The champion, Nik Ahmad Nazri withstands the last hurdle from BadBishop

NIK NAZRI IS USM CHESSMASTER

Nik Ahmad Nazri justifies his top ranking by winning the USM Chessmaster held today. He creamed all his opponents to finish the tournament with 6 points. The absence of many establish names from this event, is the perfect opportunity for Nik Ahmad Nazri to shine. A strong player himself, the teacher from Gua Musang just has to brush aside challenges from Muhd Bakri Jusoh and BadBishop to become the champion.

The hall

Yours Truly's brother, Mohd Hafidz (right), was among the winners

Muhd Bakri Jusoh won his last game against Laila Husna

Yours Truly, who only managed to visit the last round, came across this game between the eventual runner-up and Kelantan brightest female talent.

Black had just moved his pawn to h6, in order to facilitate his Rook to avoid a backrank mate. However, White failed to capitalise on this mistake by moving his Bishop to c7 to initiate a fork. It proved to be an error after Black managed to force the parting of White's Bishop, thus weakening his castled position. The game continued: 1.Bc7 Rd1+, 2.Kh2 Bd6+, 3.Bxd6 Qxd6+, 4.g3 and the castled position was weakened.

Better, in my opinion, was moving the Knight to h4 in view of giving a check at g6. Sample variation: 1.Nh4 Rd1+, 2.Kh2 Bxf2, 3.Ng6+ with a better prospect for a draw.


The final results can be read at chessresults.com

NATIONAL OCTOBER 2010 RATING REVIEW

Only minor changes happened for Kelantan players in October rating. This is due to the fact that not many Kelantan players play competitively nowadays, apart from these few:

1. Mas Hafizulhelmi, who still heads Kelantan rating list, drops more than 20 points to stand at 2270 (previously 2294).
2. Nik Ahmad Farouqi, who gains 55 points to climb over Abdul Haq with a mere 1 point, now stands at 1915 (1860).
3. Abdul Haq loses nearly 30 points to stand at 1914 (1945).
4. Syed Azizi loses 11 points now with 1788 (1799).
5. Muhd Ariez loses 4 points and stands at 1607 (1611).


October rating 2010 can be obtained here and the rating changes can be downloaded here.

Mum is covering her face during the fogging

BAD BISHOP HIT WITH DENGUE

Blogger Bad Bishop is now recuperating from his fever after 11 days in the ward. He expressed his hope of healing completely before next week's USM Open and gave some advice so that we take early measures to prevent us from this disease. My neighbourhood, as recently as last week, also had been fogged following a confirmed case hitting my neighbour's daughter. To echo his advice, I will say:

PLEASE OBSERVE CLEANLINESS
BECAUSE IT IS A PART OF OUR FAITH

Some interesting facts:

Poster kesihatan: Penyakit Denggi

Denggi: Kelantan kedua tertinggi selepas Selangor - Sinar Harian

Wabak demam denggi semakin serius di Kelantan - Mstar.com

MAGHI KITO PAKAK GI KUBE

Haha.. bunyi mace hudoh jah, tapi sek-sek kito maghi gi ghama-ghama ko Kube Keghiye maing cheh kat sepital USM 16 haribule nih. Poster ada kawe tepek datah nih, panda-panda la baco deh. Seghebo mok niko ado situ, tunggu bowok dighi jah. Jupo denuh, weh!

MAS ANSWERED MYSTERY DEFEAT

As I had already expected, Mas was defeated by his handphone. I would like to jot here his words since I had asked him at his Facebook right after the result was shown, but he did not answer my question. Nevertheless, his words were on DAT Chess blog:

my phone alarm rang at 12.20, daily alarm for lunch.. unfortunately last game is played in the morning,, fon is off but still the alarm rang.. As Khairunissa Called it the ”Nokia Gambit” Overall i am happy that i have played this olympiad..Gave me the confident that i can work and still go for my GM , Insyaallah

MAS MYSTERIOUS LOST

My previous post talks about Mas potential for a GM norm in this Olympiad. But this mysterious defeat surely left us nothing to shout about. I do not see any forced win for White in this position. Any enlightenment on this, please?

