There would be five chess tourneys held during this weekend (6 & 7 March):
The second leg of KL Chess Grand Prix will be held at the RSC, Royal Selangor Club, located at Dataran Merdeka. The tourney also has 6 rounds. The time control is 45 minute per side or simply G/45. Based on the first leg, the pairings will be shown using a LCD projector, an advanced method or approach.
For players who prefer and like the standards chess, they can participate in this tourney organized by the Excel Chess Academy. GiLoCatur believes many NAG participants will choose this tourney for the warm up. The format is 6 rounds of G/60 + 30 seconds. Jax Tham will be the host at his chess center located in Overseas Union Garden (OUG).
GiLoCatur yakin abang Zainal Arif, seorang "gilocatur" dan peniaga di Segamat tidak akan melepaskan peluang menyertai Segamat Grand Prix di SMK Seri Kenangan. Pastikan rakan2 abang semua diajak menyertai sama, bang.
This chess tourney is only for Putrajaya residents or those who work in Putrajaya. As advertised, the tourney's format is 6 rounds of G/20 format. Three categories would be contested - Open (16 years old and abobe), Under 15 and Under 12. The fees are very cheap. The champion for each category will receive cash prizes of RM 300, RM 300 and RM 250 respectively. The cash prizes for both Under 15 and Under 12 are the highest in any tourney as far as GiLoCatur remembers. Good for chess development among the juniors. Hopefully, more new chess talents will emerge. And also it would spark more interest in chess by Putrajaya residents. A question? Will Hairulov of http://hairulovchessmaniacs.blogspot.com/ defend his last year the Open category champion title in this edition?
Kamaluddin aka Abg Bro (right) vs Kok Wei Tze in the recent MMU International Invitational tournament. Again another chess tourney for Abg Bro, but which tourney? Anyone can guest?GiLoCatur hopes Abg Bro keeps track his participation in the local chess tournament. Boleh Abg Bro share dengan semua jumlah chess tourneys yang telah disertai? Boleh masuk Malaysian Book of Records (MBR) maybe? And GiLoCatur hopes Wei Tze will play in the Segamat Grand Prix. He is a talented young and fast rising chess player.
Another G/45 format tourney is the first leg of Segamat Chess Grand Prix. The tourney plays 7 rounds in two days. Segamat is about 2 and 1/2 hours drive south of Kuala Lumpur. It is actually located in the state of Johor. Yes, Johor is full of chess activities this year. Later this month, two chess tournaments will be held in JB in one weekend with nearly RM 15 K (grand) in cash prizes. Another chess tourney in Johor will be in Kota Tinggi. Johorean chess players should (or maybe MUST) take advantage of this scenario by participating in such tourneys. They should have the spirit and determination of the 8-year-old Jagathees Guna Balan who is rising in the Malaysian chess circle. And GiLoCatur also hopes chess players from Melaka and Negeri Sembilan like Kok Wei Tze, a player to watch at 2010 MSSM, will participate in the Segamat Grand Prix.
Where would Abdullah Che Hassan (left), one of the mostly-participated Malaysian strong chess players be during this weekend? KL Chess Grand Prix?, The FSCC? or Segamat Grand Prix?
Like in PICA's official blog at perakchess.blogspot.com, the first leg will be held at Wisma Belia, Kompleks Belia dan Sukan which is situated in Ipoh. Three categories - Open, Under 16 and Under 12 with Best Girls for each age group sections, will be organized by both PICA and MCF. The tourney is sponsored by Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad. The format will be G/25 of 7 Swiss rounds played in one day.
GiLoCatur and the kids will not participated in any of the five chess tourneys. Fikri is not coming home from his hostel. Anis will be busy with her school program. GiLoCatur decides to attend the PTA meeting at SK Bukit Jelutong which GiLoCatur thinks more important. Hopefully, GiLoCatur will get the updates and results of all the chess tournaments to share with. GiLoCatur hopes to have a more relaxing and less hectic weekend before driving for a long journey to Penang in the following week for the NAG, National Age Group.
GOOD AND BEST OF LUCK TO ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THE FIVE TOURNEYS!!! THE IMPORTANT THING IS, ENJOY PLAYING CHESS! like GiLoCatur eventhough often being whacked and thrashed by strong players and masters. LOL (Laugh Out Loud or "gelak besor" kata Bahasa Melayu Peraknya!)
GiLoCatur can't wait to know what is the total number of Malaysian chess players in all the tourneys to gauge the popularity and increasing interest in chess.
