Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Carlsen wins 11th game, WCC 2014

25th Nov 2014, Kuala Lumpur – In Sochi, Russia, Carlsen won the 11th game giving him a convincing 6.5-4.5 win over the challenger Anand. Here is the 11th game review by This Week In Chess as in game below:-

 
The following table shows the various openings played over the eleven games of the World Chess Championship 2014.
Anand-Carlsen Openings and Score

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Zadano Kelantan Open 2014

19 Nov 2014, Kuala Lumpur - Here is a new tournament slated for 26-27 December 2014.
Mark your calendar for the year end Christmas break and head on up north east to Kota Bharu for the ZADANO KELANTAN OPEN 2014 to be held from 26th to 27th December 2014. Although the exact venue has not been finalised, where else can it be to host a Kelantan Open except in the heart of Kelantan itself – the city of Kota Bharu. With the sponsors secured, and the budget approved, the ZADANO KELANTAN OPEN 2014 is a definite GO! 
This year’s edition of the Kelantan Open will adopt the rapid time control of 25 minutes each player per game to be played to the finish over 9 rounds of chess - 4 rounds to be played on Friday with another 5 to be played the following day. The tournament will also be tagged for FIDE rating - one of the few Rapid events in the country to do so.

This will be a great opportunity for players to gain new rating points, and for new players to be recognised for the effort in accordance to the global ranking system.

A total prize fund of RM 5,700 has been set aside for this tournament with the eventual champion to be awarded RM2,000 for his/her effort. The second placed player is set to bag RM1,000 with another RM700 to be awarded to the third player. Special prizes have also been set aside for PCNK members and to the best lady player in the tournament.

FREE entry fees for titled players e.g. GM, WGM, IM, WIM including untitled players who has a FIDE rating of 2400 or higher. Entry fees for others are RM60 for those with a FIDE rating and those without FIDE rating, the entry fees shall be RM80.

To encourage more PCNK members to participate, a 25% discount will be given to those who are registered PCNK members. If you are interested to participate in the event, please contact PCNK Deputy President, Nik Ahmad Farouqi at +6019.999.6006 or write to him at farouqi.chess@gmail.com or you can also contact the Tournament Director, Najib Wahab at +6016.338.2542 (najib.wahab@hotmail.com).

Alternatively, you can download the forms to register by clicking HERE and submit the form via email together with payment confirmation. You can also visit the PCNK official blogsite at www.chesskelate.blogspot.com or www.chess-malaysia.com for more information on the tournament. Closing date to register is 22nd December 2014 and entries received after this date, will only be accepted at the Organizer's discretion with additional fees to be added as penalty for late submission. So, book your places early and let us set our compass for Kota Bharu during the year end Christmas Holidays and spend it on good chess and good friends!

Najib Abdul Wahab Tournament Director ZADANO Kelantan Open 2014 Tel: +6016 338 2542 Email: najib.wahab@chess-malaysia.com Web: http://www.chess-malaysia.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChessMalaysia  

Saturday, November 15, 2014

World Chess Championship 2014–Quick Highlights

15th Nov 2014, Kuala Lumpur – Here are the quick highlights of the current World Chess Championship 2014 between reigning world champion, GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway and the challenger, GM Vishy Anand of India in Sochi, Russia. The current score after game 5 is 2.5-2.5.

A quick recap of the action so far is in order.

GAME 1

The opening was the Grunfeld Defense from Carlsen, in response to Anand’s 1. d4 “Queen’s Pawn” opening. very popular at the Grandmaster level these days. It came down to a tough position for Anand, who had to find a good move toward the end of the game to secure a “fighting” draw. Score: 1/2-1/2.

GAME 2

A Ruy Lopez opening flowing from Carlsen’s 1. e4 “King’s Pawn” opening — the centuries-old “Spanish” game. Anand countered with the “Berlin Defense,” commonly regarded as the best “drawing” weapon at the GM level. However, Carlsen smashed the “Berlin Wall” to pieces and won the game, continuing a refutation of Vishy’s Berlin (he also took a game from Anand in the Berlin last year). A crushing loss for the challenger. Score: 1.5-0.5.

