A FAIRY TALE ENDING TO AFIFAH

Do you believe in fairy tales? Even the most skeptical will surely gasp in awe for the achievement of this petite girl from Pasir Puteh. Why? Here is the story. 

Getting second place in the state selection was the start needed by Nik Nur Afifah Nik Mud. She and her teammates were then involved in the centralised training under the tutelage of Mr. Nik Mohd Nazri, the under 12 coach. Judging by the scores from the selection, Afifah and three others; Fatin, Haifa and Azreen; were equally strong. Coach Nazri and the head coach, Mr. Saufi decided the four of them should be in the team event at the MSSM while the other two would be in the individual event. However, before the SIC Team Championship, the coaches had a change of heart. Afifah was so strong in the training sessions that the coaches were worried her teammates would stripped her of any chances in getting the medal. The results confirmed their assessment, thus Afifah would be playing in the individual event alongside Fatin, the selection champion. 

For the first three rounds, the coaches were unfazed with her ability to outplay her opponents. They didn't even prepare her, as they believed she could do it again the next game. When she asked me about it the night before the fourth round, I said that we didn't want to 'stop the ball rolling' and continued to focus on preparing the under 15s as I was their coach. Unexpectedly, she replied, 'Do I looked like a ball?', prompting my nervous laugh. Therefore, I assured her that we really cared about her and that we just didn't want to stop her momentum. 

True enough. She went all the way. She even offered a draw in the last round while leading the exchange. She had two Rooks and a Bishop compared to her opponents' Rook, Knight and Bishop. Her opponent accepted and got third place. 

One important fact: the final round was on her birthday! So, before the final round, we celebrated her birthday with a cake just outside the main door of the tournament venue. Then, we encouraged her to get the gold as her best birthday present ever. 

The gold medal put Kelantan high in the ranking in terms of gold medal:

1. Penang 4 gold medals

2. Selangor 4 gold medals

3. Kuala Lumpur 3 gold medals

4. Kelantan 1 gold medal

However, Kelantan was eighth in terms of overall points tally:

 

 

MSSM TERENGGANU 2018

This is the second year I'm involved with the Kelantan MSSM squad. It is a team consisting of old and new talented young chess players gathered from all around Kelantan. Even though many of them are either from Kota Bharu or Kuala Krai, there are also some originated from Pasir Puteh, Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Machang and also Tumpat. 

The centralised training was held at SMS Faris Petra during the weekends for the whole of July. In the middle of the training, there was an individual event organised by Persatuan Catur Negeri Kelantan at PROKEL and a team event at Sultan Ismail College. Both tournaments were designed to test the players because they are going to be involved in both events at this MSSM. 

There were a couple of players who won the selection which was held at SMK Pak Badol beforehand, but did not turn up at the training. Both were substituted with the players in the waiting list as we don't want players who cannot give their commitment to the cause. 

The Terengganu MSSM is being held at Dewan Sultan Mizan in the heart of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu premise. It is a very big hall and the playing space is comfortable. Even the praying room and the toilets are very satisfying for me at least. 

As for the team, they are currently doing well, especially the under 12s. They are punching above their weight and there are also two female players who are still with full points from 4 games. This brings hope for the contingent as a gold medal will surely benefit all for they are promised with funds if they succeed in actually bringing it back to Kelantan. 

Today is the fourth day and there will be 2 more games waiting to be won. Hopefully we will be glorious and lift some medals this year. 

For those who are interested, you can follow the results in chess results website. 

Under 12 Boys (Individual) (Team)

Under 12 Girls (Individual) (Team)

Under 15 Boys (Individual) (Team)

Under 15 Girls (Individual) (Team)

Under 18 Boys (Individual) (Team)

Under 18 Girls (Individual) (Team)

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)

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.

THE RED KNIGHTS AT MSSM 2012 - RESULTS

Congratulations to all involved in the Red Knights team for MSSM 2012 in Terengganu. As predicted, the Female Under 15 team prevails again, albeit only settling for second. We also have individual winners in various categories. Here is the full results involving The Red Knights (TRK):

Team Event: 

Girls Under 15 Team (right)

Girls Under 15 - Second (Silver Medal)

1.Siti Nur Afiqah Mohd Haslam

2.Najihah Mohd Saufi

3.Fatih Nor Sahariah Abdul Jalil (Best 3rd Board prize)

4.Nik Nur Najihah Nik Mohd Azrihan

Individual Event:

Individual winners (with Fatih far left)

Boys Under 12 -  10th

10.Nik Muhammad Haziq Najmuddin

Boys Under 15 - 5th and 7th

5.Muhammad Ikmal Hakimie Roeslan

7.Wan Mohamad Amirul Wan Mohamad

Boys Under 18 - 9th

9.Fadhil Aiman Zakaria

MSSM 2012 UPDATE

A warm gratitude to Muhammad bin Arshad for updating the results of the ongoing MSSM Chess Championship which is currently being held at the Terengganu State Stadium. For those who are looking for the results, please click the links given below (I updated the links for the third time!):

Team Event:

Boys Under 12

Boys Under 15

Boys Under 18

Girls Under 12

Girls Under 15

Girls Under 18

Individual Event:

Boys Under 12

Boys Under 15

Boys Under 18

Girls Under 12 

Girls Under 15

Girls Under 18

Somebody also mentioned about this being the main website. Click here to see for yourself.

