A TOUCH OF REALITY

Reality hurts. A lot. I must accept the fact that I am not as strong as I once was. Losing to lower rated opponents repeatedly confirms that I am now on the decline. I just could not see what was happening on the board anymore. I developed the pieces and then lost my way in the calculations. I thought finishing marking my students' papers would help me focus on the task, but it did not. The downfall was apparent since game number one where I could not finish off my opponent in an easy endgame.

10 years elapsed since my first FIDE rating of 2065 which eventually went up to 2068 in 2011, and now it stands at 1943, a massive 125 points drop because of a single tournament, The National Closed. This was a tournament I never entered before, and this will be a tournament I will hardly play in the future, considering that I could not even beat a 16++ opponent which will make my task in the upcoming selections harder.

Diagnosing on the factors, I do believe the inability to successfully solve the problems I currently have is the numero uno. Even though I hid them in the back of my head, they still unconsciously disturbed my calculations. Until I am free from these disturbances, I can never play my best games. Sadly, I cannot see a solution to these problems in the near future, which will mean that my best games are still going to be far, far away.

Hopefully, I could drag myself out of these mess sooner rather than later.  

The Red Knights

The Red Knights

As for my teammates, I am glad that they had fared better. Two of them (Dr. Nasrul and Nik Ahmad Farouqi) were among the top 15 in the Open Category while Najihah was 11th in the Female Category. Even though none of the Red Knights managed to become national flag bearer this time, we were proud of our achievement.

You can read more about this in PCNK website.
 

MY CHESS ACTIVITIES FOR 2015

In 2015, Kelantan chess fans are treated with tournaments for all levels of play, starting with NCCS Rapid Chess Series for age groups, which was held on 19th February at SMK Raja Sakti, Kota Bharu and the much awaited ZADANO Kelantan Open, an international FIDE-rated event, a day later. A turn-out of more than 160 players for each tournament means that Kelantan chess enthusiasts are really craving for playing time after nearly tournament-less year of 2014. 

Personally, I was involved in both. Here are my views on each :

NCCS Rapid Chess Series

Youth players competed in three categories of Under 12, Under 15 and Under 18, respectively. The tournament was a great sparring prelude for the upcoming MSSM which will be in June, as well as respective district and state selections. I was told that there will be other similar tournaments (hence the word SERIES) which will be held at the same venue. I think this is very good for the target group as there will be plenty of tournaments to toughen them up before the big game. 

I brought some of my Project Squad from Tumpat, and one of them did very well in winning the best female under 12 category. 

ZADANO Kelantan Open

I was personally involved with this one, as the organizer and also a player. It was daunting, but it was rewarding. Objectively, the tournament was held to fund the purchase of chess clocks for PCNK. We got what we wanted, and we also got more than we bargained for. Bonds with SMKA Naim and also the Kelantan Sports & Youth Department were sealed, as well as ties with players from Lipis and Kuantan. There will also be new FIDE rated Kelantan players to be added to the existing ones.

The list of ZADANO winners can be read here.

PCNK General Meeting was also held in the eve of the first day, but the turnout was still far from satisfying. Nonetheless, new committee was formed and, reluctantly, I was chosen as the new President for 2015 - 2017 (read about the new committee here).

Anonymously, the meeting agreed that the representatives for the National Closed (a) would be taken from the best in this very tournament, while (b) taking into account their rating qualification. After the final round, this is the final verdict : 

1. Nik Ahmad Farouqi

2. Wan Mohd Adli

3. Yours Truly

4. Nik Mohd Nazri

5. Bakri

There are two slots for State Representatives for the Open Category and another two slots for Female Category. With the FIDE rating of 2063 and National Rating of 1979, Nik Ahmad Farouqi qualified hands down for the first slot. Wan Mohd Adli, with National Rating of 1485, on the other hand, did not qualify because of (b) rating qualification. Therefore, the next best was Yours Truly with the FIDE rating of 2068 and National Rating of 1696, who qualified based on both (a) and (b). Najihah and Nurwahida Atira completed the remaining slots. 

So, here I am, on the verge of competing in a FIDE rated classical time control for the first time since 2011. Hopefully I can do something in this National Closed. I already completed marking for all my students for March test to focus on this tournament. My games at ZADANO were far from convincing, yet, I still believe.

GOOD LUCK, JUNIOR RED KNIGHTS!

SMK Badang, Kota Bharu

The junior Red Knights left for MSSM Chess Tournament last night. This year, the venue is Sarawak. All 36 of them were very keen to fight for Kelantan when I met them during their centralised training in SMK Badang, Kota Bharu. Although they were physically and mentally pushed to the limit in that training, they were quite happy. 

