KLCA Open 2009 - Day 4 (R6 Results and R7 Pairing)

GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (left) and GM Dao Thien Hai - the leaders after round 6

(from Gilachess blog)

Round 7 Pairing

The two Vietnamese GMs leaders will meet againts each other on the top board in 30 minutes time. Will they draw? But GiLoCatur believes that they will fight till the end because a win is very crucial for each of them. Because three players with 4.5/6 - IM Irwanto, FM Pak and GM Marat, are waiting their chances as well.

Round 6 Results

It becomes interesting when GM Nguyen Son just drew his game while his compatriot GM Dao won againts Indonesian IM, Dede Liu where both have 5/6.

Good results for all the Malaysian players,

Edward Lee managed to win againts higher-rated Indonesian player Hasian Panggabean

Wong Jianwen won againts much higher-rated Pinoy, Edmundo Legaspi

Two Malaysian pairs drew; and

Haslindah Ruslan won her game

Unfortunately, Ian Udani could not manage to win againts the strong fourth seed GM Susanto Megaranto.

Chess Trivia - Most Unusual Result of the 38th Dresden Olympiad

Yohanes Simbolon (namanya pun unik)

(dari potretcatur.blogspot.com)

GiLoCatur ingin berkongsi satu penemuan menarik sewaktu browsing. Satu keputusan yang agak luar biasa sewaktu Dresden Chess Olympiad ke-38 ialah keputusan yang membabitkan seorang pemain Indonesia yang bernama Yohanes Simbolon. Beliau yang unrated, telah tewas semua (4) permainan buah hitam dan menang semua (4) buah putih termasuk ke atas seorang GM bernama Nikola Mitkov yang memiliki FIDE rating 2500+. Malangnya beliau hanya seri permainan ke 9 sewaktu bermain buah putih. Jika tidak pasti ia satu keputusan yang sangat unik.

sumber : http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5046

KLCA Open 2009 - Day 2 (R5 Results and R6 Pairing)

Round 5 Results

On the top board, Farid Firmansyah, one of Indonesian 38th Dresden Olympiad team members, could not continue his sterling performance when he was defeated by the top seed, GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son. This result with the loss of GM Marat Dzhumaev to another Vietnamese GM, Thien Hai Dao, has put GM Nguyen in front of others by half point. He needs to maintain his winning for the next four rounds to be the champion in this tournament. Could he? Let's wait and see.

On the third board, IM Dede Liu made an upset againts his countryman, GM Susanto Megaranto. Another interesting results are :

CM Nguyen Hoang Nam won againts GM Saidali from Uzbekistan

Ian Udani managed to win againts higher-rated Indonesian International Master, Tirto.

For the Malaysian camp, the results for Round 5 are not encouraging. Only Edward Lee managed to win againts another Malaysian fellow player, Najib while Sergent Ismail drew with his Indian opponent. Hopefully, good results for them tomorrow.

Round 6 Pairing

In the sixth round tomorrow morning, four Malaysian players will play againts each other. Ismail will meet Li Ting while Abdul Haq will meet Najib. Edward Lee will play againts Indonesian player, Hasian. Jianwen's opponent tomorrow will be a higher-rated Pinoy named Edmundo Legaspi. Haslindah, on the other hand, will meet a Singaporean player.

As for Ian Udani, he will have an uphill battle to win againts GM Susanto Megaranto on the 8th board. If he wins, it will be another interesting result and achievement.

So, GOOD LUCK! to all of them.

KLCA Open 2009 - Day 2 (R3 & R4 Results and R5 Pairing)

Round 3 Results

The top four boards drew their games in the third round played in the morning session. One interesting result is the draw between a below-2000 rated Indonesian, Masruri Rahman, and GM Nguyen Anh Dung, the 8th seed.

As for Malaysian players,

It is a good result for Edward Lee who managed to draw with Tolentino Rustum whose Elo is nearly 300 points higher than him. Both Tan Li Ting and Wong Jianwen won their respective games whereas the rest could not manage to win.

Round 4 Results

In the afternoon session game (Round 4), both Li Ting and Edward Lee were defeated by their respective 2300+ rated opponents. On the 20th board, a junior player meet againts a senior player. Jianwen came out with a happy win againts Ismail Ahmad.