Finally, a bunch of photos for your viewing pleasure (credits to Muhammad bin Arshad and Nik Azhan):

Kelantan Team picture:

MSSM SCHEDULE

The schedule for the most awaited MSSM event has been finalised. The games will be held from 4th - 8th June 2012. However, registration starts from 2nd June. Here is the full schedule:

2nd June - Contingent registration
3rd June - Managers meeting
4th June - Players meeting and Game 1
5th June - Game 2 and 3
6th June - Game 4
7th June - Game 5 and 6
8th June - Game 7 and Closing ceremony

All the best for Kelantan Red Knights. We will always pray for you all.

 
The detailed schedule can be read at Terengganu Chess website.

MSSM 2012 TERENGGANU

I got news from Muhammad bin Arshad's website about the coming MSSM. It will be held at the state's stadium in Batu Burok from 4th to 8th June. After three years of holding MSSM chess in hotels, now Terengganu has taken an initiative to hold the championship in a stadium. I was told by Kelantan's official that they are afraid to lobby for the championship to be held in Kelantan only because of having to find hotels. Now that the venue has changed, I sincerely think that Kelantan is ready to become the host in the near future.

For more information, please visit his blog here.

Some images of the stadium::

Not this stadium

But this stadium (I think)

MSSM CHESS 2012

Information taken from the MSSM calendar for 2012, Terengganu will hold next year's MSSM chess, scheduled from 5 - 9 June. Hopefully, I will have some quality time to prepare and train my students for the event.

You can view the calendar here.

Kelantan vs Terengganu

MAKSAK 2009 FINAL GAME

The situation was tense. Terengganu needed a 4 - 0 whitewash in order to retain their title (even then their hopes would still be in the hands of Sarawak, in the only other match of the last round against Pahang). They also needed at least 3.5 - 0.5 scoreline to overtake KL to the second place. With KL receiving a bye in the crucial last round, it was up to Kelantan to produce their own magic and realize their dream to become a medal winner in this year's MAKSAK edition. Therefore, KL sponsored me, as Kelantan's first board player, a Power Root Isotonik drink in order to secure the important point. Hairulov also commented on this so called 'Armageddon Match' in his blog.

Hashim Jusoh - Yours Truly
MAKSAK (Round 9), 18.07.2009
A17: English Opening

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.d4 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Nf3 c6 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.b3 Re8 10.Bb2 Bd6 11.Re1 h6

I should have seen White's intention to push the e pawn. Black could make it more difficult by 11...Nb6 12.Qc2 Bg4

12.Nd2 Nf8 13.e4 dxe4 14.Ndxe4 Bf5 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.Qd2 Qg6 17.d5

This move disrupts Black's pawn structure and frees both White's Bishops. I faced a tough decision whether to exchange the pawn and withstand the onslaught or give White a passed pawn and try to blockade it. I chose the latter.

17...c5 18.Nb5 Red8 19.Nxd6 Rxd6 20.Be5 Rd7 21.Qc3 Rc8 22.Rad1 b6 23.Qc4 Rcd8 24.Rd2

I did not know what was his plan with this move, but it sure did not stop Black's knight from coming out of his hiding.

24...Ne6 25.Rdd1

White should have tried 25.h3 when Black has to think about his Bishop.

25...Nc7

My idea was to place this Knight as a blockader at d6, but will gladly accept a better trade for White's dark square Bishop.

26.Bxc7 Rxc7 27.Qf4 Rcd7 28.Re5 Bc2 29.Rde1 f6 30.R5e2 Qf5

I think Black could hold better with Queens off the board. Black will then round up the isolated d pawn with both the Rooks and the Bishop.

31.Qxf5

White should have avoided the Queen exchange, but time really was the factor for this decision.

31...Bxf5

and I went on to win during the time scramble when White blundered away a Bishop.

