KL Open - Update of Entries (16 February 2014)

(IM Liew might beg to differ but all eyes will be on young Yeoh!)

Time for an update - we have now reached 64 players, with 35 titled (more than half!), and representing 14 countries. Our target is still 80 (even if we can probably squeeze in 100) and as expected a number of regional national chess federations are in contact to reserve places for their representatives.

Personally I was more than happy to accept the entry of 15 year old Yeoh Li Tian, our third ranked player who made a comfortable breakthrough past the 2300 barrier last year and who we all hope for even more success in 2014, perhaps finally collecting the Malaysian Closed Championship title and also making International Master title norms!

For those still asking, details of the venue/hotel can be found at www.olympichotel-kualalumpur.com/.

Again, a reminder that entry fee for all other than grandmasters is USD 100, eligible Malaysians only pay RM 200 and for KLCA representatives it is just RM 150.

Grandmasters
1. Sergei Tiviakov
2. Niaz Murshed
3. Richard Bitoon
4. Nguyen Anh Dung
5. Vladimir Lazarev
6. M.R. Venkatesh
7. Deepan Chakkravarthy J.
8. R.R. Laxman
9. Neelotpal Das
10. Vaibhav Suri

Woman Grandmasters
11. Bhakti Kulkarni
12. Bhagyashree Thipsay
13. Irine Kharismar Sukandar
14. Medina Warda Aulia
15. Anda Safranska

International Masters
16. Oliver Dimakiling
17. Rolando Notle
18. Jahongir Vakhidov
19. Aleksander Wohl
20. Arghyadip Das
21. R. Ramnath Bhuvanesh
22. S. Satyapragyan
23. Aleksander Wohl
24. Bogdan Borsos
25. Dede Lioe
26. Jimmy Liew

Woman International Masters
27. Chelsie Monica Shite
28. Upi Damayana Tamin

FIDE Masters
29. Haridas Pascua
30. Nelson Mariano III
31. Aravindh Chithambaram
32. Ram Aravind L.N

Woman FIDE Masters
33. AA Dewi Citra
34. Swati Mohota
35. Savant Riya

FIDE Rated Players
36. Luu Duc Hai
37. Vu Phi Hung
38. Ngo Thi Kim Tuyen (F)
39. Nelson Villanueva
40. Jelvia Calvelo
41. Azarya Jodi Setyaki
42. Diajeng Theresa Singgih (F)
43. Hendry Jamals
44. Aris T.L.S.
45. Ferry Ferdiansyah
46. Martin Greenwood
47. Mark Vucak
48. Md. Anisuzzaman Jewel
49. Ibrahim Parvez
50. Rana Chowdhury
51. Egor Eliseev
52. Andre Shukin
53. Poompong Wiwatanadate
54. Thanadon Kulpruethanon

55. Akash PC Iyer

56. Tesjawinin Sagar (F)

57. Siya Rajenda Sagar (F)

58. Kavisha S Shah (F)
59. Ismail Ahmad
60. Prabhaharan Rajendra
61. Lim Kian Hwa
62. Tan Li Ting (F)
63. Yeoh Li Tian

Unrated
64. Michael Cheong

Initial Entry List (After Exactly 48 Hours)

Lots of enquiries already (especially with groups of players coming officially from some countries), and confirmed so far are six GMs, six IMs, one FM and two FIDE rated from 8 countries (including Malaysia):

Grandmasters
1. Nigel Short (ENG)
2. Sergei Tiviakov (NED)
3. Nguyen Anh Dung (VIE)
4. Niaz Murshed (BAN)
5. Richard Bitoon (PHI)
6. Praveen Thipsay (IND)

















International Masters
7. Nguyen Van Huy (VIE)
8. Bhuvanesh R. Ramnath (IND)
9. Alex Wohl (AUS)
10. Oliver Dimakiling (PHI)
11. Abu Sufian Shakil (BAN)
12. Jimmy Liew (MAS)


FIDE Master
13. L.N. Ram Aravind (IND)


FIDE Rated
14. Poompong Wiwatanadate (THA)
15. Ismail Ahmad (MAS)

DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah KL International Open Chess Championships 2014

1. Sponsors & Organisers

With sponsorship from the Malaysian Intellect Development Foundation, Polgar Chess Asia and the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA), together with the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF), is pleased to announce the DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah KL International Open Chess Championship will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 4-11 April 2014.

