Due to some very unfortunate developments in Malaysia, the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association and its sponsor have decided not to organise this year's Commonwealth Chess Championship in Ipoh, Malaysia. We spent considerable time and effort to find a solution but unfortunately are unable to satisfy the interests of ALL the parties concerned.
Instead, the event will now be organised in Singapore from 9th to 15th December 2009 in conjunction with the 6th Singapore International Chess Festival. Official invitation with full details will be announced by the first week of July 2009. For information, the dates given are dove-tailing several international open tournaments in this region and will be a great opportunity to all players.
I apologise for the inconveniences caused and look forward to your joining us in a festive chess season in the Far East in November-December.
Ignatius Leong
President
Commonwealth Chess Association
Source: FIDE
I took long time to think whether should I write this article & posted in the blog. In the end I decided to write it. As we had seen so many things had happened in Malaysia no doubt from the period of April till now, I'm sadly to say that Malaysian chess had gone to pre-historic age. Another thing last 2 weeks I learnt about Sermon of the Mount in the service. Sermon of the Mount meanings about beattitude (our character) instead of we intend to do. It's regarding life in Christianity. I would like to apologise to the readers whom are not Christian first. I agreed with Gilachess that chess politics is cancer in Malaysia but it seems this 'cancer' had spread into ourself! First we should look at several aspects on the reason of why it becoming like that.
Players
Last few weeks we saw 2 seniors players & some more they also represented Malaysia before had exchanging war of words in one of the local chess blogs. Both of them are respected in local & international chess scenes. I feel this should not happen & if both of them want to exchange war of words, better play best of 6 classical time control to prove who's the winner. What will the readers think of it? When they play with each other, they can give their own respective views of thinking especially to nowadays upcoming juniors. From there juniors can learn from these masters of their own thought & especially nowadays of changes & rapid play of game in terms of techniques & tactical. They should help the juniors like what I saw in Gilachess blog of FM Christi Hon analyzing the junior games which is commendable effort and should be praised upon.
Another unethical scenario which was Andrew Ooi aka Gilachess who mentioned his hp rang during his gameplay against Lim Kian Hwa which ended in the draw at the Selangor Open. No doubt he admitted his mistake in his blog but still I feel it's very unsportmanship & sadly to say we will never go ahead with this kind of attitude. Another thing whether if Lim Kian Hwa claim the win or not, in my opinion he might wants to finish & enjoy the game rather than claiming it. Sorry to Andrew if I mention him. By right he should have resign the game immediately if his hp rang although unintentionally rather played on to the draw & say sorry later. This is my opinion. Look at this example, if a person intends to kill a person & killed him, later can he apologised to the relatives of the murdered person? What makes the difference to this? So what's the reason and why we learn Moral subject in primary & secondary school for? This I let the readers to think back & ask ourselves what type of characteristic we want to be. We need to change our characters first before we can bring development to our junior players especially. We supposed to be the role model to them not change their mindset or act like one! This typical attitude or behaviour normally happens in the chess environment in Malaysia.
Organisers
We also seen some organisers postponed the tournament due to unforeseen reasons especially in last minute. Normally they will cause problem or trouble to the players who had book their time or leave. For example, Datcc chess league which is running for 18 weeks & was postponed 1 week from the actual date because the sponsors were away in the last minute. I feel this is very bad as the organisers can start the event first as it's running for 18 weeks & the sponsors can officiate the ceremony in between.
Another scenario where organisers plan a tournament at certain place and canceled it due to unforeseen reasons. Although he canceled the event, I feel the event should continue to go on with the lower prize money as to encourage more people to participate. It'll make the chess industry in Malaysia grows.
Trainers
In Malaysia there's alot of chess trainers doing coaching job. However these problems often arise within the trainers itself. I said this because a few of the trainers had this kind of mindset. Take example like canceling classes or skipping classes in the last minute. If a trainer got classes to teach, why must he cancel the classes he taught or why he should accepted it in the first place? Where are the COMMITMENT & OBLIGATIONS to the student?! This happened to me where I need to prepare the notes on last minute basis which I hate the most & took over the classes!
