Saturday, April 28, 2012

TANAH MERAH WELCOMES YOU!



This year's MSSK Kelantan will be held at SMK Tanah Merah 1. It is situated beside the Pantai Timur and it has a big hall. The details of the tournament are as below:

Date: 10 - 12 May 2012 (Thursday - Saturday)
Venue: Main Hall, SMK Tanah Merah 1
Time: 8.00 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Format: 8 Swiss rounds (3 games will be held on Thursday, 2 games on Friday and 3 games on Saturday). Players will be given an hour to the finish.

For free accommodation, please contact the PPD Tanah Merah before 7 May 2012 to arrange for hostels nearby.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

MSSK IS HEATING UP!

Now that every district in Kelantan has finished their players selection, the players should now prepare for the MSSK which will be held in Tanah Merah in two weeks time (I will post the details later). We want players who are worthy of their places in the state's team, not those who are lucky, or those who comes through back doors or wild cards, just because he or she is a son/daughter of certain people. And to prepare, one has to have proper trainings, either with their coaches or by themselves through extensive reading of chess materials or playing against friends or computer chess programmes. There is no short cuts to success; hard work is A MUST! 

One thing that players in Kelantan still lack is preparing against other players. This can be achieved through studying their game styles and openings which can be found in tournament bulletins. I can safely say this because players in Kelantan DO NOT READ bulletins, thus they do not know what their would be opponents are playing. 

Preparing against your opponent will make your job easier. Grandmasters always make home preparation against their opponents. When I was playing in Kuala Lumpur some time ago, I always prepared against my opponents, especially in big tournaments such as the Royal Selangor Open. I have written about home preparation many times in my blog (you can read them here) but still Kelantan players attitude does not change. 

Hopefully Kelantan players will go far and stamp their mark this coming MSSM.

CHAIYOK RED KNIGHTS!



 

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A TOURNAMENT TO REMEMBER, A TOURNAMENT TO FORGET

I really don't know where to start. Well, I think it started a week ago after the tsunami warning. That night, I dreamt of tsunami drowning me. I woke up frightened and told my wife. To my surprise, she told me that she heard dreams like that mean that I would 'get something big'. Well, I really don't believe in dreams. Especially not when I have never get anything big in my life.

A Tournament to Remember


Initially, I didn't want to play in SMACH Open. My purpose was just to give tournament experience to my charges, particularly Maznie, Elanie and Syikin who are going to the MSSK Selection in May as the Tumpat representatives. However, circumstances had another idea, and I ended up playing in the Open Category. There were so many times when I was denied the championships before - Kelantan Closed in 2009, Kelantan Closed in 2010, and SMACH Open in 2010 just to name a few - by losing my last game to the eventual champions, but this time I kept my cool and claimed the number 1 spot convincingly. Receiving the trophy from the namesake - the trophy was named Zaaim Redha after him - was just a bonus for me. That night, I shared my joy with my students at Kok Lanas KFC. 



Today, I sit in my room staring at the trophy wondering whether the interpretation of the dream given by my wife is really true. 


The Final Standings

1. Yours Truly 6 points from 6 games
2. Wan Mohd Amirul 5.5
3. Nasrul Humaimi 5
4. Fairul Yusoff 5
5. Sahadi Ismail 5
6. Marzuki Yaacob 5
7. Abdullah Che Hassan 4.5
8. Nik Mohd Nazri 4.5
9. Baharuddin Hamzah 4.5
10. Mohd Khairul Ikmar 4.5



The Games



They were quite interesting, the last three in particular. The opponents kept giving me the advantage though; I got a Bishop in Round 3, a Queen in Round 4 and I managed to screw a checkmate in Round 5. Only in the last round the opponent was able to take me to a time trouble ending spree. Eventually, he gave me a Bishop as well.

 

A Tournament to Forget


I departed from my home at 6.30 a.m. and reached my school at 7.05 a.m. When my students said that they wanted to have breakfast, I gave them until 7.30 a.m. Then we sped towards the venue 45 kilometres away and managed to arrive there before 9 a.m. I thought I was already late, so I rushed to complete the registration. However, we were among the first to arrive, and I even managed to park my car under the garage. Then, it became a waiting game after that which went on for nearly 3 hours! Finally, we started our first round barely before noon. As a consequent, the first two rounds were played with a 10 minutes time allocation (actually, my first round was 11 minutes/player, a mistake, perhaps) and the players were given 20 minutes each for the last 4 rounds after the Friday prayer. Then there was another waiting game before the prize giving ceremony at 7.30 p.m. 

More surprises happened in the Female Category. I waited for the arbiter to announce the pairing for my students, but I found that the round had started without our knowledge and we had to play against each other at the back tables. Then, the unexpected happened. After the Friday prayer, the game restarted anew, and the results for the first game before that were annulled. However, the tournament kept getting worse. Round 4 and 5 were played with only 3 minutes/player, and I saw one of my students cried when she lost on time while leading in materials. 


