NAG 2013, the EXCITEMENT begins EARLY!

A blown Hankook tyre just before the Perak signage at KM393(about 10-15metres before the Bernam River) nearly derailed the Family's journey to Tronoh.

( The tattered Korean tyre that delayed but, did not derailed our NAG2013 plans at UTP Tronoh )

( ...that's how bad the tyre was. Amazing that the rubber didnt't come off totally. Alhamdullilah )

( One of the PLUS road assist gentlemen. Their help under the blazing sun was simply awesome )


Alhamdullilah, though delayed for several hours which included a detour to a tyre shop just off the Slim River toll entrance/exit - we still managed to arrive before 8pm at our homestay in Tronoh. More importantly is the fact that nobody was hurt as I'd managed to control the car having experienced a similar blow whilst driving the Tank @Opel Frontera many years ago otw to KLIA. Praise to Allah SWT that not only was nobody hurt but the GS itself was not damaged...only puncture was to the pocket which set me back RM380 I.e. RM50 as a token of appreciation to the PLUS guys who assisted(they didn't ask for anything) and RM330 for a brand new Dunlop 215 tyre.

Though I am slightly under the weather, the kids seemed to be in high spirits.

Incentives have been announced I.e. Laptop and half dinar for hAnA. The cHEss pIRATE seemed eager to get hold of the Mindcraft game and totally ignored the fact that a half dinar is also on the table if the target set is achieved. Other targets set included choice of dinner spot for Friday night if the respective points target are met.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

NAG 2013 - Players' LIST. My Observations

UPDATE 2:
Final Results for U-8 BOYS HERE & U-12 GIRLS HERE.

UPDATE 1:
Due to additional players registered the expected 1st round Pairings did not materialise.

NAG 2013 Players' List are PUBLISHED (albeit  a Day Later than as per Promised in the Flyers i.e. 28 JAN.2013. NAG 2013 Flyer Sample HERE). 
Refer Players' List, HERE 

Based on the published list, The cHEss pIRATE & hAnA are seeded as follows:-

U-8 BOYS

(1) 1331 (Current-1Q 2013) / 1365(Previous-4Q 2012). 
KL. Wong Zi Yue
(2) 1242 / 1200 PP. Tin Shan Ze
(3) 1202 / 1098 PHG. Muhammad Alif Nor Amli

(4th SEED) 1189 / 1157. KL. The cHEss pIRATE AFA

(5) 1170 / 1200 PHG. Muhammad Amjad Muhaimin
(6) 1169 / NC KL. Umar Shamsuddin
(7) 1156  / 1108  PP Alden Goh
(8) 1125 / 1155 KL. Ryan Seow
(9) 1024 / 1107 PP.  Ooi Zhi Ping
(10) 1014 / 1078 PP. Loh Xiong Ze
(11) 1001 / 1208 PP. Ryan Lee
(Joint 12) PP. Samuel Ho Khai Sheng
(Joint 12) Vasanthakumar

Based on ratings per se, Faiz should achieve his target of bettering last year's performance in terms of position i.e. Top 10 I'd set (read HERE). In terms of points target i.e. 5points...its "Touch & Go, depending on his mood)
1st Round, v. Loh Xiong Ze.


U-12G
(1) 1676 / 1581 SGR. Puteri Munajjah   
(2) 1577 / 1612 PP. Teh De Zen          
(3) 1443 / 1480 SGR. Zainoor Ikmal      
(4) 1433 / 1472 KL. Mok Shu Zing      
(5) 1432 / 1469 KL. Melanie Khoo     
(6) 1417 / NC PP. Teh Ming Min
(7) 1400 / 1331 JHR. Nurul Farhana Halim
(8) 1395 / 1451 KL. Ho Chen Ee
(9) 1347 / NC KL. Iman Sofea

(10) 1309 / 1291 KL. Sangethavathy Thanasegaran
(11) 1303 / 1224 SGR. Pavithra Thanabalan  
(12) 1259 / 1293 PP. Khaw Ker Shean
(13) 1228 / NC KL. Ho Li En  

(14th SEED) 1202 hAnA, AFA

(15) 1191 / 1192 SGR. Raudhah
(16) 1161 / 1224 PP. Tan Jia Xuan
(17) 1158 / NC KL. Aina Zaharah Shukor
(18) 1126 / 1112 PP. Sim Jia Yi


Based on Ratings alone, hAnA seemed to be facing a tough group after "graduating" from U-10 to U-12.Tough fight to achieve the target set i.e. Top 7th with 5points. Hopefully, the prior prep will give her a fighting chance.
1st round, up against Melanie Koo. A drawn game will be a good score.