A LOOK AT MAS GM TITLE AMBITION

Mas Hafizulhelmi IM 2422 MAS Rp:2402
Rd.	SNo		Name	Rtg	FED	Rp	Pts.	Res.	Bo.
1	16	GM	Adams Michael	2728	ENG	2687	6,0	w ½	1
2	522		Tsang Hon Ki	2085	HKG	1984	2,5	s 1	1
3	99	GM	Rozentalis Eduardas	2611	LTU	2476	4,0	s 1	1
4	117	GM	Pelletier Yannick	2592	SUI	2411	4,5	w ½	1
5	360	FM	Gemy Jose Daniel	2325	BOL	2216	3,0	s ½	1
6	610		Berardi Giancarlo	0	SMR	1580	0,0	w 1	1
7	242	GM	Gruenfeld Yehuda	2464	ISR	2394	4,5	w 0	1
9	182	GM	De La Riva Aguado Oscar	2521	AND	2665	7,5	s 0	1
10	328	FM	Jones Richard S	2373	WLS	2205	4,0	w 1	1
11	498		Al Sulaiti Ali	2134	BRN	1919	2,5	s	1

I was reading the FIDE Handbook about title requirements, and boy, I did not understand it at all! What I can take from the handbook which I think are related to IM Mas title ambition:

1.4 The GM, IM, WGM, WIM titles can also be gained by achieving norms in internationally rated tournaments played according to the following regulations.
1.41a The player must play at least 9 games
1.45b For a GM norm at least 1/3 with a minimum 3 of the opponents (MO) must be GMs.
1.46c For the purposes of norms, the minimum rating (adjusted rating floor) for the opponents shall be as follows:

Grandmaster International Master Woman Grandmaster Woman International Master

2200 2050 2000 1850

1.48 Performance Rating (Rp)
In order to achieve a norm, a player must perform at a level at least of that shown below:

	Minimum level prior to rounding	Minimum level after rounding
GM	2599.5	2600
IM	2449.5	2450
WGM	2399.5	2400
WIM	2249.5	2250

1.5	Requirements for award of the title, having achieved norms
	1.50	Two or more norms in events covering at least 27 games.
	1.51	If a norm is sufficient for more than one title, then it may be used as part of the application for both.
	1.52	To have achieved at some time or other a rating as follows: GM IM WGM WIM ≥2500 ≥2400 ≥2300 ≥2200

So, in conclusion, I think Mas will not get a GM norm in this Olympiad because:

1. he only currently perform at Rp 2402 (article 1.48) ,
2. he is not likely to get a rating of 2500 from his current rating 2422 (article 1.52),
3. he had 3 opponents rated below 2200 (article 1.46c) which will reduce his number of games against minimum rating for his opponents (1.41a) to only 7 games.

However, I am still hopeful that my interpretation of these requirements is a flaw, and that Mas will get his GM norm, and Malaysia will get its first Grandmaster.

IM MAS (2422) vs GM OSCAR DE LA RIVA AGUADO (2521)

Mas gets another GM! Thanks to the Malaysian players who played courageously to win during Mas' hibernation. Hopefully Mas emerged from it unscathed tomorrow. As for GM Oscar, he is the highest rated player in Andorra. His performance in this Olympiad has been quite remarkable, losing only once in his first game against the Russian, and drawing twice to Megaranto of Indonesia and Hansen Sune Berg of Denmark. It will be a tough call, but I know Mas can pull off an upset, like he did against GM Rozentalis.

Oscar WILL PUSH 1.e4 to meet Mas' Sicilian Defense. So far in this Olympiad, he won against GM Yehuda's Sicilian by selecting 3.c3 for his third move. We can expect fire on the board tomorrow, because slow maneuvering is Mas' forte. He used 3.c3 again when he won against Ryan Harper of the Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, safely to say, 3.c3 is his pet line against the Sicilian, and Mas should take note of that and prepare properly.

All the best for tomorrow, Mas! (I'm going to sleep now, it's already 2.00 am when this post is published)


I'm following Mas' game LIVE. My prediction did not materialized; GM Oscar did not push 3.c3. However, he did not play the main line either, but retreated his Knight to f3. In the above position, he just moved his knight to e1. He has to reposition his Knight, quite common in this line. Mas let his pawns to be doubled at e6, but the GM refuses. The position is quite balanced, and Mas surely does not stand worst.


After just five moves from previous diagram, we arrive at the endgame phase. Mas has a Bishop compared to his opponent's Knight. Both pieces are now defending the fort for the time being, while the two Rooks are repositioning to premium squares. Personally, I like Mas' position because he has more active Rooks.


Now, Mas just has to activate his King. Neither has a passed pawn yet, but White's b and c pawn are under scrutiny. However, Mas a pawn could be a problem. My prediction, Mas can escape with a draw if he plays correctly.


So, the Knight goes to battle first while the Bishop still defending. I think Mas made a mistake when he did not push the Knight before White put his Rook at d1. Moreover, Mas could be in a big problem if the b pawn starts rolling.