0-1

Picture taken from hairulov's blog

MOK IS THE JAGUH OF TERENGGANU

After a gruelling 5 days, Mok Tze Meng proved why he is still champion material after winning the inaugural Grand Final of Pencarian Jaguh Catur Terengganu held recently. The tournament which saw several interesting events such as IM Mas Hafizul's lost by forfeit in Round 2 and NM Kamal Abdullah's lost by forfeit by his handphone in the last round, cannot take away the spotlight on Mok as he brushed aside a host of players which include NM Kamal Abdullah, Ian Udani and also IM Mas Hafizulhilmi. However, it is interesting to see whether these forfeitures (which can be easily avoided had Mas turned up earlier in his game against Norazman, or Kamal turned off his handphone before playing) can reshape the turnout of the entire tournament.

For full results, see syedchess' blog.

PENCARIAN JAGUH CATUR TERENGGANU STARTS TODAY

The much anticipated inaugural rated tournament in Terengganu starts today. Below is the full list of players pitting their chess skills to become the jaguh (champion) of Terengganu. The surprise inclusion is IM Mas Hafizulhilmi, still trying to obtain his status as the first Grandmaster in this country.

You can find the list in Catur Terengganu website. I have sorted it according to their ratings. Good luck to all of you!

Rated players:

1. IM Mas Hafizulhelmi (2439)
   
2. FM Mok Tze Meng (2308)
   
3. Kamaluddin Yusuf (2184)
   
4. Ian Udani (2181)
5. Mohd Kamal Abdullah (2146)
   
6. Abdullah Che Hassan (2125)
   
7. Md Fadli Zakaria (2121)
8. Mustafa Kamal Zamhuri (2121)
   
9. Ismail Ahmad (2106)
10. Zarul Syazwan Zullkafli (2085)
11. Osric Mooi (2050)
    
12. Zarul Shafiq Zullkafli (2047)
    
13. Faizal Andin (1997)
    
14. Lim Kian Hwa (1964)
    
15. Ahmad Afiq Afyfy (1929)
16. John Harry Pereira (1926)
    
17. Mohan Raj (1916)
18. Zullkafli Mat Daud (1883)
19. Francois Wolfaardt (1858)
20. Norazman Ismail (1821)
    
21. Abang Zain Draup (1778)
22. David Gates (1738)
    
23. Hj Abang Azman Draup (1714)
    
24. Zamanhari Abang Draup (1656)
    
25. Syazrin Abdul Rahman (1507)
26. Syed Iskandar Shah (provisional)

Terengganu players:

1. Hashim Jusoh
2. Abdul Rahim Ramli
3. Heng Aik Kiat
4. Hisamullah Harun
5. Md Hafez Hilmi Harun
6. Mohd Pouzi Hamzah
7. Muhd Asyraf Zakaria
8. Muhd Syazwan Zulkifli
9. Mohd Aiman Azani
10. Mohd Amirul Zahanuddin
11. Mohd Huzaimi Abd Jalal
12. Mohd Khairul Nazrin A Nashir
13. Munir Azmi Muhd
14. Mat Jusoh Omar
15. Mohd Sallehuddin Mohd Salleh
16. Najwah Aziz
17. Nor Azma Adilla Alias
18. Ahmad Syukri Ismail
19. Ahmad Faez Azmi
20. Alias Mohd Amin
21. Abd Latif Abd Halim
22. Abdul Kadir Jailani Ramli
23. Ahmad Akif Abd Rahim
24. Ahmad Ariff Abd Rahim
25. Ahmad Rizal Othman
26. Ahmad Ariff Ramli
27. Siti Noraihan Md Shaifuddin
28. Siti Aisyah Sabirin
29. Salleh Omar
30. Suhaidi Mustaffa
31. Siddiq Husainy Hasbullah
32. Peteer Jabir
33. Rozamzam Ibrahim
34. Ruzenan Abu Bakar
35. Ramli Setapa
36. Wan Aizuddin Wan Razali
37. Zaimah Abdullah
38. Zulkefeli Jusoh
39. Zaharuddin Sulaiman
40. Che Mohd Rizal Ibrahim
41. Fairul Yusuf
42. Gani Kadir
43. Amira Syamina Zullkafli

PENCARIAN JAGUH CATUR TERENGGANU UPDATE

Enter the highest rated player for this tournament. Looks like FM Mok Tze Meng will try his luck in Terengganu, not Kuala Lumpur.

You can find the list in Catur Terengganu website. I have sorted it according to their ratings.