 

INSOFAR SCHOLARSHIP January, Registered!

Results, HERE

>>>>>>>
Just registered Amira for the Insofar Scholarship to be held at AMPAC Shah Alam.
Registration made via SMS to Raja Aiza.

This would be Amira Fathina's second participation in the Insofar Scholarship event after her December's 2012 participation, Read HERE

MCF NATIONAL ARBITERS SEMINAR, 1-3 FEB@UTP, Tronoh

(IA KK Chan, IA Peter Long & Participants of the Arbiters Seminar. 

Picture: Courtesy of Classmate Mohammad Palino )

(Picture: Courtesy of Classmate Mohammad Palino)

Trainer's Thoughts HERE
Participant's Thoughts, HERE


UPDATE 2:
Lots of interesting insights learned during the Seminar. Amongst which are:-
~ 3x Repetitive Move (which need NOT be in sequence);
~ Usage of 1 hand to move & press the timer;
~ the different variations of "touch move" rule.

Also interesting games such as a world champion taking the king after an illegal move.

Added with insights on chess development in neighboring countries like Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia & Myanmar...it was TIME & MONEY(RM150) Well Spent.


UPDATE 1:
After the simple opening ceremony and hearing the UTP song for the 1st time and of course "NEGARAKU", signed up for what was supposed to be aN info course for me in chess rules.

The course or seminar is held at the Undercroft Seminar Room 2 located at the basement.
Trainers for the course International Arbiter(IA) KK Chan and Peter Long.
>>>>>>>
I met Pn.Haslinda Ruslan and Puan Zuraihah Wazir during the recent RSC Juniors Open at RSC Bukit Kiara and decided to submit the forms for NAG 2013...amongst the rare occasions that I receive an official receipt for chess matters (other receipts received were from Polgar Chess Academy & Cerdik Catur Enterprise).
Whilst filling-up the forms conversation turned to the MCF National Arbiters Seminar.

Pn.Haslinda said that the MCF was organising a MCF National Arbiters Seminar which is to run concurrently with NAG 2013.
Initially, I was keen to attend but being "allergic" to exams and that I know "two hoots" about chess.


Yesterday, I spoke to Ben T.(another parent whose son is playing chess and had represented the Sentul zone) re the Arbiters Seminar.

fAthina Heading the U-15 College Team

Eldest called back home around 10pm to inform us...amongst others that she'll be heading the U-15 Chess Team for an event somewhere in February...couldn't figure out what she was saying as the line was bad.

Well Done Captain AMIRA FATHINA.

...no wonder she'd called last week expressing her interest to participate in the Insofar January event. She must have had an inkling of this appointment.

A-LEVELS FLASHBACK: "BEST Failure" & "Worst Failure" in STATISTICS

I'd made some assumptions re the way the Malaysian Chess Ratings are calculated.
Read " Understanding Malaysian Chess Ratings " dated 14th January 2013.

Knowing (learnt during Selangor Juniors in 2012) that Lim Tse Pin(LTP) maintains/calculate the National Ratings, I'd sent him an email for clarification or rather how the ratings are calculated.

LTP replied promptly BUT Somehow or rather, his email reply gave me a flashback of my "short-lived" journey in Pure Maths and Statistics during my A-Level days in Damansara Utama and Shah Alam...many, many moons ago.

...to digress a bit, at 1 time my friends(Shamsul@Adik & Derick@Jingkui) Stats were so bad that we knew we'd failed in our Statistics exams. Jingkui, Adik and I were "confident" that we'd failed badly to the point that the argument was as to who was the "BEST" or, "WORST"  failure. To show how confident we were that each one had failed badly - we decided that the "BEST FAILURE" would have to treat the 2 "WORST FAILURE" unlimited Western Food at 1 sitting at one of the stall located between Salleh's Drink Place and Bintang Kue Tiaw(Tony & Henry then were operating from 1 stall under the watchful eye of their dad) in front of the 51C dorm...or was it 69B!

Anyway, to cut the story short - Mr.Samsul (who later on appeared in a TV3 talent hunting competition called Sinaran Passport Kegemilangan or something like that) announced the exam results. Lo and behold the honour of the Best Failure went to Adik. Just imagine, despite failing, Jingkui and I "celebrated" by having  2 plates of western food (chicken chop and fish&chips) each....or was it 3 plates.....The Glorious Failure, WaQAQA!

TQ - LIM TSE PIN & NAJIB WAHAB

Being "new" to something, one would naturally have lots of queries. The same goes for the game of kings and queens.

