Of Another MCF Election Happening Soon....

Now that the 2019 Malaysian Chess Championship is over, the next big thing on the chess calendar is the MCF Election to be held during its AGM within the next 23 days – just slightly over 3 weeks to go. Based on a circular given to all MCF affiliates before the start of the fasting month, all nominations must be submitted to MCF Secretary (with copies to Assistant Secretary and President) before 11:59pm on 15^thJune 2019. From then on, all nominees will have approximately 2 weeks to campaign to secure their post in the committee before election time at the AGM which will be held at MidValley Hotel on Saturday, 29^thJune 2019 at 10:30am. MCF AGM usually lasts between 2 to 3 hours as such, we should know the new MCF Exco Team by lunch time on the same day. This is really REALLY exciting!

MCF prior to 2008
with the late Dato Tan as its President

Newly elected MCF officials in 2008
with YBhg Tan Sri Dato Seri Ramli Ngah Talib as its President

It is interesting to note that MCF did not hold any AGM during the tenure of the current committee although the requirement is clearly stated in in its Constitution – para 12: Annual General Meeting. While I am not too sure how that will work legally – although I am certain that the committee must have informed COS about this peculiarity, let us not talk about what was before in the past as we need to move on and look forward towards the future. 

While the notice for AGM was sent more than a month ago – the constitution only requires the notice to be sent no later than twenty (21) days in advance, only a single nomination has been received so far as of today. With so much time before the actual closing date for the nominees to be named, many are taking their time to ponder as to who will be suitable and for which post in the new committee. Further, with the closing date only a week away after Hari Raya, it is quite obvious that everyone has decided to get the Raya celebration over and done with before starting any serious discussions and talks about the AGM and the upcoming election. With the Malaysian Chess Championship 2019 being held just two (2) weeks before the nominations are closed, it is quite obvious that certain discussion have already begun to take place. In fact, news from the chess grapevine and several reliable sources, a few names have surfaces with a few pacts identified. There was also a supposed chess entrepreneur who has circulated a video of him volunteering himself as a candidate with promises of change if elected. I am not sure how that has developed but, let us see the other possible candidates before our final evaluation and judgement and from then on, for us to pick the most suitable candidate to lead us into the future. 

YBhg Tan Sri Dato Seri Ramli Ngah Talib in his second term as President from 2010 to early 2013
Zuhri (seated right) contested for the Presidential post in the 2013
but lost in a recount after a tie in the first round voting.

YBhg Tan Sri Dato Seri Ramli Ngah Talib's 3rd and final term as MCF President from 2013 to late 2016
During this time, MCF had the most number of Tresurers (5 persons were appointed but each left)
until Haslindah became the permanent Treasurer towards the middle of 2016.

With another week to go before the nominations close, I am quite sure that events will develop rather quickly within the next week or so, and by Sunday next week, we should be able to know who is in and who is not. The community – especially the affiliates and exco members, are already making calls and inquiries on the possible candidacy of several names for key positions in the Committee but, I am pretty sure that everyone will definitely be eyeing on the most important position of all – the President’s post. While it is clear that YB Dato Zahidi has mentioned that he will not contest to continue filling up the post, stranger happenings have happened before and things can still develop unexpectedly.

Personally, while I am considered as part and parcel of the current team by many, I still feel slightly detached as I was only appointed as Assistant Secretary in February 2019 after the previous one went MIA. And prior to the appointment, I did mention jokingly to Hamid – the current Secretary, that I (and Emran – the Treasurer who was also appointed at the same time as me due to the previous Treasurer’s resignation) would be the shortest serving Assistant Secretary in MCF history. While I would like to maintain my presence in the committee, it will be up to the delegates to nominate me for a post, and up to the voters to vote me in. 

In the early 90’s, during the reign of Dato’ Seri Sabaruddin Chik (now Tan Sri) as MCF President, he did tell me that I cannot be nominated nor can I run for a post in MCF because I am not politically inclined. It does make sense because like it or not, in order to be voted in, a candidate needs to “be presentable”, able to “make promises”, “popular” and “knows who to team up with” in order to be liked and to be voted in. In other words, he told me that no one would vote for me because I am a worker who does things to make it happen, and I am not willing to associate myself with anyone – more like a lone ranger who fights his own war. Further, he also told me that I am a person who does NOT like to please other people just to be popular in order to get voted in because, according to his observation, I continously argue even with him on petty matters. Well Tan Sri, that was almost 25 years ago... 