Najihah gets third placing (pic courtesy of Andrew Oii)

Five of them had the luxury of extra training when they were taken to represent the first team in the National Closed held from 16 to 20 March. Mohamad Ali Asghar, Wan Mohamad Amirul, Mohd Syakir, Najihah and Nik Nur Nadzirah were all smiles for that privilege. Even though initially chosen because there was no Kelantan Closed, the traditional tournament for selecting players for National Closed, 0ne of them, Najihah Mohd Saufi, managed to get third placing in the prestigious tournament. 

Recent years have seen Kelantan bringing home some medals from the tournament. Hopefully this year will be the same. 

THE RED KNIGHTS FAILED AGAIN

 

For the umpteenth time The Red Knights (TRK) have failed to land their hands on the eluded National Closed Championship trophy and nobody except one Kelantanese has the National Master title in front of his name. I am not in the position to condemn any of TRK because I myself is not a National Master, but I can only comment according to their performance in the UMT.

THE RED KNIGHTS ARE OFF TO TERENGGANU

Before the Red Warriors are scheduled to finish off Terengganu's chances in FA Cup after seeing off the first leg with a dramatic 4 - 1 win, our own Red Knights are marching towards Terengganu capital, Kuala Terengganu to fight for the National Closed Championship crown which will be contested from 28 May - 1 June 2013 at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

KELANTAN CLOSED 2013

Masterskill College saw a grueling fight among players aiming to be the Kelantan representatives for this year's National Closed which is scheduled to be held at Terengganu. Once the registration closed at 10 a.m. Friday morning, 41 players in the Male Category and 7 players in the Female Category started the first round at 3 p.m. Only 4 male players and 2 players needed, so the 7 rounds produced high quality games despite the time allocation of 30 minutes plus 10-second increments. There were sacrifices everywhere, and Abdul Haq produced the best sacrifice of the tournament when he sacrificed himself for the third round game by giving the opponent a win without playing! When the dust has settled, the emergent winners were announced by the President of the Persatuan Catur Negeri Kelantan (PCNK), Mr. Nik Mohd Azrihan on the eve of the second day. The reps are:

NATIONAL CLOSED - A REVIEW

At last, the National Closed ended. The champion applauded. The representatives selected.

But, a closer review will reveal that Malay players' names started at number 18 (with the exception of Muhammad Syakir Syazmeer) downwards. What happened to our Malay players?

I bet that many of you will be furious with my post.

THE RED KNIGHTS AT NATIONAL CLOSED 2011

The Red Knights at the National Closed 2011 consists of:

1. Nik Ahmad Farouqi Nik Abdul Aziz

2. Mohd Ezmi Mahmood

3. Najihah Mohd Saufi (female)

It is hoped that they will play their heart's out in this year's NC in order to get the NM title or to be one of the selected 8 to represent Malaysia in the SEA Games 2011.

As for the end of Round 6, Nik Ahmad Farouqi manages to collect 4.5 points, wihle Mohd Ezmi 2.5 points and Najihah 2 points. In Round 7, NAF will meet the tournament favourite, IM Jimmy Liew. We will pray that NAF will defeat IM Jimmy so that he will not miss on the NM title again this year.

GOOD LUCK, RED KNIGHTS!

KC2011 - DAY ONE

There are 97 participants for the Open category, vying to be the state representatives in this year's National Closed. The format is 7 rounds Swiss, with the time control of 30 minutes and 30 seconds increments for each move per player.

Speaking of time, one of the junior players played a very interesting ending against me in Round 3. He did not use his time wisely, taking less than a minute for each of his moves. By the time the game was over, he had 35 minutes to my 2 minutes. Here is the position with Black to move:

Speculatively, I moved the pawn to e3. I knew it was not the best move, yet my time management was so off that I had to try something for a win. Now, instead of chasing the pawn with Kd3, he blundered by putting his King to d4, thinking that he supposedly had to cover his Knight at d5. If he had thought more deeply, he would have known that the Knight at d5 was immune because of the hanging Bishop at b7. Nevertheless, being who he is (I saw him played fast many times), he succumbed to the crushing blow of e2!, leaving no chance of him getting the queening pawn.

Here is some pictures from the first day:

All the results and pairings are uploaded at chess-results.com

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MANAGER OF KELANTAN NCC TEAM

One of the Kelantan players, Nasrul Humaimi a.k.a. Naserov, interviewed the manager of Kelantan National Chess Championship team, Mr. Norazlin Juarih a.k.a. BadBishops. Here is the English version (the original version was in Kelantan dialect) of the interview.

Naserov (NV): Assalamu'alaikum. Have you finished playing?

BadBishops (BB): Wa'alaikumussalam. Yes, and I won the last game to finish with 4 points.

NV: Congratulations! Well, can you enlighten us as to how Kelantan players get 2 pieces of t-shirts this year?