Another scenario was a trainer approached the school or centre to conduct chess classes but unfortunately another trainer comes in or even not chess players come in to conduct the lessons! First of all what will the parents think of this particular trainer who had this bad habits! Secondly why must the trainer promotes himself to teach in school while he's NOT even TEACHING IT! Thirdly why must he collect the money or the fees in advance from the school or the students when not even teaching the classes or lesson? Fourthly where are the lessons plan which were supposed to follow originally but due to postponement or cancellation of the classes, what will the children or students benefit? Is this should be called development of chess to our junior players or more towards like CHEATING?
Summary
Sadly to say it's us that we need to be taught 1st before we even can start teaching the juniors in realistically speaking! With this kind of environment, the one that will suffer are the young players like Yeoh Li Tian, Nur Nabila & others instead of US! We are showing all the bad habits & craps to these young generations. Like in the Malay idiom "bapa borek, anak rintik". (Correct me if I'm wrong). I know this time I'm quite harsh but also at the same time these things keep on repeating & repeating without our conscious mind. It seems we are doing Checkmate in 1 move puzzles in our daily lives.
Date: 10 May 09 Time: 11am - 12pm.
Venue: RABB, PCA club house.
AGM Blitz tournament (PCA members only) from 9am to 11am.
For more details refer to Chess Eu Hong
Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang ● 10 – 14 June 2009
Tournament Regulations
• This is an individual tournament, open to all players.
• There are two groups of play: Open category for all players, and Challenger category for players rated below
2000 (FIDE ratings) or national rating 1750 and below.
• FIDE (International Chess Federation) rules and regulations shall apply. Results will be sent for FIDE rating calculations.
• Both groups will be played using the Swiss System, with 9 rounds for Open and Challenger. For the pairings, a Swiss Manager program will be used.
• The matches shall be conducted according to the schedule attached.
• Each player is accorded with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move.
• Five minutes before the games start, the Chief Arbiter shall make the announcement accordingly. If any player is not present within an hour after the game is started, he shall lose by default.
• FIDE regulations apply for mobile phones, which must be switched off during playing times. Penalty is automatic loss of game.
• Officials and players should be smartly attired at all times while in the playing hall.
Programme / Schedule
Day 1 (Wednesday, 10 June 2009)
0800-0830 Final Registration
0830-0900 Players' Briefing
0900-1300 Round 1
1500-1900 Round 2
Day 2 (Thursday, 11 June 2009)
0900-1300 Round 3
1500-1900 Round 4
Day 3 (Friday, 12 June 2009)
0900-1300 Round 5
1500-1900 Round 6
Day 4 (Saturday, 13 June 2009)
0900-1300 Round 7
1500-1900 Round 8
Day 5 (Sunday, 14 June 2009)
0900-1300 Round 9
1300 Closing / Prize-giving Ceremony
Accommodation
Players are required to budget for their own board and
lodgings, as well as transportation needs.
Entry Fee (RM)
Free entry for titled player (GM, IM, FM, NM)
| Open | Challenger | |
| FIDE Rated | 50 | - |
| PCA Member | 150 | 50 |
| Non PCA Member | 180 | 80 |
Prizes
| Prize Money (RM) | Open | Challenger |
| 1 | RM4,000 | RM500 |
| 2 | RM2,000 | RM300 |
| 3 | RM1,000 | RM200 |
| 4 | RM700 | RM150 |
| 5 | RM500 | RM100 |
| 6 | RM450 | RM90 |
| 7 | RM350 | RM80 |
| 8 | RM300 | RM70 |
| 9 | RM250 | RM60 |
| 10 | RM250 | RM50 |
| Best Lady | RM250 | RM50 |
| Best PCA 1 | RM250 | RM50 |
| Best PCA 2 | RM200 | RM50 |
| Best PCA 3 | RM200 | RM50 |
Contact Person
Mr Tan Eng Seong
Tel: (60)12-4299517
Email: estan64@streamyx.com
Mr Tan Eu Hong
Tel: (60)12-4882133
Email: euhong@euhong.net
Source: Penang Chess Association
1. Invitation
The Blue & Gold Chess Club in collaboration with the Excalibur Consultants has the honor of inviting all Chess players to participate in the inaugural “The Ravana Challenge International Chess Tournament” under the auspices of the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, from September 12th (arrival) to September 20th, 2009 (departure) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tournament will be held in a 5 star hotel in Colombo.
Blue and Gold guarantees that you will participate in one of the most professional competitions in the history of chess.