MCF Committee 2016 to 2019 after winning the election with YB Zahidi Zainul Abidin as its President.
Since then, Secretary Gregory was replaced by Peter Long (2017), replaced by Sophian (2018) and Hamid Majid (2018). AndTresurer Haslindah Ruslan was replaced by Emran Mohd Tamil (2019).

I am not sure if this has changed over the years – age makes you wiser (or did it not?) because in essence, I would like people to judge me based on the work that I have done, not so much of the “popularity” and the “candy coating” that I can do. Nonetheless, let see how things develop. Even if I am not going to be part and parcel of the new team, I will and can still contribute in my own ways. There are many things to do and not being in the committee should not deter my desire to help. But if I am not needed, I can always take a break again from chess, do the things I like, and continue by blog and writing – on personal happenings and events in my daily life, or as a chess critic who wants to see the game to develop and to progress towards a better future.

So, mark your calendar – nominations closed on 15^thJune, and D-Day on 29^thJune 2019. Let the best persons and teams win!!!

Let’s hope for an awesome change in MCF.

Of Running Another Malaysian Chess Championship 2019 - And the winner is......

After 5 days and 9 rounds of gruelling chess using the standard 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment, two National Champions have emerged - one for the Open section and the other for the Women section. One is a first time winner and the other, an old time winner.

Another "work" completed!

Either my math is getting worse, or I am just daydreaming.... Someone pointed out that if NM Kamal Abdullah last won the title in 1989, it should be a 30 year gap and not 20 years as per what I have wrote earlier. Kind of embarassing that I was not able to do such an easy math but regardless, it was an incredible feat by NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah - who holds aloft the National Champion for the 3rd time, after a 30 year gap. Interesting to note that when he first won it in 1989, he was the youngest Malaysian Champion and now, he is the oldest National Champion. But his fight to the top was not easy - not only was he fasting, he also had to take care of some of his students that were with him for the championship as well. And along the way, Kamal produced some of the best chess of his life en route to an almost perfect score of 8 points from 9 rounds - no losses and with 2 drawn games. 

It was also interesting to note that despite being a fasting month, the fight for the top were challenged by those who were fasting - Abdullah Che Hassan on Board 2 (at 6 points going against Yeap Eng Chiam who has 7 points), and Mohd Saprin (at 6 1/2 points) against Mohd Kamal (at 7 points) on Board 1. Agreed that it was a fasting month and while it was a herculean feat to manage through the 9 rounds, it was also interesting to note that these players had overcome their obstacles and challenges to provide their best. 

Hard working officials!

In the game between Abdullah and Eng Chiam, the former had the advantage at one point during the game but somehow lost it as the game progresses and eventually, losing the game as well. On Board 1, it was an interesting match up between the two friends and Mohd Saprin for all purposes, did not expect that he will end up challenging for the top position. In all honesty, he was there at the National Championship to accompany his son Ghaazi but ended up playing so well that - after so many years of trying, is within a point away from the possibility of being a National Champion. In the end, it was not meant to be and Mohd Kamal maintain his fine run to notch the winning points from his opponent. And by virtue of the the tie break - as Kamal had beaten Eng Chiam in the earlier round, Kamal was declared the 2019 Champion for the 3rd time - 1988, 1989 and 2019.... An impressive feat and achievement indeed.

Arbiters at work

VVIP - Dato Sri Muhammad Safian

For the Women section, it was a walk in the park for Munajjah who was already 1 1/2 points clear of her nearest rival at the start of Round 9. So, it was only logical that she took the safe route out by offering a draw which her opponent accepted. And with that, Munajjah became the 2019 Women Champion for the first time - out scoring previous champions and sisters Nur Nabila and Nur Najiha who were the initial favorites to lift the title.

