Sunday, 31 March 2013
WORK & PLAY... 1st KEDAH RAPID & BLITZ-FIDE Rated, Registered
1st KEDAH Rapid & Blitz, a FIDE rated Event INFO
Participants' LIST
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Sometimes opportunities to work and play presents itself. In this case, the parents will work whilst hAnA and the cHEss pIRATE will play. The Islamic Estate Planner have 2 leads to follow-up in Penang for a Wasiat(Will) or 2 to be drafted whilst I'm adjusting to deliver a talk on " Matawang Shariah & Melayu " at a nearby Teachers College.
Having said that, am taking a "calculated risk" not knowing when the Parliament will be dissolved. Que sera sera.
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Aaaaarggghhh,....Parliament is dissolved - knew it was a calculated risk. At least the IEP appointment is firmed and fide-rated event will continue.
INSOFAR SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT, Participating!
Event INFO
Official RESULTS
Event REPORT
LUNCH UPDATE:
AHM, 2W & 1L
AF1, 3L
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The 2 Youngest have a birthday invite in Kota Damansara. Hence, eldest can play without too much of a "bruised ego". Thanks to Z initially and later H, The self-proclaimed manager ended up playing as well.
Event Report:
Eldest performed slightly better than previous Insofar's event in January held at AMPAC Shah Alam.
2nd Competition for me in 2013 after DCC Opening Day Blitz in February. Started 12th and finished 12th. Am relieved that I got 2 points.
However, it was pointed out that the points earned "DO NOT Count" as it was gained from "younger" opponents i.e. a Form 4 girl from KGV Seremban and a Standard 4 boy from S.K.TTDI...an assessment that I agreed with. The 3 other games that I'd lost was due to bad/poor positional play esp.putting the bishop in front of the pawn(R1 v. Ilham. Thanx for the post-game analysis Ilham), miscalculation (R4 v. Monir) and poor anticipation of a fork coming due to defense mentality (R5 v. M.Dhiya).
The view and mental state from a player's weltanschauung is definitely much much more different than a spectator's perspective. I strongly encourage Dad's to participate once in a while so that we have a sense of perspective when giving post-game/event comments to our kids.
A humorous occurence was that I was listed as "Best Veteran" and entitled to 2x RM50 vouchers...to which I respectfully decline as I did not fulfill the outlined criteria. Need to show some decency especially after the previous day "incident".
Friday, 29 March 2013
DATCC Speedy Gonzales BLITZ, Registered!
Official RESULTS
Event INFO
Event REPORT. Another Report in para below.
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A couple of "incidents" happened...one of which happened after lunch break & affected hAnA.
( All Pictures: Courtesy of Chess-Malaysia fb )
hAnA, It's better to learn from this "dispute" and treat it as part and parcel of competition and life. What goes around, comes around! The arbiter's decision is final!
A brief mention of the incident HERE. Actually, its more of a case of not owning up to an illegal move made!
( A Game before lunch break at KFC Pertama Complex )
hAnA, at least, there's some returns from this event. Total for this year, RM350 (20+25+25+250+30).
( cHEss pIRATE is either thinking or, Pondering his Loss! )
The cHEss pIRATE who surprisingly played on Board 2 in the final round against eventual Runners-Up and amused/iritated everyone with his "loud" move(I supposed, only kids can get away with it!), managed to kick-start his 2013 cash earnings...chalking RM20, a welcomed bonus after the RM50 book voucher earned at RSC Juniors earlier this year. Alhamdullilah.
( Board 10, Earlier Rounds. Opponent is most probably thrice his age )
MSSM Selections 2013 - Methodology Used by 4 States!
At a recent competition and chess camp, I was asked as to whether I had any idea as to how selection for MSSM was done in KL since my kids goes to school in KL. My reply was that I believe KL has a "dynamic" selection process whereby a Selection Panel makes the decision ( based on my interaction with some of the KL Teachers involved in chess ) coupled with for want of a better word a 'programme' of grooming junior talents for subsequent years.