I'd mentioned this matter vis-a-vis organisers of chess competitions in an earlier blogpost dated 10th January 2013 called ORGANISERS' ETHICS when I was frustrated with the non-response(es) of a few organisers in 2012 and decided to recollect and refresh my thoughts on the event organisers I'd dealt with.

On a similar but slightly different thread, I'd queries of a general nature as well which I would either ask or email and sometimes even sms those in the chess circles which I'd the opportunity to cross path with.

Amongst those that actually takes the time to provide me lengthy email and/or sms explanations are En. NAJIB WAHAB and Mr. LIM TSE PIN.
.......in addition Special Mention should also be given to Cikgu Shuhairi, Cikgu Shamsuddin, Cikgu Azwan, Mr. Tan Eng Seong, En.Syazrin, Mr. Peter Long and his wife Louisa.

THANK  YOU  VERY  MUCH  FOR  THE  EXPLANATIONS  GIVEN.
...at the VERY LEAST I OWE YOU GUYS A ROUND OF TEH TARIK!!! 

PS: Lim TP - Please allow me to digest your email before I post something on this blog. 
Your email brings back memories of my Pure Maths & Statistics class during A-Levels!

RSC OPEN JUNIORS 2013 @ Bukit Kiara

EVENT SUMMARY
-------------

hAnA played true to ratings again and ended the event with 4wins. She placed joint 13 on points in the U-11 category and placed 21st after the tie-break. She'd miscalculated her position in 2 losing games. She needs to be less impulsive in her moves to avoid miscalculating/blinders.

The cHEss pIRATE also played true to ratings and managed to draw with the 5th seed rated 192points higher than him at 1381 in the last round. His performance report from the event reads - 3 Wins, 2 Draws & 2 Losses. Results Could have been slightly better if he had not stalemated after Queen Promotion...which led me to lose my cool.
He received a RM50 book voucher as consolation prize after being named as the 'Best' in the U-8 category. He is also the Youngest Player in the event.

In terms of the competition itself there are a few comments to be made namely on
Clock, Arbiter & Food.

UPDATE 4

hAnA@W-4,L-3
R7: B07(B) v. Wong Zi Yue (6)1331. lost
R6: B12(W) v. Haibatul Hanan Rizal( )1147. WON
R5: B15(B) v. Shreesh Amit Chembeti (. ) UR. WON
LUNCH BREAK, W-2 & L-2
R4: B10(W) v. Amex Moo (15) 1262. lost, Miscalculation
R3: B14(B) v. AAdarash Ramanathan (36) UR. WON
R2: B07(W) v. Vignesh Ramanan (7)1316. lost
R1: B20(B) v. Mukhriez Shah (44)UR. WON

cHEss pIRATE@W-3, D-2, L-2
R7: B09(B) v. Chew Zhi Qi (5)1381. draw.
R6: B14(W) v. MADHAVAN JAYABALAN (23)1186. WON.
R5: B18(B) v. Robin Joshy (. ) UR. WON.
LUNCH BREAK, W-1, D-1 & L-2
R4: B13(W) v. Roshilen Jayakumar (51) lost
R3: B16(B) v. Mukhriez Shah (44) UR. Draw, Stalemate upon promotion to King. Should have promoted to Rook.
R2: B09(W) v. Looi Ka Loc (9) 1308. lost
R1: B22(B) v. Tharikeeswar (46)UR. WON

Arrived around 8.30am. Only tables were set up, chess sets and timers were not on the table yet but things moved fast after that.
1st Round started at 9.20am...though late as 9am was the advertised time but can be considered good by Malaysian standards considering a 30minute delay(based on a conversation with a parent during 2nd SKSH Open-2012) is quite OK.

hAnA is the 22nd seed, whilst the cHEss pIRATE is the 24th seed.

>>>>>>>

Just made payment of RM60(30@12.33pm & 30@12.34pm) at the MBB Damansara Heights branch into Jax Tham account and registered the kids via sms(013-3232280) for the RSC Open Juniors Chess Tournament 2013 at Bukit Kiara to be held this Sunday.

As advertised, RSC Open Juniors is a NR event. hAnA will be taking part in U-11 age group whilst the cHEss pIRATE will be challenging in the U-9 category. Further event details, HERE

FIRST chess event for the kids in 2013, hope they do well...at the very least should be good prep. for them prior to NAG 2013 at Tronoh. Hopefully, there's no change in tournament venue to RSC Dataran Merdeka as per previous.

Summary of Previous event participated in at RSC in 2012, HERE

SKTTDI Chess Club EXCO, Amira Farhana

hAnA came back from school and informed us that she'd been elected as one of the EXCO members for the SKTTDI Chess Club.

She and other nominated members were asked to leave the classroom whilst a vote was held.