GAME 3

Anand storms back as white, drowning Carlsen in a bottomless pool of theory after a “Queen’s Pawn” opening that developed into the much studied “Queen’s Gambit Declined.” Anand basically fried Carlsen’s brain, no easy achievement. Score: 1.5-1.5

GAME 4

Game on from Anand! With black, he answers Magnus’ 1. e4 with c5 — the “Sicilian Defense!” Black’s most aggressive reply to the King’s Pawn opening shows that Anand isn’t going to get busted in another Berlin. The positions are initially sharp, but Carlsen doesn’t take the bait and go for the attacking lines. He’s no slouch in the Sicilian himself. Another draw, in another deeply theoretical contest. Score: 2-2.

THE QUEEN’S INDIAN DEFENSE!

In Game 5, Anand again started with 1. d4. Carlsen rolled out a new response, the “Queen’s Indian Defense,” playing his knight to the f6 square and, on the next move, the conservative yet very solid pawn move e.3. The QID is one of a cluster of so-called “Indian” defenses (and attacks — maybe on the difference between the two if the openings go that way) that are played under the general heading of “hypermodern” chess.

Carlsen-Anand Game 5 QID

Chess.com

The Queen’s Indian Defense.

Quickly, hypermodern openings, as either white or black, typically avoid the classic idea of occupying the center of the board with pawns. These openings were developed in the early 20th century and have gained currency in recent GM play. By opening with the QID, Carlsen was “giving” Anand the center, with the goal of destroying it later. Those pawns in white center become targets for black’s pieces.

The Indian openings usually feature a move called the “fianchetto,” with the bishops being tucked in front of the knights and the rooks. From this position, they can slash across long diagonals and rake the middle of the board, sort of like machine-gunners.

Carlsen-Anand Fianchetto Game 5

Chess.com

The white bishop on g2 and the black bishop on b7 have been “fianchettoed.”

For quite some time, I often played an Indian opening as white — the King’s Indian Attack (KIA) — but I never play the QID against 1. d4; I’m more comfortable with the Grunfeld, which featured in Game 1. One of the great things about the Indian openings is that because they aren’t about thrusting into the center and engaging in an immediate battle, you don’t have to study the early lines quite as deeply and can simply put your pieces on “good” squares and start thinking later.

That’s why Carlsen was able to play at a fast clip for the first half hour so of the match. When I play the KIA, I can finish my opening development in less than a minute, as long as my opponent as black doesn’t do anything nutty.

GAME 5 RECAP

So, Queen’s Indian Defense. Play hummed along, as Carlsen executed his preparation and Anand consumed some thinking time trying to manage his own lines on the white side.

But then something weird happened. Anand wound up with a well-placed bishop in the middle of the board and a pair of rooks. Carlsen also had a pair of rooks, but his knight was on the edge of the board:

Carlsen Anand Game 5 Central Bishop

Chess.com

White is looking good here.

There’s a famous adage in chess: a knight on the rim is grim. Such was the case for Carlsen here. He had two main problems.

First, white’s pieces — as GM Peter Svidler, commenting for the official online broadcast pointed out — are in control of pretty much the entire board.

Carlsen Hand Head Game 5

FIDE

Carlsen…thinks…very…deeply.

Second, Anand has a chance to mess with Carlsen’s head by leaving the pawn on b2 undefended as a temptation for black queen to capture it. Anand did this in the game by playing Qf3, offering to exchange queens — and eliminating an important black defender of his king, with an entire piece, that knight on the rim, out of the game.

Carlsen took the pawn, but then he had to waste a move jumping back to the original square. So the exchange of queens happened anyway, and Carlsen ended up with “doubled” pawns on the f-file, a liability in the endgame.

Carlsen-Anand Game 5 Qxb2

Chess.com

A critical move from Carlsen in the game.

Carlsen-Anand Game 5 Qf6

Chess.com

Carlsen plays the queen back to f6.

Carlsen Anand Game 5 QxQ

Chess.com

Anand takes Carlsen’s queen with his queen.

Carlsen Anand Game 5 Doubled Pawns

Chess.com

And Carlsen takes back, ended up with “doubled” pawns on the f-file.

Anand had the option to go for a win at this point. It would have taken a while. He would have wanted to get all the rooks off the board and go for his bishop versus Carlsen’s knight in the endgame.

And Carlsen would have needed to cooperate with this plan.

Screw up and it’s still a draw.

Kind of a classic risk-reward setup for Anand. He has a very slight advantage. And at the Super-Grandmaster level, slight advantages are the stuff of wins.

