hairulovchessmaniacs

Lim Yee Weng is officially an International Master !

2009-11-19T23:23:00.002+08:00

Click the image for larger view

Malaysia welcomed another International Master (IM) - Lim Yee Weng ! Click here to see his FIDE chess profile.

Out of book as early as move 4 !

2009-11-19T22:17:00.013+08:00

Below is my game against Frankie Lee (Pricewaterhouse) in the 2nd round of DATCC Team League held last Tuesday.

Frankie Lee (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) vs Hairulov (Nusa Mahkota)

2nd DATCC Team, Round 2, 17.11.2009

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 The first time i faced the Bishop Opening in serious game. After the normal 2.Nf3 , i have played the Petroff 2...Nf6 in the past. 2...Nf6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. f4 Believe it or not, i've already out of book after only move 4. During the game, i consider two option - 4...exf4 and 4...d6, however i choose the third option 4...Bxg1 Probably not the best move but i enjoy seeing White's king stuck in the centre and losing the right to castle on the king side 5. fxe5 The computer prefer 5.Rxg1 and as my friend Rizal said, the position looks like the Keres Attack ( Sicilian Defense)! 5...Bd4 Fritz gave 5... Nxe4! as the best move 6. Nxe4 Qh4+ 6. exf6 Qxf6

7. Rf1 White's attack on f7 looks decisive at first but my king found a "shelter" on the d8 square !? 7...Qh4+ 8. g3 Qxh2 9. Bxf7+ Kd8 I forgive all of you for thinking that this game is between two beginner. We both seems not to know the rule of castling! 10. Qg4 10...h6 This tiny little move is to stop white from playing Qg5+ 11. Ne2 d6 12. Qf3 During the game, i taught my queen will be trap after white play Rh1 next, fortunately i found a resource to save "my lady" 12...Nc6! 13. Rh1

Ne5 14. Qf1 Of course 14.Rxh2 lost to 14...Nxf3+ 14...Qf2+!

I think Frankie missed this move because he spend a lot of time over it. 15. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 16. Kxf2 Rf8 black regain the piece and we agreed to split the point 1/2-1/2

2nd DATCC Team League : Round 2

2009-11-19T22:07:00.003+08:00

Below is the second round result for the 2nd DATCC Team League held on Tuesday, 17th November 2009.

Round 2

1.1 1 Pricewaterhouse 2½ - 1½ 10 Nusa Mahkota

1 Hazril Husain ½ : ½ Kamalariffin Wahiduddin

2 Cheah Cheok Fong 1 : 0 Rusdi Sidi

3 Frankie Lee ½ : ½ Hairul Abdul Hamid

4 Chew Yaw Chong ½ : ½ Samsul Baharin

1.2 2 Tan & Tan 0 - 4 9 Team AU

1 Subramaniam 0 : 1 Ooi Chern Ee

2 Hisyam Ismail 0 : 1 Mohd Fairin Zakaria

3 Chan Mun Fye 0 : 1 Jax Tham

4 Abd Hamid Majid 0 : 1 Khausal Khandar

1.3 3 Storm Warriers 0 - 4 8 Caviaga

1 Muhd Syazwan Zulkifli 0 : 1 Lim Yee Weng

2 Lee Boon Why 0 : 1 Edward Lee Kim Han

3 Mark Siew 0 : 1 Abdullah Che Hassan

4 Chuan Haw Wooi 0 : 1 Yeap Eng Chiam

1.4 4 EON Bank Berhad 1½ - 2½ 7 17 Chess Club

1 Nor Ilhamuddin Shaik Ali ½ : ½ Kamaluddin Yusof

2 Abdul Aziz Abdul Shukor 1 : 0 Mat Zaki Yeop

3 Tan Chee Hock 0 : 1 Mohamed Bin Ismail

4 Sri Raman S Sreenivasan 0 : 1 Sabir Sarifdin

1.5 5 X - Factor 2½ - 1½ 6 DATCC

1 Premnath 1 : 0 Andrew Ooi

2 Sri Shiva ½ : ½ Shamsudin Sabri

3 Paul Paramarajan 0 : 1 Roslina Marmono

4 Lim Teng Soon 1 : 0 Yat Guo Jie

Round 2

No. SNo. Team Res. Team SNo.

1 1 Pricewaterhouse 2½ - 1½ Nusa Mahkota 10

2 2 Tan & Tan 0 - 4 Team AU 9

3 3 Storm Warriers 0 - 4 Caviaga 8

4 4 EON Bank Berhad 1½ - 2½ 17 Chess Club 7

5 5 X - Factor 2½ - 1½ DATCC 6

Nurnabila Azman - Nicolas Zapata LIVE

2009-11-16T17:20:00.010+08:00

Thanks to Marcus Yeoh who sms me about this live game which can be view from the official site here

Nur Nabila Azman Hisham - Nicolas Zapata
World Youth 2009, Round 5, Girls (Under 12) 16.11.2009

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 Gruenfeld Defense has regained it popularity - thanks to the recent Kasparov-Karpov match ! 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 c5 9. O-O Qc7 10. Qb3 Theory recommend 10...Be3 10...Nc6 11.Be3 Na5 12.Qa3 Bg4 Black intention is clear, she's willing to sac her c5 pawn to target white's d4 pawn. At the same time her g7 bishop @ Gufeld bishop help to control the a1-h8 diagonal and eyeing white's rook on a1 13. Qc1 I think white has spend to much time with her queen in the opening stage. Probably taking the pawn with 13.dxc5 is better 13...Rac8

Sorry guys, i won't be able to proceed with the live commentary. Follow the game live at the official site or go to Marcus Yeoh blog here

PC Problemo!