Based on the conversation with the fathers who had kids representing the state team or whose kids were in the running, here is what I'd gathered / my observations:-
JOHOR
-----
Top 10 finisher reports for centralised training in Kluang.
They stay there for a couple of days whereby a Round Robin competition was held. After the competition is completed, the players were called for a briefing and informed why they were / were not selected.
N9
--
Top 6 finisher in each category at the MSSNS State finals held in Rembau are chosen to represent the state.
SELANGOR
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Combo of players shortlisted beforehand after the State finals and those who qualify after the playoff.
However, the parent concerned informed me that there was supposed to be a playoff but when he sent a sms to the respective teacher he never got a reply. His conclusion was that the teacher had vested interest as the teacher's kid was also trying to make the team.
Note: I can't verify the parent's statement/observations.
WP - KL
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"Dynamic" process by a Selection Panel who decides who makes the team.
Certain players were shortlisted beforehand whilst others takes part in play-offs.
Additionally, more junior players were given the opportunity to make the team to ensure continuity.
As can be seen, there's no 1 particular way of doing the selection.
In terms of travelling logistics, I suppose WP-KL, WP-Putrajaya, WP-Labuan and Perlis have an easier time compared to bigger states like Sarawak, Sabah, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Kelantan.
It would be good to compare what was the selection methodology used by every state and also see whether the travelling logistics had any influence on the selection process.
Earlier, The father from Johor mentioned that the Round Robin was done during centralised training in Kluang.
Having said the above, I'm not sure as to how the managers/coaches selects who plays in the individual or team event.
A suggestion for the powers that be is to include another category in MSSM chess i.e. U-9 for students in Standards 1-3. This would help encourage talent development at a younger age as well as gives more opportunity for players to represent their state.
Based on the conversation with the fathers who had kids representing the state team or whose kids were in the running, here is what I'd gathered / my observations:-
JOHOR
-----
Top 10 finisher reports for centralised training in Kluang.
They stay there for a couple of days whereby a Round Robin competition was held. After the competition is completed, the players were called for a briefing and informed why they were / were not selected.
N9
--
Top 6 finisher in each category at the MSSNS State finals held in Rembau are chosen to represent the state.
SELANGOR
--------
Combo of players shortlisted beforehand after the State finals and those who qualify after the playoff.
However, the parent concerned informed me that there was supposed to be a playoff but when he sent a sms to the respective teacher he never got a reply. His conclusion was that the teacher had vested interest as the teacher's kid was also trying to make the team.
Note: I can't verify the parent's statement/observations.
WP - KL
-------
"Dynamic" process by a Selection Panel who decides who makes the team.
Certain players were shortlisted beforehand whilst others takes part in play-offs.
Additionally, more junior players were given the opportunity to make the team to ensure continuity.
As can be seen, there's no 1 particular way of doing the selection.
In terms of travelling logistics, I suppose WP-KL, WP-Putrajaya, WP-Labuan and Perlis have an easier time compared to bigger states like Sarawak, Sabah, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Kelantan.
It would be good to compare what was the selection methodology used by every state and also see whether the travelling logistics had any influence on the selection process.
Earlier, The father from Johor mentioned that the Round Robin was done during centralised training in Kluang.
Having said the above, I'm not sure as to how the managers/coaches selects who plays in the individual or team event.
A suggestion for the powers that be is to include another category in MSSM chess i.e. U-9 for students in Standards 1-3. This would help encourage talent development at a younger age as well as gives more opportunity for players to represent their state.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Amira FarhAnA, CHAMPION - Catur Terbuka BELIAWANIS SelangorKU (U-12)
Event Blog Report, HERE
Official Results
( CHAMPION - CATUR TERBUKA BELIAWANIS 2013,Karnival SELANGORKU. U-12 Category )
( Amira Farhana Amirul. 2013 CATUR TERBUKA BELIAWANIS CHAMPION with Another Medalist)
...FINALLY, it had to happen and after the disappointment of 2-weeks back(Season is Over) the timing is impeccable - hAnA won the long awaited FIRST chess title for herself - JOHAN Catur Terbuka BELIAWANIS SelangorKU, Peringkat Sekolah Rendah.