While both unrated Najib and Abdul Haq are happy for winning againts their respective rated opponents - Chan Yi and Dassanayake. Unfortunately, the rated Haslindah lose to the unrated Virda from Indonesia.

Round 5 Pairing

Can CM Firman Syah upset the top seed, GM Nguyen Ngoc Son on the top board tomorrow? GiLoCatur believes that whomever win the game, he would be the champion. If they both draw, it would be an open fight until the end of the tournament.

It would be important games for both Jianwen and Li Ting tomorrow. If they both manage to win, their rating will soar up. There would be another Malaysian battle tomorrow between Najib Abdul Wahab (white) and Edward Lee (black). Abdul Haq will play againts a pinoy Woman International Master, Ismail Ahmad will meet an Indian player and Haslindah will play againts a Sri Lankan player.

Going to the fifth round that will be played tomorrow afternoon at 2.30pm, there are three leaders with 3 and 1/2 points. The top two are GMs - one each from Vietnam (the 1st seed) and Uzbekistan (the 3rd seed). The third one is surprisingly and amazingly the 26th seed Candidate Master from Indonesia.

12 other players including the other 4 GMs are closely behind the three leaders with 3 points whereas 9 others score 2 and 1/2 points including Ian Udani.

GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (FIDE 2589)

(from chessasia.net)

GM Marat Dzhumaev (FIDE 2532)

(from chessbase.com)

CM Firman Syah Farid (FIDE 2207)

(from Gilachess)

ARE WE (MALAYSIA) SERIOUS TO PUT CHESS TO GREATER HEIGHTS?

In order Malaysia to excel in chess, it must have many certified chess trainers and instructors. Do we know how many FIDE-certified trainers and instuctors that Malaysia has? The answer is as per below:

As of today, Malaysia has 16 FIDE-certified trainers and instructors in total. The breakdown is as per below.

FT = FIDE Chess Trainer = 1

FI = FIDE Chess Instructor = 1

NI = the National Chess Instructor = 9

DI = the Development Chess Instructor = 5

Do we also know how many certified arbiters Malaysia have? Interestingly and amazingly, as of today, the number is also 16.

( http://www.fide.com/info/arbiters-trainers )

GiLoCatur hopes very much that below statistics of particularly Malaysia will improve and be better in the near future.

As of today,

Phillipines is ranked #34 in the world with avg rating of top 10 players, 2523, has 10 GMs, 25 IMs and 56 total titled.

Vietnam is ranked #38 in the world with avg rating of top 10 players, 2504, has 6 GMs, 5 IMs and 69 total titled.

Indonesia is ranked #59 in the world with avg rating of top 10 players, 2428, has 6 GMs, 12 IMs and 50 total titled.

Singapore is ranked #61 in the world with avg rating of top 10 players, 2415, has 3 GMs, 10 IMs and 47 total titled.

MALAYSIA is ranked #77 in the world with avg rating of top 10 players, 2304, has 0 GMs, 3 IMs and 17 total titled.

So, let's start having more and more certified chess trainers and instructors. I do not think that we Malaysians have much problem to do so. MALAYSIA BOLEH! right?, if a Malaysian can climb mount everest, can swim across the English straits, can reach and explore the antartic and many more, to become a FIDE-certified chess trainer or instructor is a small matter.

If now we have less than 20, let's target to have 30 more to make it 50 in one year time. Chess associations and clubs especially the state should have their program and target for its office bearers or members become FIDE-certified chess trainers or instructors.

Aren't we serious to put chess to greater heights in this country?

KLCA Open 2009 - R2 Results & R3 Pairing

Round 2 Results

Both Sergent Ismail and NM Edward Lee managed to win againts their lower-rated opponents respectively. While the other four Malaysian players, Abdul Haq, Najib, Haslindah and Jianwen could not manage to overcome their respective opponents. Li Ting, on the other hand, makes us smile by winning againts her 1900+ rated Bangladeshi opponent. It is a good news in the Malaysian camp. Hopefully, more and more such result will follow suit.

There are several game results that enchant GiLoCatur. A Vietnamese Candidate Master managed to defeat the Indonesian GM. Firman Syah of Indonesia won againts higher-rated Van Huy Nguyen in the battle of CMs on the 10th board. Both WIM Nafisa Muminova and IM Shetty Rahul won againts their respective higher-rated opponents.