2009-11-15T14:09:00.004+08:00

As some of you may have noticed recently, this blog has not update important tournament such as the Malaysian junior progress in World Youth 2009 in Turkey and the Tal Memorial 2009.

Unfortunately the reason is because my home PCs and wireless network was infected by spy ware and it has effect my Internet connection. I have send my PC to my good friend - Rusdi Sidi who own a computer shop in Bangi. I hope he can fix it as soon as possible because i know he is one of my "fanatic" blog follower !

For local readers who are (always) hungry for update especially on Malaysian juniors progress in Turkey, you can follow this blog - Malaysian at World Youth Chess Competition 2009 by Azman Che Doi who is there as the coach and accompanying parent! For the FIDE rated DATCC Individual and Team league, followed DATCC blog.

I will be updating... of course F.O.C :) for you all as soon as my PC problem being fix, thank you for all your encouragement and support.

By the way, i found that the shout box is recently full with racist and unhealthy discussion...as you all know, i will not tolerate and will delete/ban comment which didn't follow my shout box etique and rules.

Malaysian Masters (SEMI FINAL) - IM Yee Weng vs FM Nicholas Chan

2009-11-13T17:31:00.001+08:00

The Malaysian Masters Semi Finals Knock Out Match between newly crowned IM Lim Yee Weng vs FM Nicholas Chan will be played over 2 days as follows:

Friday, 27 Nov 2009

Game 1 0930
Game 2 1500

Saturday, 28 Nov 2009

Game 3 0930
Game 4 1500

In the event there is a tied (2-2) result, then the playoff rapid match will be held on Sunday, 29 Nov.

All games will be held in Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Center in Wilayah Kompleks. Spectators are welcome to watch.

Wonderkids ( Li Tian & Li Ting) Training in China !

2009-11-11T22:07:00.004+08:00

11th November 2009 - Two Malaysian wonder kid and potential GM and WGM – Yeoh Li Tian and NWM Tan Li Ting will be send to Beijing to undergo a 6 week chess training under the surveillance of the coaches from the new chess powerhouse country – China !

A sending off dinner for NWM Tan Li Ting and Yeoh Li Tian being held today at the CitiTel Hotel, Kuala Lumpur .

Dinner Attanded by Dato’ Tan Chin Nam, Dato’ Alan Tong Kok Mau, Ibrahim Abu Bakar, Abdul Hamid Majid MCF Vice Presedints, Gregory Lau Secretary, IM Giam Choo Kwee, Lim Tse Pin – Selangor Chess Assistant Secretary. Parents of Tan Li Ting, and Yeoh Li Tian and theirs family.

Source: Sirajuddin

IM Lim Yee Weng Sicilian Dragon Seminar Update!

2009-11-11T12:24:00.002+08:00

I received and email from IM elect - Lim Yee Weng regarding his IM title. According to him, FIDE has just informed that his title has been confirmed and the international chess body will update on his status in FIDE's website.

Below is one of his game as a preview/appetizer for the upcoming lecture on the Sicilian Dragon.

Anonymous vs Lim Yee Weng

Royal Selangor Juniors (Under 12) 1993

As an introduction to my favorite opening, the Dragon, I would like to show

one of the interesting games that i played as a 11 year old boy against a top

Malaysian player. Hopefully, it will inspire you to pick up this fantastic

opening too. Well, if Radjabov & Kasparov's pupil, Magnus Carlsen plays it on

a regular basis too - why not you? 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6

5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Bc4 O-O 9. Qd2 Bd7 Why is this opening

called the Dragon? Just take a look at Black's pawn structure? What does it

resemble? 10. O-O-O

The incredibly complicated & interesting

Yugoslav Attack - used by World Champions such as Fischer, Karpov & Anand as

White! 10… Ne5 11. Bb3 Qa5

This is my preferred move. However, in the

World Championship match in 1995 against Anand, Kasparov (playing the Dragon

as Black) opted for 11....Rc8 and won the game after only 31 moves! (11... Rc8

12. h4 h5 13. Kb1 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. Nde2 b5 16. Bh6 Qa5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18.

Nf4 Rfc8 19. Ncd5 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Nxd5 21. Nxd5 Kf8 22. Re1 Rb8 23. b3 Rc5 24.

Nf4 Rbc8 25. Kb2 a5 26. a3 Kg7 27. Nd5 Be6 28. b4? axb4 29. axb4 Rc4 30. Nb6

?? Rxb4+ 31. Ka3 Rxc2

0-1 Anand,V (2725)-Kasparov,G (2795) 12.

Kb1 Rfc8 13. h4 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. g4 Rac8 A standard position has arose

here where White opts to pawn storm the Black King on the Kingside & Black

counterattacks the White King with his pieces on the Queenside 16. Nb3 (16. h5

usually transposes back to the main line with Rxc3!

Yes! Again the same combo! 17. Nb3 ? (17. bxc3 Bxg4 ! 18. hxg6 (18. Nb3 Qa6

19. fxg4 Nxe4 see actual game) (18. fxg4 Nxe4 19. Qd3 Nxc3+ 20. Kc1 Nxa2+ 21.

Kb2 Rc6 22. Kb1 Rb6+ 23. Nb3 Rxb3+ 24. Qxb3 Nc3+ 25. Kb2 Nxd1+ 26. Kc1 Nxe3)

18... hxg6 19. Bh6 Bh5 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf5+ gxf5 22. Rdg1+ Kf8 23. Qh6+ Ke8

24. Rxh5 Qb6+ 0-1 Grey,P-Hoffman,A Reno 1999.) 17.. Qa6 transposes back to

the actual game but maybe Black should try the aesthetic looking 17... Nxe4 !

