Liga Catur Kuantan Final Round Result

Fuh! betul-betul sengit saingan Liga Pusingan Terakhir semalam (jumaat)! Debaran terasa daripada saat permainan bermula sehinggalah ke saat akhir! Debaran bukan setakat penentuan tempat pertama kedua, tetapi penentuan tempat ke tiga.

Untuk penentuan tempat ke-3, pasukan SMART yang cuma memerlukan seri untuk menduduki tempat ketiga dihampakan oleh pasukan SEGAN SILU dengan kekalah tipis 1.5 - 2.5. Dan saingan tempat ke-3 kini terbuka kepada pasukan SEGAN SILU dan YOUNG & DANGEROUS. YOUNG DANGEROUS berjaya dalam perebutan ini apabila menang ke atas NAMELESS dengan keputusan 3-1, dan setengah mata ini sahajalah membezakan YOUNG & DANGEROUS dan pasukan SEGAN SILU. Fuh! betul-betul tidak disangka!

Untuk perebutan takhta juara liga, SETIA menghadapi tentangan hebat dari pasukan FENDY & DA GANG. Dan hampir-hampir kehilangan status juara apabila FENDY memulakan rentak apabila papan kedua Abdul Khalid - FENDY yang bermain english opening agak solid untuk mengekang kemaraan serangan Kamal Ariffin - SETIA. Permainan berakhir dengan seri. Nurul Huda - SETIA di papan ke empat berjaya mengumpul mata pendahuluan buat seketika apabila menang dengan Sabrina Aliya - FENDY. Kapten pasukan FENDY, Effendy Zakaria menyamakan kedudukan di papan ketiga apabila menang terhadap Kapten pasukan SETIA, Kamal Azmi. Kini harapan SETIA bergantung kepada Khair yang tinggal hanya berbaki beberapa minit menentang Asman di papan pertama.

Pasukan KCC sudahpun menamatkan kesemua permainan. Pihak SETIA menjangkakan KCC pasti menang mudah 4-0, dan kerana itu SETIA amat-amat memerlukan kemenangan. Namun tiada siapa menduga, Rosli - VAMPIRE berjaya mencuri satu mata dari KCC dengan membuat kejutan ke atas Sulaiman a.k.a Jono. Dan KCC menang dengan margin 3-1 ke atas pasukan VAMPIRE.

Setelah mengetahui keputusan SETIA - FENDY, dalam keadaan terikat, pemain-pemain KCC berkerumun menyaksikan detik-detik Khair diambang kekalahan dengan masa kini tinggal beberapa saat. Rata-rata ramai yang menggeleng kepala dan menjangka kekalahan Khair. Dengan masa tinggal 46 saat Khair membuat keputusan yang bijak mencari perpetual dan game berakhir dengan seri.

Pihak SETIA agak hampa dengan keputusan ini, dan KCC begitu yakin meraikan kemenangan muncul juara yang diidamkan setelah bertahun-tahun mencuba.

Setia Chess Centre selaku penganjur menyemak keputusan berkali-kali dan saya juga menelefon En Najib Wahab untuk memastikan keputusan yang akan dibuat. Ini kerana keputusan match point kedua-dua pasukan sama iaitu - 8, dan keputusan game point juga sama iaitu - 14, maka sistem pemutus yang seterusnya digunakan iaitu Personal Encounter (PE), keputusan game antara SETIA dan KCC dipusingan sebelumnya.

Oleh yang demikian SETIA dinobatkan juara. Walaupun gelaran juara dirangkul, namun kemenangan ini kali ini memang betul-betul tipis dan merupakan pengajaran yang cukup berharga buat SETIA. .

Saya dan pihak penaja Liga, mengzahirkan ucapan terima kasih yang tidak terhingga kepada semua pemain, ibu-bapa, penjaga dan penonton yang datang memeriahkan kejohanan. Sokongan anda memberi inspirasi kepada pengurusan SETIA CHESS CENTRE untuk menganjurkan Liga Edisi kedua pula. Ini kerana Kualiti yang diharapkan pada Liga kali ini memang betul-betul diluar jangkaan, dan semangat yang ditunjukkan serta keterujaan pemain-pemain yang beraksi telah menentukan tahap yang agak tinggi (benchmark) Liga Kuantan pada Edisi Pertama ini. Semoga kita berjumpa lagi!