Congratulations hAnA.

National Ratings: JANUARY - MARCH 2013, Latest NR

The JANUARY - MARCH 2013 Malaysian National Chess ratings aka NR were just released.
The ratings is to be used for competitions held in the 1st Quarter of 2013.
Details, can be observed HERE

The cHEss pIRATE and eldest sister Amira Fathina had improved slightly i.e. by 32 & 30points to 1189 & 1107 respectively.

hAnA on the other hand, moved south and lost 62 to 1202 from 1264 in the last Quarter of 2012.


COMMENTS:
The AMfa FAmily's latest NR are as follows:-

(1) cHEss pIRATE = 1189 (+32)
Gathered from 5 few competitions:-

A. 18th Kepong Juniors  ( + 46.8 )
B. 1st Summit Juniors    ( - 9.6 )
C. 4th Penang Heritage   ( - 40.0 )
D. 5th NJCC                 ( - 48.0 )
E. Insofar December     ( + 83.2 )
NETT = 32.4 + 1157 (Previous Ratings)

Note:
Participated in just 1 Unrated Event i.e. RSC Juniors


(2) hAnA = 1202 (-62)
Accumulated from 5 tournaments of which 3 are FIDE-rated:-

A. 18th Kepong Juniors                  ( + 37.193 )
B. Nf6 Juniors                               ( - 28.421 )
C. 4th Penang Heritage - Challenger ( - 35.175 )
D. 5th NJCC                                 ( - 30.439 )
E. Insofar December                      ( - 5.1754 )
NETT = (-62.0174) + 1264 = 1202

(3) AMira FAthina = 1107 (+30)
Accumulated from ONLY 1 tournament:-

A. Insofar December ( + 29.6 )
NETT = 30 + 1077

AHM (1383), NO CHANGEs. Did not take part in any competition.

Note:
It seemed that taking part in the classical format FIDE-rated events though good for exposure resulted in huge points loss. hAnA lost a massive 94.035points from 3 FIDE-rated events i.e. Nf6 Juniors, 4th Penang Heritage and 5th NJCC whilst The cHEss pIRATE dropped 88points after participating in 2 FIDE-rated events i.e. the 4th Penang Heritage City International-Challenger.

Having said that, the players' field in FIDE-rated tournaments are generally stronger. 
Hence, one would need to decide in which direction do you want to proceed i.e taking part in more National Rated events which are normally in Rapid format and generally held for 1 day only or, FIDE-rated events which are almost always classical in nature and stretches for 4days at the minimum or, a balanced approach.

For now, I suppose and logistics permitting - hAnA will take part in morec classical events whilst The cHEss pIRATE will be entering in Blitz and Rapid events.

For the record, hAnA's former team mates are rated 1433(Mok), 1427(Cecilia Tan), 1347(Iman Sofea), 1240(Allaida Siow), 1193(Esther Tang) respectively.

Their cousins' ratings are Ayesha(1119), Aqil(1291)& Arif(1213).

UNDERSTANDING MALAYSIAN CHESS RATINGS!?

When the new NR were released on 14 January 2013, hAnA lost 62points whilst The cHEss pIRATE gained 32points, both from 5 events. The details, HERE

What is interesting though is that both lost substantial points in the 3 or 2 FIDE-rated tournaments which they'd participated. Combined, hAnA lost 94.1 points whilst The cHEss pIRATE lost 88 points after participating in the 4th Penang Open-Challenger and 5th NJCC. The points were dropped despite both of them playing true to ratings I.e. They'd defeated lower rated players and lost to higher rated. In hAnA's case, she'd drawn against a higher rated player in in 1 event(Nf6 Juniors) and still lost 28.421points in that event. The cHEss pIRATE had played true to ratings and had defeated 1 higher rated players in each of the 2 events and still lost 40(4th Penang Open-Challenger) and 48(5th NJCC) points respectively.

Now I would understand if points were dropped if one were to lose or even draw against a lower rated player but dropping points when one plays true to ratings is a bit difficult for me to comprehend.

I guess I need to figure out how the Malaysian chess ratings are calculated.