But the wins can consume hours. And if they don’t come off, the result is still a half point. So Anand decided to pack it in, traded down to a rook endgame, and the draw was agreed upon.

 

You can watch the replay of Game 5 here.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Lye Lik Zang Wins KTJ Chess 2014 In Under - 19

2nd November 2014, Kuala Lumpur – Here are the official prize winners of the Inaugural KTJ Chess Tournament 2014 held in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan. Six age-groups were played simultaneously – namely, U-8, U-10, U-12, U-13, U-15, U-19.

Lye Lik Zang scored 6 points from 7 rounds of rapid play in Group B and was declared the winner in the Under-19 age group. Meanwhile Padathmaruben Kumar scored 6.0 points from 7 rounds of play in Group A for the Under-12 age group

Prize Winners KTJ Chess 2014 Mantin Negeri Sembilan

 

Group A – Final Ranking Results

Final Ranking Rd7 KTJ Group A 2014

Group B – Final Ranking Results

Final Ranking Rd7 KTJ Group B 2014

(results courtesy of Jax Tham)

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Round 1 Pairings of KTJ Chess Tournament, 2nd Nov 2014

Pairing of round 1 of KTJ GROUPA

Table  White                     - Black                                Results

----------------------------------------------------------------------- round  1

  1    Mahesh Siva         ( 0 ) - JAGATHEES GUNABALAN ( 0 )    32-  1        .

  2    TAN YONG HAU        ( 0 ) - Mao Jit Tao         ( 0 )     2- 33        .

  3    Mohammad Shahir  Sal( 0 ) - Muhammad Luqman Alif( 0 )    34-  3        .

  4    amir faiz amirul    ( 0 ) - NAUFAL AIZAT NAZLI  ( 0 )     4- 35        .

  5    Nur Arfin Najat     ( 0 ) - ISKANDAR HAKIMI ZULK( 0 )    36-  5        .

  6    MUHD ILHAN MANSIZ HA( 0 ) - PADTHMARUBEN KUMAR  ( 0 )     6- 37        .

  7    PRAVEEN MAHINDRAN   ( 0 ) - Ivan Sean Yap Sheuan( 0 )    38-  7        .

  8    AMIRA FARHANA       ( 0 ) - Pavan Kandiah       ( 0 )     8- 39        .

  9    R.Dinesh            ( 0 ) - KABILAN THANABALAN  ( 0 )    40-  9        .

 10    YASMIN IRDINA KULKIP( 0 ) - SHAMALAN GANESAN    ( 0 )    10- 41        .

 11    SHANTI THANAPALAN   ( 0 ) - QUAH SHUN KHAI      ( 0 )    42- 11        .

 12    Ryan Seow Chun Hong ( 0 ) - SIVARAMAN           ( 0 )    12- 43        .

 13    SUCHINDRA RAMESWARAN( 0 ) - S. AJAIRAM          ( 0 )    44- 13        .

 14    Ameer Irfan  Araman ( 0 ) - Samuel Khor Wei Xian( 0 )    14- 45        .

 15    Suvanesh A/L Prakesh( 0 ) - Amrit Kaur(K)       ( 0 )    46- 15        .

 16    Amuthavisagan Sundar( 0 ) - Tan Cae-Lyn         ( 0 )    16- 47        .

 17    Vasanthakumar Vasuth( 0 ) - DANIEL KHOR WEI EN  ( 0 )    48- 17        .

 18    Danial Mifzal b. Amr( 0 ) - Vidhya Mahindran    ( 0 )    18- 49        .

 19    adie alfie Najat    ( 0 ) - Darneetha A/P Ramesw( 0 )    50- 19        .

 20    Ghuhan Naidu        ( 0 ) - arif danish         ( 0 )    20- 51        .

 21    bharathi mahindran  ( 0 ) - Hor Sze Wei (K)     ( 0 )    52- 21        .

 22    Hyunho Jeon         ( 0 ) - danish naufal  amril( 0 )    22- 53        .

 23    iskandar haikal zulk( 0 ) - Hyunseok Jeon       ( 0 )    54- 23        .

 24    Joshua Lee Shan Chen( 0 ) - khasvin A/L rameswar( 0 )    24- 55        .

 25    kheishav kumar sarav( 0 ) - KAMALESWRAN RAJAN   ( 0 )    56- 25        .

