2nd THE SUMMIT JUNIORS Open 2013, 1st Event for hAnA AFTER 71-Days Lay-Off!

Event INFO
Players' LIST: U-12 & U-7

FINAL UPDATE:

hAnA
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hAnA finished 10th in the U-12 Age Group (I.e. with 4 WINS & 2 Losses) out of 50 Participants.
Organiser's REPORT

After a 71days lay-off from competitive chess, hAnA gave a credible performance. My earlier assessment was that 50% would be a decent performance in lieu of the lay-off period and fortunately she played as per rankings and finished on 67%.
She defeated a higher rated player with a difference of 184 points but at the same time lost to a lower rated player with a difference of 152 rating points. Both players she'd lost to finished ahead of her i.e. at 3rd(Evan Loo) & 9th(Ryan Tey) respectively. In essence, she'd played true to rankings i.e. hAnA was seeded 10th and finished on 10th place as well!

She received an Achievement Certificate and RM20 in cash which brought her 2013 earnings to RM370 (20+25+25+250+30+20).
Well Done hAnA. Hopefully, your interest to play competitive chess is back for good!

cHEss pIRATE
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Amir Faiz Amirul aka The cHEss pIRATE,IF not for the one illegal move he made whilst playing Megat Imran had an almost Perfect competition and ended with a 100% record from 6 Straight Wins and in the process emerged Champion in the U-7 Age Group category. The category had 27 players competing initially but later whittled down to 24 players.
Organiser's REPORT

Though he was coming back from a 60 days lay-off, his decision to enter yesterday's U-12 category in the 3rd MBPJ Open 2013 paid-off as he never left Board 1. 3rd MBPJ Open 2013 REPORT. Am sure he'll claim the agreed upon toy(Planes&Trucks) reward soon enough!

Accounts
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20 Prize@hAnA. No Prize Money for U-7.
(less 30) Entrance Fees@2pax
-10 GL
(less 50) Food & Travelling
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-60 NL BUT, 2nd Title for FAIZ...PRICEless!
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1st SMS Update from IEP@1118hrs. She seemed to be getting better/detailed w her updates.
2nd SMS @1140h
3rd SMS @1232h
4th SMS @1303h
5th SMS @1352h
1stCALL @1411h
2ndCALL @1529h
6th SMS @1550h
7th SMS @1605h
8th SMS @1613h
9th SMS @1656h
10thSMS @1710h

hAnA @4W-2L(67%)
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R1: B10, B. v. Jishnu Ravi (1086, 35th Seed). WON.
R2: W. v. Wong Chun Yung (1229, 23rd Seed). WON, opponent Resigned due to Time constraint I.e. 3seconds remaining against hAnA's 16mins.
R3: B3, B. v. Emir Rusyaidi (1597, 3rd Seed). WON, opponent Resigned.
R4: B2, W. v. Evan Loo (1593 @3pts-4th Seed). Lost
R5: B7, B. v. Ryan Tey (1261, 16th Seed). Lost
R6: B7, W. v. Joel Prassanth (1174 @3pts-27th Seed). WON, 3 Illegal Moves.


CP @6 Wins (100%)
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R1: B1, W. v. Lakshman Kumaraguru (UR). WON, 3 Illegal Moves in 5minutes.
R2: B1, B. v. Nicholas Khow ((UR). WON, 3 Illegal Moves.
R3: B1, W. v. Wong Xin Yi-G (UR). WON, Checkmate.
R4: B1, B. v. Megat Imran (867, 5th Seed). WON, Checkmate.
R5: B1, W. v. Iskandar Haikal (1149, 4pts-3rd Seed). WON, Opponent Surrendered in around 5mins - CP Q promotion.
R6: B1, B. v. Asia Moo (1230, 4pts-2nd Seed). WON, C'mate.

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This would be the first competition for hAnA after laying-off chess for 71days. So am just hoping for a "decent" performance from her in lieu of any pratice done recently! "Decent" for me from hAnA would be a 50% and above final results.

As for the cHEss pIRATE though its his first weekend in action after laying-off for 60days, theoretically he'd a rehearsal of sorts when he participated in the 3rd MBPJ Open, U-12 category yesterday.
Last year, he'd participated in the same event albeit a different category and finished 35th out of 61 players in the U-10 category. 1st THE SUMMIT Open 2012 RESULTS.
1st SUMMIT Open 2012 REPORT. This was also the event where he gave his first TV Interview...by virtue of being the Youngest Player in the event, REPORT

An added bonus is the fact that the Islamic Estate Planner will be bringing both of them as I've matters to attend to in KL & PJ.