(17... Qa6 18. bxc3 Bxg4! see actual game) 18. fxe4 (18. Nxa5

Nxd2+ 19. Bxd2 Rxc2 black have big advantage ) 18... Rxb3!

19. axb3 or (19. Qxa5

Rxb2+ 20. Ka1 (20. Kc1 Rcxc2#) 20... Rb5+ nets the queen.) 19... Qxd2 20.

Rxd2 Bxg4with slight advantage to black 16... Qa6 17. h5 Bxg4!

18. e5!

In the actual game, White played 18. fxg4 Rxc3!

and received a nasty shock when I played 19. bxc3 Nxe4 20. Qd3 Nxc3+

21. Kc1 Qa3+ 22. Kd2 Nxd1 23. Kxd1 Qxa2

and White resigned a few moves later 18... Bxf3 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. hxg6 hxg6

21. Bg5 White seeks to exchange of Black's dark square Bishop as

it is the most important piece here. Why? It plays a dual role by defending

Black's King & at the same time also assist in attacking White's King! Bxc3

22. bxc3 Bxh1 23. Rxh1 Rxc3! After either 24.Qh2 & 24. Bf6 it appears that

White threat of checkmate is unstoppable. Is there any counterblows you can

think of for Black? Here are 2 tactical puzzles FOR YOU TO SOLVE 24. Qh2

24. Bf6 does it REALLY end with 24... Kf8? 25.

Qh8# Well stay tuned cause the answer will be revealed in due course . I

hope you have enjoyed this game. There are many more of these interesting &

inspiring Dragon games to come on Sunday, 16 November 2009. Don't forget to

book a place for yourself early! 0-1 - from IM Lim Yee Weng

Carlsen-Aronian, Kramnik- Svidler - Tal Memorial

2009-11-08T22:31:00.002+08:00

According to source, several players of the Tal Memorial have been infected with flu. Among others is Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik. Will this effect their play in round 4? Lets see…

GM Magnus Carlsen (2801) – GM Levon Aronian (2786)
Tal Memorial, Round 4, 8.9.09

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4
b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Nd2

Flu variation ? This move looks odds but a 2800+ player must know what he’s doing 9…Bb7 10. Nce4 Be7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nb3 c5 14.dxc5 Qd5 15. f3 Rfd8 16. Be2 Qe5 17. Qe1 Bd5 18. Qc3 Qxc3 19. bxc3 Bxb3 20. axb3 Nd5 21.b4 Nxc3 22. Kf2 a5 23. Rxa5 Rxa5 24. bxa5 Bxc5 25. Bb2 Nxe2 26. Kxe2 Bb4 27.Ra1 Rd2+ 28. Kf1 Rxb2 29. a6 Bc5 30. Rc1 g6 31. Rxc5 Ra2 32. Rxb5 Rxa6 1/2-1/2

GM Vladimir Kramnik (2772) – GM Peter Svidler (2754)
Tal Memorial, Round 4, 8.9.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 Svidler stay loyal with his favourite opening – Gruenfeld although he suffered terrible beating by the World Champ- Vishy Anand last night! 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Rc1 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. d5 Na6 12. h4 f5 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. h5 Rad8
15. hxg6 Bxg6 16. Bh6 Bxh6 17. Rxh6 Rf6 18. Ne5 Qa4 19. Qe3 Qf4 20. Qxf4 Rxf4 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Rxg6+ Kf7 23. Rg5 Re4+ 24. Be2 Kf6 25. Rh5 Kg6 26. g4 Rf8 27.Rd1 Rf6 28. Rh8 Kg7 29. Rd8 Rb6 30. f3 Re3 31. Rd3 Re5 32. Kf2 Rh6 33. Bf1 Rh2+ 1/2-1/2

34. Kg3 Rxa2 35. d6 exd6 36. R3xd6 Re7 37. R6d7 1-0

DATCC vs NMCC friendly on the news !

2009-11-08T00:08:00.005+08:00

I missed to buy The Star last Friday but when i “glanced” trough the online version, i noticed that Quah Seng Sun has publish an article on the recent NMCC-DATCC friendly match. Seng Sun - a respectable chess columnist ask me to send the friendly match photo last two week and i’m happy to see the photo was included in his article.

My previous article on the friendly match is here

Anand-Svidler Round 3, Tal Memorial

2009-11-07T23:34:00.001+08:00

Anand- Svidler

Tal Memorial, Round 3, 7.11.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 Svidler is a well known expert in Gruenfeld Opening. 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 It seems that nowadays top layer prefer to avoid the main line of Gruenfeld Defense. The 5.Bd2 is a rather off beat system. White’s idea is to capture at c3 with his bishop after black play Nxc3 5…Bg7 6. e4 Nb6 However black’s is not force to take at c3. After 6…Nxc3 7.Bxc3 black bishop on g7 is neutralised! 7. Be3 Now there is no more Bc3 option, white bishop move to a more decent square and protect his d4 pawn. 7…O-O 8. h3 White prevent Bg4 8…e5 8…f5 is another strong option 9. Nf3 exd4 10. Bxd4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 Qe7 12. Qe3 Nc6 13. Bb5 Nb4 14. Rc1 Be6 15. b3 a6 16. Be2 Nc6
17. O-O f6 18. Rfe1 Rad8 19. Bf1 Bf7 20. Nh2 Be6 21. f4 Nd4 22. f5 Bf7 23. Ng4
gxf5 24. Nh6+ Kh8 25. Qf2 fxe4 26. Rxe4 Qd6 ??