Ian Udani drew with his GM opponent. He mentioned in his text to me that he was in winning position but he could not push further during the decisive moment. But still a draw with a GM is still a good result for him.

Round 3 Pairing

Tomorrow, in the third round, both Ismail and Edward Lee will meet higher-rated opponent - CM Van Huy Nguyen and Tolentino Rustum, respectively.

Four Malaysian players will occupy 21st to 24th board. GiLoCatur believes Li Ting, Abdul Haq and Najib have better chance over their respective opponents. Haslindah may require more effort playing againts Indonesian puteri catur of Medina Warda. While Jianwen needs to be cautious when playing Medina's elder sister, Virda.

Anyhow, as usual, BEST OF LUCK to all Malaysian players. Play your heart out! MALAYSIA BOLEH!

KLCA Open 2009 - R1 Results & R2 Pairing

Round 1 Results

All Malaysian players lost their games except both unrated Abdul Haq and Najib Abdul Wahab where they drew againts their respective opponents. Based on the latest national ratings, Abdul Haq is rated 1855 while Najib is rated 1698 (provided it is correct under the name of Najib Wahab, without Abdul).

Another interesting result is GM Saidali Iuldachev, the sixth seed, drew with Masruri Rahman from Indonesia. The Malaysian-based pinoy, Ian Udani, also cruises smoothly to the second round with a win againts Indonesian player, Sofyan Jafar.

R2 Pairings

In the second round pairing, GiLoCatur is eager to wait whether Abdul Haq could manage a draw againts GM Saidali like Masruri. Four other Malaysian players will be sitting side-by-side from the 16th board to the 19th board. Najib will meet Masruri, Ismail Ahmad will play againts Dissanayake, Edward Lee will meet Chen I-Chen, a woman player from Chinese Taipei and Jianwen will play white againts WIM Beverly Mendoza.

Haslindah Ruslan will meet benjamin Foo while Li Ting will play againts Md Jaynul Abedin, a Bangladeshi player.

So, SELAMAT BERJUANG & SEMOGA BERJAYA, guys!

KLCA Open 2009

The second edition of KLCA Open will kicks off in less than 5 hours. The first round of the nine-round tournament will start at 8.30am Friday morning. 58 chess players from 11 countries will be participating where 6 GMs - 3 from Vietnam, 2 from Uzbekistan and 1 from Indonesia, and 2 strong IMs - Tahir Vakhidov and Richard Bitoon, will be the top 8 leaders to vie for the champion spot.

Seven (7) Malaysian chess players will be among the participants. Seargent Ismail Ahmad will be leading the pack and in the first round, the 30th seed will play white againts GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam on the top board. What an uphill task for the FIDE 2089 rated player againts the 2589 rated young Grandmaster. On the second board, NM Edward Lee (FIDE 2089) will play black againts another top Vietnamese GM, Thien Hai Dao, another 2500+ rated player. Let's all we Malaysians pray and hope they will produce excellent and gallant fight.

x-World Police champion, Ismail Ahmad

(photo from www.utusan.com.my)

NM Edward Lee

Najib Wahab, the recent DATMO's chief arbiter

(photo from Gilachess' collection)

Abdul Haq Mohamed

(photo from GiLoCatur's collection)

It is a surprise for GiLoCatur seeing Abdul Haq as one of the participants since he is not that very active in chess tournaments lately. In the first round, he will play black againts a 2200+ Indonesian player, Hasian Panggabean, the 24th seed. Considered a strong chess player, GiLoCatur believes Haq has an equal chance to win the match.

MCF Vice President, Haslindah Ruslan (FIDE 1698)

(photo from GiLoCatur's collection)

Representing the Malaysian ladies, Haslindah Ruslan, has to battle againts a Singaporean FM, Daniel Chan Yi-Ren, the 18th seed in the first round. Hopefully, she manages to improve her FIDE rating and win as many games as possible againts higher-rated opponents. Her participation in this tournament hopefully will motivate and encourage more Malaysian chess women to be active and participate in FIDE-rated chess tournaments.

MSSM KL player, Wong Jianwen (FIDE 1763)

(photo from http://mssmkl.blogspot.com/)

GiLoCatur is very happy to see the determination and will of young Malaysian chess players like Wong Jianwen. He just participated in the recent DAT Malaysian Open. Kudos to him! With many exposure and participation in international chess tournaments, he will surely improve and succeed in the future. Who knows, Jianwen will be among our future Grandmasters and GiLoCatur believes strongly he could.