2. Format of Play

The tournament will be played over 9 rounds using the Swiss System according to World Chess Federation (FIDE) Title & Rating Regulations, with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. In addition, there will be a 30 second time increment per move from move one.

3. Prizes

1st RM 10,000, 2nd RM 6,000, 3rd RM 4,000, 4th RM 2,000, 5th-10th RM 1,000 each, Best Woman RM 1,000, and with Special Prizes totalling RM 1,000.

4. Entries

The entry fee is USD 100 (RM 200 for locals - KLCA players get a 50% discount) and the organisers reserve the right to increase the entry fees for players under 1800 or who are unrated, and to refuse any entry without explanation.   

WHILE WE WILL ACCEPT PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION, ENTRIES ARE ONLY CONFIRMED ON RECEIPT OF PAYMENT AS PLACES ARE LIMITED.

5. Schedule

Friday 4 April 

Arrival

1100 Technical Meeting

1500 Round 1

Saturday 5 April

0900 Round 2

1500 Round 3

Sunday 6 April

Rest Day

Monday 7 April

0900 Round 4

1500 Round 5

Tuesday 8 April

0900 Round 6

Wednesday 9 April

0900 Round 7

Thursday 10 April

0900 Round 8

Friday 11 April

0900 Round 9

1600 Prize Award & Closing Ceremony

Departure

6. Contact

The Organising Secretary/Tournament Director is IA Peter Long and all enquiries may be directed to him via email: peter@thefidetrainer.com.

Thank You from KLCA!

In the last few months, and especially in recent days, KLCA has received many offers from individuals offering their help and services and whatever your agendas might be, we thank each and everyone of you for coming forward.

As all other state associations will confirm, under the Commissioner of Sports (COS) guidelines, our members can only be through clubs and in fact since our last AGM we have been working to set up these clubs so that individuals can become members.

We are very happy so many onboard over the years have been stepping up to try and help us become better even as we have grown from strength to strength, and last year, 2013, saw KLCA not only organise once again a major DYTM Raja Nazrin Shah international event for the sixth successive year, this time in the form of a KL Masters, and we also organised and hosted a Malaysian Masters, both for our men and our women, for the Malaysian Chess Federation.

KLCA also sent young players to play in the National Championships and the National Junior Championships and fully supported the newly revived Inter State Team Championships.

We are of course very proud of the results of players like IM Mas Hafizulhelmi, FM Lim Zhouren, Wong Jianwen, Dr, Zaidan Zulkipli, WFM Camilia Johari, Tan Li Ting, and Lye Lik Zang, all who played and excelled under the KLCA banner.

In  few months we will have our AGM and so now is the time for you who have been so interested: KK, Fadli, Yeap, Megat, Raymond, and so many others like yourselves, to set-up clubs under COS that could qualify you to apply KLCA membership, and we will give every application our consideration.

But remember, we are not interested in, let alone wish to be involved in your politics!

     

KLCA Congratulates National Junior Champion Tan Li Ting

KLCA congratulates 15 year old Tan Li Ting on retaining her title at the just concluded National Junior Championships held from 1-5 December in Johor Bahru. (See the results at http://chess-results.com/tnr117794.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&wi=821)

This year KLCA has adopted a policy to facilitate participation of the best young players available and we are very happy with the results at national level.

Mas Hafizulhelmi was the co-winner of the Malaysian Masters with another 15 year old in Camilia Johari emerging the champion in the woman section. Before that, at the National Closed Championship 18 year old Wong Jianwen was a successful qualifier and so am with Mas, Camilia and Li Ting, now a also member of our National Team together with UK based 21 year old Lim Zhouren.

Our other nominees in 15 year old Dilwen Ding and 12 year olds Bausch Koh and Ng Jen Sheng are all starting to develop promisingly as well. Not to mention the potential shown by 6 year old Amir Faiz Amirul and his 11 year old sister Amira Farhana Amirul.

At the Inter State Teams held in Sabah, Mas led a young team to an expected second place and that included Camilia and even younger 9 year old Lye Lik Zang. (A still young Dr Zaidan Zulkipli completed the team!). Both Mas and Lye won Gold Medals for their performances on first and fourth boards respectively.

In 2014, KLCA hopes to be able to build on this success, perhaps even on the international stage!

Grand Closing of the DTYM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Invitational Masters 2013

Sergei Tiviakov became the first champion to ever repeat with his second successive victory at the DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Invitational Masters. After a slow start with a draw in the first round against our No. 1 Mas Hafizulhelmi, the determined Netherlands resident played himself  into form and with less mistakes than his opponents even improved on his rating with a 9/10 score. 

