2nd SMART KIDS chess tournament@Duta Vista Suite, Registered!

Event INFO

FINAL UPDATE:
After 6 rounds, The cHEss pIRATE finished with 4points and was placed 4th(In the absence of official results being published, I assume on tie-breaker as there are others with 4points as well). Though finishing with identical points and place as per UM's Piala Tun Syed Zahiruddin held 2 weeks earlier, it can be said that CP had not performed up to expectations in an U-8 event as compared to the same reseults and position in an U-12 event a fortnight ago. As per UM Open, those he'd lost to finished finished higher than him i.e. 1st & 2nd respectively.

Despite being a half-day event, the CP is already "dead to the world" on the way back home which would normally be the case after a 1-day event. Looking forward to some quiet time before he wakes up.

Though entrance fee is on the high side, Parents who can only afford to allocate half a day would find this event "refreshing" as everything(including prize-giving) is wrapped-up before 1.30PM. Something different observed is that cream bun and milo packet drink was served by the organisers between Rounds 2 & 3. The venue is rather cosy with air-conditioning, ample chairs and choice of sofa at the hall or lobby as well as a choice of clean restrooms which is much better than most competition venues though I was counting on there being a canteen or nearby food stall to have my breakfast.

Some room for improvements would be:-
(1) Publishing the 5th Round results prior to the start of the final round as per the norm;
(2) Publishing the Final results on the notice board and/or website.
(3) Perhaps voucher prizes for the Top 3 if not cash.



UPDATE 3@2.10PM ( 2@10.19AM/(1@9.27AM):

U-8 FINAL POSITION:
2nd Smart Kids: 1st-Mukhriez, 2nd-Vasanthakumar, 3rd-Umar & 4th-Amir Faiz @The cHEss pIRATE
1st Smart Kids: 1st-Sasaki Yuki(JPN), 2nd-Haibatul Hannan, 3rd-Elson Tho & 4th-Umar

R6(B): B3 v. P'tiy, WON.
R5(W): B5 v. Terrence Tan Chen, WON - c'mate
R4(B): B2 v. Vasanthakumar V.(1186), lost - c'mate
R3(W): B5 v. Megat Imran (867), WON - c'mate
R2(B): B1 v. Mukhriez Shah Mahmood(1131), lost - c'mate
R1(W): B1 v. Iskandar Haikal(1149), WON - c'mate


21pax in U-8, 16pax in U-10 & 7pax in U-12(Round Robin).

Expenses:
50 - Entrance Fees
4 - Toll
10 - Petrol(est.)
10 - Snacks@7-11
---
74

>>>>>>>

Had no intention to register for this event as the fees are a bit pricey. Normally, fees for Rapid National-Rated events would be within the range of RM15-25..or, even RM30. Anything more than that (for me) is considered on the high side...unless other perks are included like lunch, "good" playing venue, etc. Another event which charges RM50 is INSOFAR but they do hand-out RM50 vouchers in so many categories that after 2-3events, a player would have at least 1 RM50 voucher which entitles them to participate in future Insofar events. Sometimes, I wonder how the organisers can make a profit from running such an event but I'll hold my thoughts for another day.

Anyway, as earlier-mentioned, had not planned to enter CP. However, since the Islamic Estate Planner & hAnA will be attending a Corporate Park Launch on Labour Day...am left to take care of CP. Rather than laze around and allow CP to play computer games, might as well do something constructive...with the hope that the CP can be left at the venue so that I can do my work.

Was concerned that only beginners would be in the U-8 category as I felt that CP is not at beginner' level anymore. The organiser assured that the field is rather strong as the defending champion who was unrated then would be playing...added to the fact that the Runners-Up during the 1st event was rated 14++. In addition, his son who did well in the NAG 2013 & MSSKL U-8 category this year only finished 4th.

