Nicholas Chan Ahead In Selangor Open

 

 

30 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At the end of round 5 today during the Selangor Open 2011, FM Nicholas Chan is ahead with five points from five rounds. He beat IM Jimmy Liew in round 4 and will now meet Ian Udani in round 5 tomorrow morning. Incidentally, FM Nicholas Chan is the defending champion of the Selangor Open.

In round 5, Ian Udani beat Fong Yit San, Mohd Irman drew with NM Kamalariffin Wahiduddin, IM Srinath Narayanan beat Mark Siew on board 4, NM Lim Zhou Ren beat CM Amier Hamzah on board 5.

Round 5 Results

Link:

a. chess-results.com

Five In The Lead, Selangor Open 2011

30 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At the Selangor Open 2011, five players are in the lead. FM Nicholas Chan, Sumant, IM Jimmy Liew, IM Narayanan, NM Lim Zhou Ren. All of them with three full points.

Round 3 Results

Picture Gallery, Selangor Open 2011

29 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur - Here are some random snapshots of the chess players participating in this year's Selangor Chess Open 2011 at DATCC, Wilayah Complex, Kuala Limpur.


Pix 1. Tan Ri Hong


Pix 2. Puteri Rifqah Fahada bt Azhar.


Pix 3. En Shafruddin (yellow shirt) President of Chess Association Of Selangor.

Pix 4. Ian Udani during the second round this morning.

Pix 5. IM Srinath Narayanan, India in deep thought.

Round Two, Selangor Open 2011

29 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur - Here are the round two pairings of the Selangor Open.

Selangor Open 2011 Begins

  28 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – The Selangor Open 2011 got underway this evening with the first round which began at about 6.40 pm after a short briefing by the organisers – Chess Association of Selangor (CAS). The President of CAS, En. Shafruddin, gave a short speech welcoming players to the Selangor Open and appealing for future volunteers to the fold of CAS. Lim Tse Pin reminded players of the tournament rules which for Selangor Open, gave players an hour of wait after the clock starts before the game is declared as over, in case an opponent fails to be present in a particular round.

During the briefing, Abdul Hamid Majid, established the appointment of a five person appeals committee headed by Ismail Ahmad and assisted by Jax Tham, Haslindah Ruslan, NM Kamalariffin Wahiduddin and Ian Udani.

The pairings of the first round is shown in the picture below:-

About eighty players are participating in this year’s Selangor Open 2011, which included FM Nicholas Chan, NM Lim Zhou Ren, NM Kamalariffin Wahiduddin, Kamaluddin Yusof, Jax Tham and Ian Udani, among others.

Schedule :

(table courtesy of gilachess.com)

Upcoming CTEP Chess Camp

26 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – Here is an interesting chess camp to keep in mind for the upcoming school holiday period from 6-7th June 2011. The concept is interesting and for the serious chess enthusiast.

 

Link:

- Official CTEP Website : http://malaysianchess.blogspot.com/2011/03/ctep-camp-june-2011.html

Upcoming DATCC Events

26 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – The DATCC Management has announced one new tournament and a reminder for two other tournaments for the month of May 2011.

Three RAPID Chess Weekends starting from 8^th May to 22^nd May to satisfy chess players of all age and playing strength. All entry forms, and information about the three events are as per attached for your references and perusals.

On 8^th May, DATCC will be hosting the Insofar Chess Weekend with 4 events for chess players to choose from including a Junior event for players below 12 years old with plenty of prizes up for grabs!

On 15^th May, DATCC will assist in the running of the Ampang Chessmaster event to be held at Medan Selera Ampang Waterfront. With more than 20 prizes up for grabs, and a prize fund of more than RM 2,000, this event is organized by Ampang Jaya Chess Club together with the YB Ampang MP office.

Then on 22^nd May 2011, DATCC weekender event returns with the DATCC Warrior Rapid Chess Weekend. This is the 3^rd edition for 2011 with added prizes (from Champion to the 10^th placing – previously, it was only until 6^th placing) and increased prize fund for the top 4 winners. This is definitely an event not to be missed!!! Entry fee is RM30 for adults and RM20 for children below 12 years old

Both the Ampang Chessmaster and the DATCC Warrior Rapid Chess Weekend will be Nationally Rated….

 

(source: Najib Wahab, hp:0163382542, email: najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com)

Petronas Seahorse Declared Winner

25 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Seahorse was declared the winners of the PERCAWI LABOUR DAY CHESS TEAM TOURNAMENT yesterday at the DATCC.





Pix 1. The Petronas Seahorse Chess Team, the champions of the PERCAWI LABOUR DAY CHESS TEAM 2011.

Table 1. The list of winners of the PERCAWI LABOUR DAY TEAM TOURNAMENT.

Table 2. Team Final Rankings.