In the first round, his opponent is a Kazakhstan FM, Yevgeniy Pak (FIDE 2348). Hopefully, he will learn a lot from such valuable experience and game encounter. Go Go Go Jianwen!

NWM Tan Li Ting

(photo from GiLoCatur's collection)

NWM Tan Li Ting is the sole representive for Under12 players and young Malaysian girls. WCM Nabila and Fairuz Hamizah, the daughter of Cikgu Fuad, will be busy next week with their UPSR examination. So, let us put our hope on this talented girl to be at par with or even surpass the Indonesian Dream Girls - WFM Dewi A A Citra, WFM (stated WCM in the starting list) Medina Warda Aulia, WCM Chelsie Monica Sihite and Virda Rizka Aulia, the elder sister of Medina. The exposure of playing in a quality chess tournament like KLCA Open surely will help Tan Li Ting to go further in her chess ambition.

Young Indonesian chess masters - 2 WFMs, 1 WCM

(photo from http://potretcatur.blogspot.com/)

SO, all the rakyat Malaysia, let's support and cheer for the above seven Malaysian chess players to play gallantly and excellently in the chess tournament. If we want chess to achieve greater heights let's show our strong support to these seven fighting Malaysian chess warriors by giving good luck wishes and greetings to them. Let's show to our Youth and Sports Minister also how determine and serious we are in promoting and supporting chess in this country. You all can do that by writing in the comments or in the shoutbox. Let's start the ball rolling folks!

What is A Chess Rating?

For most active chess players they already know and understand what a chess rating is. But many especially the parents whose children just started participating in chess tournaments do not really know what a chess rating is and understand how it is derived or calculated. So, basically today GiLoCatur wants to share the knowledge with them.

Understanding Chess Ratings

By Edward Scimia

When talking about chess, you might hear statements such as "I'm a 1600 player," or "we're playing in the under 2000 section." These numbers being thrown around are called chess ratings, and are an important part of the chess community.

What is a Rating?

Ratings are numbers used to represent the playing strength of chess players. Most rating systems are based on the work of Arpad Elo, and are known as Elo rating systems.

The internal workings of chess rating systems can be quite complex, but the basics are simple. Ratings are based on the results of of games between players -- usually, games played in chess tournaments. If a player wins games, his rating will increase; if he loses games, his rating will decrease.

The rating of a player's opponents also effect how that player's rating will change. Defeating a much lower-rated opponent will cause a gain of few (if any) rating points, while defeating a much higher-rated foe will earn a large number of rating points. Losses work the game way, though in the opposite direction; losing to a much stronger player won't effect a player's rating much, but losing to a weaker opponent will cost quite a few points. Draws also effect ratings in a similar manner (drawing a higher-rated player increases ones rating, while drawing a lower-rated player decreases it), though not as dramatically.

Over time, a player's rating should approximate their skill level, allowing players to compare themselves to their peers. As a player improves, their rating will tend to rise.

What do Chess Ratings Mean?

Ratings vary depending on who is issuing them. In terms of United States Chess Federation (or USCF) ratings, a complete beginner who has just learned the rules of chess would likely earn the minimum rating of 100. The average scholastic tournament player has a rating of around 600. A "strong" non-tournament player, or a beginning tournament player that has gained some basic experience might have a rating around 800 or 1000.

The average adult tournament player in the USCF is rated around 1400. Very strong adult tournament competitors -- the top 10% or so of that group -- are rated over 1900.

(Since the latest GiLoCatur's (July 2009) national rating is 1143, it means that GiLoCatur is still a below average chess player. Thus, GiLocatur will work hard to achieve a rating of about 1400 so that GiLoCatur can become a better chess player. So, it is GiLoCatur's next target or mission then.)

Prestigious titles are available to the strongest players. These titles are usually award partially or entirely based on ratings. Experts are players with ratings over 2000. Masters are players with ratings over 2200. Earning the International Master or Grandmaster title requires more than just a high rating, but these players are typically rated over 2400 and 2500, respectively. The best players in the world are rated over 2700; the highest rating ever achieved was 2851, by former World Champion Garry Kasparov.

