INSOFAR Invitational Rating Tournament : Round 2 Pairing

Round 2 of the INSOFAR Invitional Rating Tournament will be held at 7.30 PM , 29th January 2010 at the PKNS, Shah Alam, Selangor.

For the round pairing, click here

Malaysian Chess Federation Update !

I add a few explanation regarding the MCF office bearers and the position of Persatuan Catur Daerah Kuantan. The explanation is in red.

Last Saturday I had a discussion with two Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) top officials-Hj.Ibrahim Bakar (Vice President) and Gregory Lau (Secretary) about MCF recent development. I think this is a good initiative because I can share some of it with interested party and local chess lovers.

MCF has held their Annual General Meetings (AGM) on 23rd- December 2009 at the Wisma Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Kuala Lumpur . The details is as below:-

MCF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) 2009/2011

The MCF Annual General Meeting was held on 23rd December 2009 at the Wisma Olympic Council of Malaysia(OCM), Kuala Lumpur. Present was the previous Board Members, delegates from States of Selangor, Kedah, Johor and Pahang and a few non-voting delegates. The AGM unanimously approved the Annual Report for the period 1st June 2008 to 31st December 2009, the Audited Statements of Accounts for the period 1st June 2008 to 20 December 2009.The office bearers of MCF elected and appointed  for the session 2009/2011 were as follows:

President: Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Diraja Ramli Bin Ngah Talib

Deputy President: Tuan Haji Ibrahim Bin Abu Bakar

Vice-President: Puan Haslindah Binti Ruslan

Vice- President: Tuan Haji Yahaya Bin Ahmad

Vice- President : Encik Michael Kimin Guntili

Honorary Secretary: Encik Gregory Lau Beng Hock

Honorary Treasurer: Encik Tan Kok Heng

Assistant Secretary: Puan Zuraihah Wazir

Committee Member: Encik Abdul Hamid Bin Abdul Majid

Committee Member: Encik Lim Tse Pin

Committee Member: Tuan Haji Ibrahim Bin Yaacob

Committee Member: Encik Mok Tze Meng

Committee Member: Encik Hairul Bin Abdul Hamid

The Malaysian Chess Federation which is registered under the Commissioner of Sports (COS) is in the process to intergrate all states chess association to be registered with the Commissioner of Sports (COS) so they can be officially affiliated with MCF. This is important step to ensure that MCF and the states chess association have a proper and clear working structure.

States Chess Associations registered with Commisioner of Sports under the Sports Development Act 1997. These Association is an affiliate of Malaysian Chess Federation.

1.CHESS ASSOCIATION OF SELANGOR (CAS)

Beg berkunci No. 111, Pej Pos Damansara Jaya, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Setiausaha Kehormat - Mr Lim Tse Pin
HP 012-2984922 tsepin@gmail.com

2.PERSATUAN CATUR NEGERI JOHOR

7, Jln Kuning Muda 1, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru
Setiausaha Kehormat - Mr Cheong Kok Love
TEL : 07 3339636 – FAX 07-2369515

3.PERSATUAN CATUR NEGERI KEDAH (PERCAK)
No 25-A , Tingkat Atas Lorong BLM 1/6, Bandar Laguna Merbuk 08000 Sungei Petani, Kedah
Setiausaha Kehormat – Jamaliah Mat Sarif
TEL : 04-4484422 FAX : 04-4484420

4.PERSATUAN CATUR DAERAH KUANTAN (PAHANG)
No 16 Trg Berjaya Permai 8, Tmn Berjaya Permai, 25150 Kuantan, Pahang
Setiausaha Kehormat – En. Nordin Md Yamin
HP 012-9217143 , 012-9017143
(Persatuan Catur Daerah Kuantan is registered with COS and under the MCF Constitution on Affiliates Membership 6.1.2. Shall be affiliation of Clubs and Organisation in areas where State Association do not exist and such association , club or organisation shall be registered under the COS. Such membership will be withdrawn when the State Association is form and Affiliation with the MCF is accepted)

List of States Chess Associations that have send in their registration with Commisioner of Sports (COS) under the Sports Development Act 1997 (Pending approval ).

