VENUE CONFIRMED FOR ZADANO KELANTAN OPEN 2014

Google Street View of SMKA Naim Lilbanat, Kota Bharu

The venue for Zadano Kelantan Open has been confirmed. It will be held at Haji Yaacub Hall, SMKA Naim Lilbanat, Kota Bharu. It is situated at Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra and is easily accessible by any kind of transportation. 

Some of the hotels and accommodations nearby:

1. Renaissance Hotel

2. Leo Mutiara Hotel

3. Kami Hotel

4. MCna Homestay

5. D' Naja Inn

6. Tune Hotel
7. Perdana Hotel
8. Al-Quds Hotel
9. Saf Inn
10. BBP Hotel

For reminders:

The closing date is 22 December 2014.

BARBAT BLITZ 2014

New Castle Chess Solution (NCCS) was instrumental in gathering several Kelantan hardcore chess players prelude to the Kelantan Open by holding a blitz chess tournament. Like the previous Deepavali Blitz, this tournament was also held at a football playing venue - a futsal court. It really strengthens the notion that chess is indeed a sport, not merely a recreation game like some argue. The tournament details are as follows:

Date: 6 December 2014

Time: 3 - 6 pm

Venue: 7F Futsal Centre, Kg Seterpa, Peringat, Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Format: 7 Swiss Rounds

Time Control: 10 minutes per player per game

Fees: RM5.00

Sponsored by several other individuals apart from the NCCS, which include Rozhisham with the medals, Azlin with the Detox patches and Nik Azhan with MILO packets, the tournament attracted 24 players:

1. Alif Omar Mohd Saufi

2. Mohd Saufi Deraman

3. Muhd Khairul Ikmal

4. Norazlin Juarih

5. Wan Mahadzir

6. Nasrul Humaimi

7. Najihah Mohd Saufi

8. Muhd Haziq Rhozisham

9. Asomuddin Mohd Safi

10. Mohd Faridzul Asyraf

11. Nik Nur Nadzirah

12. Nik Anisy Syakirah

13. Roslee Alias

14. Marzuki Yaacob

15. Muhd Zudi

16. Nik Mohd Nazri

17. Muhammad Ariez Azman

18. Wan Tarmizi

19. Wan Mohd Azmie

20. Syed Azizi

21. Faiz Zakaria

22. Yusnizam

23. Azfarziyad

24. Yours Truly

In the end, Yours Truly managed to claim top spot by holding the Deepavali Blitz chess champion, Nasrul Humaimi, to the draw and winning the rest. I was extremely lucky to be able to hold my pieces together in the fast games as I really do think that I am only suited for classical time control nowadays. Nevertheless, the games were enjoyable enough and you readers are lucky I am able to recall all the 7 games. 

Click on the game headers to view the games.

Round 1: Asomuddin Mohd Safi vs Yours Truly

It started as a Najdorf but it quickly turned into a Sveshnikov, albeit with the White knight on b3 instead of a3. After I was able to force White to take with a pawn on d5, Black controlled the centre viciously. 

Position after 24...Qb6

Round 2: Yours Truly vs Roslee Alias

I was trying to be clever by taking the Black undeveloped Knight at b8 but was foiled by a check by the Black Queen at a5. Black should have punished my mistake, but instead he blundered away two minor pieces. The rest was history.

Position after 7... Qa5+

Round 3: Najihah vs Yours Truly

Morra Gambit revisited. I used my preferred line, but was nearly crushed by the young Kelantan scholastic champion. The push f5 was uncalled for, and I barely survived the onslaught. Luckily, I was saved by an illegal move with 1 second to spare.

Position after 17...f5

Round 4: Marzuki Yaacob vs Yours Truly

English is Marzuki's specialty, and playing it against an English teacher can be considered 'cocky'. However, I chose a wrong timing to push d5 and was hit by an avalanche of pawns. However, he wrongfully adjudged the exchange sacrifice and crumbled badly. 

Position after 10...d5

Round 5: Yours Truly vs Dr. Nasrul Humaimi

I made a mistake by placing a Bishop at the vulnerable d6 square and was punished by an alert Dr Nasrul. He took the opportunity to double his Rooks on the c-file and nearly got away with the point. However, I managed to secure the draw by leaving the opposite coloured Bishop on board. 

Position after 14.Bd6

Round 6: Yours Truly vs Nik Mohd Nazri

I was able to develop quickly because of his opening choice but it was not decisive until he decided to give away a pawn on e7. Latching onto the opportunity, I quickly doubled the Rooks on the e-file and put him under intense pressure. Sure enough, another crucial pawn in front of the King was given, and with it, the game.