All in all, it was a good outing at the Malaysian Chess Championship 2019 albeit the event was postponed and the participants were reduced due to the unfortunate passing of Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Shah. The place was more than reasonable, the hotel pricing was cheap and the amenities and surroundings were excellent as food and eateries, convenience stores and businesses, are all within walking distance. And everything was run like clockwork under the watchful eye of Puan Hamidah who controls and manages her team well. And Persatuan Catur Pahang is already eyeing for another big event towards the end of the year, and perhaps the National Youth Chess Championship in 2020. 

All in all, I would like to thank all the players for making the Malaysian Chess Championship 2019 a great success with minimal management issues, the team of Arbiters that I have working with me like FA Azhar Md Said and NA Razman (of Pahang), and PCP Committee for their dedication and hard work. 

One thing for sure, MCF will definitely review the dates for MCC 2020 to make sure that the timing of the event will not clashes with fasting month, and considering that next year will be an Olympiad year, the MCC should be held earlier (perhaps in March) and the winner - by selection, should have the first choice to be selected to represent Malaysia at Olympiad 2020 in Khanty Mansysk.

Thank you everyone and hopefully, I will have the opportunity to run next year's MCC as well. Selamat Hari Raya - Maaf Zahir Batin to all Muslims (players or otherwise) and Happy Holidays to the non Muslims. Drive Safe and Enjoy!

Women Board 1 - FInal Round between Munajjah and Atheira

Xin Hao and Amir Ghaazi

The only rose amongst the many thorns - Nithyalakshmi 

FInal battle on the top board - NM Mohd Kamal and Mohd Saprin

Women's section winners

Open Section winners

Our 2019 Champions - NM Mohd Kamal (Open) and Puteri Munajjah (Women) with Chief Arbiter - Me 😇

Of Running the MCC 2019 - As the dust clears...

At the conclusion of Round 6 on the 3^rdday of the Malaysian Chess Championship 2019, a sole leader has emerged from each of the Open and Women section as the main contenders to be crowned the next National Champions.

In the Open section, NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah is currently the clear leader with 5½ points after playing a convincing win against former National Junior Yeap Eng Chiam in Round 6 on the Board 1. Top seed Looi Xin Hao outplayed Abdullah Che Hassan on Board 2 whilst Mohd Ghaazi and Mohd Ali drew on Board 3. Two veterans facing off on Board 4 between FM Ismail Ahmad and Jax Tham – an encounter which favored the latter, and on Board 5, Mohd Saprin outplayed Yeoh Huan Hui to secure a valuable point. The only female player in the Open section, Nithyalakshmi Sivanesan continued her climb to the top of the table with a convincing win against Lee Care Greene on Board 6. Other notable games were Lim Kian Hwa beating Cheah Kah Hoe on Board 10, Iwan Schani Ibnu outplayed Mohd Asyraf Razman Board 11 and youngster Muhd Nur Daie beating his much higher rated opponent in Wan Mohd Azmie on Board 14.

In the next Round 7, the stage is now set for a showdown between former Champion and second seed NM Mohd Kamal against top seed Looi Xin Hao on Board 1. A win for NM Kamal would put him on track to win the trophy for the 3^rd time after a 20-year gap from when he last won the championship in 1989 – an historical feat never been done by any other player before. On Board 2, Yeap Eng Chiam is paired against veteran Jax Tham – both with 5 points, and on Board 3, Johorean Abdullah Che Hassan will be playing against Teh Wee Zhun. On Board 4, Mohd Saprin Sabri will meet Mohd Ali Chor and on the next Board 5, Saprin’s son Amir Ghaazi will be challenged by Nithyalakshmi.

This will be a crucial round for the leaders to break away from the pack and for NM Kamal, a win in this round will definitely increases his chances to win the National title once again. 

For the Women section, Munajjah outplayed the more experience WFM Nur Najiha to gain a clear point lead against her closest rival – sister WFM Puteri Rifqah Fahada who drew with WFM Chua Jia Tien on the next board. On Board 3, Nur Nabila had little trouble to win against Athiera Fatneen and Claire Foo winning her game against Tan Wei Ting on Board 4.