A serious blunder which will cost black more or less a piece after 27. Rd1! c5 28. Nxf7+ Rxf7 29. b4!

Black knight at d4 and b6 is hanging for e.g after 29…Rc8 30. bxc5 Qxc5 31. Rexd4 Qxc3 32.
Rd8+ *

Gelfand-Carlsen - Tal Memorial Round 3 LIVE

2009-11-07T21:23:00.001+08:00

GM Boris Gelfand – GM Magnus Carlsen

Round 3, Tal memorial 2009, 7.11.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 Carlsen and his coach- G ary Kasparov must have prepared this opening together . Kasparov used it successfully recently in his match against his old rival Karpov. 4. Bg5 Gelfand wisely avoid the g3 fianchetto variation which Karpov choose against Kasparov in their recent match. 4…Ne4 5. Bh4 c5 6. cxd5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qxd5 8. e3 Bg7 9.Nf3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Bf5 13. Nd2 e5

Rybka opening book suggest two line a) 13…Rac8 and b) 13…Qd7. 13…e5 seems logical, black choose to open line for his g7 bishop and pressure white’s d4 pawn 14.Bf3 Qd6 15. Nc4 Qb4 16. Bxc6 Qxc4 This temporary pawn sacrifice is probably better then giving he double bishop with 16…bxc6 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.a3 Bxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Qa5. As many know, Carlsen guru – Kasparov like to keep double bishop 17. Bxb7 Rab8 18. Qf3 exd4 19. Bd5 Qb4 20. e4 Be6 21. Rad1 Qc3 22.Qf4 of course exchanging the queen with 22.Qxc3? will ask for problem after 22…dxc3 - Black will have a dangerous passed c pawn ! 22…Bxd5 23.exd5

Interesting position. Both side have passed pawn on d file. White’s passed seems more dangerous because his bishop is controlling the queening square d8 for time being. 23…Qc5 24.Bf6 Bxf6 25.Qxf6 Qxd5 1/2-1/2 Draw….after 26.Qxd4 Qxd4 27.Rxd4 the equal piece and almost symmetrical pawn formation will surely lead to a draw game.

Tal Memorial Round 2

2009-11-06T21:49:00.001+08:00

I’m watching the 2nd round of the 2009 Tal Memorial 2009 LIVE on Internet Chess Club. Two game that attract my attention is Kramnik-Anand and Carlsen-Morozevich.

GM Vladimir Kramnik – GM Viswanathan Anand

Tal Memorial, Round 2, 6.11.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4
g5 15. Bg3 Nc6 16. d5 Rad8 17. Rxb7 e6 18. Bc7 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 Rd7 20. dxc6!? I’m not sure whether this is theory or not but white has just sacrifiece his queen for a rook and a knight20… Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Qc2 22. Bd6 g4 23. Bxg4 Qxc6 24. Rc7 Qb6 Black have a dangerous passed pawn on a file. 25. Rd7 Rd8 26. Bc7 Rxd7 27. Bxb6 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 axb6 29. Kf1 1/2-1/2

GM Magnus Carlsen– GM Alexander Morozevich

Tal Memorial, Round 2, 6.11.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 Carlsen divert from the Qc2 variation that he played against Kramnik last night. 4…d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 Qa5 9. e4 Nf6 10. Be3 O-O 11. Qb3 Na6 12. Nh3 Nd7 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. c4 Ne5 15. Rc1 Bd7 16. Qc3 f6 17. O-O Ba4 18.Nf4 Rfd8 19.Bd4 Ng6 20.Nxg6 hxg6 21.e5 f5 22.h4 Rd7 23.Rf2 Rad8 24.Rd2 Qc6 25.Kh2 Qc7

Carlsen-Kramnik Round 1 , Tal Memorial 2009 !

2009-11-05T20:34:00.002+08:00

The newly 2800 club member – Magnus Carlsen meet former 2800 club member –Vladimir Kramnik in the 1st round of the 2009 Tal memorial held in Moscow. I’m following the game live and will add my patzer comment with “some” help from my fellow assistance – Rybka 3!

GM Magnus Carlsen (2801) vs GM Vladimir Kramnik (2772)

Tal Memorial , Round 1, 5.11.09

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. cxd5 Ne4 8. Qc2 exd5 9. Bf4 Nc6 10. e3 Re8 11. Nf3 g5 12. Bg3 g4 13.Ne5 is the obvious move here, why is Carlsen thinking so long?..probably his got to go to the rest room :)
13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 c5 15. Bd3 Bf5 Now my Rybka give 16.Bxe4 Bxe4 17.Qxc5 Bxg2 18.Rg1 Bf3 with a double edge game 16.Qe2?!

It seems that my Rybka didn’t like this move. The monster gave the followong line 16…f6!? 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Qxg4+ Kh8 19.Bg3 Qa5+ 20.Kf1 cxd4 and white defence seems shaky 16…f6! Kramnik played the move! 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 Will Carlsen take the g4 pawn or simply retreat his bishop to f4 or g3? 18.Bg3 now 18…Qa5+ seems obvious 18…Qa5+ 19.Qd2 Qxd2+ 20.Kxd2 c4 21.f3 gxf3 22.gxf3 Bg6 23.h4 Bh5 24.Ke2 Re6 25.Be1 Kf7 26.Kf2 Rae8 27.Bd2 Rb6 28.Bc3 Rb3 29.a4 b6 30.Rhe1 Bg6 31.e4 dxe4 32.d5 a6 33.fxe4 Bxe4 34.d6 f5 35.Rg1 Ke6 36.Rg7 Kxd6 37.Rxh7 Bd3 38.Kf3 Re4 39.h5 Rh4 40.Rg1 Be4+ 41.Ke3 Rh3+ 42.Kf4 Rf3+ 43.Kg5 b5 44.axb5 axb5 45.Kf6 1/2-1/2

Searching for team/players to play in the 2nd DATCC Team League ?