Blue and Gold aims for record participation in these events. We hope to attract more than 250 rated players including a minimum 40 Grand Masters from various parts of the world. We are ready to accommodate over 500 participants.
2. Prizes
Trophies, medals and certificates will be awarded to the top performers. A total of USD 15,000 in cash prizes shall be awarded as follows:
| Overall Champion | Trophy, Gold Medal & USD 3000 | 11th Place | USD 200 |
| 1st Runner Up | Silver Medal & USD. 2000 | 12th Place | USD 200 |
| 2nd Runner Up | Bronze Medal & USD. 1500 | 13th Place | USD 200 |
| 4th Place | USD 1,000 | 14th Place | USD 200 |
| 5th Place | USD 800 | 15th Place | USD 100 |
| 6th Place | USD 600 | 16th Place | USD 100 |
| 7th Place | USD 400 | 17th Place | USD 100 |
| 8th Place | USD 300 | 18th Place | USD 100 |
| 9th Place | USD 200 | 19th Place | USD 100 |
| 10th Place | USD 200 | 20th Place | USD 100 |
Best Player - Rating category (minimum 5 points) All Top 3 will be given Gold, Silver or Bronze respective.
| 2251-2399 | 2100-2250 | 1900-2099 | Below1900 | Best Women | |
| Champion | USD 300 | USD 300 | USD 200 | USD 100 | USD 400 |
| 1st Runner Up | USD 200 | USD 200 | USD 100 | USD 50 | USD 300 |
| 2nd Runner Up | USD 200 | USD 200 | USD 100 | USD 50 | USD 200 |
| 4th Place | USD 100 | USD 100 | USD 50 | USD 100 | |
| 5th Place | USD 100 | USD 100 | USD 50 | USD 50 | |
| 6th Place | USD 50 |
1 USD = Rs 114
All amounts are will be paid in Sri Lanka Rupees. Please note that a Tax@10% (as per Sri Lankan income tax regulations) will be deducted from the prize money.
Ties shall be broken and cash prizes shall NOT be shared among the winners.
3. Registration
The deadline for registration is July 30, 2009. After this a late registration charge will be added. However, organisers reserve the right to refuse or decline late registrations. (Details are given under the heading ‘Entry fees’ )
The registration form must include the FIDE ID, surname, first name, international rating and FIDE title and the passport details of every player and every accompanying person. An identity photo (2x3 cm) must also be sent for each player and accompanying person by 30th July 2009. The photo can also be taken on arrival at the Hotel at the cost of US$1.00.
All players must pay their entry fee and accommodation with registration.
Players will not be paired until all payments have been fulfilled.
SLCF registration fee for 2009 is compulsory for all Sri Lankan participants.
4. Format
The tournament will be played using the Swiss system with 10 rounds. The national rankings will not be taken into account for pairings. The rate of play will be in accordance with the FIDE rules: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. Official tie-break rules of FIDE will be accepted. The cash prizes however will NOT be shared.
5. Playing Schedule
Arrival 12th September 2009 at 1200 hrs.
Inauguration 12th September 2009 at 1800 hrs.
Rounds
Day 1 13.09.2009 10.00 hrs. Round 1
13.09.2009 16.30 hrs. Round 2
Day 2 14.09.2009 15.00 hrs. Round 3
Day 3 15.09.2009 15 .00 hrs. Round 4
Day 4 16.09.2009 9.30 hrs. Round 5
16.09.2009 16.30 hrs. Round 6
Day 5 17.09.2009 15.00 hrs. Round 7
Day 6 18.09.2009 9.30 hrs . Round 8
18.09.2009 16.30 hrs. Round 9
Day 7 19.09.2009 9.30 hrs. Round 10
19.09.2009 16.00 hrs Prize Distribution Ceremony
20th September 12.00 hrs Departure
6. Entry Fees
GMs, IMs, WGMs, WIMs and players with ratings above 2500 will not be charged entry fees.
Rated 2400-2499 USD 50 Rated 2300-2399 USD 70
Rated 2200-2299 USD 100 Rated 2000-2199 USD 130
Rated 1800-1999 USD 160 Rated 1400-1799 Rs. USD 220
Entry fee for SL Players
Rated above 2000 Rs 15,000
Rated between 1800-1999 Rs 20,000
Rated below 1800 Rs 25,000
Unrated players will not be allowed to take part
No request towards waiver of entry fee will be entertained.
