Its Cao Sang!!

GM Cao Sang (VIE) is the newly crowned DATMO champ!!

Congrats also to IM Mok, Ronnie Lim for putting up an impressive performance in this DATMO by beating the higher rated and titled players!

DATMO - 3 way tie..

Tie break will decide who will be the eventual winner of the last edition of DATMO 2010...

Who shall it be? GM Zhou Weiqi? GM Cao Sang? or IM Sethuraman?

oh! wait! juz heard that it is GM Zhou Weiqi from China the overall winner!!

still waiting for the official result...

DATMO - Final Round info

The final round pictures can be found here

and the live games here

Thank You!

I thank you all the UM students that make it all happened! This year UM students are very dedicated and commited to the work and thus making all our lives easier! (esp during the hectic Merdeka Team, Merdeka Rapid, Merdeka Blitz and the Merdeka Age Group!). Also thanks to Son Asya (UZB) and Irina Kayumova (RUS) who has also helped during the Ambank, Seniors, and the Merdeka Age Group. Thank you to dear chess friends that has helped a lot, to Haslindah, Roslina, Alia, Hadi, Andrew, Marcus and the kids (Jun Feng and the gang).

And a very special thanks to En Hamid for hiring me, and esp to En Najib for giving me all the infos and knowledge about chess. The things that I learned thru out the days at Malaysian Chess Festival will not be forgotten and I will make full use of it here back home!

All the best guys in the final day of Malaysian Chess Festival!

**juz arrived in Kuantan at 9.30am and went straight to the office, will only be home on the before buka puasa time. And right now, my mind is definitely not focus towards the pile of work in front of me, but the Final rounds of DATMO and the Blitz that I wish I could participate this time as this is perhaps the final edition of Malaysian Chess Festival (sob.. sob..sob..)**

DATMO - Round 8 Updates!

Pic left : Interesting battle on table 1 between GM Gupta and GM Zhou, you can catch the game live at datmo.net
Pic right : On the right is Bakliwal Gaurav, on the left is Uehara Shinpei (JPN), next to him is Nabil (MAS)


Pic left : Nguyen Anh Dung seems to be at the average play in this year DATMO edition. But somehow he managed to climb back up, and on Table 4 he is up against the sensation Guo Qi (CHN)


Pic left : Fong Mi Yen vs Masruri Rahman (another promising Indonesia junior player)
Pic right : This cute shubby, is also another promising junior from Indonesia - Azarya Jodi Setyaki. Next to him is Malaysian - Elgin Lee Kah Meng.

Updates! Ian Udani had juz join the "club" when he beat GM Laxman in 30 moves! And he is the first to submit his result for round 8!

Ambank - Round 8 Updates!

Pic left : Table 1 : Ravi Kumar vs Magdalaga. Next to them are Tan Ken Wei vs Le Thi Phuong Lien (VIE)
Pic right : Rusdi Sidi, normally he always came by to any FIDE rated event but never play. Now he hands on himself at Ambank..


Pic left : Nur Najiha vs Syakir Shazmeer
Pic right : Faizal Andin, maintaining his top spot in the Ambank

Seniors - Round 6 Updates!

Ronal Gross in deep thought. Once upon a time he was a good friend to Bobby Fischer.

In this category, the prizes is WHOA!! a lot compared to Ambank. Imagine this, top 5 will be given prizes with champ will receive RM4000 + challenge trophy (Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng), Malaysian best will receive RM500. Not to mention the prizes for Seniors aged 65 - 75 and aged 75 above, will receive a top 3 prizes (the best will receive RM2000). And there are only 16 players taking part!

In this category, GM Dimitry Kayumov from Russia is all set to become the champion, leading with 1 point above the nearest rival, IM Tan Lian Ann (SIN), Ronald Gross (USA) and Brian Jones (AUS).

Bad News!

Unfortunately, I cant be around at the last day of Malaysian Chess Festival. Therefore my reports on the event will be up to Round 8. I feel bad about this as well, because I was at the starting of the event, I wish I could be there at the finishing line! But who can tell what future is for us. I received call from my General Manager saying that I am in need to be at the office urgently tomorrow morning for a very important discussion. One staff has taken unpaid leave, plus the system that the company purchased (at this point) is totally unreliable! Headache! headache! headache!

However, the readers can always turn to firey_rook, the official site or gilachess blog for further updates on the last day.

Round 8 is underway now, and I will give further report on it.

DATMO - Round 7 Updates!