These Association were previously an affiliate of Malaysian Chess Federation.

1.Persatuan Catur Antarabangsa Perak (PICA)

2.Persatuan Catur Pulau Pinang (PCA)

3.Persatuan Catur Negeri Sembilan (Baru) (PCNS)

List of States Chess Association that have not send in their registration with Commisioner of Sports (COS) under the Sports Development Act 1997.

These Association were previously an affiliate of Malaysian Chess Federation and registered under the Registrar of Societies (ROS)

1.Persatuan Catur Prestij Perlis

2.Persatuan Catur Antarabangsa Malacca

3.Persatuan Catur Negeri Terengganu

4.Persatuan Catur Negeri Kelantan

5. Persatuan Catur Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur (PERCAWI)

6.Persatuan Catur Sabah

7.Persatuan Catur Sarawak

For time being, I would not discuss at length about the discussion but I hope this short post can be a good start to all states chess association who has not register with ROS to start communicate with MCF and ROS about the matter.


Source: Mr. Gregory Lau, MCF Honorary Secretary

INSOFAR INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT 2010 (Round 1 Results)

INSOFAR INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT 2010

Fadli Zakaria Chess Workshop (18th March 2010)

Fadli Zakaria will conduct a chess workshop at Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya on 18th March 2010.

For further details, click his blog here

Tan Khai Boon Win in Kedah!

Tan Khai Boon win the Pertandingan Catur Sempena Cuti Hari Keputeraan DYMM Sultan Kedah 2009 which was held on the 17th January 2010 at D'Vista Hotel, Sungai Petani, Kedah. Nik Ahmad Farouqi won the 9th place and sent me an interesting photo above. It was taken by Nik while waiting for his bus to Kuala Lumpur.

DATCC FIDE Rated Weekender Prize Money

According to Mr.Sirajudin, the prize money for the DATCC FIDE Rated Weekender has been fixed at RM 500, RM 300 and RM 200 starting from 23rd January 2010.

Chess Meeting in Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Center (DATCC) !

Below is an email i received from Mr. Abdul Hamid Majid about a meeting which will be held this Sunday ( 17th January 2010) at the Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC).

Dear Fellow Chess Player:

This letter is to extend my personal invitation to attend an important chess meeting on Sunday, January 17, at 10 a.m. The venue is the Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre, at the 4th floor parking lot in Wilayah Kompleks.

Please rsvp my secretary Nancy Chin as soon as possible at nancy@goldis. com. or En Hamid at aham@pc.jaring. my, Choo Min Wang at choomw627@yahoo. com, and En Najib Wahab at najib.wahab@ hotmail.com.

Chess coaches, officials, club operators all have different, if not necessarily contradictory, understandings of what the phrase, "to promote chess," actually means. Different interests, outlooks and suggestions. We need a brainstorming meeting to see how far we can go to promote chess by seeking unity of purpose and to lessen the spirit of faction and friction among many chess groups.

Since I became involved in chess some 40 years ago, and if I speak candidly, I must say that although there have been improvements, the overall face of Malaysian chess appears relatively unchanged. Many in chess demonstrate the ancient Chinese saying that two together are okay, but add a third, and you get The Three Kingdoms. Tun Mahathir, as well as Tengku Razaleigh, once told a group of Malaysian Chinese leaders to bring him solutions, not problems.

The purpose of the Chess Centre at Wilayah Kompleks is to offer solutions - to show what can be done. As promoter of the Centre, my idea is to involve as many others as possible in mutually beneficial arrangements by privatizing many of the functions. I want to know how the Centre can better serve you. You can offer your chess ideas as possible solutions, and we can become involved with the Centre together.

The Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre deserves two years to prove itself by harnessing the energy of you, the movers and shakers of Malaysian Chess. If the Centre succeeds in attracting a significant membership, then it will continue for many years. We will not be back to square one, each of us alone seeking a niche in a small Malaysian chess world.