The event was held at the SUK Building(Bangunan Sultan S.Abdul Aziz) in Shah Alam and was graced by the Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. In my short "tenure" in chess, this is the first time I'd witnessed a Minister be it a Federal Minister or an MB/CM officiating an event. The highest ranked politician that I'd seen officiate an event which either or both kids attended were a DAP Penang State EXCO during last December's 4th Penang Heritage City International Open and BN's MP Dato Zulhasnan Rafique during the recent MSSWP State Finals. Spoke to Mr.Yeap(an official with MCF) and he said that all states should have a Piala MB or KM and later on, representatives of the states can fight for top honours in a Piala PM or, DYMM (...emmm, good idea).
I suppose the deciding game for hAnA was her 4th round encounter against Pavithra which started even before the secondary game for R4 started and ended after all but 2 boards in the secondary section had completed. hAnA had a 1-1 record against Pavithra, losing to her in NAG 2013 after winning against her in the 2012 5th NJCC. The game attracted a few onlookers as it was quite "intense"...first time I'd seen hAnA played that way in any event. On completion, her opponent had 23seconds left whilst hAnA had slighlty above 15minutes remaining.
A truly historic day for hAnA as now the cHEss pIRATE can't make fun of her anymore for not ever winning an event...but I suppose knowing him, he'll find ways to belittle his sister's achievement. i remember the time when he was either 4 or 5yrs old - his eldest sister was teasing him...." Faiz, BIG HEAD...BIG HEAD!" Amira was teasing him incessantly - his retort..."Kakak Amira SMALL HEAD, itu sebab kena pi tuition!". Everybody was stunned!
The RM250 prize money for finishing 1st is also a wonderful added bonus which brings hAnA's chess "income" closer to the RM500 mark.
Additionally, the organiser i.e. Cerdik Catur Enterprise is using a different kind of rating for tye first time for this event called the "Harkness System". It seemed the system was the predecessor to the present elo-rating system. It'll be interesting to see what hAnA's maiden rating will be under this system. Some details, HERE
Also had a good chat with a relative who's sending his kid after taking a break from chess for almost 5years.
Official Results
( CHAMPION - CATUR TERBUKA BELIAWANIS 2013,Karnival SELANGORKU. U-12 Category )
( Amira Farhana Amirul. 2013 CATUR TERBUKA BELIAWANIS CHAMPION with Another Medalist)
...FINALLY, it had to happen and after the disappointment of 2-weeks back(Season is Over) the timing is impeccable - hAnA won the long awaited FIRST chess title for herself - JOHAN Catur Terbuka BELIAWANIS SelangorKU, Peringkat Sekolah Rendah.
The event was held at the SUK Building(Bangunan Sultan S.Abdul Aziz) in Shah Alam and was graced by the Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. In my short "tenure" in chess, this is the first time I'd witnessed a Minister be it a Federal Minister or an MB/CM officiating an event. The highest ranked politician that I'd seen officiate an event which either or both kids attended were a DAP Penang State EXCO during last December's 4th Penang Heritage City International Open and BN's MP Dato Zulhasnan Rafique during the recent MSSWP State Finals. Spoke to Mr.Yeap(an official with MCF) and he said that all states should have a Piala MB or KM and later on, representatives of the states can fight for top honours in a Piala PM or, DYMM (...emmm, good idea).
I suppose the deciding game for hAnA was her 4th round encounter against Pavithra which started even before the secondary game for R4 started and ended after all but 2 boards in the secondary section had completed. hAnA had a 1-1 record against Pavithra, losing to her in NAG 2013 after winning against her in the 2012 5th NJCC. The game attracted a few onlookers as it was quite "intense"...first time I'd seen hAnA played that way in any event. On completion, her opponent had 23seconds left whilst hAnA had slighlty above 15minutes remaining.