How do Players Earn Ratings?

A chess rating can be earned in a variety of ways. Online chess sites often offer their own ratings, which are useful for finding appropriate opponents while playing online. Some chess clubs also keep their own informal ratings.

When most people speak of chess ratings, however, they are speaking of ratings assigned by a national chess federation (or by FIDE, the International Chess Federation). These ratings are earned by playing in sanctioned tournaments. After each tournament, the results are sent to the federation rating the event, where they are processed and used to update the ratings of the competitors.

(The sad part in our local chess tournaments is that not many are national-rated ones. For a chess tournament to be a national-rated event, the organizer has to pay a fee and submitted to the authorized ratings officer which is Mr IA (International Arbiter) Lim Tse-Pin. The tournament also needs to fulfill certain criteria like enough minimum percentage of rated players.)

Source : http://chess.about.com/od/chesscommunities/qt/Ratings.htm

For Malaysia, basically we have our own national rating. Normally, the national ratings is maintained by the authorized ratings officer. It will be calculated every quarterly or three months. The latest one is July 2009. Go to this link to check on the national rating or you can download it in MS excel format here.

KBS Janji Kembangkan Sukan Catur di Malaysia

GiLoCatur is very happy when reading an article related to chess in a local Malay newspaper, Sinar Harian. The Minister of Youth and Sports has given a promise for chess in this country. He had officiated the ASTRO Merdeka Rapid Teams championship held in Mid Valley recently.

Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek

KUALA LUMPUR - Menyedari sukan catur kini semakin diminati ramai, Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) bersetuju untuk mengatur program pembangunan bagi memperkasakan sukan itu di negara ini.

Menteri Belia dan Sukan Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek berkata, sebagai langkah awal membangunkan sukan itu, KBS akan berbincang terlebih dahulu dengan Persekutuan Catur Malaysia (PCM) bagi mengenal pasti langkah terbaik untuk merangka program pembangunan.

“Langkah awal yang perlu dibuat adalah untuk melahirkan seorang ‘grandmaster’ catur yang mempunyai potensi untuk mengharumkan nama negara di peringkat antarabangsa,” katanya.

(This has become an important mission already! So, all young Malaysian chess players, work and practice hard to achieve the mission! The youth and sports ministry will help and assist you along the way. )

Beliau berkata, publisiti terhadap penganjuran sukan seperti itu perlu dipertingkatkan agar sukan catur dikenali oleh seluruh masyarakat di negara ini.

“Apa yang paling penting untuk memajukan sukan ini ialah dengan menarik orang ramai menonton sukan ini.

(Yeah, it is very very true to have publicity and attraction for more spectators. GiLoCatur hopes all Malaysian chess bloggers are united in creating publicity for local chess tournaments and events. Organizers may use their creativity and advertisement to attract more viewers for chess events.)

“Contohnya sukan boling dan kriket yang dahulunya dianggap membosankan kini mendapat tempat apabila perubahan daripada segi peraturan pertandingan dan tempoh masa diubah sesuai dengan penerimaan orang ramai,” katanya.

Ahmad Shabery berkata, pihaknya akan cuba menghulurkan bantuan daripada segi pencarian bakat dan sumber kewangan untuk membolehkan PCM menganjurkan lebih banyak pertandingan peringkat kebangsaan.

Beliau berkata, persatuan sukan tidak seharusnya mengambil sikap lepas tangan ekoran bantuan kewangan, sebaliknya perlu berusaha mencari penaja.

(The above reminder is very critical for all sports associations to look for their own sponsors for the development of the sports including providing the fund for selected players to participate in quality and world class tournaments and championships abroad).

Sementara itu, Presiden PCM, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib menyambut baik kesediaan KBS untuk memperkasakan sukan catur di negara ini. “Saya harap usaha KBS untuk membangunkan sukan catur di negara ini akan mendapat sokongan semua pihak dan PCM sentiasa menyokong usaha ke arah ini dan kita juga harap mampu lahirkan seorang ‘grandmaster’ catur suatu hari nanti,” katanya.

(It is very important that all parties - players, parents, teachers, coaches, fans, bloggers, organizers, sponsors, arbiters, and associations, make contribution and efforts to promote and help develop chess in this country.)

Sumber : http://www.sinarharian.com.my/com/content/story3709835.asp