I hope that you can attend this meeting on January 17, for the benefit of all concerned. A buffet brunch will follow.

And don't forget this year's Malaysian Chess Festival from August 28 - September 8. I hope to meet all of you, since I will be playing in the Chess Challenge event as the youngest 84-year-old in the tournament.

With best chess regards,

Dato' Tan Chin Nam

The 1st National Woman Master Chess Championship Update !

Thanks to the Organizing Secretary - Mr. Najib Wahab from the Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) for the following information about the 1st National Woman Master Chess Championship.

The 1st National Women Masters Chess Championship is a platform that will be used to select players to represent Malaysia in Internationl events including this year's Olympiad scheduled for September 2010. The prize fund has been set at RM2,000 and the event has been scheduled from 26th February until 2nd March 2010.

Please read below for players selection criteria and tournament details.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The following criteria will be used to select 16 Women players to participate in the 1st National Women Masters Chess Championship 2010.

Tournament will be played over two games using a FIDE Knockout Format with a time control of 1 hour 30 minutes with 30 seconds increment per move from move 1. Should the game ended in a tie, a tie breaker of two rapid games of 25 minutes per player per game will be used to decide the winner. (Players shall draw for colour before the initial game starts and alternate playing colour as the game progresses). If the game continues to be a tie, a blitz game using an Armageddon style sudden death tie breaker will be used to decide the winner (with players drawing for colour before the start of the tie breaker). Armageddon (sudden death) format is White has 5 minutes against Black’s 4 minutes, and in the case of a draw Black is considered the winner.

GAME SCHEDULE

Games have been set to start on Saturday, 26th February and to conclude by 2nd March 2010 as per the following schedule:

Friday, 26th Feb

9:00am Opening
10:00am Round of 16 (Game 1)
3:00pm Round of 16 (Game 2)

Saturday, 27th Feb

10:00am Quarterfinal (Game 1)
3:00pm Quarterfinal (Game 2)

Sunday, 28th Feb

10:00am Semi Final (Game 1)
3:00pm Semi Final (Game 2)

Monday, 1st March

10:00am Final (Game 1)
3:00pm Final (Game 2)
Note: Date for the final maybe deferred to another date with the agreement of both finalists

PLAYERS SELECTION

The 16 players will be selected based on:
1. Top 4 finishers from the National Closed Women Chess Championship 2009
2. Top 2 finishers from the National Junior Chess Championship 2009
3. Top 4 players from the top 20 Women Players in Malaysia based on FIDE Rating list (going down the list in a sequential order)
4. Top 4 players from the top 20 Women Players in Malaysia based on the National Rating list (going down the list in a sequential order)
5. 2 Players nominated by MCF President and approved by the council

In the event that the list for item 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been exhausted, the MCF reserves the right to select players to fill up the remaining vacant spots to complete the 16 players

Top 4 finishers from the National Closed Women Chess Championship 2009

1. Tan Li Ting
2. Renitha Narayanan
3. NWM Alia Azwa Anin Bakri
4. Winnie Hong Wee Ni

Top 2 finishers from National Junior Women Chess Championship 2009

1. WFM Nur Najiha Azman Hisham
2. Amira Shahmina Zullkafli

ENQUIRIES

Organizing Secretary
Mr Najib Abdul Wahab
DATCC (Dato Arthur Tan Chess Center)
Tel: +6016 338 2542
Email: najib.wahab@hotmail.com

MALAYSIAN CHESS FEDERATION
Mr Gregory Lau
Honorary Secretary
Tel: +6012 902 0123
Email: greglau64@gmail.com

Source: Mr. Najib Wahab ( Organizing Secretary/DATCC)

Nik Swindling Skill

Last Tuesday, Nik Ahmad Farouqi (photo right) show me one of his game against Tun Sri Lanang where he save a losing position with a brilliant swindling moves.