Position after 23.Nxg6

Round 7: Muhammad Ariez vs Yours Truly

I always try to prove that the Trompovsky Bishop should not be surrendered because it will leave the b-pawn unguarded, and I usually accept a doubled pawn to lure its demise. My Queen and dark-squared Bishop were bossing the dark squares and White found it hard to develop his pieces because of this. As a result, White gave away a centre pawn in the middle game and this proved to be enough for me to win the endgame and the tournament. 

Position after 19...Bxe4

The final results:

Some pictures courtesy of Rhozisham and also Empty Bench:

Family duel between siblings living miles apart

Cozy playing venue

The passing of the mantle

The prizes

   

The matching attires tell us what we need to know

Laksa for everybody

A doctorate and a soon-to-be doctor

 This successfully held event showed several important observations:

1. Kelantan chess players are hungry for chess tournaments which are a rarity in Kelantan nowadays.

2. It does not require a huge amount of money to gather enthusiastic chess players - they just want to play.

3. PCNK really needs the right people to lead it towards glory and success.

CARLSEN vs ANAND 2014

Sochi will witness the rematch of last year's World Championship match between the reigning World Champion, Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Viswanathan Anand. Will there be something new from Anand's camp? Or will it be same old, same old for Carlsen? Currently at the time of writing, Carlsen has just won the second game with the white pieces after drawing the first game with black. Hopefully Anand will bounce back because the whole world want to see a fair fight. 

You may witness the duel on the official site here.

ps: Carlsen looked very old in the above picture taken from the official site :)

KELANTAN OPEN 2014

The most awaited event of the year for Kelantan chess community will finally be held this December. It is a FIDE rated event and is open to everybody. Sponsored by Zadano Malaysia, the Kelantan Open is expected to attract the maximum of 200 players to challenge for the champion trophy and first prize money of RM2000.

The details of the tournament can be read in the flyer below:

You may also download this form by clicking here.

You may view the latest list of registered PCNK members here.

 most awaited event of the year for Kelantan chess community will finally be held this December. It is a FIDE rated event and is open to everybody. Sponsored by Zadano Malaysia, the Kelantan Open is expected to attract the maximum of 200 players to challenge for the champion trophy and first prize money of RM2000. The details of the tournament can be read in the flyer below:

Make money by copying the best: http://bit.ly/best_tips

The most awaited event of the year for Kelantan chess community will finally be held this December. It is a FIDE rated event and is open to everybody. Sponsored by Zadano Malaysia, the Kelantan Open is expected to attract the maximum of 200 players to challenge for the champion trophy and first prize money of RM2000. The details of the tournament can be read in the flyer below: You may also download this form by clicking here. You may view the latest list of registered PCNK members here.

Make money by copying the best: http://bit.ly/best_tips

Kelantan Open 2014 The most awaited event of the year for Kelantan chess community will finally be held this December. It is a FIDE rated event and is open to everybody. Sponsored by Zadano Malaysia, the Kelantan Open is expected to attract the maximum of 200 players to challenge for the champion trophy and first prize money of RM2000. The details of the tournament can be read in the flyer below: You may also download this form by clicking here. You may view the latest list of registered PCNK members here.

Make money by copying the best: http://bit.ly/best_tips

DEEPAVALI BLITZ TOURNAMENT

After a long wait for a tournament in Kelantan, one of Kelantan Chess Association (PCNK) members organised a small scale blitz chess tournament on invitation basis to fulfill a lengthy holiday in conjunction of Deepavali. At first, 10 Kelantan players were invited to play a round robin tournament at the Sultan Muhammad IV stadium, but in the end, there were 14 players turning up: 

1. Nasrul Humaimi (the organiser)

2. Khairul Aznan

3. Muhammad Ariez

4. Marzuki

5. Nik Mohd Nazri

6. Haziq Rozhisham

7. Norazlin

8. Rozhisham

9. Irfan

10. Mohd Azizul

11. Hilmi

12. Khairul

13. Wan Mohd Adli

14. Wan Mohd Amirul

After the customary 13 rounds of play, the organiser emerged as champion by defeating almost everybody. Even Yours Truly was checkmated without any mercy as he was in demolition mode. Second and third were taken by siblings Wan Mohd Amirul and Wan Mohd Adli, respectively while Yours Truly was fourth after losing to all three mentioned and winning the rest. The full results are shown below:

  

Although youthfulness of the siblings proved to be the catalyst for them to excel in the fast paced chess that night, the youngest player in the tournament, Haziq, has a lot to do after losing all his games. It turned out that he could not muster his moves quickly enough to counter his opponents, and this is quite perplexing. Hopefully he will do better in the upcoming UTP blitz tournament in November.