Color sequence has avoided Munajjah to be paired against her sister Rifqah in the next round but wins for the sisters will definitely force their encounter in the penultimate round. For the current Round 7, Munajjah faces Claire Foo and the higher rated Munajjah should be able to hold her game well. On Board 2, Rifqah playing against Nur Nabila and on the next board, Penangite Divyadarshini will be handling the white pieces against Nur Najiha.

A win for Munajjah in Round 7 will definitely put her as the favorite to hold aloft the Tan Sri Dato Sri Ramli Ngah Talib trophy unless she bungled in her next game – possibly against sister Rifqah. After that, it should a walk in the park for Munajjah as there would be no more formidable opponent to stop her run.

Some photos from Day 3 of the Malaysian Chess Championship 2019.

Kelantan players - one for the album

Penang Power - Eng Chiam and Xin Hao

Munajjah patiently waiting - "Welcom to the slaughterhouse"

Abdullah Che Hassan

Iwan Schani Ibnu - the most dashingly stylish player on the field

Two friend facing off - Saprin and Ezmi

Johore NM Kamal and Abdullah, facing their Penang opponents Eng Chiam and Xin Hao

Xin Hao against Abdullah

    

NM Kamal Abdullah - He won the title 20 years ago

Tan Wei Ting

Puteri Rifqah with Nur Nabila at the background

Teh Wee Zhun

A rose amongst the thorns... And the rose can be deadlier than the thorns

Of Running MCC 2019 (Day 2) - To Cough or Not To Cough....

There were a few upsets during the 3^rdand 4^thround but, the attention was more towards what happened out of the game routine rather than issues within the games itself.

For the very first time in my 30 years or so career as a chess player, arbiter and organizer, a player officially approached the Arbiter's table to lodge a complaint about a player coughing during rounds. But his comments make sense and of course, to substantiate his complaint, he cited a few rules within the FIDE handbook which – although it does not specifically mention “coughing”, it was enough to deem that the claim is reasonable and worth considering. While the player wanted those who coughed to be “removed and considered lost in the round”, I was not entire agreeable to the request as I need to have some kind of discretion to decide if the cough is genuine or it is used as a tactic to distract an opponent. Of course, I am not a doctor but, to provide a blanket rule that deems someone to have lost just because they cough, is a bit too extreme.

So, as the complainant return to his table to continue with his game, we decided to call the boy who was sick and ask if he is able to continue as it is quite apparent that he is coughing quite badly. After a chat with the parents – who confirmed that the boy was sick a couple of weeks back but had recovered, they agreed to provide a face mask for their son and gave him some cough drops to suppress his cough. While that part of the issue was managed, we did make rounds and offer face masks to those coughing whil playing their games. As a follow up to the request, I announced at the start of Round 4 that players who feel sick or unwell, should start thinking as to which is more important to them – their health or chess, and if need be, should withdraw from the tournament to avoid spreading virus and germs to everyone else. The organizer also agreed to provide face masks to those requiring it and some cough drops to control their cough. I even went on to mention that those who cough persistently and is clearly unwell, maybe expel from the tournament to ensure that it does not distract others playing in the event, not to mention the “pollution” that he or she is contributing to the hall environment. 

In a very enclosed area like hotel rooms and hall, such a situation – where germs can spread like wildfire, is not something new or strange or even illogical. It can happen and it will happen. Already in the 3^rdday of the event and if my memory serves me right, there are more players sniffling and “clearing their throats” now compared to during the 1^stday or even the 2^ndday of the tournament. I believe the request made by the player is an excellent request but, it needs to be implemented in a justifiable and reasonable manner. Perhaps, we will also require a player – who seems to be sick, to get a doctor’s clearance to play in an event to make sure that whatever sickness he or she introduces in the playing hall is not contagious or harmful to the others. 

Now back to the scores starting with Round 3.

In the Open section, Mohd Kamal Abdulla drew with up and rising player Lee Care Greene from Penang on Board 2 but another rising youngster, Amir Ghaazi Mohd Saprin lost his game to the lower rated Brien Foo on board 4. Veteran Jax Tham – playing white, also took a tumble losing to youngster Muhammad Emir Rasyid on Board 6. The sole woman player in the Open Section, Nithyalakshmi Sivanesan played well to beat her local Pahang opponent and veteran Kamal Azmi Wahiduddin. 