The Problems and some Suggestions

I asked the arbiter what actually happened, and he told me that the problem stemmed from the double entries. There were names keyed in twice, and the pairing programme used could not rectify the mistakes. And then, there was the usual problem - the late registration. The players were still behaving the way the shouldn't, letting it late to register their participation. 



Personally, I have some suggestions for the organiser. Not that I think I can do better if given the opportunity, but these suggestions are really my humble opinion. 

1. The double entries should be minimized by assigning only one person to handle the registration. One email, one phone number, simple. This way, the person will surely manage to keep track on the names given to him by the participants.

2. The late participation should be minimized by fining the registration confirmed after the deadline. Not the initial registration, but the paid registration. There is no problem in paying for the fees before the deadline; there are plenty of cash deposit machines (CDM) around. Fining an extra RM5 or RM10 will surely make these people think twice before doing what they usually do.

3. Try another arbiter. It is always a good policy trying new means in order to find the best. What more Kelantan already have three International Arbiters who surely can do the job. 


Wednesday, April 18, 2012


SMACH 2012

SM Sains Machang will hold its annual open chess tournament this month. Those who are interested kindly refer to the details below:

Date: 20 April 2012 (Friday)
Time: 8.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Venue: Gymnasium, SM Sains Machang


Other details have yet to be finalised. However, if you are that eager to know more about the tournament, you may contact Wan Rozuhan at

(013-938 9819)


Last year's winner can be read here.


Update:


Entrance fees:
Open Category RM15 (Kelantanese), RM20 (Non-Kelantanese)
Students RM10 (Secondary school students), RM5 (Primary school students)

Registration:
Before 19 April 2012 e-mail your particulars to terengganu_chess@hotmail.com


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Gula Perlis Open Chess Challenge 2012
The details are as below:

Date
:
12 May 2012 (Saturday)
Time
:
8.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. (Time control 25 minutes)
Venue
:
Dewan Belia, Kangar, Perlis.

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY = RM5,520.00
MEDAL TO ALL WINNERS
CERTIFICATES WILL BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO PAY BEFORE 1 MAY 2012
LUCKY DRAW = 4 DIGITAL CHESS CLOCKS
PARTICIPANTS NO. 1 - 100
PARTICIPANTS NO. 101 - 200
PARTICIPANTS NO. 201 & ABOVE
10 LUCKY DRAW NUMBERS
5 LUCKY DRAW NUMBERS
1 LUCKY DRAW NUMBER
To register please credit to CIMB 0902-0136677-52-6 (SYAIFULZAMANI BIN ISMAIL) and SMS your name and category, date & time of payment to 013-3939838 (Syaiful). You may also surf the event at facebook here.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Hero wears a cap to control his dandruff

YEOH LI TIAN vs HERO

At UM Open today, Hero beats Yeoh Li Tian who had just beaten Grandmasters in Brunei using only the French Defense. An opening to beat?


Friday, April 13, 2012

MSSD KOTA BHARU SELECTION

Kota Bharu will hold its selection at the end of this month. Details as below:

Date: 25-26/4/2012
Venue: SMK TANJONG CHAT, KB
Time: 8am - 4 pm

I'm sorry because I couldn't find any map or picture of the school. I wonder why?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Siti Nur Farahim Syahira won all her games


MSSD TUMPAT SELECTION 2012

The selection ended today. It was a close fight in the male categories, while there were clear winners for all the female categories. Faezzah, Maznie and the mighty Siti Nur Farahim Syahira were really a class above the others. The winners for each category are as below:


Female Under 18 Category

Faezzah (MRSM) 5.5 points
Marlida (SMMM) 4.5
Auni Maisarah (SMMM) 4.5
Siti Nurdurrani (MRSM) 4.5
Nur Aishah (MRSM) 4
Nur Raihan (SMG) 4

Female Under 15 Category

Maznie (SMCE) 5.5 points
Amyra Jasmine (MRSM) 4.5
Nor Izzatul Elanie (SMCE) 4.5
Nurul Elliyana (MRSM) 4.5
Nur Amani Balqis (SMF) 4
Nurul Asyikin (SMCE) 4

Female Under 12 Category

Siti Nur Farahim Syahira (SKK) 6
Fatin Kameela (SKCB) 4.5
Siti Hajar Aisyah (SKK) 4.5
Farahiyah (SKK) 4
Nur Nabilah (SKKL) 4
Nur 'Ainani (SKP) 4

Male Under 18 Category

Muhammad Alif (SMWB) 5
Mohd Nasrul Azim (SMT) 5
Muhd Faris Sabri (SMT) 5
Ahmad Shahril (SMMM) 4.5
Muhammad Ashraf (SMF) 4.5
Muhamad Syafiq (MRSM) 4.5

Male Under 15 Category

Muhd Mursyied (SMF) 5
Wan Mohamad Hilmi (MRSM) 5
Harun Asnan (SMF) 5
Wan Muhd Adib (SMMM) 4.5
Abdul Azim (SMF) 4.5
Mohamad Zaiful Zulhizman (MRSM) 4.5

Male Under 12 Category

Nasrul Ubaidillah (SKKL) 5.5
Wan Muhammad Danial (SKK) 5
Muhamad Izwan (SKP) 5
Muhamad Taufik Hidayat (SKKL) 4.5
Mohamad Syahir (SKCE) 4
Mohd Haziq Azrain (SKCB) 4



Congratulations to all winners, especially for students from my school. They really conquered the Under 15 Female Category. While in the Under 18 Female Category, Engku Aishah was denied a place when she lost the last round game. She only needed a draw to be 5th, and the lost put her at 9th. However, I was proud of all their performance because we have been training for some time already and it is time to concentrate on the state selection.