A truly historic day for hAnA as now the cHEss pIRATE can't make fun of her anymore for not ever winning an event...but I suppose knowing him, he'll find ways to belittle his sister's achievement. i remember the time when he was either 4 or 5yrs old - his eldest sister was teasing him...." Faiz, BIG HEAD...BIG HEAD!" Amira was teasing him incessantly - his retort..."Kakak Amira SMALL HEAD, itu sebab kena pi tuition!". Everybody was stunned!
The RM250 prize money for finishing 1st is also a wonderful added bonus which brings hAnA's chess "income" closer to the RM500 mark.
Additionally, the organiser i.e. Cerdik Catur Enterprise is using a different kind of rating for tye first time for this event called the "Harkness System". It seemed the system was the predecessor to the present elo-rating system. It'll be interesting to see what hAnA's maiden rating will be under this system. Some details, HERE
Also had a good chat with a relative who's sending his kid after taking a break from chess for almost 5years.
Saturday, 23 March 2013
CATUR BELIAWANIS @Bangunan SUK-Shah Alam
After a week's hiatus due to other commitments,hAnA will be participating in a Women's ONLY event at Shah Alam.
Event Details HERE
Directions to Competition VENUE
It's not often that women ONLY event(s) is(are) organised. Normally, due to the lack of participants the ladies would have to pit their skills in Open events. I can only think of a few women event that hAnA had participated in such as NAG 2012 & 2013, 5th NJCC and the MSSM-Zone,State&National events.
Perhaps, this might partly explain why the Women's players and/or team is faring better than their male counterparts in international events.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
2013 MSSWP BANGSAR Zone - Chess Certificates
On Monday, 18th March during school assembly - hAnA and her posse(Alyssa, Najwa & Suraya) finally went on stage to receive the Achievement Certficate(s) for February's Bangsar Zone competition held at S.K.Seri Hartamas, KL.
Well Done Girls, I am confident that come 2014 - S.K.TTDI(1) will have a strong Girls U-12 Team challenging for honours in Bangsar Zone.
( 2nd, GIRLS U-12 INDIVIDUAL Competition - AMIRA FARHANA )
( 3rd, GIRLS U-12 TEAM Competition - S.K.TAMAN TUN DR. ISMAIL 1, K.L.)
Well Done Girls, I am confident that come 2014 - S.K.TTDI(1) will have a strong Girls U-12 Team challenging for honours in Bangsar Zone.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
2013 FIDE Candidates Tournament @LONDON
I find it kind of strange that Non-Asians are being given the opportunity to decide amongst themselves as to who would be given the honour to "assassinate" the Asian World Champion Anand in the title decider later this year.
The whole scenario reminds me of field hockey a few decades ago where initially it was played on grass...Pakistan and India (...and to a lesser extent Malaysia) were world leaders,....that was until the Europeans argued(...some say hoodwinked Asians) that AstroTurf is the way of the future. Since AstroTurf, Asians hardly made a dent in world hockey.
Anyway, Am not sure exactly what was the selection criteria but FIDE should have made the event more "inclusive" by having reps from Asia, Americas and Africa.
On our side, we "followed" 2 rounds of play.
1st Round, we "played" Carlsen v. Aronian. Both wanted to be Magnus...managed to follow the game until the blitz started. We were all amazed at the blitz that took place and was laughing at the "love sign or heart" that ended the game...as if both were toying with each other and making fun of the chess world at the same time.
2nd Round, the cHEss pIRATE got his eyes glued to the iPad following 2 games...though I'm not sure whether he was following the games or just playing with the features of the coverage...though he did complain why it's taking them so long to make a move and had observed him making some moves on the board to understand what the players were contemplating. Fell asleep after a long day...woke up for a while coz he was complaining he was hungry and saw his eyes were still glued to the iPad following the 2 decisive games concurrently, scary! How can a "liveless" screen capture his attention span, I wonder!?
....in the morning he played 3games on white and won all of them...and I've not seen the moves before from him, Perrrghhh!
Time to set-up 2 boards for the 3rd Round tonight.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Season is OVER! ...All the Best to KL's Team to 2013 MSSM@Taiping.
Was informed via SMS that hAnA didn't make the KL Team.
