5th Dato’ Arthur Tan Open – Li Chao wins again in Chessbase.com by Edwin Lam

 

 

 

 

 

Dato’ Tan Chin Nam with the new President of the MCF, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Diraja Ramli bin Ngah Talib

Here's an insight review by our Malaysian Chessbase columnist Edwin Lam.

Just like in three of the previous four years, the 5th IGB Dato’ Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess Championship 2008, which was held at Cititel Hotel, Mid Valley City in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the 18th to the 24th of August 2008, was again won by a Chinese. Sponsored by chess philanthropist and ex-FIDE Deputy President for Asia, Dato’ Tan Chin Nam, this tournament witnessed the single largest participation in the event’s short history of 112 chess gladiators.

Chinese grandmaster Li Chao did what his predecessors failed to do. In the previous editions of the IGB Dato’ Arthur Tan Malaysia Open, there had never been a defending champion who was triumphant for a second time. Li Chao’s compatriots, GMs Ni Hua and Wang Hao, did not return to Mid Valley City to defend their titles after winning it. GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam, who won the title in 2006, returned in 2007 but could only finish in seventh place.

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GM Dzhumaev Marat of Uzbekistan

GM Li Chao (Champion)

Winners of the 5th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess Championship 2008.

1st-GM Li Chao 9.0

2nd-GM Zhang Zhong 8.5

3rd-GM Dzhumaev Marat 8.0

4th-GM Megaranto Susanto 8.0

5th-GM Darwin Laylo 8.0

6th-GM Sermek Drazen 8.0

7th-IM Ashot Nadanian 8.0

8th-GM Li Shilong 7.5  

9th-Yap Kim Steven 7.5

10th-IM Ronald Dableo 7.5

 

 

Edwin Lam

(Chessbase columnist)

 

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