In the Women section, it was a stroll in the park for WFM Nur Najiha winning against Puteri Rifqah Fahada but sister WFM Nur Nabila conceded her point losing to WFM Chua Jia Tien on Board 2. Puteri Munajjah also played well to overcome her opponent Ding Dao En, and in the lower boards, Fatih Nor Sahariah drew with Tan Wei Ting on Board 5.

In the afternoon Round 4, Looi Xin Hao was lucky to escape with a full point after having trouble holding his game handling Rook and Knight against his opponent sole Queen. NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah played well in a 7-pawn endgame to secure his point against The Wee Zhun on Board 3 and Abdullah Che Hassan winning easily against his younger opponent Muhd Nur Daie on Board 4. Mohd Saprin Sabri suffered a shocking defeat against youngster Lee Care Greene on Board 5 but son Amir Ghaazi did well to overcome opponent Wan Mohd Azmie after the latter blundered by giving away his queen towards the end of a marathon game – the last game to finish for the day. 

While Looi Xin Hao has managed to continue his billing as the top seed in the Open section, the same cannot be said for the Women section. Round 4 Board 1 saw a nail-biting encounter between WFM Nur Najiha and WFM Chua Jia Tien which ended in a draw after Najiha was unable to ward off continuous Queen checks from Jia Tien in a Queens and Pawns ending. On Board 2, Puteri Munajjah created a mini upset when she outplayed WFM Nur Nabila confidently to secure a full point. WFM Puteri Rifqah Fahada had little resistance to overcome Nurina Nayli on Board 3 and Claire Foo secured her point on board 4 after her opponent Athiera Fatneen misplayed the endgame which could have ended in a split decision.

For the Open section, at the end of day 2, two Penang players Yeap Eng Chiam and Looi Xin Hao – both with perfect score of 3 points each, will square off on Board 1 in Round 5 whilst Abdullah Che Hassan and Lee Care Greene – both half points behind, will face each other on Board 2. NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah, who is the remaining 2½ pointer, will meet Francis Tan with 2 points on board 3. Nithyalakshmi continues her good performance and will meet Yeoh Huan Hui on Board 5 – both with 2 points, and the winner of the match will definitely have a clear opportunity to eye the top spot. It will be interesting to see if Nithya can challenge the boys for the top spot and on the same note, the last female to play in the Open Section was WFM Camilia Johari who tried the feat in 2015 – ending in 32^ndplace out of 76 entries.

For the women section, with only 18 players playing over 9 rounds, it will be a race to the finish for many of the players especially the top seeds – sisters Nabila and Najiha, sister Rifqah and Munajjah, and Penangite Jia Tien. With Jia Tien and Munajjah fighting it off on Board 1 in Round 5, the winner of the match will definitely have a slight advantage in their race to the finish line.

NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah

Abdullah Che Hassan

WCM Nithyalakshmi Sivanesan

Francis Tan - Back in Action

FM Ismail Ahmad (

Wan Mohd Azmi (Kelantan)

Future Generation of Chess Players on Top Boards - Nik Emer Hisham (left) and Muhammad Emir (right) 

New rising star - Amir Ghaazi, and former Junior Champion - Yeap Eng Chiam

Players on Lower Board.

Of Running Another Malaysian Chess Championship...

If my memory serves me right, prior to 2015, the event was called The National Closed Chess Championship. Since 2016, the name somewhat took a different path and since then, it has been known as the Malaysian Chess Championship. In 2011 and 2012, DATCC hosted the event at its previous venue in Wilayah Complex as it was the only place in town big (and cheap) enough to host the event. For the 2011 edition, I was both the Organizer and Chief Arbiter with a total of 99 players taking part -  66 in the Open section and anothr 33 players in the Women section, the highest number of women participants in recent years. In 2012, MCF decided to allow the ladies to manage the event and for the first time in the event's history, two women were appointed as Chief Arbiters - Khairunnisa Wahiduddin managed the Open section while Haslindah Ruslan the Women section. And with that, I decided to try as a player and played in the event after a 19 year absence. The last time I played in a National Closed event was in 1993 when Yeoh Chin Seng was crowned the Champion and I had the opportunity to beat an up and coming youngster by the name of Mas Hafizulhelmi Agus Abdul Rahman - I played the white pieces in a KID Seamisch Opening.