FIDE Rating List July 2009 will be considered for all purposes related to the tournament.
The last date of entry: 30th of July, 2009
Entries with late fee of USD 50 1st to 20th of August 2009
Entries with late fee of USD 100 21th of August- 10th of September
Registration- Mail the entry form to the contact address. Registration will be on first come first serve basis
7. Accommodation:
All players will be provided accommodation in a 5 star hotel in Colombo. All foreign players shall stay in the official hotel. Local players shall find their own accommodation.
Grandmasters
The personally invited Grandmasters with an Elo rating of above 2500 (1/7/2009) will be provided free food and accommodation in double rooms in a 5 star hotel and will have to share the room with another Grandmaster. All other Grandmasters will be provided free accommodation in triple rooms in a 5 star hotel.
The rates of the hotel will be as follows.
Tournament is for 8 nights
| Full board per day | Total Cost | Half board per day | Total cost | |
| Single | $ 61 per person | $488 | $52 per person | $ 416 |
| Double | $ 84 = $ 42 per person | $ 336 per person | $66 = $ 33 per person | $ 264 per person |
| Triple | $ 117 = $ 39 per person | $ 312 per person | $ 90= $ 30 per person | $ 240 per person |
The Blue and Gold Chess Club will arrange entry visa and hotel booking for the participants;
Accommodation will be from September 12th (including dinner) to September 20th (including breakfast).
Early bird discount
If a player pays on or before 30th July he will get a discount of 5%.
| Total Cost (Full) | Discount 5% | Total Cost (Half) | Discount 5% | |
| Single | $ 488 | $ 464 per person | $ 416 | $ 395 per person |
| Double | $ 336 per person | $ 319 per person | $ 264 per person | $ 250 per person |
| Triple | $ 312 per person | $ 296 per person | $ 240 per person | $ 228 per person |
The accommodation charges must be paid in advance. Rooms will be booked on the principle of FCFS (First Come First Served) basis.
8. Weather:
The Weather in Colombo during September is expected to be cold. The minimum / maximum temperature will be around 25/30 Degree Celsius.
9. Venue
Venue of the tournament will be a 5 star hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka (1 hour drive from the Airport) Access to playing areas, venues and the hotels will be allowed only to accredited people by the organisation.
10. Payment procedure
Players should make the payment in advance
Payment procedure, bank details will be notified later
All bank commissions should be paid by sender. As soon as the payment transfer is confirmed, the organising committee will send to the respective player/accompanying person the confirmation of the hotel reservations. Also all confirmed registrations will be declared on the official web site, where players may check their participants’ situation on a daily basis. Players will not be paired until all the payments are made to the organisers.
11. Appeals Committee
The Appeals committee will consist of 5 members and will be declared on the first day of the tournament.
12. Information about Visas
The Federations or players who need assistance with their visas are asked to contact the organizing committee before July 30th, 2009. The organiser will supply official letters of invitation only after all the payments are made (registration and accommodation fees for every member of the delegation). Check Emigration and immigration Sri Lanka http://www.immigration.gov.lk/
13. Tournament Committee:
Tournament committee has the discretion to accept or reject any entry. Decisions of the committee shall be final
and binding in all respect.
14. Contacts of the Organizing Committee
Joint Secretaries, Organizing Committee,
Muditha Hettigama
23/137, Pagoda Road, Sri Lanka.
Mobile : +94 717-394064
Email - mudithahettigama@gmail.com
Malinda Seneviratne
21 St. Mary’s Road, Mt. Lavinia
Mobile : + 94 777-807556
Email – malinsene@gmail.com
FIDE Delegate
Luxman Wijesuriya
Hony. Secretary Chess Federation of Sri Lanka
107/6, Piyadasa Sirisena Mawatha. Colombo 10, Sri Lanka.
Mobile: +94-715-397829
Fax: +94-11-2650622
Email: godigamu@yahoo.com
Entry forms can be obtained here.