MSSWP Bangsar Zone 2013

Received info from Teacher I/C i.e. Cikgu Rosdi that the 2013 Bangsar Zone chess competition will be held as follows:-

Date: Monday, 25th February - Thursday, 28th February 2013
Venue: S.K.Sri Hartamas, KL

DATCC Golden Special, FIDE-rated

UPDATE 2@24/01
Tournament Starting List & Results Update, HERE

hAnA
----
R7:
R6:
R5:
R4:
R3:W v. Mohd Haizal Jamaluddin (NR 1599). lost, despite having a 30-minutes time advantage.
R2:B v. Chan Mun Fye (FIDE 1742). lost, tough play though a pawn down right up to Queen blunder.
R1:W v. Shereyas Subramaniam (FIDE 1747). lost

( The cHEss pIRATE Playing against his highest ever FIDE-rated opponent thus far i.e. Jax Tham, 2000+ FIDE rating )

CP
--
R9:
R8:
R7:
R6:
R5:
R4:
R3:B v. Yee Jian Yang (FIDE 1768). lost
R2:W v. Lim Ming Kang (FIDE 1583). lost
R1:B v. Nor Zaiasron Yahaya (FIDE 1743). lost, Queen blunder(didn't see it coming)
-------
Round 2: Delayed by traffic and turned-up almost 10 minutes late.
hAnA was putting up a good fight against the higher-ranked veteran though a pawn down. In her eagerness to checkmate, blundered the Queen.
CP surrendered when nothing was left in the game and facing opponents numerical pawn advancement.

Round 1 was all over in 30minutes. As usual the CP finished early.

Blog Reports on event, HERE, HERE2 & HERE3

UPDATE 1@22/01

Latest Players List, HERE

19 Players have confirmed participation.
Initially, was hoping for a "weaker" field so that both kids do not become a "punching bag". However, with NAG 2013 around the corner, this event would serve as a good prior "warm-up".
>>>>>>>

Registered hAnA and The cHEss pIRATE for the DTCC Golden Special event taking place 24-28 Jan.2013 via email to NW yesterday. List of Players, HERE.

If all goes according to plan, this would be the 1st FIDE-rated event for 2013 and 2nd competition after the RSC Selangor Juniors Open on Sunday, 20th January 2013 at Kiara.
Should be a good warm-up for the kids prior to NAG 2013 at UTP, Tronoh - Perak.
At the same time, will be keeping an eye on the Players List before deciding whether Faiz should actually be taking part or not in the DTCC Golden Special as I do not want him to be a punching bag.

At the same time, I am getting bored of baby-sitting duties during competitions. Hence, was seriously considering taking part in this event myself. Alas, an event in Lumut, Perak on the 27th called HIKMAH 3 will only see me being able to play 4...or, 5 rounds at most.

EVENTS under contemplation

UPDATE@ NAG 2013

Am thinking of entering the kids for the 2013 events:-

1st Q
======

JAN
----
RSC JUNIORS
~ U-9 & U-11
Note: Played

DTCC GOLDEN SPECIAL
~ Open
Note: Played

INSOFAR SCHOLARSHIP
~ Open (AF1)
Note: Played

FEB
---

1 - 3: NAG 2013
~ U-8B & U-12G
Note: Played

23: DTCC OPENING BLITZ

24th SELANGOR JUNIORS
~ (U-14 & U-10)

MSSWP - Bangsar Zone

MARCH
-----
24th SELANGOR JUNIORS
~(U-8, U-12 & U-16)

MSSM PERAK

JUNE
-----
ASEAN - Bangkok
~ U-8B & U-12G

4Q
===

DECEMBER
--------
5th PENANG HERITAGE
~ Challenger, U-12G? & U-8B


6th NJCC - JOHOR
- U-20

Organisers' ETHICS

I find it perplexing that certain event organisers' would at times advertise their email address(es) and/or hp number(s) in the flyers/event prospectus but would NEVER bother replying to queries sent via email and/or hp. While the majority of the organisers would be responsible in answering to queries there is a small breed that gives organisers a bad name. I've nothing personal against any of the organisers but the point I'm trying to make is that if you've listed your respective hp number(s) and/or email address in the flyers then DO MAKE SURE you reply to queries ....ORGANISERS ETHICS 101.

There was an organiser who would not answer to any of the queries I'd made but when a query with regards to payment was made, a reply came...WTx!!??

In 2012,the family took part in more than 20 events, the majority of them held in KL( OCM, SK Desa Tun Hussein Onn, PKS Cochrane, Sri Hartamas-PCA & Primary School, DTCC Wilayah Complex, TTDI, Kepong and RSC) and Selangor (PJ, Shah Alam-AMPAC and Subang Jaya-Summit Complex). We'd also travelled to Kuala Terengganu and Penang. By virtue of this involvement/participation, am able to compile a list of helpful and unhelpful organisers vis-a-vis responding to queries via hp and/or email.