BB: These t-shirts are sponsored by Arina Indah Enterprise and Anuza Enterprise. It is hoped that wearing the t-shirts, the players will play with more spirit, and in turn, the name of Kelantan Chess Association (PCNK) will be significantly upheld.

NV: In that case, I want to thank you because I also get 2 of these red t-shirts.

BB: Do you came all the way here just to interview me about the t-shirts?

NV: No (Laughing out loud). What is your comment about the performance of the Kelantan players?

BB: I am very satisfied with their performance, especially Nik (Ahmad Farouqi). He battled to the death with Tan Khai Boon in the final round to get the National Master title. If he wins, he gets it, but if he loses, he still gets the top 10. This is only good for the PCNK's name.

NV: What about other players?

BB: Syed (Azizi) also played well. He surely did not disappoint coming here as the Kelantan champion. His performance surely merits the FIDE rating. The strategy was.. a loaf of bread each day! Luckily he did not eat rotten bread for the third day.

NV: How about me?

BB: You also played well, especially against the kids (laughing). But the kids here are very good players. I also lost a game against one of the kids where I thought that I fake a mistake, but it turned out to be a real mistake! Very unfortunate. Madir (Wan Mahadzir) was also checkmated early against one of them, and he reacted by opening a blog! I don't know what is the blog address, though. (The blog is The Spirit of BarBat Catur)

NV: Don't you want to comment about your own games?

BB: I played from the back of the bunch, because I don't want to burden myself with heavy games. From there, kids asked for my autographs, albeit only for their score sheets after our games (laughing).

NV: Anything else you want to add?

BB: Yes. I want to give credits to other Kelantan players - Madir (Wan Mahadzir), (Wan) Tarmizi, (Siti Nur) Afiqah and Najihah for their efforts to finish all their games and ended with respectable points. For your information, Madir and Tarmizi played on their own tickets, not under the PCNK.

NV: That's good. At least they did not go home empty handed. One more thing, do you personally agree that it is good to hold this tournament at places like this (UKM)?

BB: Certainly. The venue is magnificent, the lodging is satisfactory, and the cafe is nearby. Even the organizers and the arbiters played their parts well. Not all chess players afford to stay at expensive hotels in the middle of the city, even more so for a five-day tournament like this. I think it will increase participations in the future.

NV: I second that. The more affordable, the more participation. I heard that you bought a CD for preparation to enter again next year?

BB: I did. I bought a CD worth RM5 from Andrew Oii a.k.a. GilaChess. I want to study over 900 opponent pictures for my preparation. I hope I can create novelties from there.

NV: Wow! I think we better stop here because I sense there is something wrong with you, studying pictures for chess preparation.

BB: I think so too. Please go and interview other players because I'm tired now. But before that, let's grab a glass of fresh orange each.

SO NEAR YET SO FAR(OUQI)

Sadly, Nik Ahmad Farouqi failed to get the coveted National Master title. However, it is not the end of the world, rather it is a beginning of a journey for Kelantan players. The first products of PCNK, as I said earlier, did not disappoint. Nearly all of them finished above their initial rankings. Here are the performance of each players:

1. Nik Ahmad Farouqi (started 9th, finished 6th with 6.5 points)
2. Syed Azizi (90th, 34th, 5)
3. Nasrul Humaimi (28th, 38th, 5)
4. Izuddin Ahayat (68th, 48th, 4.5)
5. Wan Mahadzir (66th, 50th, 4.5)
6. Norazlin Juarih (73rd, 65th, 4)
7. Wan Tarmizi (61st, 68th, 4)
8. Siti Nur Afiqah (30th, 27th, 4)
9. Najihah (25th, 30th, 4)

The full results, as taken from the arbiter's blog:

Open Category

Female Category

For other reports (with pictures), please click Naserov's and BadBishops' blogs.

Nik Ahmad Farouqi for National Master 2010?

Tomorrow, Nik Ahmad Farouqi (NAF) will battle it out in the last game with Tan Khai Boon for the title of National Master 2010. However, he has to win it to clinch the title, whereas Tan only has to draw the game. Nevertheless, all Kelantanese will pray that NAF will win the title for Kelantan, because it has been a long time since Mas Hafizulhelmi brought the title back to Kelantan. I personally hope the first product of Kelantan selection organized by the PCNK will come good when it matters.

Other players also did well - Dr. Nasrul Humaimi with 5 points at table 10 against Abdullah Che Hassan, Kelantan champion Syed Azizi also with 5 points at table 11 against Mohd Khair Wahiduddin, Wan Mahadzir (4.5 points) at table 17, Wan Tarmizi (3, 36), and the team manager Bad Bishops (3, 40). It should be mentioned here that Amer Hamzah Mohd Zuhri is not a Kelantan player, and the typing error is confirmed when he is stated as a Wilayah Persekutuan player here.