It seemed that the Top 3 players in the U-12 category was selected as well as the Top Juniors from the U-10 section...it's good that KL have a developmental approach.
hAnA's feeling a bit down but told her she should be thankful that she made the KL team to KT last year.
After all, with the following 2013 1Q results there's nothing to be ashamed of and that she should be proud of herself:-
(1) 5th Girls U-12, MSSWP State Finals. March @SK.DTHO-KL
Note: After Mok, Melanie, Ho, Nazirah. Same Points i.e.5pts with Nazirah, Ho & Melanie but lost out on Tie-Breaker.
(2) 2nd Girls U-12, MSSKL JUNIORS Open. 3rd March @PKS J.Maran-KL
Note: Runners-Up to Melanie.
Note 2: Read Previous Post
(3) 2nd Girls U-12, MSSWP Bangsar Zone. March @SK Seri Hartamas-KL
Note: Runners-Up to Ayesha.
(4) 25th U-14 Open, 24th SELANGOR JUNIORS. 24th February @DCC-KL
Note: 3rd U-12 Special Category.
(5) 6th Girls U-12, NATIONAL AGE GROUP(NAG 2013). 1-3 February @UTP-Tronoh,PERAK
Note: After Teh De Zen(PP), P.Munajjah(SEL), Teh Ming Min(PP), Mok(WP) & Pavithra(SEL)
Note2: Drew with Mok & Won against Ho. Placed higher than ALL KL Players except for Mok.
More importantly, I think hAnA's game has improved as compared to last year and she'd steadily made the transition from U-10 to U-12 category by either winning, drawing and/or placing better than other more experienced and "battle-hardened" U-12 player in certain events though there's still much room for improvement. Que Sera Sera... hAnA you'll just have to try harder next year. If your game is good...things will work out eventually...IF (and that reminds me of the "IF" Poem, need to look for it for hAnA!)
...emmm...Perhaps, might need to scout around for a trainer/coach to improve her game and the cHEss pIRATE...IF budget permits! Now it's time for a break and start on "physical" activities planned for 2Q 2013. Let's start with Horseback Archery on Saturday!
All the Best to those chosen to represent KL in this year's MSSM in Taiping especially the Girls U-12 team.
Am hoping the KL Team will emerged as the OVERALL CHAMPIONS.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
1st DCC YOUNG TALENT AGE GROUP, cHEss pIRATE is ON BOARD!
UPDATE 1 @ 10/03
R1: Bd.10, B. WON
R2: Bd.2, W. lost
R3: Bd.4, B. v. Amier Arif, lost
LUNCH BREAK
R4: Bd.5, B v. Adib, WON
R5: Bd.4, v. Arif, lost
R6: ??? No Idea. Conflicting Reports.
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In 2012 there were not many Junior events I.e. U-7, U-8 or, U-9 competitions.
The only events that comes to mind is the one organised by Polgar@Sri Hartamas(U-7) (Read MAY DAY CHALLENGE, MERDEKA CHALlENGE & MALAYSIA DAY CHALLENGE - Note:BH19 not 9 )and to a lesser extent Insofar Scholarship (organised as part of a bigger event but with prizes for U-5 & U-7, if I recall correctly)
The top Junior event for 2012 would have to be the 3rd Swensen Rapid Open which attracted participants from other countries such as India, Iran and Singapore...and where the cHEss pIRATE finished 23rd out of 46 participants, Read HERE.
Hence, DCC should be applauded for organising such an event for the U-8 & U-10 category.
It seemed from a dearth of events in 2012, junior events seems to be mushrooming starting with the U-8 event organised by the Chess Association of Selangor(CAS) for the 24th Selangor Juniors Open on 3/3, MSSKL Juniors Open U-9 by MSSKL on the very same day I.e.3/3, DCC Young Talent Age Group on 10/3 and also on the same day an event called "1st Smart Kids Chess Tournament" organised by Creanovative Minds/MSSKL and held at Duta Vista Suite-KL.
