan Siakap, Bagan Serai this Sunday. Like the Taiping leg, this second leg will be contested over seven rounds with a 25-minute time control. The other three legs will be played in Slim River on May 15, Kampar on Jun 19 and the grand final in Ipoh on July 10. Other than cash prizes, points are awarded to the top 10 winners of each leg and these would accumulate till the final leg. 

Entry fees for the Bagan Serai tournament: RM25 (open section), RM15 (under 16 years old), RM10 (under 12 years old). For PICA members and Perak residents: RM20 (open section), RM10 (players under 16 years old). To register, call Yunus (013.3908129), Kamaruddin (019.4316793) or Mas’ud Hamzah (012.4681665). Alternatively, visit the PICA blog at http://perakchess.blogspot.com for details. 

Percawi Labour Day team

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

Selangor open

The Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) will organize their 38th Selangor open chess tournament at the Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, Kuala Lumpur from Apr 28 to May 2.

This nine-round, Fide-rated tournament will have 10 main cash prizes totaling RM7,000 with the winner receiving RM2,500. There are also various minor category prizes. Entry fees: RM70 (CAS members with Fide ratings), RM80 (CAS members without Fide ratings), RM90 (non-CAS members with Fide ratings) and RM100 (non-CAS members without Fide ratings). Grandmasters and international masters play for free. Universities, colleges and schools that submit four players or more will receive a 20 percent discount. Entries received after Apr 21 will be charged an extra RM20.

For enquiries, contact Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922, selangorchess@gmail.com), Mat Zaki Yeop (017.2032051) or Yeoh Chin Seng (012.6199816). More information available from http://selangorchess.blogspot.com 

Perlis events

In conjunction with the 68th birthday of the Raja of Perlis, there will be two tournaments in Perlis on Apr 30 and May 1. On Apr 30, the Perlis Chess Academy will organize the Perlis open tournament with cash prizes totalling RM1,610. Entry fees: RM10 (players under 18 years old), RM15 (Perlis residents) and RM20 (non-Perlis participants). 

Then on May 1, Kilang Gula Felda Perlis will organize the Gula Perlis open chess challenge. The cash prizes for the Gula Perlis event amount to RM5,555. Four DGT digital chess clocks are also given as lucky draw prizes. Entry fees: RM15 (players under 18 years old) and RM20 (adults). 

Venue for both events will be the Dewan Belia in Kangar, Perlis. More details available from Syaifulzamani (013.3939838), Darwis (012.4128207), Abdul Aziz (019.5700828), Azrul Sani (019.4651122).

Chess camp

The Creative Chess Enterprise will hold a two-day chess champ at the Sekolah Sri Bestari in Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur on Jun 6-7. Entry fees: RM140 (elementary level), RM160 (players with national chess ratings below 1200 points) and RM180 (players with national rating above 1200 points). Discount of RM20 applies to anyone registering before May 15. Closing date: May 22. For inquiries, call Balendran (012.3547011) or Lim Tse Pin (012.2984922).

 

Wild attack

Would you give an arm and a leg to even play half as well as the winner of this game? I would. From the Chinese chess championship in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, China earlier this month comes this fantastic game. 

Xiu Deshun is not to be scoffed at. Although he is still without any international chess title, not even that of an international master, Xiu’s rating of 2508 points ranks him in China’s current list of their top 20 players. Besides, he had won the Thailand open chess championship two years ago.

However, Xiu came undone while playing against Zhao Jun who is one of China’s chess grandmasters. This game is the stuff which gets shown again and again anywhere in the world as an example of brilliancy. Just bring out your chess set and enjoy it.

Zhao Jun (rated 2580) - Xiu Deshun (rated 2508)

Chinese chess championship, Xinghua, China, 2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 b6 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Ne2 Ba6 9.e4 0-0 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 d6 13.f4 Na5 14.fxg5 hxg5 15.0-0 Nh5 (From this point onwards, the game gets interesting. But first, before we continue with the game, it is to be noted that two of Black’s minor pieces are basically out of play on the queenside and his kingside pawns have been irreversibly weakened.)

16.Bxd6!! (See Diagram One. This piece sacrifice comes right out of the blue. It works not because of White’s bravado but because of great inspiration. His instinct tells him to go completely for broke in this game.)  (Diagram One)

16...Qxd6 17.e5 Qe7 18.Ng3 (This move would be a bit more difficult to see. Usually, a player would be quite loathe to exchange off pieces during an attack. Piece exchanges can only help the defender. And yet, here is White offering to swap knights.)

18...Nxg3 19.Rf6!! (See Diagram Two. This position deserves a diagram. Now we know why White was willing to exchange the knights: he wanted to remove Black’s last defending piece, especially its defence of the f6 square. Once the knight was gone, this rook move drives a wedge into Black’s position. The black king is stranded. Since it’s almost impossible to find safety, there is no escape route.)  (Diagram Two)

19...Kg7 (Black tries to create a flight square for the king after he moves away the rook from the f8 square. However, as the game shows, this plan doesn’t work. Another alternative for Black is to exchange off more pieces and hope to relieve the pressure with 19...Bxc4 20.hxg3 Bxd3 21.Qxd3 but unfortunately, it doesn’t work too.)

20.Qg4 (The rest of the game basically plays by itself. Again, do note that Black’s bishop and knight on the queenside are still offside and incapable of doing anything much. Black’s priority is to protect his king but his rook is a poor defender. White simply needs to throw all his remaining big pieces – the queen and the other rook – into the attack.)

20...Rg8 21.hxg3 Nb7 (Black’s next few moves see him trying to defend the f7 pawn and simultaneously open an escape route for the king to the queenside. However, White ignores everything that Black does and continues with his game plan to build up the pressure. Double the rooks on the f-file, totally seize the d3-h7 diagonal. White doesn’t even need to capture the g5 pawn yet.)

22.Raf1 Nd8 23.Qe4 Qb7 24.d5 (Great move, in my opinion.) 24…Rh8 25.Qg6+! fxg6  (25...Kf8 26.dxe6 and 27.Rxf7+ follows next. No escape for Black.) 26.Rxg6+ Kh7 27.Rxg5+ Kh6 28.Rg6+ Kh7 (28…Kh5 29.g4+ Kh4 30.Rf3 and it’s checkmate next.) 29.Rg4+ Kh6 30.Rf6+ Kh5 31.Rh4+ 1-0 (The net is complete: 31…Kg5 32.Rg6 mate.)

Up next

YAB chess open

The Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) will organize the YAB chess open at their campus in Kedah later this month. There will be two events: a Chinese chess tournament on Apr 22 and a chess tournament one day later on Apr 23. Each event, limited to 100 participants, shall consist of four categories: open, under-18, under-12 and UUM students. Entry fee: RM18. Accommodation is available at RM7 per person per night. Closing date: Apr 17. Registration forms available from Neoh Shi Ling (017.4762906, shil_neoh@hotmail.com), Yoong Kah Eng (017.6204688, kahengyoong@yahoo.com) or Yen Yee Kiat (012.5998347).