In 2013, the event used its Malay equivalent title dubbed the Kejohanan Catur Tertutup Kebangsaan 2013 and Terengganu became its host with Mok Tze Meng appointed as the Chief Arbiter. It had the least number of Open players with only 46 entries and another 18 entries in the Women section. In 2014, the event's name was changed again to National Championship (the word "chess" was dropped) and again DATCC became the venue with Abd Hamid Majid returning as the Chief Arbiter. In 2015, the event regain the name National Closed Chess Championship with Hamid once again maintaining his role as the Chief Arbiter but the event shifted to Olympic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The event had the most number of total players playing with 76 players in the Open section and 28 players in the Women section.

The event created history in 2016 when for the very first time, Sabah decided to host the event in Kota Kinabalu and local Sabahan Charles Lucas took the helm as the Chief Arbiter. Although many had to fly to Sabah to participate in the event, it managed to attract 68 players in the Open section and 29 players in the Women section - which is not that bad at all! This is the first year that MCF began to adopt the new name of Malaysian Chess Championship instead of the usual National Closed Championship.

From then onwards, the venue has moved to Kota Baharu in 2017 and took the name RISDA Malaysian Chess Championship (as RISDA was the main sponsor for the event) with Lim Tse Pin acting as the Chief Arbiter. In 2018, Perak hosted the event at UPSI with Hamid returning once again as Chief Arbiter. 

For this year's edition, Pahang has agreed to host the event and after an 8 year absence, I have returned as the Chief Arbiter for the event - the last one being the 2011 edition. And for the first time, the event is scheduled during fasting month and very close to the Hari Raya holiday week. The event also marked the first time that it has to be postponed by a few days as a mark of respect due to the passing away of Ayahanda Paduka Tuanku Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang. But nonetheless, despite the obstacle and the changes in the event's schedule, it still managed to attract a decent number of entries with 68 players in the Open section and another 18 in the Women Section. 

The top boards

Event Backdrop

For this year's event, Looi Xin Hao of Penang is the number one seed for the Open Section (after Lim Zhuo Ren pulled out due to a personal schedule that he had committed) whilst Nur Najiha Azman Hisham for the Women section. For the Open Section, other notable entries were FM Ismail Ahmad, Yeap Eng Chiam, Mohd Saprin and son Ahmad Ghaazi, former champion Mohd Kamal Abdullah, his fellow Johorean Abdullah Che Hassan, veterans Joseph Toh and Jax Tham, and Nithyalakhsmi as the sole Women entries in male dominant section. For the ladies section, Nur Nabila will definitely challenge her sister for the top position with another pair of sisters, Puteri Rifqah and Puteri Munajjah eyeing for the same spot. Other notable entries are Chua Jia Tien and Ding Dao En.

On the first day of the event, all the players were treated to a Buka Puasa hosted by Pahang Chess Association with Dato Sri Effendi Abdullah officiating the Opening Ceremony, representing YB Dato Sri Ismail Mutalib, MP for Maran and Chess Advisor Persatuan Catur Pahang, who could not make it to the dinner due to prayers session at the Pekan Palace.

Some of the more familiar and unfamiliar faces taking part in this year's event.

Malaysia's Most Celebrated Coach - Ezmi Mahmood

Hisyamiza Ismail

Up and Coming - Amir Ghaazi Mohd Saprin

Veteran Jax Tham

Former Champion NM Mohd Kamal Abdullah

Chess Entrepreneur Norazwan "Shin" Kamaruzaman

Tan Wei Ting

Local Pahang - Kamal Azmi Wahiduddin

Yeap Eng Chiam

Veteran Joseph Toh

WFM Nur Najiha Azman Hisham

Puteri Munajjah Az Zahraa Azhar

Mohd Saprin Sabri

Mohd Hafizul Ishak