As at this moment in time "the mother of all U-8 Competitions" would have to be the recently concluded MSSWP KL Zonal and State Finals for both Boys and Girls which just concluded last Friday at SK.Desa Tun Hussein Onn where prizes were given away by MP & former Minister Zulhasnan Rafique.
Am hoping there'll be more junior events organised in the coming months...at least once a month if not more, in the off-season.
Monday, 4 March 2013
2013 MSSWP Chess Inter-Zone/State Finals, Begins TODAY!
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION @ (06/03 - 08/03)
--------------------------------
hAnA finished FIFTH overall in the Individual competition Despite winning her final round encounter on Board 4. I've been made to understand that the 2nd to 5th placed player finished on equal points I.e.5points, but the tie-breaker decided their respective position. Hopefully, the official results can be released soon.
The final standings for the MSSWP KL U-12 Girls Individual competition are as follows:-
1st: Mok - SKBD, 6pts
2nd: Melanie - SK J.Davidson, 5pts
3rd: Ho, 5pts
4th: Nazirah, 5pts
5TH: AMIRA FARHANA - S.K.TTDI 1, 5 POINTS
6th: Ayesha - SKBD, 4.5pts
The MP for the area and former KL Minister Dato Zulhasnan Rafique gave away the prizes and said he'll help look into the possibility of getting air-conds for the hall.
...am hoping that hAnA's performance of finishing fifth in the MSSWP KL State Finals & Runners-Up in the MSSWP Bangsar Zone competition is enough to earn hAnA a call-up to the KL Team for March's MSSM Chess Competition in Taiping, Perak. Now, it's back to the books over the weekend as her school exams begins next week on Monday.
UPDATE 4 @08/03
Status: 5 WINS & 1 LOSS.
Round 6 & Final Round: Bd.4, v. Sofea, WON
Crunch time for hAnA this morning in the final round encounter. WIN and she has a chance to finish in the Top 5 or 6...and with it the chance and a strong case to be selected for this year's KL Team. Lose...and i'll start the physical activities(e.g.Tae Kwan Do, Badminton & Swimming) planned for 2Q early as she won't be making the trip to Perak during March's school holidays.
UPDATE 2 & 3 @07/03(1325hrs)
Status: 4/5
(3) Bd.6, W v. Teh Sabrina - S.K. , WON
(4) Bd.2, B v. Melanie Koo - SJKC Jalan Davidson, lost
(5) Bd.4, W v. Masyitah - S.K.Sultan Hishamuddin, WON
UPDATE 1 via SMS @06/03(1321hrs)
Status: 2/2
WON both games today
(1) v. Ng Jin Jin - SJKC KEPONG 2
(2) v. Fatin Humaira - SK. ST.TERESA 2
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The MSSWP State-Level Individual Chess competition begins today.
hAnA will be taking part in the U-12 category. "ALL THE BEST hAnA!"
Am hoping she does well in her event but my concern is she's not that prepared due to her playing position in the Team Event.
Was hoping to send the cHEss pIRATE to participate as well I.e. In the U-8 Category. Unfortunately, my appeal was turned down despite the support of the school teachers. Guess need to look for "paid" competitions to further expose him.
TEAM EVENT @ (04/03 - 05/03)
----------------
UPDATE 2 & 3 via SMS @05/03/2013
FINAL RESULTS for S.K.TTDI 1 = 1 WIN, 2 Draws & 2 losses
S.K.TTDI 1 finished 15th out of 24 schools with 2 Match Points.
No.12-18 finished with same MP I.e. 4pts and placing is then based on Points Won.
S.K.TTDI 1 got 9.5points which was the same with a few other schools. Final placing was then based on 1st Tie-breaker I.e.BH.
5th Round: v. S.K. CONVENT SENTUL 1
DRAW, 2-2. hAnA WON (5/5)
4th Round: v. S.J.K.C. KEPONG 2 ( Correction: SJKC KEPONG 3, pointed out by Passerby in Chat box).
lost, 1-3. hAnA WON (4/4)
3rd Round: v.S.K.JALAN KUANTAN 2.
