COACHING STUDENTS

I like to share some tips for coaching primary (under-12 category) or secondary (under-15 and under-18) school students. There are several fun ways to coach them. Many of these training devices I revise from what I took from this interesting website.

1. Use time odds.
I give them 10 minutes to my 1 minute. There are many times where I lose on time, but mostly, I manage to survive. Nevertheless, some of them really use the given time wisely and think hard in order to beat me (I used their thinking time also for my replies). The merits of this device - using time wisely and handling the clock correctly.

2. Play pawn games.
I set up all the white and black pawns on their original squares, minus all the other pieces. Using a simple rule of those who manage to get a passed pawn first wins, I let them play against each other. The merits - learn to get passed pawns with correct handling of pawn formations.

3. Checkmate me.
I set up basic checkmate materials such as Queen and King vs lonely King, Rook and King vs lonely King etc. and ask them to checkmate me in only one minute. Of course most of them manage to checkmate me using the Queen, but many stumble when using a Rook. The merits - learn checkmate patterns, and most importantly, learn to think fast.

4. Puzzles.
I give them positions containing certain lessons learned earlier, e.g. pin, double check, double attack, en passant, and ask them to solve it. This device should be done in groups, so that they will try to beat the other groups for the solution. The merits - learn the fundamental tactics in chess.

5. Simuls.
All the students play against me simultaneously. Students must keep score of their game, and must not consult anybody throughout. Touch move only applies to the students, not me. During 2008 centralised training with the Gua Musang team, I played against all 36 students from all the age categories, winning all but 1 when I lost to a form 5 student from Sungai Asap. The merits - use all that have been learned in a competitive game.

MAKSAK TEAM DRAW

Kelantan will battle it out against Pahang, ATM, Selangor and Penang in Group C in this year's MAKSAK Team Chess Championship. It will surely be a tough assignment as Pahang was the third placed team last year, while Selangor and Penang are known chess powerhouses. Nevertheless, with the spirit of the newly formed PCNK, Kelantan will bring its best players to the championship, and will surely try to better last year's achievement of 4th place.

Group A
Sarawak
Perlis
Terengganu
Sabah
Penjara

Group B
Kuala Lumpur
Melaka
Perak
Johor
PDRM

Group C
Pahang
Kelantan
ATM
Selangor
Penang

KELANTAN CLOSED 2010 BULLETIN

I am finalizing the official bulletin for the Kelantan Closed 2010 held last May. It contains all 70 games played at the first event organized by PCNK this year. Alhamdulillah, in the midst of my hectic schedule, I finally managed to complete the keying in of all the games. It was hard work reading some of the handwritings, but my experience in teaching helped very much. Wait for it in the next PCNK event, insha Allah.

Here is one game from the bulletin between the eventual champion and nearly crowned NM, Nik Ahmad Farouqi. Enjoy!

MAKSAK LOOMING

MAKSAK chess team event will be held in Kuala Lumpur this coming August. The details are:

Date: 6 - 8 August 2010

Venue: Dynasty Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Kelantan will put up a strong team to upgrade their 4th place finish achieved last year as the host. You can read last year's report here.

WHO WILL BE OUR FIRST GRANDMASTER?

The July 2010 FIDE rating is out. And NO, we still don't have our own Grandmaster. What ever is needed for our highest rated player, IM Mas Hafizulhelmi to become a Grandmaster? Personally, I feel disappointed when none of our four IMs (Mas Hafizulhelmi, Mok Tze Meng, Jimmy Liew and Lim Yee Weng) manages to convert their status to a GM. A look at their rating charts for the past decade indicates that IM Mok looks like the best bet to become our first GM. He steadily increases his rating which now peaks at 2416. Whereas IM Mas now stands at 2422, which is lower than his personal best of 2456 in 2001. While age is not a barrier for most of them (IM Jimmy is the only one who deserve the 'Golden Age' title), but lack of really competitive battle against really good opponents maybe the factor of them not getting the proper experience (and rating points) needed to achieve the eluded title. Once a year Malaysian Open cannot guarantee a steady FIDE rating increase, so they need to compete overseas in order to achieve it. Playing against lower rated opponents only decrease their strengths, especially against Malaysian players who I think most of them are very lazy in studying proper chess, and are focused instead on winning allegros only. But proper funds and time allocation are needed if they are to make this journey, so we will wait for our first GM for a very long time indeed.

KELATECHESS NETWORK

Thanks Naserov for his efforts to create a network for Kelantan chess players. It is hoped that Kelantan players make full use of this network to exchange latest news, pictures and also chess knowledge among them. Together let us make PCNK the best chess organization in Malaysia, insha Allah.

So, Kelantan players. Don't waste your time. Register here.