 26    KINISHAA TAMIL SELVE( 0 ) - megat imran         ( 0 )    26- 57        .

 27    megat zaid          ( 0 ) - Kohilavanan A/L Chan( 0 )    58- 27        .

 28    LINUS DENGAH        ( 0 ) - miithran guna balan ( 0 )    28- 59        .

 29    muhd nur daie masli ( 0 ) - Lee Yan Huen        ( 0 )    60- 29        .

 30    M. KHIRTIK VARMAN   ( 0 ) - nicholas khow?      ( 0 )    30- 61        .

 31    s. anchana ramya    ( 0 ) - MOHD SAMEER SALEEM  ( 0 )    62- 31        .

 

Bye            : 63 tan kye ren               ,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pairing of round 1 of KTJ GROUPB

Table  White                     - Black                                Results

----------------------------------------------------------------------- round  1

  1    Kajendrra A/L Ramais( 0 ) - lye lik zang        ( 0 )    29-  1        .

  2    Nithyalakshmi Sivane( 0 ) - Kaysern Kumar  Sarav( 0 )     2- 30        .

  3    LEE CHE WEI(K)      ( 0 ) - SUBRAMANIAN SIVANESA( 0 )    31-  3        .

  4    Rosamund Koo        ( 0 ) - LEE DAW-ZEN(K)      ( 0 )     4- 32        .

  5    Lim Juan Teng       ( 0 ) - ng jen sheng        ( 0 )    33-  5        .

  6    JONATHAN AUGUSTINE  ( 0 ) - Lim Lui Long        ( 0 )     6- 34        .

  7    MUHAMAD KAREEM(K)   ( 0 ) - muhd luqman iskandar( 0 )    35-  7        .

  8    yee jian yang       ( 0 ) - Mao Jit Seng        ( 0 )     8- 36        .

  9    Mao Jit Swen        ( 0 ) - bausch koh          ( 0 )    37-  9        .

 10    melanie koo         ( 0 ) - Muhd Azim Ismail    ( 0 )    10- 38        .

 11    NG GUO SHENG(K)     ( 0 ) - bryan yap chuan yoon( 0 )    39- 11        .

 12    loo hsien rong evan ( 0 ) - Ng Wei Bin          ( 0 )    12- 40        .

 13    Nur Nadhira Bt Nasar( 0 ) - JESSICA AUGUSTINE   ( 0 )    41- 13        .

 14    Gohshalan Naidu     ( 0 ) - Nurul Aina Akmar Bt ( 0 )    14- 42        .

 15    RYAN LEE(K)         ( 0 ) - AIDA IZZATI HUSIM   ( 0 )    43- 15        .

 16    Amiesha Bt Kamal Sat( 0 ) - SIM MON SIR(K)      ( 0 )    16- 44        .

 17    Sayshan Kumar  Sarav( 0 ) - Aqilah Bt Nazri     ( 0 )    45- 17        .

 18    Christine Lee       ( 0 ) - TOH JIA YING        ( 0 )    18- 46        .

 19    Thariq Syaikhan Satr( 0 ) - DAYANG SUHANA AZHAR ( 0 )    47- 19        .

 20    Darmaneesha         ( 0 ) - Ting Zheng Yu       ( 0 )    20- 48        .

 21    UZAIR NOR JASMIN    ( 0 ) - Edward Looi Khai Mun( 0 )    49- 21        .

 22    Ernest Lee(K)       ( 0 ) - Wong Jun Loong      ( 0 )    22- 50        .

 23    joshua michael heihr( 0 ) - Gan Yi Feng         ( 0 )    51- 23        .

 24    Giam Kee Wern       ( 0 ) - r.shobana           ( 0 )    24- 52        .

 25    s.taneswaran        ( 0 ) - JEREMIAH JONATHAN(K)( 0 )    53- 25        .

 26    JOHN LEE(K)         ( 0 ) - veeralachimy ganasee( 0 )    26- 54        .

 27    wong kah hing       ( 0 ) - JONATHAN LIM(K)     ( 0 )    55- 27        .

 28    Kaarthik Mahindran  ( 0 ) - yap seng kuang      ( 0 )    28- 56        .

KKR Chess Team 2014

1st November 2014, Kuala Lumpur - The Ministry of Works Chess Team 2014 won 2nd best team at the Sukan Kerja Raya 2014 in Kangar, Perlis.