(source : Collin Madhavan , President of PERCAWI)

Mas, Fong Continue To Stay Ahead, SEA Games Trial Selection

 

24 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At the Restoran Warisan near Dataran Merdeka, two more rounds were played in this single round robin format for the Malaysian SEA Games Trial Selection. IM Mas Hafizulhelm continues to maintain his lead with four points from five rounds. He drew against Sumant and won against Tan Jun Feng.

IM Jimmy Liew (left pix) had a good weekend Sunday as his position strengthens with a win and a draw today giving him a solid four points, the same as IM Mas.

However, IM Mok Tze Meng (right pix) disasterously lost to Fong Yit San in the fourth round and drew against Lim Zhou Ren in the fifth and is now lying in sixth position with 2.5 points.

Meanwhile in the Women’s, Fong Mi Yen and Camilia Johari (pix above) maintain a steady course with four points each after five rounds. Fong drew her games in the fourth and fifth rounds and Camilia won her fourth against Puteri Munajjah and drawing her fifth round game. The Nur sisters are just a heart beat behind at 3.5 points.

Table 1. Results of Men’s Rounds 4 and 5.

Table 2. Results of the Women’s Rounds 4 and 5.

Table 3. Crosstables of Men’s After Round 5.

 Table 4. Crosstables of Women’s After Round 5.

Games of Round 4, MCF Selection Trial 2011:-

(source of results and games: Najib Wahab)

Penang In 18th, Asian Cities Jakarta

24th April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – In Jakarta, the 17th Asian Cities chess championship is on-going from 22 April 2011 till 29th April 2011. After round 3, Penang chess team representing Malaysia is in 18th position with 2 points comprising of one win and two draws.

Meanwhile Malaysia’s second team, Putrajaya, is pegged at the bottom with no points to show after three rounds. Hopefully the second team would get valuable exposure and experience.

TWIC reported that there are 24 teams competing. Leading players: Wesley So, Yu Yangyi, Li Chao B, Murtas Kazhgaleyev. Ehsan Ghaem Maghami etc. Bulletins and results are available on the official site.

Asian Cities Chess Championship history

The Asian Cities Chess Championship was the brainchild of the Hong Kong Chess Federation. It was first held in the former British Colony in 1979 (and was won by Singapore). It quickly gained renown in the Asian chess world as an iron item in annual chess calendar in Asia.

The first four editions took place in Hong Kong with the participation of many strong cities from all over the continent. The 1980s were totally dominated by the Chinese who won all five editions. There were no championships between 1985 to 1990. Since then the tournaments take place on a biennial basis.

During 1990s United Arab Emirates hosted the Asian teams three times and Malaysia were the hosts twice. Dhaka of Bangladesh were surprise winners from 1990, then Jakarta took the trophy twice. In 1996 Uzbekistani capital Tashkent took the title followed by Shijiazhuang in 1998, the fourth Chinese city to win the Championship.

In 2000 the games arrived on Lebanese soil (the first international team tournament in Lebanon) and Pavlodar (Kotsur, Vladimirov) from Kazakhstan won. They managed to defended the title next time in Yemen. In 2004 the event was awarded to the Philippines and it was also the first time when Filipino city won.

The system of play is four board Swiss (all-play-all alternatively if circumstances make it possible) with each team having right to field up to six players. Each Asian country has right to send one city team to the championship. In some cases the organizers may admit one additional city from a federation. The winning city in the Asian Cities Chess Championship is awarded custody of the challenge Dubai Cup. [Source OlimpBase]

Asian Cities Championship summary

no.	Host city	Year	Winners	System	Boards	Teams
1.	Hong Kong	1979	Singapore	S-7	4	12
2.	Hong Kong	1980	Guangzhou			14
3.	Hong Kong	1981	Shanghai			26
4.	Hong Kong	1983	Beijing			30
5.	Penang	1984	Shanghai			26
6.	Hong Kong	1985	Shanghai			26
7.	Dubai	1990	Dhaka			32
8.	Dubai	1992	Jakarta			36
9.	Kuala Lumpur	1994	Jakarta			28
10.	Dubai	1996	Tashkent			40
11.	Genting Highlands	1998	Shijiazhuang	S-9	4	27
12.	Beirut	2000	Pavlodar	S-9	4	22
13.	Aden	2002	Pavlodar	S-9	4	18
14.	Manila	2004	Tagaytay	S-9	4	19
15.	Teheran	2007	Pavlodar	S-9	4	18
16.	Beirut	2009	Tehran	S-9	4	20
17.	Jakarta	2011		S-9

Links:

17th Asian Cities 2011 (Jakarta INA)
Fri 22nd Apr 2011 - Fri 29th Apr 2011 - Official Site - Results

17th Asian Cities (9 Rds Swiss Team TC:90m+30spm(1)) - Games in PGN: Games

PERCAWI Labour Day Team Event Over-subcribed – Huge Success!