3rd MBPJ Open 2013, 1st Event AFTER 60 Days!

Event INFO

Event PICTURES

 

( 2013 MBPJ Open: U-12, 8th Place )

Picture: Courtesy of Stonemaster blog

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FINAL UPDATE:
Faiz finished 8th in the U-12 category, accumulating 4points from 4 WINS & 2 losses.
Both players he lost to finished ahead of him in the final standings I.e. 2nd & 5tn.
Compared to last year's 2nd MBPJ Open 2012 - he'd improved by 20places from 28th but only managed a 1point increase.

Overall, it was a "decent" comeback after a 60-day layoff. CP finished on 67%...a much more positive result than my earlier thoughts of even 50% being difficult to achieve. Having said that I did not see a number of regular U-12 "veteran" players I'm accustomed to. Perhaps, there were many other events happening or which they are preparing for like the 2nd The Summit Juniors Open or, 5th SJKC Jalan Davidson Open taking place tomorrow.
Didn't watch him play as I'd local(LHDN) and international(UNDP) deadlines to attend to. Suffice to say that he's not giving his play much thought and is just playing instinctively and perhaps too swiftly for my liking!

For placing 8th, the cHEss pIRATE earned RM50...bringing his total earnings for 2013 to RM120 (RM70 Cash@20+50 and RM50 Book Voucher).

Accounts;
50 Prize
( less 20 ) Entrance Fee
30 GP
( less 20 ) Food & Travelling
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10 NP
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Note:
Met a parent who informed me that he'd spent around 4k to send his kid to an overseas FIDE-rated event.

UPDATE 6@1629hrs
R1: B6, B. v. Nur Faiqah Aminuddin (9yrs). WON. C'mate.
Note: 23mins remaining whilst opponent had 17mins left. He's back to Blitz play. Should have brought notation book.

R2: B4, W. v. Raja Bazilah Bot (9yrs). WON, C'mate. Bal.18mins v. 12mins for opponent.
R3: B2, B. v. Muhd Ihtifazuddin (11yrs). Lost, C'mate. Swift loss as he didn't see his rook being trapped.
***LUNCH BREAK***
R4: B5, W. v. Pravin Mahindran (11yrs). Lost. Longest Playing Time. RC!? Note: Wasted 2minutes as we'd arrived at venue late fm OPA AGM at Saujana Resort. Lesson learnt I.e. Not to venture too far from playing venue during lunch break.
R5: B11,B. v. Aqil Fahmi Rizal (6yrs). WON, C'mate.

Going into the final round, CP is ranked 11th with 3 points...together with 8 other players on 3 points (until 18th Placing). WIN and he might be in the Top 10, LOSE and we'll make an early exit while a DRAW will ensure an unnecessarily long and even futile wait! Whatever happens, he has improved from last year's 28th placing.
As for me, I'm just happy he's on 50% already.

R6: B8, W. v. Muhammad Zhafri (11yrs). WON, C'mate.
Note: Wasted 2-3minutes due to late entrance! One would have thought that "digging" for stuffs just 3-4metres away fm the Notice Board and Dewan Ilmu entrance he'll be concerned to look at the Pairings. Unfortunately, NO! Somehow or rather the "noise" of players checking the pairings and entering the hall must have escaped him.
When asked - "Why aren't you conscious of the time?"..... Reply - " Dia orang main Rapid, Faiz main Blitz. Faiz tak nak Faiz punye time habis!"......Aaaarghhhh, budak ni ada yang kena lepuk sat lagi ni kan!

( Playing Hide & Seek to Annoy Me As Per Usual )

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Event INFO

Players' LIST & UPDATED LIST 2

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This would be the first competition for the cHEss pIRATE after laying-off chess for 60days...and of all categories he'll be participating in the "tough" U-12 category. This will also be the first time he'll be participating in a Cerdik Catur Rating or, CCR event!