Tun Sri Lanang vs Nik Ahmad Farouqi

Sarawak Open 2009

1. c4? White last move (c3-c4) is blunder. Tun probably forgot that all black's piece is almost paralyzed because of the mating nett. Actually the correct move is to play 1.Kf4 which give the black's king a square to move on h6. White's winning plan is then to escort his c-pawn with his king. For e.g after 1...Rf8+ 2.Ke4 Re8+ ( black's don't have much thing to do) 3.Kd3 and now white's rook is free from guarding his c-pawn.

1... Rc8 !! After 2. Rxc8 black is stalemate. If white's rook leave the c-pawn 2. Rd7 then 2.. Rxc4 and it's a draw 1/2-1/2

Universiti Teknologi Petronas Open Chess Competition

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) Open Chess Competition will be held on 21st February 2010 at the Chancellor Hall, UTP, Tronoh, Perak.

For further details, click here

Chess is getting younger and younger....

It seems that the younger chess generation is showing sign that they are going to take charge from the statous quo in a near future. In fact, some might have already think that they have already done that after Magnus Carlsen top the January 2010 FIDE rating list .

In women section, Hou Yifan - 16 years old from China is the regaining Vice Women World Chess Champion.

Illya Nyzhnyk (photo right) - a 13 years old Ukraine- win a strong Groningen Chess Festival which being held from 18-30 December 2009.

In local scene, last year National Champion is the 15 years old - Evan Timothy Capel and Women National Champion is 11 years old - Tan Li Ting!

KL Rapid Grand Prix 2010

Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix 2010 will be organised by Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) and Polgar Chess Asia with sponsorship from Malaysian Intellectual Development Foundation and Royal Selangor Club.

For further details click KLChess blog's here

Source: Peter long

2nd DATCC League : Final Round possibilities

1st and 2nd place

Only two team – Team AU (29.5 points) and Caviaga (26.5 points) will fight for 1st-2nd place.

Team AU

To guaranteed the title , they need to score a minimum 1 point against Pricewaterhouse .

Team Caviaga

To win the title, they need to score at least 3.5 points higher then Team AU final round results.

3rd, 4th and 5th place

Only three teams – Pricewaterhouse, Nusa Mahkota Chess Club and X-Factor have the chance to get the 3rd, 4th or 5th place.

Pricewaterhouse

To guaranteed to finish 3rd, Pricewater need to score at least 2.5 against Team AU. However their 3rd place also depend on their main competitors - Nusa and X-factor last round results.

Nusa Mahkota Chess Club

Nusa need at least a draw against X-Factor to confirm the 4th place but of course the team will aim for the 3rd place. Nusa need to score at least two points more then Pcw last round results to win the 3rd place.

X-Factor

X-Factor need to beat Nusa to at least finish on the 4th place. For 3rd place, X-Factor need to score 2.5 points more then Pricewaterhouse final round results .

6th,7th,8th and 9 place.

Coincidentaly , four teams - 17 Chess Clubs, Storm Warriors, Eon Bank Berhad and DATCC will fight against each other ( DATCC vs EON and 17 Chess CXlub vs Storm) to determine the 6th-9 place.

10th place

The veterans has already finish in the last place even if they win 4-o in the last round .

Pertandingan Catur Sempena Cuti Hari Keputeraan DYMM Sultan Kedah 2009

There will be a chess tournament (National Rated) held during the public holiday in conjunction with the birthday of Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Sultan Kedah on 17th January 2010. The first prize is RM 1000 and RM 200 for champion of Under 12. The tournament will be held at DVista Hotel, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

The players who need accommodation can stay at DVista Hotel ( booking call 04-4251111). The room rate is RM 78 (standard) to RM 150 (Family).

To register, send your full name to Haji Yahaya mobile no: 0134517585 or Ahmad Fuad - 0194208436.

You can also visit Syed Chess blog's for details and update.

source: Ismail Ahmad

Justin Ong Win Excel First Saturday Classical Chess ( January 2010)

Justin Ong win the Excel First Saturday Classical Chess (January 2010) after finishing with 5 points from 6 round. The tournament which is organised by Excel Chess Academy (ECA) owner - Jax Tham saw 20 players battle against each other from 2nd-3rd January 2010 at ECA, Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur. The time control is 90 minutes plus 10 seconds increment for each move.