Not in any particular order of preference (more in terms of my engagement chronology), the following organisers and/or arbiters have been VERY HELPFUL in answering to my queries...be it via SMS and/or via the email:-
(1) Louisa - Polgar Chess Academy(PCA)
(2) Hamid Majid - NAG 2012 & Swensen
(3) Cikgu Azwan - 4th KL Scholastic
(4) Stonemaster Fadli - MBPJ Open
(5) Lim Tse Pin - CAS Events, 18th Kepong Juniors & 1st Summit Juniors Open
(6) Syazrin - Nf6 Juniors Challenge
(7) Tan Eng Seong - 4th Penang Heritage City
(8) Najib Wahab - Nf6 Juniors, NJCC 2012 & DTCC Golden Special

Having said that, I find the following advertised contacts rather UNHELPFUL:-
(Read: NEVER reply(ies) to email and/or hp queries despite having advertised them)
(1) 013 - xxxxxxx (RJT)
(2) 01x - xxxxxxx (SKSH)
(3) 01x - xxxxxxx (ID)
(Note: Still thinking whether, their numbers and/or emails should be revealed)

A common theme observed in the UNHELPFUL list were queries related to:-
(1) Whether the event is a rated event or not;
(2) What are the numbers participating in the event to-date; and,
(3) What or where to view the official results.

NATIONAL AGE GROUP (NAG 2013) @UTP, Tronoh-Perak DR

UPDATE 3 @ 24/1:
Accommodation Hunting. Tronoh Homestay. (Good contacts & referrals by Homestay operators). Due to the "inconvenient location" of NAG 2013, securing local accommodation proved to be a little bit more challenging than the previous 2 outstation chess excursions to KT(MSSM) and Penang(4th Penang Heritage City).

UPDATE 2 @ 20/1:
A few officials from MCF dropped by the RSC Juniors Open competition venue. RSC Juniors event Blog Post HERE.

Zuraihah Wazir was circulating the NAG 2013 flyers to parents in attendance. I took the opportunity to make a direct submission of the entry forms to Haslindah Ruslan (MCF VP & Acting Treasurer). Haslindah also issued an official receipt to me...a rarity in chess competitions as the only other entrance fees receipt that I'd received to-date was from Polgar Chess Academy & Cerdik Catur Enterprise.

Was also informed of a National Arbiters Training/Seminar to be conducted concurrently with NAG 2013 for RM150 (RM80 if participant is nominated by the respective state affiliates).

UPDATE 1 @ 15/01:
New NR included below.


>>>>>>>

MCF had just released the NAtional Age Group (NAG) 2013 dates, Refer HERE.

Am hopeful that I can sort out the logistics and budget on my end as NAG 2013 will be held at Universiti Teknologi Petronas(UTP), Tronoh-Perak. Though why the event will be held at an inconvenient place is anybody's guess. Many parents I spoke to are OK with NAG being held at any of the cities be it KL, Penang, Ipoh or even JB and Alor Setar as many of the players come from these cities and accommodation wouldn't really be an issue. Estimated budget to participate in NAG 2013 is at least RM750 (80-Entrance Fees, 300-Accommodation, 250-Transport & 120-Food/Misc)...on second thoughts, better revised budget to RM850 as I don't think We'll only be spending RM120 on food.

NAG 2012 was held in March at Wisma OCM-KL, a convenient location for the majority of paticipants. It was the first time the kids took part in the NAG event. Louisa of PCA recommended that I enter hAnA. In the end, I entered all the kids including Faiz who hadn't taken part in any chess competitions before and as such I had to purchase a DGT timer for RM200(if I recall correctly) just to ensure that he gets used to a
competition environment.

Eldest sister Fathina took part in the Girls U-14 category, hAnA took part in the Girls U-10, whilst Faiz in his maiden competition debut participated in the Boys U-8 section. They were placed 21st, 8th and 18th respectively with 1, 4 and 2.5points earned over 8rounds.

This year, Fathina won't be taking part due to her concentration on the PMR exams. Only the 2 regulars would be participating. Hence, my targets for them are as follows:-
(1) hAnA
7th, Girls U-12 with 5points (NAG 2012 = 4points
Her Competitors: Not sure of their actual age group but I guess it'll be Puteri Munajah, Melanie Koo, Mok Shu Z, Iman Sofea, Zainoor Ikmal

(Note: NAG 2012, 8th Girls U-10 with 4points. Below Zainoor Ikmal, others)

(2) The cHEss pIRATE
10th, Boys U-8 with at least 4points(NAG 2012 = 2.5points
His Competitors: Again not sure of the age-group but regulars would be Ng Shi Yang, Dinesh Kumar, Wong Zi Yue, Cheah Kah Hoe, Ivan Yap & Others

(Note: NAG 2012, 18th Boys U-8 with 2.5points. Below NSY, DK, WZY, CKH, IY)

In terms of competition build-up leading to NAG 2013, am "sharpening" the kids by enrolling them in the Rapid format RSC Juniors Open on 20th January followed by the FIDE-rated Classical format DTCC Golden Special from 24th to 28th January 2013

AMfa Family, 2012 Chess Report

Note: Post will be updated when more info are retrieved.