2009-11-05T10:59:00.003+08:00

Any player who interested to play in the coming DATCC Team League but didn't have enough players to form a team can contact Mr. Abdul Hamid Majid at 019-3158098 or email: aham@pc.jaring.my

For details about the tournament, click here.

Sicilian Dragon seminar from IM elect - Lim Yee Weng! (UPDATE)

2009-11-02T18:08:00.004+08:00

UPDATE : According to Lim Yee Weng, the seminar will be in between the rounds (round 3 and 4) of the DATCC individual event (during the break time) which will be held on 15 November 2009 . Morning game will end at 1pm (so the seminar start at 130-330pm) and 2nd game will start after that around (4pm). Mr. Hamid Majid & Gregory Lau has confirmed the arrangement.

FM Lim Yee Weng will organised a Chess Seminar on his favorite opening, the Sicilian Dragon on Sunday, 15 November 2009 at DATCC, Kuala Lumpur. Yee Weng is an expert in this highly dangerous opening which has been label as the sharpest opening. This will be an exciting event. Below is the details.

The Sicilian Dragon

Presenting the first chess lecture by

International Master elect and Sicilian Dragon expert¹

Who plays the Sicilian Dragon?

Magnus Carlsen & Teimour Radjabov are just the few of the many top Grandmasters in the world that has given their seal of approval to the razor-sharp & exciting Sicilian Dragon. Even Gary Kasparov himself has used it to defeat Vishy Anand in their 1995 World Championship Match.

What to expect during the lecture?

The lecture will consist of brilliant, beautiful, amazing & inspiring Sicilian Dragon games ever played (See enclosed game as sneak preview as to what is to come). The Lecturer’s ultimate aim is to generate the interest and convert all those players who do not play the Dragon into aspiring Dragon players! With so many pitfalls and traps for White to fall into? What can be a better opening for Black to play?

Day, Date & Time	:	Sunday, 15 November 2009, 130pm to approximately 330pm
Registration fees	:	RM10 per person for the first 20 people that register (all others RM15) Limited spaces available – first come first serve basis
Location	:	DAT Chess Centre, Lot 4.20CS, 4th Floor Car Park, Kompleks Wilayah, No 2, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, 50100 K.L
Registration	:	012-2873906, yeeweng@gmail.com
Level	:	For ALL LEVELS & AGE and especially for those who DOES NOT play the Sicilian Dragon as Black (yet!)

Chess Puzzle (13) Solution!

2009-11-02T07:35:00.000+08:00

Below is the solution.

black to move

The answer is 1...Nxe3!! 13.fxe3 Qg5! 3. Qd2 if 3. g4 Qxe3+ 4. Rf2 Bg3 with strong pressure for e.g 5.Qe2 Qxf2+ 6. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 7. Kxf2 f5! 3... Qxg3 4. Nc3 Bxh3 5. Ne2 Qh2+ 6. Kf2 Be7 threatening 7...Bh4+

November Rating List- Malaysian Top 10

2009-11-01T16:56:00.005+08:00

Click here to see the Malaysian list

Malaysia has climbed a few place in the recent (November 2009) FIDE rating list to stand on 71st place. IM Mashafizul still in no.1 spot by earning 3 points followed by FM Nicholas Chan who drop a point and now at 2402 .

The 3rd spot goes to FM Mok Tze Meng who is the top gainer collecting 45 points and getting closer to hit the 2400 barrier and confirm his IM title. Welcome back to the active list is FM Ooi Chern Ee with 2357 and now is number 4 . FM Lim Yee Weng suffer a major lost , losing 30 points and now on 5th with 2336 . FM Peter Long elo remained at 2331 and is on 6th place follow by IM Jimmy Liew who climb back to the 2300+ club with 2315 . In 8th place - Ronnie Lim Chuin Hoong gained 9 points (2294) followed by Franchis Chin (2223) and Fairin Zakaria (2201).

Mok - Mas Game 2 (Rapid Tie-break) : Mas draw game 2 and win the match!

2009-11-01T11:14:00.013+08:00

IM Mashafizul (right) deliverd the check to losing semifinalist - FM Mok Tze Meng

I just arrive at DATCC and missed the early part of Mas-Mok game 1 of the rapid tie break. Mas won the game after Mok blunder a rook at the end of the game .

Mok Tze Meng- IM Mashafizul [B20]
Rapid Tie break(2), Malaysian Master (Semifinal) 01.11.2009

1.e4 c5 2.d4 Mok play Smith Morra Gambit ! 2...cxd4 3.c3 g6 4.cxd4 d5 5.exd5 Nf6 6.Bb5+ Nbd7 7.Nc3 a6 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7 9.Qb3!? Rybka opening book give 9.Nf3 . Mok's move is probably to play for initiative at the cost of weakening his king safety. 9... Qg4 10.Nge2 Qxg2 11.Rg1 Qh3 Rybka endorsed black to capture the h2 pawn but Mas said to me that after 11...qxh2 white have strong initiative with 13.Bf4 followed by castling queenside 12.Rg3 Qf5 13.Rg5 Qf3 14.Rg3 Qf5 15.Na4 b5 16.Nb6 Rb8 17.Rg5 Qh3 18.Rg3 Qf5 19.Rg5 Qh3 20.Rg3 Qf5 1/2-1/2 Mas offer a draw and Mok agree. Mas win the match and will proceed to the final !

Mas vs Mok Game 3 and 4 Photos!