Last year, he'd participated in the same event as well and finished 28th out of 45 players in the U-12 category. MBPJ Open 2012 RESULTS. Though finishing 28th he did get a consolation prize for being the YOUNGEST Player at 5years 3months and 20days young!!!
2012 Event REPORT

It would be interesting to see whether the 60-days lay-off would badly affect his game, have minimal impact or it's business as usual. Based on practice rounds tonight, I'll be surprised if he finishes on 50%.

Part 2: Young Ciku v. Old Fxxt @Shah Alam!

( Syed Restaurant Shah Alam....hangout since NCUK days )

John has been a good friend of mine since A-Levels days in Damansara Utama. Together with Salleh....now Assoc.Prof. Dr in UKM and Nico from Kelantan...now an Investment Banker, they were often seen playing chess in the 51C dorm.On and off I would watch them play as they were playing close to my bed.
When the cHEss pIRATE heard that Uncle John is coming up for a court case in Shah Alam, he obviously wanted a rematch.
Note: Part 1 of their encounter in JB last year, Read HERE

They played 7games of 5-minutes Blitz over Dinner
After a few games at Syed Restaurant located in Section 3 Shah Alam, the final score was 5-2 in the cHEss pIRATE's favour.

It was a good couple of games for the CP to prepare for the upcoming events this weekend i.e. 3rd MBPJ Open & 2nd The Summit Juniors Open.

1st Competition after 2 Months Lay-Off: 3rd MBPJ Open & 2nd THE SUMMIT JUNIORS Open, Registered!

2nd THE SUMMIT JUNIORS Open: 1st Update
U-12(hAnA) Participants' Name LIST @50pax
U-7 (the cHEss pIRATE) Participants' Name LIST @28pax


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It has been around 2 months since hAnA and the cHEss pIRATE participated in ANY chess competition.
Today, I'd made a payment of RM30 for both of them to participate in the 2nd The Summit Juniors Open next Sunday I.e. 30th June. I'd also registered via SMS for the cHEss pIRATE to take part in the 3rd MBPJ Open. They had both taken part in the same 2 competitions last year. (22/6: Correction - Faiz took part in both competitions whilst hAnA only participated in the MBPJ Open as she was playing in the FIDE-rated Nf6 Challenger at TTDI 2nd MBPJ 2012 Results & 1st The Summit 2012 Results. hAnA's Nf6 Challenger )

WHY the long lay-off from competitive chess? 2 main reasons,the kids were concentrating on their respective examinations I.e. Primary, KAFA & OUM and Umrah preparations including the actual Umrah where we'd an awesome 12days in the holy land.

To RECALL - for hAnA, her last event was the UM Open aka Piala Tun Syed Zahiruddin on Saturday, April 20th ( GE13 Nomination Day ) where she finished 2nd ( HERE ).
The 2nd Smart Kids Chess competition held at Duta Vista-KL on Labour Day 1st May where the cHEss pIRATE finished 4th was the last competitive event for the Him ( HERE ).

In entering them for the competitions next weekend, I did not pressure them into entering any competition but had only informed them of the various competitions being advertised on the net. Last week both of them asked - " Ayah, when are we going to enter the next event? Dah lama tak masuk! " To which I replied - " it's up to you all when you want to participate. There's no compulsion for you all to take part!"

After a 2-month layoff I.e. 70days@hAnA & 60days@The cHEss pIRATE respectively, am just hoping that they'll do alright...WE SHALL SEE in a week's time, I suppose!!!



Note:
Since coming back, there were 3 Report Card collection for hAnA & 1 for the CP.

After the "disaster" (by hAnA standards) of not being in the Top 3 in her Aliran previously, she seemed to be making a comeback by placing 2nd when I collected her Report Card today. She'd also performed extremely well for her OUM Certificate in Financial Literacy (...which caused her to miss the 40th Selangor Open. HERE & HERE2 )and it was also announced during her CFL graduation ceremony that of all papers she had scored 100% for the most difficult paper I.e. Paper 3. Having said that she needs to start focussing for her UPKK and as such attend Saturday KAFA classes on a more regular basis.



