ALMOST every serious chess organiser understands my pet peeve: that it is very difficult for our players to improve if we do not hold enough chess tournaments with long-time controls. They understand where I’m coming from and in turn, I also do understand their limitations.
Nicholas Chan
Basically, they boil down to two main reasons.
The first is, of course, money because chess organisations survive mainly on sponsorship and sponsors are more willing to give money for short events rather than long ones.
It’s only the big corporate sponsors that will plonk down large sums of money for chess events and in these challenging times, it’s getting harder.
The first is, of course, money because chess organisations survive mainly on sponsorship and sponsors are more willing to give money for short events rather than long ones.
It’s only the big corporate sponsors that will plonk down large sums of money for chess events and in these challenging times, it’s getting harder.
Ooi Chern Ee
The second reason is time because many organisers and players can spare only their weekends for the game.
Also, with fast games, many club players go away feeling happy that they have accomplished six or seven games in one day.
But for those who want to improve their chess, there is nothing like a long-time control game to help them along.
Also, with fast games, many club players go away feeling happy that they have accomplished six or seven games in one day.
But for those who want to improve their chess, there is nothing like a long-time control game to help them along.
Tariq Amru
There aren’t that many in the country but last week, I did mention that in 2008, there were nine tournaments submitted to the World Chess Federation (Fide) for rating purposes.
Up to the middle of this year, four more were submitted. These events were all long-time control games, so I think we are going somewhere with our chess after all.
Up to the middle of this year, four more were submitted. These events were all long-time control games, so I think we are going somewhere with our chess after all.
I’m mentioning all these because several weeks ago, I had a telephone conversation with someone in Kuala Lumpur who wanted my thoughts about holding a “serious” Fide-rated tournament to determine the champion of champions among the Malaysian chess players.
Mok Tze Meng
You see, there are also people who share my other contention that the annual national closed championships alone are not enough to determine the best players in the country.
True, we can always fall back on the Fide rating list to see who they are but it doesn’t help that our top chess players do not play in the national closed championships.
True, we can always fall back on the Fide rating list to see who they are but it doesn’t help that our top chess players do not play in the national closed championships.
Heck, even the defending champions do not normally come back to defend their titles. Okay, this year was a remarkable exception but it doesn’t always happen.
Lim Yee Weng
That’s why this telephone conversation I had recently was to probe the possibility of holding an annual mother of all local tournaments.
They are not going to call it that, of course, but the name has been decided: it will be the Malaysian Masters 2009.
They are not going to call it that, of course, but the name has been decided: it will be the Malaysian Masters 2009.
The organisers are calling up the top four players from the July 2009 Fide rating list, add in the top two players from this year’s national closed championship, the winner of the national junior championship and one player selected by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) and let them play long-time control games in a knock-out basis.
Edward Lee
In the first round of four games per mini-match, the losers will still go back happy with RM500 each while the winners will proceed to the semi-finals.
There, the semi-final matches will also be played over four games and the losers will take back RM1,000 each and the winners advance to the final.
The final match will comprise six games with the loser getting RM2,000 and the champion RM4,000.
Evan Capel
From what I’ve learnt, among our top Fide rated players, Wong Zijing was unable to confirm his participation and his place went to the fifth person on the Fide list, Mok Tze Meng.
The MCF president’s choice consisted of Mok, Peter Long, Ooi Chern Ee, Lim Zhuo Ren and Abdullah Che Hassan but because Mok had already been selected and Long couldn’t play, Ooi would be filling in the last available slot.
The MCF president’s choice consisted of Mok, Peter Long, Ooi Chern Ee, Lim Zhuo Ren and Abdullah Che Hassan but because Mok had already been selected and Long couldn’t play, Ooi would be filling in the last available slot.
Mas Hafizulhelmi
For the first round, the pairings will see Nicholas Chan going head-to-head with Evan Capel (national closed winner), Mas Hafizulhelmi meeting Muhammad Tariq Amru (national junior champion), Lim Yee Weng against Edward Lee (national closed runner-up) and Mok battling it out with Ooi.
So when are they playing? According to the information I’ve received, it’s going to be very flexible. The games will be played on weekends but not all at once. They’ll be spaced out to fit into the players’ schedules. But they’ll be completed before the year is out.
(source: Quah Seng Sun, The Star, Its All In The Planning blog)
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