2009-11-01T00:05:00.012+08:00

Below is some of the photos taken in Mas - Mok Semifinal Malaysian Master Match ( game 3 and 4) .

Mok waiting for Mashafizul before game 3 start. Mas was trapped in the traffic jam in KL.

Mas wear his employer shirt - PETRONAS and arrive at 2.30pm. International Arbiter (IA) Abdul Hamid Majid gave a short briefing to the players before they start game 3.

Many chess lovers visit and kitbiz during the match. Among others Sirajuddin, Wong Zi Jing father- Mr. Wong, Hisyam Ismail - son of Ismail Ahmad, Firdaus from Putrajaya , NM Yeoh Chin Seng and his son Yeoh Li Tian, Chuah Heng Meng, Mr. Ibrahim Abu Bakar - MCF Vice President...

Mas start game 3 with 1.d4 and win

Hisyam Ismail - son of the World Police Chess Champion Ismail Ahmad was there too. Hisyam is the one who post the Mas-Mok first and second game moves at the datcc's blog.

NM Yeoh Chin Seng (left) and his son Yeoh Li Tian take a break from analysing game 4 and play Chinese chess!?

My friend - Firdaus came all the way from Putrajaya!

The player shake hand before game 4 start

2nd DATCC Kuala Lumpur Commercial & Recreational Chess League

2009-10-31T22:21:00.000+08:00

2nd DATCC KUALA LUMPUR COMMERCIAL
& RECREATIONAL CHESS LEAGUE

With the success of the 1st DATCC KL Open Chess League, The Dato Arthur Tan Chess Center (DATCC) will organize
The 2nd DATCC KL Open Chess League Team Championship 2009
in the DAT Chess Centre, Lot 4.20CS, 4th Floor Car Park, Kompleks Wilayah, No 2, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, 50100 K.L, Malaysia
Tel. 019 3158098 - Fax. – 03 40244337 - Email: aham@pc.jaring.my

SCHEDULE & REGULATIONS:

This team event, restricted to only 20 teams, is scheduled for every Tuesday night from 19:00 – 22:00 & the 18/19th weekend. The event will be FIDE Rated. It will be played in a swiss format (or Round Robin depending on the entries) over 9 rounds as per the schedule below. No more than 2 players above the rating of 2300 will be allowed in a team. Depending on the number of entries, the organizers will decide on the format of the event. In the event that 20 teams are registered for the event then a robin tournament conducted in 2 groups (Premier & Regular) will be held.

The Prize Fund will be 60% of the total collection. In addition vouchers for dinner & room nights from the CHM Hotel Chain (CitiTel Midvalley, CitiTel Express KL, Boulevard Hotel, Pangkor Beach Resort, CitiTel Penang, CitiTel Express Kota Kinabalu will be given. Details of the prizes will be announced before thestart of the event.

Time Control: 90 minutes + 30 sec increment from move 1) and will kickoff from Tuesday, 10 November 2009. Schedule as given below:

Tuesday 10 November 19:00 – 22:00
Tuesday 17 November 19:00 – 10:00
Tuesday 24 November 19:00 – 10:00
Tuesday 01 December 19:00 – 10:00
Tuesday 08 December 19:00 – 10:00
Tuesday 15 December 19:00 – 10:00
Saturday 19 December 14:00 – 18:00
Sunday 20 December 09:00 – 13:00
20 December 14:00 – 18:00 followed by the Prize Giving

To allow for flexibility for working staff and students, a team can register up to 8 players, but only 4 players will be playing each match.

Entry Fees: RM 300 (4 players) –- additional players will be charged RM 50 per player
Junior (Under -16): RM 200 (4 players) - additional players will be charged RM 25 per player

CLOSING DATE: SUNDAY, 07 NOVEMBER 2009.
ENTRIES AFTER THIS DATE WILL BE SURCHARGED RM 100. TO ALLOW FOR FLEXIBILITY, ADDITIONAL PLAYERS CAN BE REGISTERED EVEN AFTER THE START OF THE EVENT. CHANGE OF BOARD ORDER, CHANGE OF NAMES etc. WILL BE SURCHARGED RM 20 per change.

Tournament entry fees must be paid before the closing date.For further details call
Abd Hamid Majid - Tel: (60) 3 40219576 Mobile: (60) 19 3158098 - Fax: (60) 3 40244337 Email: aham@pc.jaring.my

ENTRY / REGISTRATION FORM

2nd DATCC KUALA LUMPUR COMMERCIAL & RECREATIONAL CHESS LEAGUE 2009

Players should be registered as per board order upon submission. Changes in board order, change of names etc. will be surcharged @ RM 20 per change. Entry forms will not be accepted without the entry fees.

TEAM NAME

NAME AS PER I/C
FIDE Rtg
Nat Rtg
MOBILE NO:

BOARD 1

BOARD 2

BOARD 3

BOARD 4

BOARD 5

BOARD 6

BOARD 7

BOARD 8

NAME

ADDRESS

TELEPHONE

FAX

EMAIL

MOBILE

WE AGREE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP AND TO ABIDE BY ITS RULES AND REGULATIONS.

NAME OF CAPTAIN: SIGNATURE :

1

Mok - Mas Game 4 LIVE !

2009-10-31T18:18:00.051+08:00

Game 4 start now!

Refresh this page from time to time to get the latest move/comment.

