Of Promoting Another Age Group Event - U12

DATCC will continue with its Age Group event with the U12 Boys/Open and Girls to be held on 7th April 2013. The event is open to all children below 12 years or those born after 1st January 2001. 

The 6 round Swiss event will use a time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move. Registration opens at 9:00am with the first round to clock off at 10:00am. Three(3) rounds to be played in the morning before lunch and the remaining three(3) rounds to be played in the afternoon starting at 2:00pm.

The eventual winners for each Boys/Open and Girls category will receive a trophy, a medal and a Certificate of Achievement. 2nd and 3rd place winners will each earn a medal and a Certificate of Achievement as well. The 4th to 8th place winners in the Boys/Open category and the 4th place winner in the Girls category will each receive a Certificate of Achievement for their effort. 

Entry fees is set at RM8 for DATCC members and RM15 for non-members. For those who would like to register for the event, you can download the forms for this event by clicking HERE. For more information, please contact Najib Wahab at +6016.338.2542 or write to him at najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com

 

Come and join us for the fun!

Of Another Blitz and U12 Age Group Event

Come and join us for FUN BLITZ event this weekend at DATCC on 30th March 2013 starting with Registration at 10:00am and Round 1 at 11:00am. The 13 Rounds Swiss offers cash prizes to the top 8 main winners with special prizes for U12/U17/Lady/Veteran winners and 2 special prizes for the best DATCC members
 
Entry fees is RM5 for DATCC members and RM15 for outsiders. For more information and to download the registration form, please CLICK HERE.



On the following week, DATCC will continue with its Age Group event with the DATCC U12 Age Group Chess Championship which is open only to players below the age of 12 i.e. born on or after 1st January 2001. 

The top 3 players for the Boys and Girls Section will each earn a medal and a certificates with an additional trophy given to the Champions. From then on, the top Boys placed 4th to 8th and Girls placed 4th, will each get a Certificate of Achievement for their effort. 

As per the previous DATCC Age Group event, the tournament will be played over 6 rounds using a time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move per player. Entry fees is RM8 for DATCC members and RM15 for others.

For more information and to download the registration for for the U12 event, please CLICK HERE 

Of Busy Weekends Ahead - A Galore of Events

It will be endless activities for the next few weeks until early May 2013 with activities being held almost every weekend - including one that is as far as Sungai Petani, Kedah on 6th and 7th April 2013 for the 1st KEDAH FIDE RATED RAPID and BLITZ CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP.

Click on the Banner to download the entry forms and information for the event

For tomorrow, CAS will be holding its first Quarterly Allegro for 2013 at DATCC starting at 8:00am with registration and Round 1 to start at 9:00am. The 7 round Swiss event uses a time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment. 

From Monday 25th to 27th March, DATCC will be organizing its first School Break Chess Camp with Nik Ahmad Faruoqi at the helm as the head coach and Ahmad Fadzil Nayan as the assistant. Students can still sign up for the camp at a fee of RM210 per student but DATCC Members are given a fee of RM160 per person. Registration forms can be downloaded HERE.

On 30th March, DATCC will be organizing its 2nd Blitz event - 13 round Swiss system with an entry fee of RM5 for DATCC members and RM15 for others. The event  starts with registration at 10:00am with the first round to start at 11:00am. The first 7 rounds will be held before lunch and remaining 6 rounds to start at 2:00pm. Prize giving and closing is expected to start at 4:30pm.

Insofar Chess Academy will be organizing its March Scholarship tournament on 31st of March at DATCC starting at 9:00am. The 6 round event uses a time control of 25 minutes to finish, offering prizes for Open and Scholarship sections. Depending on the entry fees paid, players may qualify to win 2 prizes as both Open and Scholarship categories are being played simultaneously. For more information on the Insofar event, please call Puan Raja Aiza at +6012.341.5030 of download the form by clicking HERE 

DATCC will continue with its Age Group event for U12 on 7th April 2013 starting at 9:00am with Registration and Round 1 to start at 10:00am. The 6 round Swiss event uses a time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment and is open to all players below the age of 12 years old - those born after January 2001. Similar to the earlier Age Group event held in March, the entry fees is set at RM8 for DATCC members and RM15 for others. The Champion for each Boys/Open and Girls categories will each earn a Trophy, Gold medal and Certificate. The runner up and third placed winners will earn a medal and certificate each and the 5th to 8th placing in the Boys/Open section and the 4th finisher in the Girls section will each earn a Certificate of Achievement. Click HERE to download the entry forms to learn more about the DATCC Age Group Series for U12.

Be on the lookout for DATCC Magnificent Rapid Weekend to be held on 14th April 2013 - continuing from the earlier Fantastic Rapid Weekend which was held on 17th March 2013. The DATCC Magnificent Rapid Weekend is a monthly rapid weekend series organized and hosted by DATCC at its center. Using a similar event format as before, the event offers a prize fund of RM1,100 with RM300 to be given to the top winner. The 7 round events uses a time control of 25 minutes and offers 8 main prizes and additional prizes for Junior players, Veteran, Best Lady, Unrated and prizes for the top 2 DATCC members. Entry fees are RM15 for DATCC members and RM25 for others. For more information about the event, and to submit entries for the event, please click HERE to download the entry fortms.