The cHEss pIRATE on the other hand had only his KAFA exams to sit for and did well save for Feqah where he got a B(79). I was rather annoyed when I found out that he'd actually finished Muqadam and could have finished reciting at least the first Juzuk(Juz 1) by now but took things easy as he wanted to wait for his other friends who are in Iqra4-6 to finish so that he can recite Al-Baqarah together with them. After hearing the comments from KAFA's Principal i.e. Ustazah Azizah and having seen him read the Quran (w/o being asked to do so) at Hudaibiah mosque, Masjidil Haram & Nabawi Mosque...at times reciting just a few verses before returning and taking another Quran to read - I told Ustazah Azizah that the next target for Faiz is for him to khatam Quran when he's 7yrs stating; IF Imam Syafie can memorise the Quran when he's 7yrs old, Faiz should at least try to khatam by that age! She agreed and I decided to send the CP for additional recitation classes at KAFA on Saturday morning on top of Ustaz Zakaria coming over twice weekly on Tuesdays & Saturdays to teach them recitation.

Debate - ASIAN Style v. Visiting BRUNEI School Team

Though PMR is on the horizon, eldest Amira have a full week ahead I.e. Debate, Cross Country(Merentas Desa) and Athletics training(IF, she chose to be part of the team).

Today, she takes part in her 2nd International Debate...albeit a friendly debate having been chosen to be in the team to face a debaters from a visiting BRUNEI school ( Her FIRST International Debate was last year's competition in Chiangmai THAILAND for the 1st ASEAN Educational Challenge which they won, HERE ). Apart from Amira, Iman and Anis completes the team. They'll be debating on the topic " THBT Tertiary Education Is A Right ". I suppose a coin toss later will determine which team will be speaking for or against the motion.

All the Best to 2nd Speaker Amira and her Team for today's Asian-style debate.

check-MATE @39,000 Feet.

My first mid-air game at around 39,000 feet ended in my being vanquished by the cHEss pIRATE.

Details:
(1) Flight: MCH 8001
(2) Ground Speed: 497mph / Head Wind: 61mph
(3) Outside Air Temperature: - 61 ^F
(4) Destination: Madinah, SAUDI ARABIA to KLIA Sepang, MALAYSIA
(5) Location: Over the Bay of Bengal
(6) Distance to KL: 1100 - 1270mph / Distance Travelled: 3,289mph

Instead of a normal chess board, the game was played using the Boeing 777's interactive game programme where a player can either play against the computer(easy, medium or hard) or, against another person on the ame flight.

Snapshot Details:-
( Will Be Uploaded Later after a Deserved Rest ).

chess in SAUDI ARABIA!

Finishing in the Top 4 in the U-8 category during the recent NAG at UTP, Tronoh-Perak ( Results HERE ) and being qualified to be the "official" Malaysian representative...whatever that means ( HERE ), I'd wanted to enter the cHEss pIRATE for the ASEAN Age Group 2013 competition in Chiangmai, Thailand with the men escorting him i.e. Tok Ba and myself whilst the ladies i.e. Tok Mama, Mummy, eldest Amira and hAnA performs the umrah at the holy land. Main reason for this arrangement is that the cHEss pIRATE can be a bit "difficult" to handle due to his track record of going AWOL or MIA in Shopping Complexes, Hotels and other places in Malaysia. A change of policy by the Saudi Arabian authorities vis-a-vis "tumpang muhrim" resulted in the whole family going instead.

Alhamdullilah, I've no complaints for this twist of fate. Was informed by a Jemaah(not sure whether its true or not) that kids below a certain age will not be issued umrah visa. Praised to the Almighty that the family is here in Mekah now. At times, after praying in Masjidil Haram...I can hear the cHEss pIRATE uttering some "chess Doa" though I can't really hear what he's uttering. Am just hoping that he didn't doa that "I can't beat him in chess forever and ever....or, infinity!".

At the same time an old alumni, requested for a rematch at the hotel where we're staying...emmm, should be interesting IF the game happens!

(Zuhur Time on 2nd June 2013 with Alumni KZ & Amir Faiz)

Note: Had also wanted to enter hAnA for the National Closed Women's event in KT since the minimum requirement/eligibility is a NR of 1400 (cHEss pIRATE did not qualify due to his 1433 NR whilst 1650 is the minimum requirement for the Men's category). However, had to scrap that idea due to clash of dates.

(Amir Faiz performing Sunnah Prayers after Zuhur in Hijir Ismail on the last Day in Mekah after I'd finished Tawaf Wida'. Stood behind to "protect" him & Managed the Shot)

(View of Panchor Emas from Hijir Ismail after Zuhur in June. Shot whilst standing behind Amir Faiz & Waiting for him to complete Sunnah prayers )