Some pictures from various sources (credit to Nasrul and Ariez rare CANON camera):

 

UTP RAPID AND BLITZ 2014

UTP would like to invite you to join this event which will be held as follow:

Date: 22nd and 23rd November 2014 (Saturday and Sunday)
Venue: Main Hall, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
 
FORMAT: Rapid (9 rounds Swiss System, 20 Minutes + 10 Seconds increment) and Blitz (9 rounds Swiss System, 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment)
 
CATEGORY: Open (FIDE Rated) and Age-Group Categories (Nat. Rated: U-16 Boys/Girls, U-14 Boys/Girls, U-12 Boys/Girls, U-10 Boys/Girls, U-8 Boys/Girls)

PRIZES: (All winners will get certificate of achievement, all participants will get certificate of participation)
Open Rapid: 1st RM1000, 2nd RM500, 3rd RM400, 4th RM350, 5th RM300, 6th RM250, 7th RM200, 8th RM150, 9th RM100, 10th RM90, + 5 consolation prizes)

Open Blitz: 1st RM500, 2nd RM250, 3rd RM200, 4th RM150, 5th RM100, 6th RM90, 7th RM80, 8th RM70, 9th RM60, 10th RM50, + 5 consolation prizes)

Age-Group Rapid: 1st RM50 + Medal, 2nd Medal, 3rd Medal (For each age-group categories, boys and girls)

Age-Group Blitz: 1st RM30 + Medal, 2nd Medal, 3rd Medal (For each age-group categories, boys and girls)

ENTRY FEE: The fee shall cover BOTH rapid and blitz events. No refunds will be given if player chooses to participate in only one event.
1. RM 40.00 for Age-Group Category (Under-16, Under-14, Under-12, Under-10 and Under-8)
2. RM 70.00 for Open Category – FIDE Rated Player
3. RM 120.00 for Open Category – NON-FIDE Rated Player
4. FREE ENTRANCE FEE for Malaysian IM / FM / WIM / WFM

CLOSING DATE: 19th November 2014 (Wednesday)

INFORMATION: Please contact Lee Ming Xiang (mingxiang1006@gmail.com; 012 - 979 1319) or Tisha Loh (tishaloh@hotmail.com; 019-3779444) or visit website at http://nrbcc.weebly.com.

IIUM OPEN

IIUM Sports Development Centre in collaboration with Ministry of Education (MOE) and Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) will be organizing the 6th IIUM Chess Invitational Tournament 2014 scheduled to be held on 18th October 2014 at Multipurpose Hall, Female Sports Complex, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Gombak.

This tournament will be divided into three categories which are Open Category, Under-21 Category and Under-12 Category.

 

Please register before the closing date stated. Late entry registration will not be entertained. 

 

Entry fee must be paid before the registration day. Payment by cheque should be written in the name of BENDAHARI UIAM. Or you can bank in to Maybank Account No. 158284093811 (Miss Nurul Najmi Bt. Bakar). Please provide the proof of payment or bank in slip during the registration day.

 

Any inquiries, kindly contact the Secretariats:-

Mrs. Norsharmila Zabani
Tel.: 016-3332207
E-mail  : sharmila@iium.edu.my

Miss. Nurul Najmi Bakar
Tel.: 016-4452501
E-mail  : nurulnajmibakar@gmail.com

Mr. Ahmad Azfar Azmi
Tel.: 017-6709644
E-mail  : azfar64master@yahoo.com

Mr. Wan Muhammad Shafiq Mohd Shukri
Tel.: 017-8172998
E-mail  : kingafiq@yahoo.com.my

HOST WINS MAKSAK 2014

Winners in action

 Terengganu took advantage of being the host to wrest the title away from Johor in the recently concluded MAKSAK held at Tanjung Vista Hotel, Kuala Terengganu. The three-day tournament saw 14 teams participating in the inaugural 7 round Swiss format. The previous winners' pool and losers' pool format was relinquished to give the chance for the change into Swiss format. It was a bold decision made by this year's MAKSAK committee at the time when we already grew accustomed to the previous format. 