KAFA AZZAHRAWAN Sports Day @TTDI

FINAL UPDATE:
The final tally, the cHEss pIRATE got 2 Gold & 1 Bronze medals whilst hAnA got 1 Silver & 1 Bronze medals.
Am quite relieved that they can perform well in athletics as well and are not the typical "nerds".
Treat given at Sec.Rec.-TTDI to celebrate in addition to computer usage time.

Next physical activity, Badminton on Thursday.

UPDATE 2@12 NOON:
CP
(3) 30metres DASH: CHAMPION

UPDATE 1:
hAnA
(2) 4 x 100m: 2nd, Last/Anchor Runner
(1) 2 x 100m: 3rd, Last/Anchor Runner

CP
(2) Carry Ping-Pong Ball in Spoon, 2 x 30m: CHAMPION, 1st Leg
(1) 2 x 30m: 3rd, 1st Runner
Note:
CP was leading when handing over the baton. However, the 2nd Runner's shoe came off...TWICE..and instead of just running shoeless, he proceeded to sit down on the track to put on his shoes again....Aissssh! Unbelievable...am sure the Islamic Estate Planner will have a word with the boy's mother. WaQAQA!


>>>>>>>

The KAFA Azzahrawan Sports Day is held at SMK TTDI-KL.

hAnA and the cHEss pIRATE(CP) are representing Sayyidina Ali's house and are dressed in yellow complete with matching yellow face mask during the just concluded March Past.

hAnA and the CP will be participating in sprinting events i.e. 100metres & 30metres respectively.

OUM Assessment - Junior, Level 2!

hAnA just finished taking her Open University Malaysia(OUM) Assessment in Financial Education (Junior, Level 2) which was conducted in Sri Hartamas, KL. Assessment was for 2 hours i.e. 2-4pm and she had to answer 3 papers.
Paper 1 was short note answers, Paper 2 was questions with objective answers whilst Paper 3 was the most difficult of all(based on her comments) as they had to write what they know based on the questions given.
RM150 is the Assessment Fees incurred.

Results would be out in June & if she passes, the graduation ceremony will be held in June as well.
If successful, the next stage i.e. Stage 3 would be Apprentice level.

NATIONAL Novice Debate Championship @UiTM Shah Alam

Event INFO

UPDATE 3:
Amira's team did not break into the Quarter Finals.
Needs to look for alternative(s) to qualify for Worlds.

Day 3
-----
Round 6:
" Given Proof of Their Existence TH Would Establish Contact with Our Creator/Creators ". (Oppose)
v. Sekolah Integrasi, Silent Judgement

Round 5:
" TH Supports the Rebellion ". (Oppose)

v. xxx, Silent Judgement - WON.

Note 1:
Silent Judgement - Teams would only know the results at the end of the day or, the following day.
Note 2:
General Topic. Proposer can define the topic as to any non-fiction matters.


Round 4:
" TH Would Set-Up Special School for LGBT Students ". (Propose)

v. Islamic School, lost (close, result could have been either way)

Day 2
-----

Round 3:
"TH Belives that the Ministry of Najib Should Pay Remuneration to the Muggle World for the Damages Caused by Voldemort and His Death Eaters". (Oppose)

v. SMDJ, WON.

Round 2:
" THW Investigate and Prosecute All Cases of Domestic Violence Regardless of the Victim's Consent." (Oppose)

v. UiTM, WON.

Round 1:
" THW Legalize Pedophilia if it is with The Consent of the Parents ". (Oppose)

v. SAS, lost.


>>>>>>>

Eldest is participating in the National Novice Debate Championship held at UiTM Shah Alam.
Her team consists of Anis, Iman and herself.

Yesterday was the Workshop & Seminar.
Competition proper begins today with Round 1 in the morning.

Missing 40th Selangor Open!

The latest FIDE ratings are out.

Based on May's list:-
hAnA,
(1) Classical:
A. Fulfilled the requirement of playing against 10 FIDE-rated players i.e. 12.
B. However, her average is 969 which is below the minimum 1000 level determined by FIDE.
Hence, she needs to either play against higher rated players or, score more points or both.