For details and photo of the tournament, visit Excel Chess Blog

Malaysian Woman Masters 2010

Ladies and.......ladies. After the success of the Malaysian Master Championship, Malaysian women chess master will glad to know that the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) will organised a similar tournament - the Malaysian Women Master from 26th February - 2nd March 2010 at the Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Center (DATCC), Kuala Lumpur.

Ok, i think this news is equally important for man also especially for NWM Tan Li Ting, WCM Nabila and WFM Najiha father's. There is no details about the players and the format yet, so check for update from time to time at the DATCC official site and blog.

ECA First Saturday Classical Chess Update

For update of the Excel Chess Academy First Saturday Classical Chess January 2010, check their new website here. As a sumarize, 20 players took part and after round 3, 5 players ( Abdullah Che Hassan, Nik Ahmad Farouqi, Justin Ong, Lim Zhou Ren and the organiser - Jax Tham) is leading the tournament with 2.5 points each.

Excell First Saturday Classical Chess - January 2010

Below is the round 1 pairing for the First Saturday Classical Chess - January 2010 which being organised by Jax Tham at the Excell Chess Academy, Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

Round 1 Pairing ( 2nd January 2010)

1. ABDULLAH CHE HASSAN vs ANDREW SOONG

2. ETHAN WONG vs LIM ZHOU REN

3. JUSTIN ONG vs YAT GUO JIE

4. GOH XIN YEN vs NIK AHMAD FAROUQI

5. JAX THAM vs SHAMSUDDIN SABRI

6. HEW ZHENJING vs HO JOON MING

7. JOSHUA FOONG vs SHUM RUI YUAN

8. VINTON WONG vs ANDREW OOI

9. HASLINDAH RUSLAN vs MOHD SAFRI SAID

10. MUHD ZHARIF MOKHTAR vs GABRIEL SOONG

source: Jax Tham

Nabil Win New Year Countdown Blitz !

Mohd Nabil win the New Year Countdown Blitz which was held last night at the Excell Chess Academy at OUG, Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur. 18 participants took part in the 17 single rounds blitz events.

Nabil who collect 15 points tied with blitz king - Abdullah Che Hassan but Nabil won the events based on personal encounter- Nabil beat Abdullah in round 10.

The organiser didn't send me a final standings so i have to calculated it based on every single round results. Understandably the organiser must have been too tired...:)

Below is the unofficially final standing :-

1. Mohd Nabil 15 points
2. Abdullah Che Hassan 15 points
3. Justin Ong 14.5 points
4. Kaushal Khandahar 12.5 points
5. Nur Azman 11 points
6. Nur Nabila 11 points
7. Najib Wahab 9.5 points
8. Jax Tham 9.5 points
9. Muhd Irfan 9 points
10. Azman Che Doi 8.5 points
11. Yat Guo Jie 8.5 points
12. Muhd Syakir 8 points
13. NurNajiha 7 points
14. Muhd Anuar Fatah 4 points
15. Syazrin 3.5 points
16. Tin Ju Hao 2.5 points
17. Shamsuddin Sabri 2.5 points
18. Iskandar Danial 1.5 points

source: Jax Tham

MALAYSIAN CHESS FEDERATION CHESS CALENDAR 2010

Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) has released their 2010 Calendar. Click here for details.

Source: Gregory Lau ( MCF Secretary)

DATCC 3rd Team League and 1st Individual FIDE Rated event!

With the continuing success of the DATCC KL Open Chess League, The Dato Arthur Tan Chess
Center (DATCC) will organize The 3rd DATCC KL Open Chess League Team Championship 2010 and The 1st DATCC 2010 FIDE Rated Weekenders (Individual Event).

For details of the team event click here ; and

for the Individual event click here

For latest info about the tournament, refer DATCC official site and DATCC blog