Thomas Luther who is also on his second visit was happy to finish a clear second with the help of some resourceful play to win and hold difficult positions in the latter part of the tournament.

Rolando Nolte enjoyed an early break but then simply could not convert several winning positions and so once against missed out on getting the GM title but could draw some consolation from third place ahead of the more fancied Niaz Murshed who seemed to have lost his ambition mid way through the event.

Of the others, Ramnath Bhuvanesh was always up and down while Goh Wei Ming never really recovered from his loss to Nolte from a winning position.

Mas Hafizulhelmi performed credibly, even picking up 5-6 rating points.

Young Padmini played at a high level and consistently throughout but was very unlucky not being able to convert on occasion against her vastly more experienced opponents, while for Dimakiling and Wohl, it was a mix of very good play and some horrible blunders.

It was indeed a grand closing ceremony at the Palace of the Golden Horses with staff and students from the Asian Metropolitan University putting on a great performance and wonderfully organising the closing ceremony.

The VVIPs are certainly enjoying it. (L-R, Dato' Abdul Rashid Mohd Sharif, YTM Tunku Dato' Seri Kamel Tunku Rijaludin, DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, and Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib).

Many members of the MCF Council was also in attendance.

The foreign players were rather captivated...  

....our national women players a little less so?

...and there was very welcome support too from many family affairs 

All the details including final standings are at http://chess-results.com/tnr103856.aspx?lan=1 and the games can be found on TWIC.

Another Double Round... then the Results after Nine Rounds

Chessplayers all know that some luck is needed to win a tournament and sometimes the question is how or whether you can make it! And determination sometimes does count.

Sergei Tiviakov may have been leading but his play is that of a man badly out of form. And his closest rival Thomas Luther is now also riding his luck and winning from lost and drawn positions!

Languishing in the cellar, Dr Wong Meng Kong saved his best, as often the case, for Tiviakov and with the top seed literally on the ropes no one knows what happened to the knock out blow that never came.

So Tiviakov continues to lead with 7/8 and Luther remains second with 6.5/8.

In third is Rolando Nolte who on 5.5/8 after a tense, perhaps even unfortunate, draw with Ramnath Bhuvanesh keeps his chances for his final GM norm (and title) alive but now needs to win both his remaining games.

Niaz Murshed keeps fourth place on 5/8, Goh Wei Ming is in fifth on 4.5/8 and Mas Hafizulhelmi has 4/9 to be in sixth place.

With almost no exceptions the games have been hard fought, brilliant moves and superlative efforts and sadly also terrible blunders with resulting heartbreaking losses.

For two suffering veterans, it was really a hard day for Oliver Dimakiling who lost both his games but on the flip side perhaps simply wonderful for a much improved Alex Wohl who won both his games.

So Wohl joins Bhuvanesh in seventh and eighth places with 3.5/9 and 3.5/8 respectively, Padmini Rout is alone in ninth place on 3/8 and Dimakiling with 2.5/8 is tenth while Wong is 0/8 to be in eighth place.

All details are at http://chess-results.com/tnr103856.aspx?art=2&lan=1&wi=821

Sergei Tiviakov Takes Sole Lead

Top seeded Sergei Tiviakov took the lead today at the DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Invitational with his fourth successive victory to reach 4.5/5 after six rounds of play.

In second and third places are Thomas Luther and Rolando Nolte with 4/5 and Niaz Murshed fourth on 3.5/6. Sharing fifth to seventh places are Goh Wei Ming, Padmini Rout and Mas Hafizulhelmi with 3/6 and in eighth is Ramnath Bhuvanesh with 2/5.

Alone in ninth place is Oliver Dimakiling on 1.5/5, in tenth is Alex Wohl with 1.5/6 while eleventh and last place is held by Wong Meng Kong on 0/5.

The main excitement was however in the previous round when Goh Wei Ming saw his GM norm hopes fall apart when he blew a win against fellow GM hopeful Rolando Nolte who now has the only realistic chance of becoming a grandmaster at this event.

Malaysia's flag is flying high with Mas Hafizulhelmi holding his own on 50% with a win and a loss going with four draws but it is indeed a horror story for Wong Meng Kong who shows his lack of practice.

11 players are playing 10 games with a bye each over 11 rounds at the Swiss Inn from 4 p.m.daily with the last round at 11 a.m. on 22 June at the Palace of the Golden Horses.