FM Mok Tze Meng - IM Mashafizul Hilmi
Malaysian Master (Semifinal), Game 4, 31.10.09

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 both player repeat game 2 move. Will Mok play 3.Bb5+ Moscow variation? 3.Bb5+ Yup. Mok choose to divert from yesterday theoretical game. 3...Nd7 Kasparov favourite choose. He prefer to keep the double bishop. Alternative is 3...Bd7 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Re1 a6 6.Bf1 Note : According to the Arbiter Mr. Hamid, if game 4 draw, the tie break will be held tomorrow. 6...b6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bb7 9.Nc3 One interesting line is 10.c4!? sacrificing the e4 pawn 10...Nxe4 11.f3 Nef6 12.Nf5! e6 13.Nxd6 and get the pawn back with initiative 9...e6 10.Bg5 Rybka opening book give 10.g3 Be7 11.Bg2 10... h6 11.Bh4 g5 Mas played aggresively. He can opt for safer option with 11...Be7 12.Bg3 Ne5!? Mas doesn't mind to double his pawn for double bishop after 13.Bxe5 dxe5 14.Nf3 Qc7 13.Nf3 Qc7 14.a4 Be7 15.Ra3!? A surprise move by Mok. Is he planning Rb3 later? 15...Nh5 Rybka give a wild suggestion 16.Nb5! axb5 17.Nxe5 Nxg3 18.Bxb5 16.Nxe5 Nxg3 17.Nb5! Thing is getting hotter and hotter plus the air-condition in the computer room in DATCC where i'm blogging live is not working :) ..Ok now the air condition is working but the game is still hot. Mas spent quite sometime to reply to Mok interesting sacrifiece. 17...Qb8 Mas choose not to take the bait. If 17...axb5 18.Bb5+ Kf8 19.Nd7+ Kg8 20.Rc3 Qd8 21.hxg3 and white have strong initiative. Meanwhile NM Yeoh Chin Seng and his son Yeoh Li Tian is playing chinese chess . Probably they decide to take a rest from kitbizing the wild position in Mas and Mok game right now :) 18.Rc3! the knight on g3 can wait ( to be capture!) Mas has to be carefull. He is walking in a dangerous field full with minesweeper! 18...dxe5 The only move. Others lead to disaster. 19.Nc7+ Kf8 20.Nxa8 Rybka suggest 20.hxg3 instead for e.g 20...Bb4 21.Nxa8 Bxc3 22. Nxb6 Qc7 ( not 22...Bxe1?? 23.Nd7+ win the queen1) 20...Nxe4 21.Nxb6 21.Rxe4 is stronger according to Rybka for e.g 21...Bxe4 22.Qd7 threatening Rc8! 21...Nxc3 Now black is ok 22.bxc3 Mok have 24 minutes and Mas 26 minutes. 22...Qc7 23.Nd7+ Kg7 24.Nxe5 Bf6 25.Nc4 Rd8 Mok has 14 minutes and Mas 25 minutes. Gentlemen note that there's mistake on the 25 move. Mas actually play 25...Rd8 not 25...bxc3 26.Qb1 Bxc3 27.Rd1 Bd4 28.c3 there's trap here 28...Bxc3?? 29.Rxd8 Qxd8 30.Qxb7 and black will lose 28...Bf6 29.Rxd8 Bxd8 30.a5 Bd5 31.Qb4 Bf6 32.h3 Mok make a luft probably to avoid back rank mate. Just in case ! 32...Qc6 33.Kh1 Anyone know the idea behind this move? It actually my Rybka second chooise. Now Mas is behind on time ! Mok 3 minutes and Mas 2 minutes 33...Qc7 34.Kg1 draw? 34...Qc6 35.Kh1 1/-2 1/2 draw ..so see tomorow. The players will play two rapid game 25 minute + 10 second increment. The game will start at 9 am. If still draw then blitz game will decide the winner.

Mas beat Mok Game 3 , Malaysian Master 2009 (semifinal(

2009-10-31T14:03:00.048+08:00

I'm at DATCC to cover the 3rd game - Mas vs Mok . The game is rescheduled to start at 2 pm, however Mas is now stuck in traffic jammed somewhere in KL so probably we have to wait a little bit longer. Stay tune !

There's many visitor today! NM Yeoh Chin Seng, Yeoh Li Tian, Chuah Heng Meng, Hisyam Ismail Ahmad ...etc...

IM Mashafizul Helmi vs FM Mok Tze Meng
Game 3, Malaysian Master (Semifinal),31.09.10