At last, the Bishop comes to life! By this time, all the other boards already finished. Mok drew, Peter won and Tan lost. It is now up to Mas to take Malaysia to glory, and personally to take his GM ambition a step further.

IM MAS (2422) vs GM YEHUDA GRUENFELD (2464)

After a rest and an eventful run, Mas starts afresh by beating an unrated player. However, will he stroll pass a deaf and mute GM Yehuda Gruenfeld from the Israel? Sadly, Mas will not have the opportunity to play the Gruenfeld Defense against Gruenfeld because he will again play the white pieces. GM Yehuda already won using the Kan variation of the Sicilian against Maxence Murara in this Olympiad, and will surely cherishes the chance to spring it again againts Mas if he pushes 1.e4.

Go, Mas!

This is the current position of IM Mas vs GM Gruenfeld. I am uncomfortable with Mas' position. I hope it is not his first defeat in this Olympiad.

Mas manages to activate his Bishop and creates a passed pawn. But it remains to be seen whether this pawn will ever advance.


Did Mas just made a mistake? GM Yehuda manages to penetrate into Mas second rank, and it appears that his Knight will join the attack too. We are hoping for the best for Mas.


As I said earlier, I did not like Mas' position, and that he made a mistake on move 38. Mas resigns as the team trails 3-0 with only Tan Khai Boon to save its blushes.

ROUND 4 : MALAYSIA (86) vs SWITZERLAND (47)

Round 4 started at appoximately 5 p.m. this evening (Malaysian time). Click on the image below to go to the live games.

IM MAS (2422) vs GM YANNICK PELLETIER (2592) PREVIEW

Mas looked sharp in this tournament so far. His next opponent will be a Grandmaster from Switzerland, GM Yannick Pelletier with FIDE rating of 2592. Mas, who drew against GM Micheal Adams (2728) and won against GM Eduardas Rozentalis (2611), will surely love another scalp in the higher rated GM Pelletier. However, being a GM since 2001, Pelletier is no pushover, having already won his national championship three times.

Mas will play White, which means he will face either a Sicilian or a French if he starts with 1.e4, or a Queen's Indian if he starts with 1.d4. A sample of Pelletier Sicilian game from his recent encounter is here, while a win against GM Granda-Zuniga using the Queen's Indian is here.

Your move, Mas!

ROUND 3: MALAYSIA (86) vs LITHUANIA (39)

I'm following the game live at the official site. So far, IM Mas can still hold with different coloured Bishops, Mok has a Knight to his opponent's Bishop, Tan has to withstand three pawn avalanche amidst his extra Bishop, while Peter is playing with all the minor pieces, i.e. 2 Knights and 2 Bishops.

View Open Section
View Women Section

GOOD LUCK MALAYSIAN OLYMPIAD CHESS TEAM

The Malaysian chess teams are flying the Jalur Gemilang at the 2010 Chess Olympiad. It is held at a little known place of Khanty-Mansiysk from 20th September - 4th October 2010.

Men's Team - seeded 86/148

Board 1 : IM Mas Hafizulhelmi (FIDE 2422)
Board 2 : IM Mok Tze Meng (2416)
Board 3 : NM Tan Khai Boon (2160)
Board 4 : FM Peter Long (2302)
Board 5 : Gregory Lau (2159) - Team captain

Women's Team - seeded 74/114

Board 1 : NWM Alia Anin Azwa Bakri (1904)
Board 2 : WCM Nur Nabila Azman Hisham (1829)
Board 3 : NWM Nurulhuda Wahiduddin (2020)
Board 4 : NWM Roslina Marmono (1933)
Board 5 : NWM Fong Mi Yen (1905)


My hopes for the Malaysian teams are that they will successfully change these numbers for the better - their team seedings and their personal ratings. I am also hoping that IM Mas Hafizulhelmi finally lands his GM title in this tournament. So far, at the time of this writing, he already secured a draw against GM Micheal Adams (2728) from England! Hopefully this draw will be the stepping stone for our country's ambition of a first GM.

Those who would like follow their news, kindly visit the official website, or our blogger hairulovchessmaniacs. You can also see the results at chessresults.com.

1st NATIONAL RAPID CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

MPP University of Petronas, in colaboration with MCF and Perak International Chess Association (PICA), will hold the 1st National Rapid Chess Championship at its campus in Tronoh, Perak. This event, held in conjunction with UTP Convofair, will be a national rated event. Those who are interested can see the poster above and download the registration form here.

SALAM IDUL FITRI

We wish you a prosperous and happy Hari Raya