24 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At the DATCC, the PERCAWI Labour Day Team Chess Tournament 2011 was heavily over-subscribed as the organisers had to refuse 7 or more teams as the DATCC can accommodate only 40 teams of four players each within the premises of the existing DATCC.

As the DATCC blog had announced that it had achieved a new high of 160 players playing within the DATCC hall plus another, maybe, forty or so parents and family as spectators on the side. A grand total of about 200 persons!

My camera view was, unfortunately, facing the backs of both Najib and Collin Madhavan as we were seated on the first table corner. From the picture, the hallway is packed with teams seated for the first round of play at 9.15 am this morning.

 

 

The last round 6 pairings saw Johor Land Berhad facing Petronas Seahorse (top pix), the hot favourite team to take first place. Petronas Seahorse were represented by Irman, Tun Seri Lanang, Zulhairi and one other player. They were already 10 points from five rounds and look set to win the championship team trophy and the prize money when I left the playing hall for home at 5.30 pm.

On second table (bottom pix) is the match-up between Kastam A, which was spearheaded by Rizal Kamal against St Paul Puma (UPM mix team) which had Alfred Ting in the group.

Another familiar face was the National Library chess team which had Varien Thien as its captain. They were handicapped as they had to play with three players throughout the six rounds as their top board player was called-up to attend meetings at the last moment.

My team, Knights of the Road, ended their day’s adventure with six points. We lost the last match-up against SK Bukit Jelutong A, 1.5-2.5, albeit narrowly. Small beginnings for the chess team and hope that things will improve in the years ahead.

Insofar 4 Events, 8 May 2011

24 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur - Here is a message from Insofar for the upcoming four chess events on the 8th May 2011 at DATCC. Take your pick.

Mas, Fong Ahead In Selection Trials

 

24 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At the DATCC, after three rounds of play, IM Mas Hafizulhelmi and WCM Fong Mi Yen (pix above) are ahead in their respective groups with 2.5 and 3.0 points respectively.

For the Men’s Group, all the four IMs are currently near the top of their group. Significantly, Sumant Subramaniam and Lim Zhou Ren are also in the top six with two points each. While the Women’s Group, it is still not clear as Camilia Johari is making a strong showing at the moment with 2.5 points from three, followed closely by WFM Nur Najiha, WCM Nur Nabila and Puteri Rifqah Fahada.

Table 1. Cross-tables for the Men’s SEA Games Selection Trials 2011.

Table 2. Cross-table for the Women’s SEA Games Selection Trials 2011.

Some random games of round 1-3.

Results of Men’s Rounds 1-3.

Results of Women’s Rounds 1-3.

(Results and Games (pdf) are courtesy of Najib Abdul Wahab)

First GM Thematic Tournament, Taylor’s University

23 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur – At Taylor’s University, six boards with twelve players participated in today’s five rounds of First GM Thematic Chess Tournament with Ruy Lopez as its theme. Raymond Siew, owner of First GM Chess Academy, gave an introduction on First GM and the background to having this thematic chess tournament, which was transformational in nature to breed future GMs for Malaysians. He also talked about doing comparative studies of future opponents before entering any international chess tournaments to ensure players were well prepared to meet specific opponents. Preparation is everything!

Playing in thematic chess tournaments help players get used to specific chess openings as black or white with the idea of learning from those mistakes. This Jax Tham reiterated during his short briefing before the start of the First GM thematic started.

Mark Siew chipped in with a little background of Ruy Lopez with a mention or two about the Marshall Attack, the Anti-Marshall and a word about the Berlin Defense which outside the scope of today’s Ruy Lopez setup 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O with black to make the first move.

The starting position of today’s Ruy Lopez Thematic Chess.

Anyway, during the afternoon session after my round 3 game, a young participant, Jian Yang, came up to me and insisted to have his game put up on the blog. He shoved his book at me and beg that I put it up on the blogs to show what a tremendous fight he had on the board. I can see that his chess game was a close mortal combat of sorts with Kung Soon Heng who was three times his small size. I am obliging to his request, so here it is – Jian Yang and his round 3 mortal combat against Kung Soon Heng.

[Event "Fgm thematic chess"] [Site "Taylor's University"] [Date "Apr 23, 2011"] [Round "3"] [White "Jian Yang"] [Black "Kung Soon Heng"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O d6 6. d3 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nc3 Be7 9. Be3 b5 10. Bb3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Nd5 c5 13. Re1 O-O 14. g4 Bg6 15. e5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Rb8 17. e6 Kh8 18. Qe2 fxe6 19. Bxe6 Bf7 20. Kg2 Bxe6 21. Qxe6 Rb7 22. Qd5 Rc7 23. b4 Bh4 24. Qh5 Bxf2 25. Ng5 g6 26. Qh6 Be3 27. Rxe3 dxe3 28. Ne6 Qa8+ 29. Kg1 Rff7 0-1

After black played 29…Rff7, white resigned, giving black 0-1 win.