This has been truly a remarkable journey the team has endured throughout the tournament. 2 consecutive draws against higher rated team has put our flag way up there on the third board. What equally sensational is that Malaysia has been drawn to play against the home team which has a certain Super Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, the highest ever rating player in the world of chess! I believe not many of us have envisaged this a fortnight ago, but here we are now, punching which I believe what is not really above our weight.
Regardless of the result would be, this Malaysia chess team will be remembered for a long time to come. The mixture of experienced and new comers has produced wonders. No more fixations with certain individuals because honest selections will bring out the best from our chess talents.
For tomorrow night, providing that the lineup fits, this is my review:
Board 1 : GM Magnus Carlsen (2877) vs IM Lim Yee Weng (2311)
This will be really tough for Lim. The 566 rating difference does not lie. However, Lim likes to play simple games, so hopefully he will find a draw somewhat. It will be absolutely hard though, because Lim will be playing black.
Board 2 : Aron Teh Eu Wen (2309) vs GM Simen Agdestein (2630)
The youthful Aron against the experienced Agdestein will be a game to watch. Aron likes to attack, and playing white, he will have the first opportunity. However, the stumbling block will be the fact that Aron has lost two games in the row, which might make him suffer a little in terms of confidence.
Board 3 : GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (2628) vs Fong Yit San (2143)
GM Jon Ludvig draws a lot in this tournament, so Fong should take note of this. The drive of getting the FIDE Master should be enough to give Fong the motivation he needs in order to tackle this game. Fong played quite impressively in the last 4 games, so this game will be the cream of the crop if he does pull it off.
Board 4 : Ahmad Fadzil Nayan (2121) vs GM Johannessen Leif Erlend (2528)
To my dismay, Ahmad Fadzil Nayan is arguably the best IIUM player ever. He is now representing the country whereas most of us ex-IIUM are at best representing our states. Nonetheless, the champion of Asian Amateur 2011 has to be at his best in order to win against GM Johannessen. I really like to see whether Ahmad Fadzil will accurately calculate his moves tomorrow, leaving the miscalculation of yesterday's game against the Swiss to the back of his mind. He also has the chance to be a FIDE master if he gets at least half a point.
GOOD LUCK MALAYSIAN CHESS TEAM!
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