 

Of Running A Chess Camp - During School Break

DATCC will run its inaugural School Break Chess Camp this coming school term holiday from Monday, 25th March to Wednesday, 27th March 2013. The three day camp is open to all school children of all ages at any playing strength at a cost of RM170 per person if paid in full before 20th March 2013. Registration after this date shall be RM210 per person. Closing date for registration (with payment) shall be on or before 24th March 2013. Special privilege are extended to all DATCC Members at only RM160 per person to be paid in full before the first session starts.

The DATCC School Break Chess Camp will cover 4 major learning areas:

1. Absolute Beginners - For students who are absolutely new to chess
2. Beginners - For students who have learned the moves
3. Intermediate - Focuses on developing tactical and combination ability
4. Advance - Develop strategic and positional understanding

Classes runs for 6 hours a day from 10:00am until 4:00pm with a full one hour break in the afternoon for lunch. Camp fees includes materials and exercises to be given to the students for their sessions in the class, and take home exercises for them to practice during their free time at home.

Nik Ahmad Farouqi

Our Head Trainer for the Chess Camp is Nik Ahmad Farouqi Nik Abdul Aziz who is also the Trainer of IIUM Mustang (Islamic International University Malaysia) Chess Team, one of the country's leading university team. Nik is also ranked as one of the top 25 chess player in the country and a recognized National Arbiter. Nik Ahmad Farouqi has trained many junior and senior players and one of his most successful student is Ahmad Fadzil Nayan, IIUM top player who was crowned as the 2011 Asian Amateur Champion, and currently ranked 15th in the country

For this camp, Nik Ahmad Farouqi will be assisted by his top student, Ahmad Fadzil Nayan in running some of the camp's learning sessions. The experiences shared by both the mentor and his rising apprentice will definitely be very beneficial for many promising young students in understanding how the pair compliment one another, and what it takes for one to excel in order to be one of the top chess players in the country. 

Ahmad Fadzil receiving his GACC 3rd placed prize

Aside from being one of the top chess player in the country, Ahmad Fadzil Nayan is also considered as one of the country's most active chess player who participates in many local events all over the country. His recent achievement includes coming in 3rd place in the GACC International event behind 2 Russian players FM Dzhumagaliev and FM Bublei who are both rated in the 2300's

Another trainer for the Chess Camp will be none other than Najib A Wahab, DATCC Program Director and the main person behind the reinventing of DATCC. Najib has more than 20 years of experience in managing and running chess event including development programs such as the "Learn Much Better Chess with GM Ziaur Rahman" (2010), the "Young Talent Development Program" (2010) and the recent "English Chapter Holiday Chess Program" during the year end school break in Klang. 

For more information on how to register for the Chess Camp including class schedule and content, please contact Najib Wahab at +6016.338.2542 or write to najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com or datcc@chess-malaysia.com

Of Organizing the First Rapid Series for 2013 - FANTASTIC RAPID WEEKEND

DATCC will organize its first rapid series for 2013 with the FANTASTIC RAPID WEEKEND on 17th March 2013 starting at 9:00am followed by Round 1 at 10:00am. The 7 Round Swiss tournament will use a time control of 25 minutes per player played to the finish, with a total prize fund of RM 1,100. The prize giving presentation is expected to start at 6:30pm

The eventual winner will earn RM300 for his/her effort followed by RM200 for the runner up, and 6 other main prizes up to the 8th spot. Special prize of RM30 each have been allocated for the best U12/U17/Unrated player whilst another RM40 each for the top Veteran and Best Lady player. For the special prizes, there must be at least 3 players or more vying for the tops spots in each category.

For DATCC members, there is an additional fund of RM50 and RM40 for the top 2 DATCC members who is not able to win any prizes in the main category - no minimal number of members playing in order to be eligible for the prize.

Students can request for Certificate of Participation/Achievement provided the request is made before the start of the round. 

Entry fees for adults are RM25 for non-members and RM15 for members. Entry fees for the junior players below 12 years old are RM10 for members and RM20 for non-members. Closing date is 16th March before 6pm and those who register late for the event will incur an additional RM15. No late penalty charges will be imposed to members but, entries are only limited to the first 80 players hence, once all the seats are filled, it maybe difficult to squeeze more people in.

For more information, please download our entry forms by clicking HERE and submit your entries to datcc@chess-malaysia.com or najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com. Payments can be made to our bank account as per the details contained in the entry forms but players are requested to scan their transaction slip and email it together with their entry forms. Please retain the payment slip and bring it to the center at 9:00am to confirm your registration.

Come have fun and join us for our rapid event. It is going to be FANTASTIC!!!