DRAW, 2-2. hAnA WON. Naj & Alysa lost. In the last game remaining, Suraya WON to even the score.
SKTTDI 1 Status after 3 Rounds @ 1W, 1D & 1L.
UPDATE 1@ 04/03/2013 (1234hrs)
hAnA Called Otw back to school. Team WON both games.
Correction: hAnA WON both her games but the team won 1 (S.K.COCHRANE PERKASA) & lost 1 ( 1.5 v. 2.5 against CBN )
Her cousins representing SKBD: Aqil WON both games, Arif 1W&1L and Ayesha 2wins.
>>>>>>>
The 2013 MSSWP State Finals (Inter Zone) Competition begins today.
The Juniors or Primary School event takes place at the same venue as last year I.e. S.K.Desa Tun Hussein Onn, KL.
Today till tomorrow will be the Team Event.
Individual competition will be from Wednesday - Friday.
hAnA is already complaining that she'll be bored and lonely from Wednesday onwards as none of her school gang made it to the individual event. (Note: Last year the top 15 was chosen to represent Bangsar Zone. This year, it seemed only the Top 12 in the individual event made it.)
All the best hAnA, I'll try to drop by the venue if I can 'adjust' meeting up with some old army buddies.
Sunday, 3 March 2013
MSSKL JUNIORS Open 2013, O' What a Heat!
Results:-
hAnA, 4.5pts/6 - 2nd, Girls U-12 category. Champion was Melanie Koo.
cHEss pIRATE...who should have been getting his opponent to walk the plank was instead busy "collecting" dead fishes from the PKSC Pond...3pts/6 - 11th out of 20 in the Boys U-9 category, won by Hafiz Borhanuddin.
>>>>>>>
Am slightly annoyed with the cHEss pIRATE when he didn't claim a draw for his 1st game despite having the tools to do it and having taught the 3x Repetitive Play ruling before going off for the event. When confronted - " ...Kenapa Faiz tak claim draw, ayah kan baru ajar pagi tadi?". His innocent reply - "...Faiz dah angkat tangan, tapi arbiter tak nampak!" OK, fair enough, did see his hand went up but since nobody came he lowered his hand and played on... I think the ruling learnt might have been at the back of his mind but he was unsure himself as to how to explain it to the arbiter and claim the draw.
I must make it a point to sit down with the kids and go through the ruling again and write on this later on.
On another matter, I Must be getting soft nowadays...many many moons ago in conditions like today's sweltering heat, Drill (be it Foot or Weapons) or, PT (be it Individual PT, Battle PT) would be tolerable/bearable! Map Reading Exercise, IMP or Ilmu Medan Perang (Battlefield Knowledge), Shooting, "Muslihat"(Tactics) and especially First Aid Classes will be an added bonus or something to laugh about as there must have been some scheduling SNAFU or perhaps the powers that be....normally the Pegawai Latih, would have eyed some other intake(s) to torture. The possible "unbearable" exception would be Log PT at 12noon for 1 1/2hours.....Perrgh!
Last year, the kids took part at the same venue for an event called "4th KL Scholastic" under rainy and much cooler conditions.
This time round, the number of players seemed to have increased.
Unfortunately, the heat had "baked" a number of players and their supporting cast.
Moreover, unlike last year where there were at least 2-3 food stalls opened, there were none this year and parents had to drive out of PKSC to seek for light refreshments.
WORSE however is the lack of working WCs or, restrooms with flowing water.
Last year, though unable to lock the doors - the WC beside the hall at least had running water.
There must be certain standards that event organisers must uphold and one of them MUST BE having restrooms with flowing water. Hopefully, the powers that be at PKSC can repair not only the WC beside the hall but also the WCs at the hostel...a year is simply too long a time to fix basic amenities for human decency.
Don't have time to write much...lots of matters to attend to.
Relative's wedding at Al-Falah Mosque, Subang Jaya. Back to PKSC. Then off to Enstek Nilai for a Park Launch and then to watch an English drama... the "malaynised" version of Romeo & Juliet, renamed "Ramli & Julia"....WaQAQA, hentam jelah Labu! 10pm, episode 7 of IFT goes on air.