Will Mas play 1.d4? Mok think Mas will play 1.e4 but he said the question is whether he will play Mo(k)dern or not? To fuel thing up ..i said to Mok who patiently wait for Mas that Mas will play Nf3-g3 1.d4 so both of us wrong. Mas played 1.d4. The question now is whether Mok will play Mo(k)dern or Benko Gambit ? 1...g6 "hari-hari pun Mo(k)dern - Sirajuddin! 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 with this Mok will not have the c6-d5 option. The game now can transpose to Pirc 4.Be3 if Mas play f3 the game will lead to English attack set-up 4...e5 Now this is not in the book! As game 1 yesterday, Mok prefer to divert from normal path at early stage. We will see how Mas react. 5.dxe5 dxe5 Mok willing to lose his castling option after 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 probably because without the queens , the need of castling is not that important 7.0-0-0 Nd7 8.Bc4 f6 9.h4 c6 10.h5 g5 11.a4 Kc7 12.Nge2 Nh6 13.f3 Re8 14.Ng3 Yeoh Chin Seng is not really sure about this move. Rybka suggest 14.Rd3 followed by 15.Rhd1 - doubling the rook on d-file 14...Nb6 Mok intention is clear. He will play Be6 next to exchange his passive bishop 15.Bb3 Yeoh Chin Seng think that black will play 15...Be6 then 16.Bxe6 Rxe6 and then white will play 17.b3 to prevent black's knight to go to c4. Mok has already take a long time over this move, about 30 minutes. What is he thinking? Meanwhile, we got more visitor..Mr.Ibrahim (MCF Vice President), Mr.Wong (father of IM Wong Zi Jing). 15...a5 Probably Mok choose to prevent a4-a5 first and then only play Be6 16.Rd3 Mas played this instantly. He got 1 hour and 14 minutes and Mok only 30 minutes! 16...Bf8 17.Rhd1 Mas played this instantly but Rybka suggest nice sacrifiece with 17.Nb5+! 17...cxb5 18. Rc3+ Kb8 19.Bxb6 17...Bb4 18.Na2?! Mas should have play 18.Bxb6! Kxb6 then 19.Rd8! penetrating black position with his rooks 18... Be7 Now he can't play Rd8 19.Nc3 Mok really down on time. He has 11 minutes only and Mas got 1 hour! 19...Nd7 20.Nf5 Nxf5 21.exf5 Nc5 22.Bxc5 Bxc5 23.Ne4 Be7 24.g4 h6 25.Be6 Bxe6?! Rybka didn't like this move. Mok should have play 25...Kb6 26.fxe6 Rad8 27.Rd7+ Rxd7 28.Rxd7 Now white penetrate black's position 28...Kc8 29.c3 Kb8 30.Kc2 Mas improve his King position. He got all the time in the world 30...Kc8 31.Kb3 Kb8 Mok's King is oscillating between b8-c8 without any clear direction but probably he want to gain more time. 32.Kc4 Kc8 33.Ng3 Bd8 34.Rh7 Rxe6 35.Rxh6 White's passed h- pawn will win the game 35...b5+ 36.Kd3 Rd6+ 37.Kc2 bxa4 38.Rg6 Rd7 39.h6 1-0 Mok resign. The last game will be interesting ! Game 4 will start at 6.15pm

Mok draw first blood!

2009-10-30T15:14:00.010+08:00

30.09.2001 - The underdog-FM Mok Tze Meng produced a stunning result by winning the first game (as black!) against Malsyian no.1 - IM Mashafizul in the Malaysian Master (semifinal match) held in DATCC, KL . Mok show no fear by playing his beloved opening - Mo(k)dern Defense which his opponent must have studied it deeply before the match. Instead Mok come with a new "dubious" looking move (6...e6) which manage to confuse Mas who failed to choose the correct plan against it. With Mas looking clueless in the middlegame, Mok slowly but steadily invade Mas position. Somewhere in the middle game, Mas blundered a pawn and his position getting worse move after move. In the end, Mas had to resign due to black's passed pawn armada which is hard for him to handle.

IM Mashafizul Helmi vs FM Mok Tze Meng

Malaysian Master (Semifinal) Game 1, 30.09.2009

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. f4 d5 5. e5 h5 6. Be3 e6?! Voluntarily restrict the mobility of his light square bishop which look like a dubious looking plan but Mok has his own idea! 7. Nf3 b6 8. Qd2 Ba6 An original way to dispose his passive piece. 9. O-O-O Nh6 10. g3 Bxf1 11. Rdxf1 Nd7 12. h3 b5 13. Rfg1 Nb6 14. Bf2 Nc4 15. Qd3 Qa5 16. Kb1 Bf8 17. Nd1 Rb8 18. g4 Rb6 19. Be1 b4 20. Bh4 Be7 21. Rg2? Mas main problem start here. He should have play 21.Bxe7 21...Ra6 22. Qb3 Bxh4 23. Nxh4 hxg4 24. hxg4 Nxg4! Mas probably missed this cute tactic. 25.Rxg4? is of course lost to 25...Nd2+ and white lost his queen. 25.Kc1 Qxa2 26. Qxa2 Rxa2 27. Kb1 Nge3 28. Re2 Nxd1 29. Kxa2 Ndxb2 30. Kb3 Kd7 31. Ree1 a5 32. Rb1 a4+ 33. Kxb4 Rb8+ 34. Kc3 a3 35. Ra1 Na4+ 36. Kd3 c5 37. Nf3 Ke7 38. dxc5 Nxc5+ 39. Kd4 Ne4 40. Rhb1 Rb2 41. Rc1 Rb8 42. Ne1 Rh8 43. Nf3 Rb8 44. Rab1 Rb2 45. Ne1 Ned2 46. Ra1 Rb8 47. Nd3 Rh8 48. Rh1 Rc8 49. Nb4 Rc7 50. Rh8 g5 51. f5 Nf3+ 52. Kc3 Nfxe5 53. fxe6 fxe6 54. Rg8 g4 55. Rh1 Kd6 56. Rd8+ Rd7 57. Ra8 Rc7 58. Ra6+ Nc6 59. Kb3 Kc5 60. Nd3+ Kd4 61. Rh4 e5 62. Rxg4+ e4 63. Ra4 Rb7+ 64. Nb4 Nxb4 65. c3+ Kd3 66. Rxb4 Rxb4+ 67. cxb4 e3 0-1

Malaysian Master Semifinal (Mas vs. Mok) Start Tommorow!

2009-10-30T01:29:00.008+08:00

The first Malaysian Master Semifinal Match between IM Mashafizul and FM Mok Tze Meng will start today at Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC), Kuala Lumpur. Two round to be played on the first day followed by another two tomorrow. Mas and Mok are good friend so it's interesting to see who will draw the first blood !

30th October 2009 (Friday)

round 1 : 9 AM to 1 PM

round 2 : 3 PM to 7 PM

31st October 2009 (Saturday)

round 3: 9 AM to 1 PM

round 4: 3 PM to 7PM

Read IM Jimmly Liew match preview here