(2) RAPID: Met 1 rated player & no point secured. 9 more rated-players to play.
(3) Blitz: Played against 2 rated players with 1 point secured. Needs 8 more rated players.

The cHEss pIRATE
(1) Classical:
A. After DCC Golden Special, Played 7 & NO points obtained. Average is 1109.
Needs to play against 3 more FIDE rated players

(2) Rapid: After 1st Kedah, 9 more players.
(3) Blitz: Aftet 1st Kedah, played 2 rated players but no point secured.Needs 8 more players.

I believed their participation in the 40th Selangor Open would have enabled them to get their FIDE ratings. Guess would have to wait for next tournament then.

>>>>>>>
The 40th Selangor Open starts today at DCC-KL.
If not for the elections, I believe there would be more participants.

For a classical FIDE-rated event, the Selangor Open offers amongst the CHEAPEST entrance fees for such an event in Malaysia i.e. RM110 (IF one pays before a certain dead-line and resides/work/born in Selangor). The cheapest thus far that the kids had participated in was last year's 5th National Juniors which charges RM100. As a comparison, the 2012 Penang Heritage City-Challenger event in December charges RM200 whilst RM150 ensured acceptance into the DCC Golden Special held in January 2013. Though not a classical event, entrance fees for the recent 1st Kedah Rapid & Blitz was RM90(RM20 if only participating in the Blitz event).

Had wanted the kids to participate (and had even pre-registered them) as opportunities to participate in classical FIDE-rated events in Malaysia are few and far in between. The other intention was also to try and secure a FIDE rating for the kids so that a lesser fee can be paid for the next FIDE-rated event that they participate in.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of OUM Assessment(hAnA), KAFA Sports Day(hAnA & the cHEss pIRATE), Novice Debate(eldest) and an Islamic Estate Planning Talk being conducted in Kelana Jaya...would have resulted in us missing 2-4games each.
Regretably, would have to give the event a miss.

All the best to those participating. Hopefully, we'll be able to join next year.

Seremban Debate Competition, 3rd!

Continuing from last week (Report HERE), the competition continues today with the semi-finals and finals.

Eldest's team finished 3rd in the Asian-style debate competition held in Seremban, NS.
Her team consists of Anis Adina, Tasha and herself.
Champions were St.Paul Institution.

DETAILS:-

Venue:
Sekolah Tuanku Ampuan Najihah, Seremban - N9


Motion:
" THBT Technology Has Brought About Progress To Mankind "

After the debate, certain weaknesses were identified which hopefully can help her in the upcoming BP-style Novice Debate in UiTM, Shah Alam.

Catur Terbuka Piala Tun Syed Zahiruddin (UM Open 2013) - Best Combo Results

RESULTS

Event INFO

After 6 Rounds, hAnA finished 2nd on 5points whilst the cHEss pIRATE(CP) finished 4th on 4points.
( Note: After checking, this is hAnA's third Silver medal for the year after KL's Bangsar Zone & MSSKL Juniors. Including 1st Kedah Rapid U-12, its her 4th 2nd placing for 2013).
The results are the best "combo" results in a tournament when both are competing in the same category. Previous best was....emmmm.... PCA's Merdeka Day Challenge 2012, I suppose.

-------
Had made the assumption that UM's 9th College is located within the main campus. How wrong I was.
It's located slightly off-campus i.e. left turning before the petrol station and near INCEIF / ISRA.

As per NAG 2013 @UTP Tronoh, the event started with the playing of UM's song.
Despite being a UM-alumni....Twice Over....the song sounds new/strange to me as well. I guess I was never around during orientation...WaQAQA!

Had to do my media work to cover nomination day which was just nice as UM is located smack in the middle of the nomination centres for the Parliamentary constituencies of P.117:Segambut(Bkt.Damansara) where incumbent DAP MP Lim Lip Eng will take on a lady lawyer from BN and P.121:Lembah Pantai(Bangsar) where incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar from Keadilan will take on BN Caretaker Minister for FT and Urban Well-Being Dato' Raja Nong Chik and an independent candidate. Had to leave the kids and came back just in time prior to the start of Round 2 which was around 11.30-12noon.