Pictures From Liga Kuantan 21 Jan 2011

gambar semasa blitz
kiri - Wong Kee Boon, sebelah beliau ialah Khairunnisa
Mohd Khair, dan disebelah beliau ialah Wan Ali Wan Manan
kelihatan Khairilhelmi (berbaju putih) menentang Jono, disebelah ialah Kamal Azmi vs Sabrina
Pemenang tempat ke-3 Liga Catur Kuantan, wakil pasukan YOUNG & DANGEROUS - Wong Kee Boon menerima hadiah dari Presiden PCDK.
Pemenang tempat ke-2 Liga Catur Kuantan, KCC dengan wakilnya Sulaiman Johari a.k.a Jono.
Johan Liga Catur Kuantan edisi pertama - pasukan SETIA, dengan wakilnya Kamal Ariffin.
Sekitar pusingan akhir, antara SETIA - FENDY
Ketua pasukan FENDY - Effendy menentang ketua pasukan SETIA - Kamal Azmi
Sabrina - FENDY menentang Nurul Huda - SETIA
Pasukan THREE STAR menentang INNOCENT PAWN. Dipapan kedua Meor Airil berjaya membuat upset apabila menang dengan Abdul Majid, pemain veteran dari Kuantan.
KCC menentang VAMPIRE. Papan ke-4 Wan Ali - KCC menentang Nordin Othman, di papan ke-3 Zainal Omar - KCC vs Razali Liki - VAMPIRE, dan disebelah Razali, ialah Rosli.
Pemenang tempat ke-3 yang tidak dijangka disebelah kanan pasukan YOUNG & DANGEROUS vs NAMELESS (pasukan dari SMK st thomas)
Abdul Khalid - FENDY vs Kamal Ariffin - SETIA, dan disebelahnya Asman - FENDY vs Khair - SETIA
Jono - KCC vs Rosli - VAMPIRE.
Hazid Ekquan - INNOCENT PAWN, dan Adam Julian - INNOCENT PAWN, pemain junior bawah 12 tahun.
Meor Airil - INNOCENT PAWN dan Meor Adib
YOUNG & DANGEROUS vs NAMELESS. Kelihatan dalam gambar ialah papan pertama Nordin vs Islahuddin, papan kedua Wong Kee Boon vs Mohd Alif Imran, papan ke-3 Khirranya vs Amirul Aiman dan Kuhan vs Phuah.
Adam Julian vs Anis Nadzar - THREE STAR

Blitz anyone this friday ? (21 jan 2011)

Anda berminat?

Selepas acara penyampaian hadiah Liga Catur Kuantan, akan diadakan BLITZ bermula jam 11 malam.

ANDA BERANI? tunggu apa lagi, silalah ke SCC jumaat ini!

jumpa disana!!!

Pictures From Liga Kuantan

In the pic is Khairunnisa (Setia Chess) up against Zainal Omar (KCC). Next to her is Asman (Fendy & Da Gang), next to Asman is Khalid Musa also from Fendy & Da Gang.
The scene of round 4 Liga Kuantan
Team Vampire (the veterans) vs Nameless
The game on! between KCC and Setia. In the pic - Hamidi (black) vs Kamal Arifin (white), besides Kamal is Khair against Ali (hidden in this pic). And besides Hamidi is Sulaiman or better known as Jono by the locals.
The siblings of Setia Chess
Third table - Three Star (Izzat Muhaimin) vs Segan Silu (Shazmie). Besides Shazmie is Khairilhelmi who is up against Ameersyah Adhwa.
Effendy (Fendy & Da Gang) vs Ng Zheng Ann (SMART) the deciding match! Besides Fendy is Razman, and next to him in the pic is Asman Amin.
Table 5 - Young & Dangerous team (in the pic is Idham Zaharudie) vs Innocent Pawn. In Board 1 Innocent Pawn as you can see in the pic is the siblings Meor Adib and Meor Airil.
Aina Syamimi (Young & Dangerous) vs Adam Julian (Innocent Pawn), Kuhan (Young & Dangerous) vs Hazid Ekquan (Innocent Pawn), Idham vs Meor Airil. Meor Airil is the sole winner for his team in this round.

Liga Catur Kuantan Final Round Pairing

Liga Catur Kuantan mengambil 2 pusingan terakhir ini berlangsung pada hari jumaat jam 8 malam - 10 malam. Mengambil format 5 round swiss system (sebagai langkah permulaan Liga Berpasukan di Setia Chess Centre), dan maksimum 10 pasukan sahaja, kami menaruh harapan inilah langkah permulaan baru ke arah catur lebih berkualiti di Kuantan.