The 16th Asian Cities Team Championship for Dubai Cup started off with 20 teams competing from 15th to 23rd April in Beirut, Lebanon. Tehran which was seeded 1st in the Asian Cities Championship that comprised of GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, GM Moradiabadi Elshan, GM Mahjoob Morteza, FM Moosavian S.Hamed & IM Mallahi Amir strolled over successfully with only one draw against team Bangalore from India. The second placing went to team Bangalore who needed the last win which they won Amman (Jordan), and third placing fell to Damascus (Syria) which won on better tie-break ahead of Furn El Chebak A (Lebanon).
| Board 1 | |||||||
| Rank | Name | Rtg | Team | Pts. | Games | Medal | |
| 1 | IM | Hassan Abdullah | 2322 | Sharjah (UAE) | 8 | 9 | Gold |
| 2 | GM | Ghaem Maghami Ehsan | 2593 | Tehran (Iran) | 6 | 7 | Silver |
| 3 | Thejkumar M. S. | 2420 | Bangalore (India) | 7 | 9 | Bronze | |
| Board 2 | |||||||
| Rank | Name | Rtg | Team | Pts. | Games | Medal | |
| 1 | CM | Shamieh, Mahmoud | 2191 | Beirut (Lebanon) | 8 | 9 | Gold |
| 2 | GM | Moradiabadi Elshan | 2526 | Tehran (Iran) | 7 | 9 | Silver |
| 3 | FM | Mohannad, Farhan | 2284 | Amman (Jordan) | 6 | 8 | Bronze |
| Board 3 | |||||||
| Rank | Name | Rtg | Team | Pts. | Games | Medal | |
| 1 | GM | Mahjoob Morteza | 2498 | Tehran (Iran) | 7 | 8 | Gold |
| 2 | FM | Faraj, Yahya | 2252 | Sanaa (Yemen) | 6 | 7 | Silver |
| 3 | Sanjay N. | 2316 | Bangalore (India) | 7 | 9 | Bronze | |
| Board 4 | |||||||
| Rank | Name | Rtg | Team | Pts. | Games | Medal | |
| 1 | Amr Jawich | 0 | Chiah (lebanon) | 6 | 7 | Gold | |
| 2 | Ihsan Jawad | 2116 | Al Quds (Palestine) | 6 | 7 | Silver | |
| 3 | Asaad Albonni | 2202 | Damascus (Syria) | 7 | 9 | Bronze | |
| 4 | Sriram Sarja | 2219 | Bangalore (India) | 7 | 9 | ||
| Board 5 | |||||||
| Rank | Name | Rtg | Team | Pts. | Games | Medal | |
| 1 | IM | Mallahi Amir | 2387 | Tehran (Iran) | 5 | 6 | Gold |
| 2 | FM | Ali, Layth.Ahmed | 2289 | Baghdad (Iraq) | 6 | 7 | Silver |
| 3 | Ibrahim Ismail | 2127 | Abu Dhabi (UAE) | 6 | 7 | Bronze | |
| Final Ranking after 9 Rounds | |||||||||
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
| 1 | 1 | Tehran (Iran) | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 273 | 85 |
| 2 | 4 | Bangalore (India) | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 230 | 90 |
| 3 | 8 | Damascus (Syria) | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 187 | 90 |
| 4 | 3 | Furn El Chebak A (Lebanon) | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 175 | 92 |
| 5 | 13 | Kathmandu (Nepal) | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 124 | 66 |
| 6 | 7 | Amman (Jordan) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 182 | 90 |
| 7 | 5 | Sanaa (Yemen) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 170 | 83 |
| 8 | 10 | Abu Dhabi (UAE) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 117 | 67 |
| 9 | 2 | Baghdad (Iraq) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 181 | 89 |
| 10 | 6 | Aleppo (Syria) | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 154 | 89 |
| 11 | 9 | Sharjah (UAE) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 146 | 79 |
| 12 | 15 | Sulaimaniyah (Iraq) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 110 | 75 |
| 13 | 14 | Chiah (lebanon) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 93.5 | 73 |
| 14 | 12 | Bandar Emam (Iran) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 143 | 97 |
| 15 | 11 | Beirut (Lebanon) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 85.5 | 68 |
| 16 | 19 | Hazmieh (Lebanon) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 104 | 68 |
| 17 | 16 | Dubai (UAE) | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 82 | 61 |
| 18 | 18 | Al Quds (Palestine) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 59.5 | 65 |
| 19 | 17 | Furn El Chebak B (Lebanon) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 57.5 | 65 |
| 20 | 20 | Gaza (Palestine) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 21.5 | 65 |