Both won the first 2 rounds and lost the round before lunch. hAnA miscalculated whilst the cHEss pIRATE lost because of.... for want of a better word - arrogant or being too cocky i.e. telling his opponent where he's going to move next in his game.
When asked - "Kenapa Faiz buat macam tu?"
CP's reply - " Faiz nak bagi dia kalah. Faiz ingat dia boo boo chicken & tak tahu main! ".
(Aaargh, Told CP - I'm sure if an opponent has 2points from 2 games, he/she knows how to play a bit!)
Stephen my boss when I was in a financial institution once told me - "...you learn more from 1 bad loan then 10 or, 100 good loans!". I hope the CP learns from this "cocky start"...a fact that I will use repeatedly in the forseeable future to remind him.


CP seemed to be happy "constructing and demolishing" some bricks/stones and trying to saw off pillars and benches though how he managed to get hold of a saw still perplexes me. I need to make a mental note of this...he performs better when left to his own devices and not running around.


Going into the 6th and final round,hAnA would be playing on the 2nd Board against Haibatul Hanan and lo behold the draw indicated that the cHEss pIRATE would be playing on top board against undefeated and top-ranked Puteri Munajjah who's twice his age...his 2nd Top Board finish after December's Insofar in Shah Alam (Report HERE )


Personally, would prefer hAnA to play Puteri whilst CP takes on HH but I suppose that's the "luck of the draw/pairing". Knowing that it'll be a lost cause, The only chance would be to slow down his game and make him think a bit by asking him to record his move and only "free-play" if he has 5minutes left. Fortunately (or, unfortunately....the jury is still out) CP has a mind of his own. He was doing reasonably OK with even pieces i.e. 2rooks and a Knight against PM's 2rooks and a bishop whilst recording his moves. However, once he'd stopped recording he blundered his knight to a rook defense and was on the defensive till the end.


Overall, it was a Value for Money event NOT because the kids won monetary prizes BUT for an entrance fee of RM15 each they got not only a Chicken Rice+Syrup lunch but also Kuih(Curry Puffs&Kuih Gulung)+Tea in the afternoon. There were also ample chairs and tables for those waiting, a co-op shop near the venue and surau was air-cond.

hAnA got a medal, cert and RM50 bringing her 2013 earnings to RM400. The cHEss pIRATE got RM30, bringing his 2013 earnings to RM50 but still questioned how come he did not get a medal!.....eeeergh, Son you were too cocky and lost!

ASIAN-Style Debate in Seremban

Eldest informed that she'd participated in an Asian-style Debate competition in Seremban.

There were 2 rounds and her team of Tasha, Marina & Fathina won both rounds.
She debated as the second speaker and was representing the government.

One of the motion debated on was - " THBT Facebook has brought about effective communication. "

Semi-finals will be held next week.

Piala Tun Syed Zahiruddin (UM Open), Registered!

Event DETAILS

Registration done via Athirah (019-3744987) & SMS acknowledgement rcvd on 16/4(8.25AM).


-------

Was in 2 minds as to whether to register for the Piala Tun Syed Zahiruddin or, 5th Kuantan Junior Masters (Details HERE).

Both events would be held on university grounds i.e. University Malaya(UM) and University Malaysia Pahang(UMP) respectively and would allow the kids some exposure to university environment as per their participation in NAG 2013@UTP,Tronoh-Perak. After all,my getting the kids to play chess is to not only enhance their strategic thinking and put in place a thought process which involves dealing with the consequences for each action taken but also to nudge them towards furthering their education up to university level.

Participation in the Kuantan Junior Masters would have allowed the Islamic Estate Planner to follow-up on a lead with a UMP couple and allowed me to visit an ailing friend suffering from kidney failure. On the other hand, UM is nearby the home...and a return to my alma matter would be less tiring and costly.