Of Another AGM... and the Presidential Election

For the chess community, especially those who reside outside of KL (and Kedah), the name Mohd Zuhri bin Abdullah may seem a bit alien. But come 10th March 2013, he may well be the new President of the Malaysian Chess Federation. With the nominations for the top posts in the Federation were closed yesterday midnight, words have it that Zuhri has accepted his nominations for the Presidency. Rumors have it that it will be a three corner fight between Zuhri, incumbent Tan Sri Ramli and long time KLCA President Dato Seri Edmond Santhara. Certain quarters even speculated that Tan Sri and Dato Seri Edmond are forming a pack and if that happens, it will be a straight fight between Zuhri and Tan Sri/Dato Seri coalition. As the names of the nominees are being kept in secret by the Secretary and the President, the actual names contesting for all the posts are still not yet known.But interesting enough, this would be the first time in MCF history that the post of President being eagerly contested. And the first time that candidates are being nominated way ahead before the actual AGM

For many chess people, the contributions of Tan Sri Ramli and that of Dato Seri Edmond Santhara are probably much publicized. So who is Mohd Zuhri Abdullah? 

The name Mohd Zuhri Abdullah have only surfaced about 4 years ago when he first contributed some funds for the National Junior squad to take part in the World Youth Chess Championship held in Turkey. The flag presentation ceremony by MCF to the National Squad was conducted at IIUM (International Islamic University Malaysia) in Gombak during the University's annual rapid event where Zuhri formally announced his sponsorship for some of the players in the squad. And for me, that was the first time I had the opportunity of meeting Mohd Zuhri - albeit it was just a short "Hi". From then on, MCF committee began to take note of his interest to help develop and grow chess in Malaysia. Soon after in 2011, the opportune moment came when Tan Sri Ramli invited Zuhri to fill up the vacant spot as Deputy President which was left open by incumbent Tuan Haji Ibrahim Abu Bakar. And with the appointment, Zuhri's was entrusted with his first task - to manage and execute the ASIAN AMATEUR OPEN and WOMEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP, and what an impact he had made. 

For one thing, he was able to attract the Management of CROWNE MUTIARA HOTEL to sponsor the venue for the event, a 5 star hotel located right in the center of Kuala Lumpur. On top of the venue sponsorship which already worth almost RM200k, Zuhri managed to attract another RM40k for the event through his business connections and influence. What is interesting about Zuhri is that, he is 110% involved in the setting up and the running of the event. On most of the event days, you can probably see him roaming around the playing hall ensuring that the event is properly managed and handled. Despite the fact that the event was his first - what more, it was an international level event, Zuhri managed to complete the task successfully, and brought in financial surplus for the Federation.

Zuhri (center - in light colored jacket) watching over Tan Sri Ramli's "first move" to officiate the opening of the ASIAN AMATEUR and WOMEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2011. Extreme left is Casto Abundo, ACF Secretary who was also the Chief Arbiter for the event

You can read his short interview during the event with Casto Abundo about his vision for the future of Malaysian Chess in the following link http://www.asianchess.com/news/view/asian-news/interview-of-malaysian-chess-federation-deputy-president-mohd-zuhri-abdullah

Hungry for more, Zuhri decided to focus on the local scene and set up the most lucrative local team chess event in the country - the KASUGI Team event which was held at CitiTel Express Hotel and attracted more than 80 teams from all over the country, including a few international teams. The two day event was one of the more participated events in the country for 2012 calendar and it was indeed a great success for him. From what I understood, he had also pledged to continue sponsoring the event for the next 5 years and we can definitely look forward for the event to grow and become one of the more awaited events in the local chess calendar - rivaling the Merdeka Team Chess Championship


The one thing that is most noticeable about this Presidential candidate is his commitment and willingness to go to the ground i.e. "turun padang", to observe, and help managed and operate the event that he is involved in. This can be easily seen in the business practice that he is involved in - his agriculture and restaurant businesses where he literally dress down to ensure that he understands the situation from the ground up. Comparing to his challengers - Tan Sri Ramli who has Greg and Dato Seri Endmond with Peter, Zuhri prefers to do things on his own, having his own ideas and vision on how things need to be done, and done correctly - definitely a valuable character that is needed in MCF to make sure that each task and venture are executed to the letter.

Will he win? 
Competitions will be tough and the only concern that some people may have is that Zuhri is relatively new to chess compared to Tan Sri/Greg and Dato Seri Edmond/Peter but, just because he is new, it does not mean that he cannot deliver. Perhaps, it is about time that chess has someone new at the helm. With the National General Election pointing towards a change in the government, perhaps the same is needed for MCF. 

But whatever it is, sincerity, vision, transparency and honesty are some of the most important values that MCF and its committee (championed by the President) must have and with that, it may not matter who wins. But the winner, must be able to govern MCF correctly and truthfully, be it Zuhri, Tan Sri, Dato Edmond or whoever else who will be sitting at the helm. The saying goes that it is better to have the devil that we know than the angel that we don't, but then again, there is no harm to give it to the angel..... right? Because sometimes, we know too well what the devil is capable of.....