SMK Chabang Empat players

Under 15 Male

26. Muhammad Fa'izi


Under 15 Female

1. Maznie
3. Nor Izzatul Elanie
6. Nurul Asyikin


Under 18 Female

9. Engku Aishah
14. Atikah
15. Nurul Isnani
21. Afiqah

Monday, April 09, 2012

TUMPAT DISTRICT SELECTION STARTS TODAY!

Tumpat district selection starts at 3 p.m. today at SK Kampung Laut hall. There are 184 players altogether for 6 categories. MRSM comes with full force, many of them last year's winners. However, other schools also come with hope, and will surely fight for the 36 places allocated for the state selection.





Friday, April 06, 2012

MSSD KUALA KRAI SELECTION

Kuala Krai has finished its selection for the upcoming MSSK. The event was held on 4 - 5 April 2012. The final results:



18 (L)
1. Mohd Muhaimin (SMK SYP2)
2. Muhd Afif Mohd Fakri )SMK SYP1)
3. Fadhil Aiman (SMK SYP2)
4. Muhd Izuan ( SMK Dabong)
5. Muhd Rashidi (MRSM)
6. W A Al Muhaimin (SMK Pahi)

 
18 (P)
1. Siti Mariani Anis (SMK SYP2)
2. Akma Syamimi Mohamed (SMK SYP2)
3. Nor Atikah Abd Rahman (SMK Laloh)
4. Nur Aziean (SMK Dabong)
5. Siti Sri Suriati (SMK SYP2)
6. Fatin Amira (SMK Manek Urai)

 
15 (L)
1. Shamil Ilman (MRSM)
2. Muhd Syahiran (SMK SYP2)
3. Muhd Khairul Ikmal (SMK SYP2)
4. Muhd Luqman (MRSM)
5. Hakimi (SMK Manek Urai)
6. Muhd Izani (SMK SYP2)

 
15 (P)
1. Fatih Nor Sahariah (MRSM)
2. Nik Anisy Syahkirah (SMK SYP2)
3. Aznira Hanoon (SMK SYP2)
4. Nora Asma M Noor (SMK Mengkebang)
5. Suzuani (SMK Manek Urai)
6. Nik Nur Najihah (SMK SYP2)


12 (L)
1. Nik Mohd Haziq (SK SYP2)
2. Mohd Syakir (SK Kg Tengah)
3. Chong Jing Ming (SK Yuk Chai)
4. Saiful Izzat (SK SYP2)
5. Amiruddin (SK Temalir)
6. Muhd Khuzairie (SK Sg Pas)

 
12 (P)
1. Nurul Izzah Aqilah (SK Sg Pas)
2. Nik Nurina (SK Karangan)
3. Siti Sarah (SK SYP2)
4. Wan Farhanah Nadia (SK Laloh)
5. Nik Nurmiza (SK Karangan)
6. Aini Mahadi (SK Kg Tengah)


Tuesday, April 03, 2012

TUMPAT SELECTION NEXT WEEK

Preparation continues for SMK Chabang Empat players.





Here is the list of schools which already sent their players' names.

Secondary Schools:

SMK Geting
SMKA Falahiah
SMK Chabang Empat
SMK Sungai Pinang
SMK Tumpat
MRSM Tumpat

Primary Schools:

SK Kutan
SK Chenderong Batu
SK Palekbang
SK Berangan 1
SK Kampung Laut
SK Chabang Empat

Sunday, April 01, 2012


OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT 2012



DATE : 14TH APRIL 2012
TIME : 7.30 AM - 6.30 PM
VENUE : KOLEJ KEDIAMAN KESEMBILAN, UNIVERSITI MALAYA


PRIZES
GRAND PRIZE : RM1000
1ST RUNNER UP : RM700
2ND RUNNER UP: RM500

BEST UNIVERSITY : RM200
BEST SCHOOL : RM200
BEST FAMILY : RM200

REGISTRATION
PER TEAM (4 PERSONS IN A TEAM)
UNDER 12 : RM80
OPEN : RM120

CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATION : 7TH APRIL 2012

CONTACTS:
YEE TING : 016-996 8613
JIAWEN : 016-390 1198
FARAH : 014-533 5662

FACEBOOK LINK : https://www.facebook.com/events/281276618608130/

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