Nomination day media coverage and Eldest decision to participate in a BP Novice Debate competition at UiTM Shah Alam over the same weekend starting from Friday influenced the decision to register the newly-minted "1400 level" players for UM's event.

NATIONAL RATINGS for APRIL-JUNE 2013, Released

cHEss pIRATE +244 & hAnA +211 !!!???
 ( Betul Ke Ni??? )

Was looking for updates on the Participants' List for the 40th Selangor Open (to decide whether to send the kids or not) in LTP's Malaysian Chess blog when I realised that the The APRIL - JUNE 2013 Malaysian National Chess ratings aka NR is available.

The ratings is to be used for National-Rated competitions held in the 2nd Quarter of 2013.

Details, can be seen HERE

The cHEss pIRATE and hAnA had improved tremendously i.e. by 244 & 211 points to 1433 & 1413 respectively.

Eldest Amira Fathina on the other hand, moved south and lost 45 to 1062 from 1107 in the last Quarter of 2012.

Actually, am dumbfounded as to how can the cHEss pIRATE be rated higher than hAnA when hAnA is obviously the better player. Perhaps his performance at the recent NAG and other junior competitions contributed to this vast points improvements.
hAnA will surely be "unhappy" at being rated lower than her younger brother.Am expecting fireworks at home!

COMMENTS:
Will follow suit.

UPDATE AFTER INITIAL POST:-

Based on the info Gleaned from the January-March 2013 Ratings Report, the breakdown of the points secured are as follows:-


The cHEss pIRATE (+244)
----------------
41.227 SELANGOR JUNIORS Open 2013
16.000 DCC GOLDEN SPECIAL (FIDE-Rated)
62.7403 NAG 2013
??.?? RSC JUNIORS 2013

??.?? RSC JUNIORS 2012
73.2 2nd SK HARTAMAS AGE-GROUP 2012
-------
193.1673 + ??.??
=======

hAnA (+211)
----
36.0248 SELANGOR JUNIORS Open 2013
- 32.018 DCC GOLDEN SPECIAL (FIDE-Rated)
47.619 NAG 2013
??.?? RSC JUNIORS 2013

??.?? RSC JUNIORS 2012
62.7488 2nd SK HARTAMAS AGE-GROUP 2012
-------
114.3926 + ??.??
=======

Note: Now I understand why both had such huge points leap - There were 2 events which should have been recorded for the previous quarter which were not entered i.e. RSC JUNIORS 2012 & 2nd SK HARTAMAS AGE-GROUP 2012.

1st KEDAH - Rapid & Blitz (FIDE-Rated) @Sg.Petani, KEDAH

Rapid RESULTS

Blitz RESULTS

Event REPORT & REPORT 2

Day 1
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( Is this the "Green Goblin"? Picture: Courtesy of Chess Malaysia fb)

The kids are participating in their 1st ever FIDE-rated Rapid and Blitz event.
For hAnA this is her 5th FIDE-rated event after Nf6-Challengers, 4th Penang Heritage City-Challengers and 5th NJCC in 2012 as well as January 2013 DCC Golden Special. As a comparison, this would be the cHEss pIRATE's 4th FIDE-rated event after Penang Heritage, NJCC and DCC Golden Special.

It seemed whenever the kids are participating in FIDE-rated events their NR takes a tremendous tumble of 50-100 points in addition to their "performance" suffering a noticeable drop in terms of points secured. Normally, hAnA would be 1point ahead of Faiz...and today is no different! After 6rounds of Rapid play of 25minutes each with 10seconds increment on the first day, hAnA has 2points and luckliy the cHEss pIRATE has 1. Both lasted around 7minutes in their first round encounter against opponents with a FIDE-rating of 1976 and 1912 respectively. hAnA rebounded with a win in the next wound whilst the cHEss pIRATE's losing streak continued in the morning rounds with his maiden win happening only in the afternoon rounds.

At the end of the day, hAnA had 2 wins and 4 losses (57th out of 73) whilst the cHEss pIRATE only had 1 win to show for after 6 rounds and was in 70th place. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for both of them.