>>>>>>>
All in, 2012 have been a steep learning curve for me and members of the family.
Ever since hAnA was selected to be part of the KL U-12 Team, by default the Family and I got more involved and interested in chess activities.

ACHIEVEMENTS
-------------------------
hAnA seemed to be the one with the achievements to-date.
She was selected to be in the S.K.Taman Tun Dr.Ismail (1) Team for the MSSWP Bangsar Zone and also made the Bangsar zone team to the MSSWP Finals.
Apart from being named as a team member for the Young and what can be considered experimental KL U-12 Girls Team, she also did good in a few events. The events where she did relatively well were namely the MSSWP KL Bangsar Zone finals(5th out of 37 in the Girls U-10 Category), MSSWP KL State level final(4th in the Girls U-10 category), 2nd SK Seri Hartamas Age Group (Tied for 1st on Points, 3rd after Tie-Breaker) and December's 4th Penang Heritage City International - Challenger Section where she got Bronze in the Girls U-10 category.

After finishing with 2.5points and placing 18th out of a field of 22 in his maiden competition i.e. the National Age Group held at Wisma OCM in March 2012, the cHEss pIRATE seemed to have made steady progress. He has 1 title to his name I.e. The U-7 Champion for the Polgar Chess Academy (PCA) Malaysia Day Challenge. IF not for the fact that prizes are given for the better achievement, He would have had a second title to his name i.e. The U-7 Champion for the PCA May Day Challenge (He was placed 6th in the U-9 category with 4points whilst the U-7 Champion got 3 points and placed 15th). Though competing in a weak field, he ended his last round for 2012 by playing on top board for the first time ever in the Insofar Scholarship December event in Shah Alam and got a prize for the best U-7 player and NR U-1500 category.

The eldest sister who started the ball rolling by attending a workshop on chess after UPSR 2010 seemed to have stagnated...though through no fault of her own. Like any other schools, chess is not a priority sport or popular activity. Despite no attention given to chess, she still managed to be selected and represented TKC in the MSSNS - Seremban 1 Zone U-15 Girls competition held in April 2012. Though 'hibernating' for 8months, Amira Fathina ended the year placed 8th in the Insofar Scholarship December event.

As for myself, after the kids(especially hAnA) said that I only know how to comment and criticize without ever understanding what it takes to be in a competition...I registered myself for the MBPJ Open in June and got a NR of 1383 for taking part in that 1 competition. So I suppose, hAnA will keep quiet until her NR catches up with me.

PARTCIPATION
----------------------

The kids especially hAnA and The cHEss pIRATE took part in more than 15competitions (including at least 5 or 3 classical tournaments, respectively) and one blitz event. Amira Fathina only took part in 4 events, with a gap of 8months between the 3rd event(MSSNS Seremban 1 Zone in April) and the 4th competition(Insofar December Scholarship) event.


The breakdown of events and games played are as follows:-
hAnA
---------
- NO.of EVENTS Participated
(A) FIDE-Rated - 3 (Nf6, 4th Penang Heritage City & 5th NJCC)
(B) Classical - 7 (NAG, MSSKL Bangsar Zone, MSSKL State Final & MSSM KT + 3 FIDE-rated)

(C) Rapid (RATED) - 6 (4th KL Scholastic, MBPJ, CAS Selangor Juniors, 18th Kepong, 1st Summit & Insofar December)
(D) Rapid ( NOT Rated ) - 7 (PCA May Day, PCA Merdeka Day, PCA Malaysia Day, Insofar Shah Alam Age Group, Sahabat Pintar, 2nd SK Seri Hartamas & RSC Juniors )
(E) TOTAL Rapid - 13

(F) Blitz ( NOT Rated ) - 1
(G) TOTAL EVENTS Entered = 21

- GAMES Played
(A) FIDE-rated - 26 Games
(B) CLassical - 40 Games + MSSWP Bangsar Zone@5games & MSSWP KL State @7games
( NAG@8 + MSSM KT@6 + FIDE@26 + MSSWP-Bangsar@5 & MSSWP-KL Finals@7 )

(C) Rapid - 1xx Games
(D) Blitz - 8 Games

TOTAL GAMES Played = 60 Games + 1xx Games in Rapid Events

The cHEss pIRATE
----------------------------

- NO.of EVENTS Participated
(A) FIDE-Rated - 2 ( 4th Penang Heritage City-Challenger & 5th NJCC 2012 )
(B) Classical - 3 (NAG,U-8 Boys + 2 FIDE-rated)