(more to follow later..."IF" time permits)
Met my old Guru Quran I.e. Pak Long Karim during the wedding.
His son was with him. I have to write this because many, many moons ago I pushed his son into the well at one of the kampungs in Jasin.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
BANGSAR ZONE Representative (hAnA) - Team & Individual Event!
( Individual Event, Girls U-12. SILVER Medal )
Note: All Pictures courtesy of Polgar Chess.
( S.K.TTDI 1, Team. Girls U-12 - BRONZE Medal )
Finishing Runners-Up in the Individual event and 3rd in the Team Event(S.K.TTDI 1) in the just concluded Bangsar Zone-MSSWP Chess Competition, hAnA will be representing Bangsar Zone in the MSSWP State Finals next week at S.K.Desa Tun Hussein Onn...a school located within the army camp (same venue as per last year!).
INDIVIDUAL Performance
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As a comparison, last year she was placed 5th in the zone's Girls U-10 event.
Hence, my simplistic conclusion is that she'd either improved her game and/or her opponents had stagnated!
2012: 5th. Girls U-10
2013: 2nd, Girls U-12.
Including this week's participation in Bangsar Zone chess(5 days), NAG 2013(1 day) and add that to next week's event.......4 or 5 days ( I think!)
All in she would have missed at least 2 weeks of classes.
As further comparison, last year in the State Finals she'd finished 4th.
This year, ???. All the Best hAnA.
Comparison Note:
MSSWP KL & Putrajaya - State Finals
2013: ???
2012: 4th, Girls U-10.
MSSKL - Bangsar Zone Final
2013: Runners-Up, U-12
2012: 5th, U-10.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Rules Disparity between NS and KL/Selangor
There seemed to be a rule disparity between Negeri Sembilan(NS) and KL/Selangor.
The rule is in relation to the "USE OF A SINGLE HAND" to move the chess pieces and press the timer.
KL/Selangor consider it as an illegal move to use both hands (e.g. LEFT hand press timer whilst RIGHT hand move the chess pieces & vice-versa) whereas NS consider it as a "Gangguan (Disturbance)".
Eldest found out this disparity which was to her detriment in the ongoing MSSNS State Finals held in SMKA Pedas in Rembau, NS.
To explain, I need to Go back in time to JANUARY 2013.
In the INSOFAR competition held in January at Shah Alam, Fathina was deemed to have made an illegal move when her opponent claimed that she'd use both hands.
Having learnt from her mistake, in one of her Round Match - her opponent had made 2 illegal moves before. When her opponent made the mistake of using both hands, she took the opportunity to claim for her 3rd illegal move & raised her hand to complain.
However, the arbiter (or rather more than 1 arbiter) ruled that it was a "Gangguan" and ask them to continue playing.
She was so upset that the arbiter ruled against her when in the Insofar event it was the other way around, that she lost the game after that.
The rule is in relation to the "USE OF A SINGLE HAND" to move the chess pieces and press the timer.
KL/Selangor consider it as an illegal move to use both hands (e.g. LEFT hand press timer whilst RIGHT hand move the chess pieces & vice-versa) whereas NS consider it as a "Gangguan (Disturbance)".
Eldest found out this disparity which was to her detriment in the ongoing MSSNS State Finals held in SMKA Pedas in Rembau, NS.
To explain, I need to Go back in time to JANUARY 2013.
In the INSOFAR competition held in January at Shah Alam, Fathina was deemed to have made an illegal move when her opponent claimed that she'd use both hands.
Having learnt from her mistake, in one of her Round Match - her opponent had made 2 illegal moves before. When her opponent made the mistake of using both hands, she took the opportunity to claim for her 3rd illegal move & raised her hand to complain.
However, the arbiter (or rather more than 1 arbiter) ruled that it was a "Gangguan" and ask them to continue playing.
She was so upset that the arbiter ruled against her when in the Insofar event it was the other way around, that she lost the game after that.