While in the Female Category, Siti Nur Afiqah is the best Kelantan player with 4 points at table 11 against Latifah Syamimi. The other Kelantan player, Najihah, only gets 3 points and will play at table 17 tomorrow.

All results and pictures can be obtained at the official page here.

NATIONAL CLOSED 2010

The attention now shifted to the National Closed which will be held this 16th - 20th June 2010 at the National (see the resemblance?) University of Malaysia (UKM). For latest results, you can browse the official page here. I will be covering Kelantan players' results, insha Allah. The representatives are:

Open Category
1. Syed Azizi Abdul Rahman (unrated)
2. Nik Ahmad Farouqi (2102)
3. Norazlin Juarih (unrated)
4. Dr Nasrul Humaimi Mahmood (1971)
5. Wan Mahadzir Wan Sulaiman (unrated)
6. Wan Tarmizi Wan Sulaiman (unrated)

Women Category
1. Siti Nur Afiqah Mohd Haslam (unrated)
2. Najihah Mohd Saufi (unrated)

UKM HOSTS NCC 2010

UKM is a very active chess venue nowadays, thanks to Abdul Haq who is still taking postgraduate studies there. The latest installment of the National Closed, now renamed the National Chess Championship, will be held at the prestigious DECTAR from 16th - 20th June 2010. The male contestants will fight for the Tun Hussein Onn trophy while their female counterparts will battle for Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik trophy. While it is not known that a female player's likelihood to play in the men's event, but it is still a possibility. We have yet to see a female player dominates Malaysian chess scene, but we will still pray for a Judith Polgar to arise. Who is your best bet though? NWM Alia Anin? Or WIM Siti Zulaikha?

Kelantan will bank on its champions Syed Azizi, Nik Ahmad Farouqi and Nasrul Humaimi while in the female category, Siti Nur Afiqah and Najihah Mohd Saufi will bear Kelantan's flag.

The official entry form can be downloaded here.

SYED AZIZI CHAMPS!

I shouldn't have underestimated this chap, especially after he creamed Nik Ahmad Farouqi in Round 4. I know nothing of him then, but I know now after I was put down to earth in Round 5. He went on to beat Baharuddin in Round 6 in his road to become the undefeated champion and the representative for Kelantan in the National Closed. The other representative is Nik Ahmad Farouqi, whom I lost to in the last round.

The final top ten results:

1. Syed Azizi Abd Rahman (unrated) - State representative
2. Nik Ahmad Farouqi (1867) - State representative
3. Nasrul Humaimi (1561)
4. Baharuddin Hamzah (1497)
5. Muhd Bakri Jusoh (1636)
6. Rosmizal Ibrahim (unrated)
7. Muhd Ariez Azman (1649)
8. Yours Truly (1681)
9. Bad Bishops (1491)
10. Alif Omar Mohd Saufi (1417)


More stories at BadBishops and CaturKelate. Full results uploaded by arbiter Muhammad Arshad at chessresults.com

KELANTAN SELECTION STARTS TODAY

The selection for Kelantan's representatives to the National Closed 2010 will be held today at the Putra Hall, SMK Putra, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The very best of Kelantan players will vie for 4 places provided by the MCF; the winners being fully sponsored by the Persatuan Catur Negeri Kelantan. However, there are also cash prizes to be won, so be there. You might get your first national rating also!

The results will be uploaded at chess results website.

TEPAK MAING TUKA DOH

Mitok maah ko anok-anok Kelate hok nok maing pemilihe Jumaat Sabtu nih, tepak maing kito pindoh ko Dewan Putra, SMK Putra, KB. Harap-harap sumo pakat kaba deh, takot ado hok g U i kecik T M lagi. Tepak ni dah konpem, jadi jange malu-malu, daftar ko email pcnk.event@gmail.com bendo-bendo nih:

1. Namo penuh
2. Nombo IC
3. Alamak
4. Rating MCF atau FIDE kalu ado
5. Nombo kontek

Deadline Khamis deh, ingak tu. Sapo-sapo hok nok suh hantar surak jempute ko dio (terutamonyo budak2 sekoloh) silo bagi email @ no fax sekoloh demo. Kawe hantar secepak mukeng. Maklumak lanjuk tengok blog PCNK sinih.

SAPO NOK MAING WOKEL KELATE?

Kepado anok Kelate hok segho nok maing wokel negeghi kito dale National Closed bule Jung nih, silo wi namo nga alamat (tok kigho la alamat ghumoh ko, emel ko, FB ko, tipong ko) ko kawe denga nulih komeng bowoh post kawe nih sebeghapo segegho. Kawe nok update senagha namo pemaing ceh Kelate dale database.

Translation:
For all Kelantanese who wants to be the state representative in the upcoming National Closed which will be held in June, please jot your name and contact (home address, email, FB or phone number) in the comments box below as soon as possible. We want to put a list of Kelantan chess players in a database.