(C) RAPID
I - (Rated) - 7 (4th KL Scholastic, MBPJ, CAS Selangor Juniors, Swensen, 18th Kepong, 1st Summit & Insofar December)
II - ( NOT Rated ) - 6 (PCA May Day Challenge , PCA Merdeka Day, PCA Malaysia Day, Insofar Shah Alam Age Group, 2nd SK Seri Hartamas& RSC Juniors )
(E) TOTAL Rapid - 13

(F) Blitz ( NOT Rated ) - 1
(G) TOTAL EVENTS Entered = 17

- GAMES Played
(A) FIDE-rated - 18 Games
(B) CLassical - 25 (FIDE Events + NAG@7)
(C) Rapid - xx
(D) Blitz - 8

TOTAL GAMES Played = 33 Games + xx Games in RAPID Events


On closer analysis, the number of days spent in competition are as follows:-
(1) 7days - Amira Fathina. PCA, NAG & MSSNS-Seremban Zone & Insofar
(2) 2months - hAnA.
(3) 6weeks - The cHEss pIRATE

From a non-existent National Rating(NR) of 0 as at end of 2011, the kids have improved their NR ratings at the end of 2012 (based on the latest NR released in October 2012).
(1) +1077, Amira Fathina
(2) +1264, Amira Farhana @ hAnA
(3) +1157, Amir Faiz @ The cHEss pIRATE

hAnA and the cHEss pIRATE have obtained their own FIDE ID Number.

hAnA
-------
hAnA's FIDE ID No is 5714494 and she took part in 3 FIDE-rated events towards the end of 2012 namely November's Nf6 Junior Chess Challenge in TTDI-KL, 4th Penang Heritage City International Chess Event - Challenger Section where we travelled to Penang and the 5th National Juniors Chess Championship (NJCC 2012)from 18-22 December. All in she had played against 7 FIDE-rated players I.e 4 in Nf6, 1 in Penang Heritage & 2 in NJCC 2012. Unfortunately, she had not scored any points against any of the FIDE-rated players, only points recorded against players with FIDE ID.

Based on the Ratings calculator available at FIDE's website i.e. FIDE Chess Ratings Calculator her FIDE rating is 943.

The cHEss pIRATE
---------------------------

The cHEss pIRATE participated in 2 FIDE-rated events I.e. the 4th Penang Heritage City International and 5th NJCC 2012 and ONLY played against 1 FIDE-rated player where no point was secured. His FIDE ID number is 5714729.

Based on the FIDE Ratings Calculator, his FIDE rating is 940.

Expenses incurred are estimated at RM xxxx.xx.
The Estimated Breakdown are as follows :-
1,224.00 - Entrance Fees ( xx Events ) *Refer Note 1
Xxx.xx - Training & Coaching (incl. Chess Books, Record Book) *Refer Note 2
xxx.xx - CHESS ITEMS (Chess Board/Pieces, Timer etc)
Xxx.xx - TRAVELLING (Petrol, Toll & Parking)
Xxx.xx - ACCOMMODATION (KT & Penang)
Xxx.xx - OTHERS (Celebrations, Stationery, Phone etc)
------------

=======

Note 1: ENTRANCE FEES
120 - NAG @3pax
60 - PCA May Day @2pax
40 - 4th KL Scholastic @2pax
MBPJ @3pax
CAS Selangor Juniors Open @2pax**
PTS Pintar
40 - Shah Alam Age Group @2pax
30 - Swensen @AF3
60 - PCA Merdeka Day @2pax
60 - PCA Malaysia Day @2pax
2nd SK Seri Hartamas @2pax
50 - 18th Kepong
60 - RSC Juniors
24 - 1st Summit
50 - Nf6 Juniors @AF2
400 - 4th Penang Heritage @2pax
200 - NJCC 2012 @2pax
30 - Blitz @ 2pax
-------
1,224
-------

Note 2: TRAINING
1,xxx - PCA Classes
xxx - PCA Coaching
xx - Books
-------
xxxxxxx
-------

Note 3: CHESS ITEMS
xxx - Chess Set
xxx - Chess Pieces
2xx - DGT Timer
-------
xxxxxxx
-------

Note 4: TRAVELLING
xxx - Local Competitions (KL, Sri Hartamas, TTDI, Kepong, PJ & Shah Alam)
xxx - KL Centralised Training
KT
Penang

Note 5: ACCOMMODATION
KT
Penang

Note 6: OTHERS