-------

Day 2
-----
RAPID:
Things changed slightly today. Perhaps, after the pack have been shuffled yesterday both are playing against opponents of around the same strength or, level of competency.

hAnA registered a Win, Draw & a Lost today. The 1.5points secured brings her tally to 3.5points and enabled her to finish in 56th position(as well as the 2nd Best, U-12 Girls. Best U-12 Girl got 5points). The only result of note is her drawn game with a player NR 1432. I suppose her "playing range or competency level" IF you can call it that - is between 1250 - 1350. Thus far, 1st Kedah is her best point tally in a FIDE-rated event (Previous best was 3points during last year's 4th Penang Heritage City & 5th NJCC).


As for the cHEss pIRATE, he got 2 Wins and lost a game. Having said that, both wins were against player rated below him i.e. 1024 and 1154 respectively. He placed 66th overall, a much better position than his 70th position after Round 6 yesterday. Compared to other FIDE-rated events he had participated, 1st Kedah is also his best to-date in terms of points secured though no upset was recorded as per his track record in other FIDE-rated events. His previous best performance was during the 4th Penang Heritage City in 2012 with 2points.


Hopefully, this year both can get a FIDE rating so that this can be translated into cost savings for entrance fees in FIDE-rated events. As an example, for this event those who had a FIDE rating of 1800 and below pays only RM80 as opposed to RM90 for those unrated. A savings of RM10 per player....in my case its RM10 x2 @RM20. Savings or, discounts from other FIDE-rated events can be as high as RM50 per player if he is FIDE-rated as per the 4th Penang Heritage in 2012 and DCC Golden Special in 2013...in my case that will be RM100 per event which can be used to pay other expenses like food or petrol.


BLITZ:
After lunch break, an 11-round FIDE-rated blitz competition was played.

Surprises tends to happen in Blitz events.
For hAnA, it came in the 1st Round when she won against a WNM with a FIDE-rating of 1915. Further in the event, she won against another player with NR of 1405 and drew with 2 players with NR of above 1300. She finished the event at 48th.

As for the cHEss pIRATE, he managed to win against 2 higher rated players i.e. NR 1474 and 1393 respectively. He placed 51st in a field of 64players (13th from last) a much better position compared to his final position in Rapid which was 7th from last.

Having played in the event, I would suggest that one (especially adults) play by the rule book irrespective of your opponent's age. On 2 occassions I'd simply ignored rules infringement (illegal move made and fallen pieces adjusted only after the timer was pressed) due to my opponent being primary school players...which ultimately was to my detriment. As an addendum, During one of the rounds, a player engaged the cHEss pIRATE(CP) in a conversation thinking he's harmless. Everybody sitting on the same table was laughing when CP started calling him the Green Goblin....lo and behold, after a few moves he was dumbfounded when CP check-mated him. So adults, when playing blitz please be careful ESPECIALLY when playing against younger players. Otherwise, you'll find the results will be against you as the "Green Goblin" and I found out.

OVERALL
-------
Kudos to the organisers i.e.PERCAK as the event was well-run and games started on time.
Only incident of note was during the Rapid event when a player's hp alarm was heard.

Some suggestions to PERCAK for future events is:-
(1) Have more prizes for secondary and primary school players, perhaps the Top 3;
(2) Having a Participation and Achievement Certificate will help the students gain points for co-curricular activities;
(3) Perhaps having a category prize for IPT students as well;
(4) More prizes and category prizes for the Blitz event.
(5) Issuing receipts for payments made.


My main complaint is not against the organisers but rather service providers as the internet connectivity really "sucks"!



Note:
Expenses Incurred:-
200 - Entrance Fees
310 - T+ Hotel@3 Days
100 - Toll (J.Duta-Sg.Petani-J.Duta & Penchala Link)
200 - Petrol
300 - Food & Misc(Notation Book x2@10, Incentives@37, C@100, etc)
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1,110
=====