Persaingan di pusingan keempat agak sengit dan penuh dramatik. Pendahulu liga, pasukan KCC berdepan dengan cabaran apabila menentang pasukan Setia Chess. Dengan dibarisi otai-otai catur Kuantan (yang rata-rata setiap malam menghabiskan masa lapang bermain chess di Tanah Putih Kuantan), pada malam semalam seolah-olah KCC mensasarkan harapan untuk menahan serangan Setia Chess dengan seri pada dua papan pertama, dan menang pada dua papan berikutnya. Namun Setia Chess pada malam semalam mengzahirkan keputusan sebaliknya. Papan keempat meraih kemenangan awal, dan papan ketiga berpihak kepada KCC. Penentuan adalah di papan kedua antara NM Kamal Arifin (SETIA) menentang Hamidi Taib (KCC), dan Khair (SETIA) - Ali Akbar (KCC). Ketika saat-saat kritikal, Kamal Arifin hampir-hampir berjaya meledakkan kemenangan ke atas Hamidi Taib, namun sebagai pemain yang tidak kurang berpengalaman, Hamidi berjaya mengambil kesempatan kesilapan Kamal dengan membuat taktik perpetual check. Game papan kedua berakhir seri. Kini penentuan kemenangan pasukan di atas bahu papan pertama. Dengan masa tidak kurang dari 4 minit, Khair dalam kedudukan goyah kerana hanya mempunyai knight+ Bishop lawan Rook+Bishop Ali Akbar. Sedangkan Ali masih lagi mempunyai baki 20 minit. Dalam keadaan time trouble, entah apa magisnya malam itu, Rook Ali menyerah kepada Passed Pawn Khair. Dengan masa berbaki 2 minit dan dengan kelebihan 1 Queen Khair berjaya menundukkan Ali. Dan kemenangan berpihak kepada Setia Chess 2.5points berbalas 1.5points.

Di meja yang kedua pun tidak kurang hebatnya, pertarungan sengit di antara pasukan Fendi & Da Gang menentang SMART. Pasukan sekolah SMART yang membuat upset berjaya mengikat pasukan Setia di pusingan pertama, sekali lagi membuat kejutan apabila menumpaskan pasukan berpengalaman Fendi & Da Gang dengan 2.5 - 1.5! SMART memberi amaran awal apabila Papan ketiga mengatasi Fendi & Da Gang (Umar Muhktar menumpaskan Razman Maulot). Fendi & Da Gang menyamakan kedudukan apabila papan kedua Abd Khalid Musa menang mudah ke atas Ikmal Ubaidillah. Papan pertama Asman Amin (Fendi & Da Gang) seri menentang Ahmad Akmal, kedua-dua pemain gagal menembusi tembok kawasan masing-masing. Penentuan kini terletak kepada ketua pasukan Effendy Zakaria menentang Ng Zheng Ann dari SMART. Masing-masing dengan berbaki 3 minit, game masih lagi di peringkat middle. Hanya ketangkasan membuat keputusan pergerakan akan menentukan kemenangan. Sayugia diingatkan tiada tambahan masa pada pertandingan liga ini. Atas kemenangan masa keatas Effendy, Ng Zheng Ann meletakkan pasukan SMART di ranking ketiga selepas pusingan keempat.

Keputusan-keputusan pasukan lain adalah seperti yang dijangka berdasarkan keupayaan dan pengalaman pasukan masing-masing.

Kuantan League Team Result

Selamat Menyambut 2011

Diam tak diam, hari ini jumaat 31hb Disember 2010 merupakan gerbang terakhir sebelum melangkah ke tahun 2011. Azam tahun 2010 untuk membuka Setia Chess Centre menjadi kenyataan.. di harapkan azam 2011 pula bakal terlaksana.

Dalam kekalutan kerja menyiapkan kerja di pejabat dan menghadiri temuduga kerja semalam, saya terlupa nak buat pengumuman (semasa kejohanan Catur Liga Kuantan semalam) untuk mengadakan Catur Blitz Countdown 2011 pada malam ini. Nampak gayanya terpaksa lupakan hasrat dan menunda niat ke tarikh yang lain.

Kepada pembaca blog ini, saya mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru 2011! Mudah-mudahan catur di Kuantan pada tahun 2011 akan lebih bersinar-sinar lagi... hehehe

Happy New Year to all! Hoping for the best chess for Malaysia!

Kuantan League Team Result

Team Composition Kuantan League

Kuantan League Team Result

This is the result and also pairing for round 2 of first kuantan League team.The League consist of 5 round swiss system and will be played every thursday night at Setia Chess Centre starting from 23/12/2010.