Kuala Lumpur is the runners up

The participating teams were (according to initial ranking): 

1. Johor

2. Kuala Lumpur

3. Terengganu

4. Sarawak

5. Perak

6. Selangor

7. Pahang

8. Armed Forces

9. Kedah

10. Jail

11. Police

12. Perlis

13. Penang

14. Kelantan

Kelantan was put at the bottom of the pack for not participating in the 2013 MAKSAK in Johor. We nearly do not participate this year also if not for the effort put in by the team members and the timely school holidays.At the final moments, we managed to assemble a team consisted of (according to board number):

1. Mohd Saufi Deraman

2. Nik Mohd Nazri Nik Hasan

3. Muhammad Ariez Azman

4. Mohd Anis Rahimi Mohd Noor

5. Baharuddin Hamzah

Nik Mohd Nazri is contemplating a move

Kelantan performance was not up to par, in my opinion. Only Nik Mohd Nazri and Baharuddin did well in their games while others were way off the mark. However, I think they were forgivable as the team did not properly trained prior to coming for the tournament. Ariez is a newcomer while Mohd Anis and Mohd Saufi obviously need some time before the tournament to warm their engine up. 

Mohd Anis and Mohd Saufi

Kelantan performance, as a team and individually, can be viewed here.

Baharuddin in action

Nik Azrihan was also there as the manager of the team. He didn't get to play any games but he did play a big part in the team. It was him who made sure that the team has proper attire, courtesy of a generous sponsorship from PCNK, because uniformity is what make a team bond. As an absentee, I was quite jealous of this, but as a member of the Red Knights, I was proud. At least they have proven that the state's decision for not sending a team will not deter the Red Knights from competing in MAKSAK tournaments in the future. 

Nik Azrihan

The final results:

MAKSAK 2014

MAKSAK has come again, and, again, a big event is happening in my life. In 2010, I did not participate because of my father's death, while in 2012, even though my wife was expecting, she assured me that my baby would wait for me (and she eventually did). However, this time, another baby will be coming out soon and I will not be going to Terengganu. 

I was told by the team captain that they would be going on their own because Kelantan government do not ask the chess team to participate this year. The invitation letter that we have been waiting since the dates are announced does not arrive so the Kelantan team will be participating with their own pocket money. 

I do not actually know the team composition, but I was notified that my replacement is quite as good, if not better. He is a young chess talent uprooted from the MSSK Kelantan team several years back and is believed to be coaching around Kota Bharu area.

Hopefully the team will prove that the state decision to not send the team is faulty. 

GOMO KELATE GOMO!

Kelantan's participation from when I started participating:

MAKSAK 2008 (Penang)
MAKSAK 2009 (Kelantan)
MAKSAK 2010 (Kuala Lumpur)

MAKSAK 2012 (Penang)

MARZUKI CONQUERS KTD OPEN

After a long absence in the chess scene, Marzuki Yaacob emerged unscathed in the Darulnaim College of Technology Chess Open. Winning 5 games and drawing once proved that his chess skills are still a force to be reckoned with. Even though Mohd Ariez got the same amount of points, Marzuki topped the standing due to the better tie break score. Here is the top ten results for the Open category:

1. Marzuki Yaacob 5.5 points

2. Mohd Ariez Azman 5.5

3. Muhammad Syakir Mohd Zain 5

4. Muhammad Zudi Mustapha 4

5. Muhammad Syazwan Mohd Zain 4

6. Ahmad Alif Irfan 4

7. Alif Omar Saufi 3.5

8. Khairul Aznan Mohd Kamal 3.5

9. Mohd Hafidz Mat Daud 3

10. Nik Mohd Nazri Nik Hasan 3

The turnout was immense. There were more than 100 participants in all three categories. Aqiel Faeeq was the champion for the Secondary School category while Nurfarhah Irdina was the champion in the Primary School category, both with 5.5 points. 

Of my charges from SMK Chabang Empat, Maznie Madri managed to get best third female player in the Secondary School category. My son 'Ammar, 6 years old, was still getting some tournament practice. He won a game, drew a game and lost 4 others.   

Here are some pictures from the event:

The lovely assistants

A mother coaxing her child to make a move - unsuccessfully

Nik Nazri was quite off

Mohd Syakir beat people twice his age

Marzuki and one of his victims

'Ammar was concentrating

The tournament hall was big enough

A loving father

Isabel Yearian vs Nurfarhah Irdina

Otais - Ariez, Marzuki, Nik Nazri and Khairul Aznan

Maznie was third best female in Secondary School category

SMK Chabang Empat players