Pic left : IM Mok was up against GM Laxman. IM Mok joins the "club" when he won against the GM!
Pic right : Ronnie Lim is still playing against IM Khamrakulov from Uzbek


Pic left : On board 2, interesting play by GM Zhou Weiqi as shown on live games! he is a piece down but with 3 pawns up! AND HE WON THE GAME!
Pic right : Alia vs Aquino. She lost this game juz now. But she is leading the malaysian women pack at DATMO with 3 points from 6 games.


Interesting! Junior player from Uzbek is up against our Junior Yeoh Li Tian. And the result : Li Tian lost...

Ambank - Round 7 Updates!

In the pic : National Paragames player Hasidin is playing in Ambank Challenge, against Olivia Madhavan.

Tan Ken Wei won his round 7 game against Iwan Setiawan on table 2.

Winners of Merdeka Age Group

Results of Merdeka Age Group

Merdeka Age Group 2010

The scene of the Hall full with kids


My students - Khirrannya (left) and Kuhan (right). Having fun guys?


My 7 year old student - Nurfarahin. This is her first try in a chess competition.

Today is the rest day for the Seniors Open, Ambank Challenge and DATMO. Therefore, one event for the juniors is taking place here. It is called Merdeka Age Group 2010. The age group contested are U8, U10, U12, U14 and U16. There are about 234 players taking part! Imagine us and a bunch of kids in the hall!! Hectic!

The under age kids (U8 and U10) there are cute when they play (they talk, they whisper, and they even sing during play), but they are the hardest to handle. Maybe because they are too many!

While U12, U14 and U16, these are regular chess players that have been in any chess tourney before, therefore they are a lot easy.

In overall, thanks to the parents, teachers, coaches that make all this possible! Thank you for supporting the Tournament!

DATMO - Round 7 Updates!

It seems like all 6 players in this edition is playing it safe. All 6 are with 5 points each (you can find the names at chess-result.com).

IM Mok has climbed back up to be among the best malaysian. He is together with Ronnie Lim are with 4 points from 6 rounds. Other malaysians seems fairly as average as others. Not so outstanding yet (btw, this year DATMO edition is the toughest with many titled and higher rated players).

Juz wish that all the Malaysian players going to Olimpiad this year will use this DATMO as the training ground. And hopefully what is shown here does not reflect the true performance that they will show at the Olimpiad.

Ambank - Updates!

Too bad, Tan Ken Wei lost to filipino Magdalaga Lutfe, thus, making Magdalaga the sole leader with 5.5 points. But Ken Wei and Kant Rupesh (IND) both are trailing behind with 5 points after six rounds!

Tomorrow is a rest day, on monday, Magdalaga will face Kant, while Ken Wei will play against Iwan Setiawan (INA) who is with 4.5 points.

DATMO - Round 6

Pic left : GM Abhijit vs GM Wen Yang on Table 1
Pic right : Ronnie Lim the leading Malaysian Player with 3.5 points on this round, facing IM Swayangsu (IND)


Pic left : IM Vijayalaksmi vs Ian Udani, a filipino that suddenly made an impression here by beating IMs (including Mok)
Pic right : GM Xu Yuhua vs Guo Qi (an impressive performance by this chinese lady) on table 4

The battle between two top women player, both needed this win not juz to gain point but to show who is the best women player. Fong Mi Yen won the National Championship at the time Nur Nabila was away to compete in India.

Ambank - Round 6

It has been a long time to have malaysian taking the lead in the Ambank Challenge category. And Tan Ken Wei has break that record! He is with a perfect score 5 points, and now will play against Magdalaga Lutfe who is half point behind him. All the best Ken Wei!


WFM Nur Najiha won against CM Fadli in previous round

Ambank - Round 5 updates!

While Ken Wei is battling hard in the Queen endgame, I juz heard that CM Fadli Zakaria lost to WFM Nur Najiha!

DATMO - Go Live!

Go the official website for the live games

Also there is a cam screening live at Malaysian Open Blog

ASTRO Simul by GMs on 3/9/2010

Pic left : The GMs that made the simul possible! Thanks guys!
Pic right : Former Women's World Champ - Xu Yuhua giving her opening speech to the kids with the help from a translator


GM Dao Thien Hai - his simul is the last to finish. Probably because he is facing regular players in a local scene.


Pic left : GM Tahir Vakhidov is thinking, "should I offer her a draw". And draw it is! Goh Xin Yen is the only player who gets the draw.
Pic right : GM David Smerdon joins the club too!


Pic left : GM Arun Prasad
Pic right : GM Gerhard Schebler


Pic left : GM Cao Sang
Pic right : GM Abhijeet Gupta


Pic left : GM Dimitry Kayumov
Pic right : GM Saidali (and he seems to be very friendly with the kids too, also goes to few other GMs)


Pic left : GM Das Neelotphal
Pic right : GM RR Laxman