GACC 2010 - Round 6 report (Unofficial Report)

The teams taking part, best university team and Best local university. But this is unofficial as it is per my calculation only.

GACC 2010

Everybody must be wondering why is this blog has been longed to be updated. Like I said in my earlier post, I am really busy with work with final accounts and year end audit! But surprisingly, with few remaining leaves left, i got the approval to finish off my leaves (though one day leave had be canceled as i was called for a last min meeting and discussion).

I took the approval to be in KL together with chess.. again! And I am happy to get away from the stress at work. I have 3 tournaments to choose to. One is in Kuantan. The Sukan Kerja Raya, National Junior and GACC. Three tournaments at one time? sounds tempting right! But I cant be at all those places in one time, so I had to make the wise decision, which tournament that needed me most?

I gave the arbitering handling to Khair and Nurul Huda, as I think it is a good time for them to start to be a part of chess too (considering that the more people that i could traing to be arbiter, the better prospect for chess in Kuantan). I had to decline to National Junior event as too many arbiters will be assissting and besides my students decided not to play (but we have rep from Kuantan - Nur Sabrina Aliya and Muhd Firdaus).

And Yes! GACC here I am! I am the deputy Chief Arbiter for the event - 15th Grand Asian Chess Challenge Rakan Muda, it is an inter-varsity chess championship held every year at UM and only to university students. Initially the invitation only extend to Asian uni students (i think..) but lately in the recent years, the tournaments has been getting more responds from the all other foreign uni as well.

And this year GACC received players with FIDE titles. From - Novosibirsk State Technological University, Russia, representing them are GM Pavel Maletin (2636), FM Yan Dzhumagaliev (2360), WGM Vera Nebolsina (2377), WIM Ekaterina Kharashuta (2299). From - Azad University, Iran, representing them are; GM Amir Bagheri (2429), IM Morteza Darban (2305), WFM Mona Salman Mahini (2044). From - Far Eastern University, Philippines (Team B), we the WFM Lem Jose Rulp (2038) playing as well as from - National University of Singapore, Singapore (Team A), we have WFM Jeslin Tay (2124).

It is very interesting to see all these mix of cultures competing in this event.

Today is Sunday (19th Dec 2010), round 7 & 8 will be staged at Kompleks Perdanasiswa, UM. In the morning rounds all the top boards were occupied by the foreign uni. While the leader after round 6 are - IM Darban (IRI) and Ranel (PHI) with 5.5 points, GM Amir (IRI), GM Pavel (RUS), FM Yan (RUS), Alexandr Crivoi (MDA), Sheider Nebato (PHI) are all trailing behind with 5 points. Our best Malaysian are with 4 points each are : Fadzil Nayan (UIA), Ian Siah (UTM A), Zarul Shazwan (UMP) and others (too many to mention). But the most notable fact, UMP - Zarul has played a very good game against the FM Yan and GM Pavel (though he lost, but he gave it a good fight till the end!).

For more info :
the ranking and news at GACC site (with interesting photo gallery too)
result on Open section
result on Women section

And if the readers wish to view the result on Sukan Kerjaraya, our Fireyrook (one of the players at the event made an interesting coverage)here

For more info on who is leading in the National Junior check it out here :
Open event
Girls event

Chess in Asian Games Guangzhao 2010

I have been and will be busy thru out this month end towards the end of this year until after audit is completed which is schedule until March 2011. As at to date our company is behind schedule (because of the new system, in which i wish i could quit my job! really hate this never ending stories about the system! I am fed up spending days and weeks emailing and queries when we cant produce our monthly report!).

There has been many things going on in my "absence" from chess. We have our juniors took part in World Youth in Greece, in which i have heard, Putri Rifqah is doing amazingly well there. Congrats! Then we have the APSSO - the asean primary school games, and Chess was among the sports contended, and what makes us all proud is that chess brought home 4 gold medals compare to other sports. Saw the pic of Yeoh Li Tian and the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Minister of Education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Congrats again!

And I know the ladies is surely wondering what happened to me :-) Biro Wanita - a branch from Malaysian Chess Federation that specifically set up to cater the Women in Chess was launch few months ago. We have our accounts at the facebook and our official blog too check this out. To all all ladies, i am sorry for not being able to contribute anything at this moment, but I will start doing so next year once I have finished with this "peak" audit season. :-)

Well, now the heat is on because chess is included for the second time in Asian Games. The first time it was held in Doha, Qatar. Now Guangzhao, China is the host this year. And the best part is! Malaysia is sending our contigent for chess too! Yeay! isnt that great. By sending I mean, chess is part of sports too! I juz wish that we win some medals! so that is the next 4 years we will see another players for the games too! But the bad news is that we are not competing in the classical team event (we are only competing in the Individual Rapid).

