Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Kuantan Rapid Open Team 2009

Kelab Catur Kuantan is proud to announce our first tournament of the year

Name : 1st Kuantan Rapid Open Team 2009
Venue : SMK Sungai Soi Kuantan (if you know how to get to Pantai Sepat from
Tanjung Lumpur bridge then you are near to SMK Sungai Soi).
Date : 14 - 15 February 2009

If you noticed the date on saturday is actually a school day dont worry, we are working out with PPD kuantan for letters of approval for you to participate in the tournament.

This is a team event which consist of 3 players or 3 players + 1 reserve. The time control is 30 mins per game. Attractive prizes for best school team, best government team, best family team and best ladies team are up for grabs!

Register now before the closing date : 12 feb 2009!

Inquiries : call En Nordin 012-9017143 or Cik Khairunnisa' 019-9699879

Come and join us now!

****there will also be a Kuantan Blitz Open on Sunday, 15 feb 2009. This is open to all players either they participate in the team event or not. This exciting Blitz is a 5 min game. The registration in open on saturday 14 feb 2009 at SMK Sungai Soi****

MSSD Kuantan 2009

Since MSSM 2009 start in March..therefore the organising of MSSD Kuantan was like a haste, and I believe the other district also were having the difficulty too. Not many students seen this year compared to last year. One of the school that I asked informed me that they didnt receive letters of MSSD, and therefore no students from the school participated.

Hmm.. what do I say about this.. well.. we are missing a new star that is what it is! we will never know perhaps that school has a star and we failed to get that and make it shine. To be honest if anyone spot my talent early, I will be playing in MSSM in under 12 category! but i have heard of MSSD only in my secondary schooling years!

Though not many participated in the MSSD but the players gave it all out, and the teachers were doing all the best! Kudos to all the teachers - the host SK Mat Kilau, cikgu Saizi. PT Kuantan - Cikgu Norinah, and others that too many to mention in this blog including the teachers that accompany the players to MSSD. (sorry, this mamarazzi forgot to bring her camera that day, as I am too busy with my job had to be in KL for work and could only catch one round of MSSD).

Maybe next year if they can plan better and prepare, as they already know the schedule has already changed this year. And hope next year the play off can be made to decide who actually deserve the spot to represent Kuantan in MSSPahang. Coz, I have seen this year that the matchpoint of the top 5 or top 6 players are the same but due to the tie breaks only top 4 were chosen to represent Kuantan. A bit unfair coz, I have seen that the deserving players with better play can actually make it for MSSM if they get the chance to compete in MSSP. But I am fully understood the reason why the play off cant be done this year. As an organiser myself I know it is a tough job juggling 2 things at one time!

I dont have the list with me, but the players that will play for Kuantan this year in MSSPahang that will be held in Cameron Highlands on Feb 4-7, GOOD LUCK!

All the best guys!!

Here Comes The New Year

I guess it is not too late to say Happy New Year!

We are in the year 2009.. and once again new year comes with a new resolution. And what is my resolution? My wishes of having 4 tourneys this year in Kuantan will come true! Adding more new students to my list, and introduce a better chess to them and hopefully from the tourneys and the coaching more and more talented players from Kuantan will arise..

And maybe juz maybe that one day we can see the Kuantan players will contribute to quality chess playing in Malaysia.. who knows!

Now what have we install this year!

According to MCF chess calendar, this year MSSM will kick off on 14-20 March in selangor. And that is the earliest chess activities (other than the rapid tourney that has been going on starting as early week of January this year).

And yes, dont forget the National Age Group that will start in April 3-5 in Kuala Lumpur. Last year the venue was at Grand Olimpic Hotel in Jalan Hang Jebat in KL (I was one of the arbiters.. Err.. by any chance I am selected again this year :-)) Selection to play for Malaysia will be based on this tourney as it is the under age tourney for categories like U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 the tourney for U-20 which is the national Junior Chess Championship which grants the champion the title of National Junior Master (NJM) will start in Dec 6-10 this year (last year winner was Tariq Amru and Nur Nabila). The good thing about this tourney is that these winners will get the chance to represent Malaysia not just in the World Youth but also in the ASEAN and ASIAN events! Great huh!

Wonder what is my first tourney this year (if I could finished my work before the event start) will be the Royal Selangor Open on April 29- May 3. It is a FIDE rated tourney. One way to get your FIDE ratings is to play in this tourney. And for those with FIDE ratings this is the way to increase your ratings and get a cheaper entry fee if you want to play in Malaysian Open this year :-)).

Our annual National Closed (also FIDE rated tourney) will start in June 3-7. Who will be the new NM or NWM this year will be decided in June 2009!

From the events above I do hope more and more Kuantan players will play in the tourneys, as playing outside of Kuantan does improves their game when they faced local players in local tourney here.

All the best to the players, and may 2009 will bring lots and lots of improvements to everyone!