1. FM Mok Tze Meng (2308)
   
2. Kamaluddin Yusuf (2184)
   
3. Ian Udani (2181)
4. Kamalariffin Wahiduddin (2147)
   
5. Mohd Kamal Abdullah (2146)
   
6. Abdullah Che Hassan (2125)
   
7. Md Fadli Zakaria (2121)
8. Mustafa Kamal Zamhuri (2121)
   
9. Ismail Ahmad (2106)
10. Zarul Syazwan Zullkafli (2085)
    
11. Zarul Shafiq Zullkafli (2047)
    
12. Faizal Andin (1997)
    
13. Lim Kian Hwa (1964)
    
14. Ahmad Afiq Afyfy (1929)
15. John Harry Pereira (1926)
    
16. Mohan Raj (1916)
17. Zullkafli Mat Daud (1883)
18. Francois Wolfaardt (1858)
    
19. Abang Zain Draup (1778)
    
20. Hj Abang Azman Draup (1714)
    
21. Zamanhari Abang Draup (1656)
    
22. Syazrin Abdul Rahman (1507)
23. David Gate (I can't find the rating for this guy)

PENCARIAN JAGUH CATUR TERENGGANU UPDATE

Now the Zulkafli's family have confirmed their participation. When I searched for their ratings, I found that Zarul Shafiq also has two FIDE IDs.

You can find the list in Catur Terengganu website. I have sorted it according to their ratings.

1. Kamaluddin Yusuf (2184)
   
2. Ian Udani (2181)
3. Kamalariffin Wahiduddin (2147)
   
4. Mohd Kamal Abdullah (2146)
   
5. Abdullah Che Hassan (2125)
   
6. Md Fadli Zakaria (2121)
   
7. Ismail Ahmad (2106)
8. Zarul Syazwan Zullkafli (2085)
   
9. Zarul Shafiq Zullkafli (2047)
   
10. Faizal Andin (1997)
    
11. Lim Kian Hwa (1964)
    
12. Ahmad Afiq Afyfy (1929)
13. John Harry Pereira (1926)
    
14. Mohan Raj (1916)
    
15. Zullkafli Mat Daud (1883)
16. Francois Wolfaardt (1858)
    
17. Abang Zain Draup (1778)
    
18. Hj Abang Azman Draup (1714)
    
19. Zamanhari Abang Draup (1656)
    
20. Syazrin Abdul Rahman (1507)
21. David Gate (I can't find the rating for this guy)
    

DILEMMA (PART 2)

I received a call from Muhammad Arshad (picture), the Secretary of Terengganu Chess Association and the organiser for the Pencarian Jaguh Catur Terengganu Grand Final this coming December. He said that there will be room to let at the hostel of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu which cost RM10 for a night for the players (and their family) during the tournament schedule. I mentioned earlier in my post that I am weighing between two FIDE rated tournaments, and that I will have accommodation problem for the Terengganu meet. However, up to this point, this will solve little as my family literally begs me not to go to both!

According to Catur Terengganu website, so far there are 18 rated players already confirmed their participation.

1. Ismail Ahmad (2106)
   
2. Lim Kian Hwa (1964)
   
3. Ian Udani (2181)
   
4. Abdullah Che Hassan (2125)
   
5. Kamaluddin Yusuf (2184)
   
6. Mohd Kamal Abdullah (2146)
   
7. Ahmad Afiq Afyfy (1929)
   
8. Zamanhari Abang Draup (1656)
   
9. Hj Abang Azman Draup (1714)
   
10. Abang Zain Draup (1778)
    
11. Md Fadli Zakaria (2121)
    
12. Mohan Raj (1916)
    
13. Francois Wolfaardt (1858)
    
14. David Gate (I can't find the rating for this guy)
    
15. John Harry Pereira (1926)
    
16. Kamalariffin Wahiduddin (2147)
    
17. Faizal Andin (1997)
    
18. Syazrin Abdul Rahman (1507)
    

DILEMMA

I am weighing my options whether to enter Pencarian Jaguh Catur Terengganu Grand Final (PJCT) or KL Open Chess Championship (KLOCC). Before I discuss the pros and cons of both tournaments, I will give some information about them. The former will be held from 18th - 22nd of December at Terengganu Trade Centre, with a total prize fund of RM18,000, and opened to FIDE rated players only plus 30 selected Terengganu players from 5 grand prix series. While the latter will be held from 15th - 21st of December at Bukit Jalil Stadium, with a total prize fund of RM45,000, and opened to all, albeit with different entrance fees according to the categories.

The Similarities
Both tournaments will claim at least a week of my time from my family. Both will be rated tournaments and will offer a large sum of prize money.

The Pros and Cons
The entry fee for PJCT is RM50 only while the entry fee for KLOCC is RM200 (Open Category). I will have a difficulty in finding a lodging place for PJCT while I have plenty of choices for KLOCC. The level of play for KLOCC will arguably be higher than PJCT (although I admit I will have difficulties in both). I will play against more GMs, IMs and FMs in KLOCC than in PJCT. I will undoubtedly drop more rating points in KLOCC than in PJCT.

The Verdict
I will tell you later because it will involve my family and 2 rakaats of Istikharah prayer!