The game started last saturday, and today is the last rapid games. Our Malaysians is doing rather average, with scoring and losing too. IM Mok Tze Meng, WFM Alia Anin Bakri and WCM Nur Nabila is representing the country with En Ibrahim Bakar as the team manager. While our no. 1 player - IM Mas had to pull out because he was down with dengue just couple of days before departing. Hope he is well now.

If you want to catch the result :

for medal tally

round 8 pairing Men

round 8 paring Women

ranking after round 7 Men

ranking after round 7 Women

Chess in MSSM - Milo Awards!

There are 2 Awards sponsored by MSSM and Milo - Anugerah Putera/Puteri MSSM Milo and Anugerah Tunas Harapan Putera / Puteri MSSM Milo. For the first award, each state will send 1 nomination each for boys and girls (in whatever sports that is contended in MSSM). Their achievement doesnt necessarily restricted to result in MSSM, but it covers the overall achievement in the sports (eg : represent Malaysia and with good results). And the age to be a nominee must be between 13-18 years old. For the second Award, with the same requirement BUT must be the age 7-12 years old! During my schooling years, the award ceremony will be held together with Olahragawan / Olahragawati Kebangsaan, Olahragawan/ Olahragawati Harapan, Anugerah Khas (for those excellent sports but not contested in MSSM level) and several other sports award.

The first time I heard about such awards when I was one of the nominee myself years ago - Anugerah Putera Puteri MSSM Milo. At first I thought I got selected to represent chess for Pahang, but there is more good news than that, I was selected to represent Pahang because my chess is the best achievement compared with other sports in Pahang!! Hahaha.. But the sad thing, I am so alone there. As the only chess player there, no one understood chess, other athletes are making fun at me because I play chess, except for few people, including Allahyarhamah Rabia Abdul Salam. Even though she is the popular person there (she won the award), she would treat me well like any other athlete and we became good friends there (because I sit next to her, I got the chance to meet M.Kumaresan, Rashid Sidek and his siblings also Lydia Kwan). I got selected for 2 consecutive years - 1991 and 1992. In 1991, together with my nomination was Mas Hafizul (but he didnt get to be at the Ceremony because he is not the winner) for Anugerah Tunas harapan Putera. But in 1992 I am so relieved that he was the winner, coz finally I got another chess player with me during the days there (phew!). In that year, I got to meet another friend who is a surgeon now, former gymnast - Farah Hani Imran.

Years later, I found out Mas Hafizul did win the Anugerah Putera Puteri MSSM (I think he is the only chess player to have won both awards). So, I heard, Ooi Chern Ee was once a runner up for the award (but unfortunately I cant remember which year). I am not sure, but I heard someone told me that Yeoh Li Tian won the Anugerah Tunas Harapan sometime in 2007 (I think?).

But the latest news, Nur Najiha Azman Hisham join the list this year when she won the Anugerah Tunas Puteri MSSM Milo for her achievement in 2009 where she won the WFM Title! Congrats! Not juz the family, but the whole of Women in Chess and the rest of the chess fans is celebrating!

Hope to hear next year if Alia Anin Azwa will be nominated by Melaka because of her remarkable achievement in chess and the recent WIM norm!

Olympiad Round 10 & Final - Updates

In round 10, Both men and women team drew against their opponent. Our Men drew with Wales and our Ladies drew with Chile. It was a good day indeed.

Then on saturday it was a rest day again.

While today, the final battle is on. Today, our men won against Bahrain. Where Greg, Mok won and Peter drew his game, but I am confuse about the lost of Mas. I dont see anything wrong in the position and yet the result is a lost? Hope someone can clarify this, rather than all of us making assumption of what is going on.

Our girls also won today against Egypt by 2.5-1.5. Nabila and Mi Yen won, while Roslina drew her game. But our best performer so far Alia lost her game today. I am not sure if that will cost her norm. But according to chess-result - if you click at the top "FIDE title unofficial after round 10" it says there clearly that Alia is to be awarded the WIM title. And she is also in the list of WFM and WCM as well. And I saw the name of Fong Mi Yen too in the list of WCM.

Hope Malaysian official there can clarify and confirm the matter, and let home know the good news! As a supporter of Women in Chess, this achievement is something to be proud off!