Report from Thailand:
The two leaders of the Thai Open, top seeds Paco Vallejo of Spain and England's Nigel Short, played safe in the fifth round of the 2011 Thai Open and were caught by the chasing pack of players.
As Thailand's largest and strongest open tournament passed the halfway point, Vallejo and Short were joined in the tie for first place by Burmese Grandmaster Zaw Win Lay and GM Abhijit Kunte of India. Another 10 players, including three Grandmasters, are sitting just half a point further back.
While Short and Vallejo were drawing their fifth round game in only 9 moves - Short blaming the tough tournament schedule for the quick finish - Kunte defeated the top female performer to date, Romania's Alina l'Ami while Zaw outlasted local pace-setter Jiripak Pitirojirathon.
Thai fans did have plenty to cheer about as 15-year-old Warot Kananub continued his giant-killing run, defeating Indian International Master Rahul Shetty. Kananub is currently undefeated in five games against far higher ranked opposition at the Thai Open and could be on his way to becoming Thailand's first International Master.
The Thai Open, with a first prize of 100,000 Baht, is being played at the Dusit Thani Resort and continues until Sunday, with round 6 beginning at 3pm local time on Thursday. Games may be followed live via http://bangkokchess.com/ with results at
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr47889.aspx?lan=1
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Larry Parr passed away
It is with great sorrow that I have to write this. This morning I received news that an old friend, Larry Parr, has passed away after being ill for a few months. Around 6:00 AM this morning some complications set in. Doctors were unable to revive him.
Larry is best known as the editor of Chess Life magazine from 1985 to 1988. This was no easy job as politicking is rife in US chess. He ghost wrote Dato' Tan Chin Nam's biography Never Say I Assume. I read this book one night and continued through to the next morning. It was that hard to put it down. Great biography and written in a vintage Larry style.
Larry had a prodigious memory and loved telling stories to whoever he could corner into listen. Thing is, he told so many stories to so many people, he would forget which story he told it to. Many a time I had to pretend to be amazed (again) by his recollection of people - primarily chess people - he knew or read about. He was a great story-teller. His book The Bobby Fischer I Knew And Other Stories written with Arnold Denker are filled with such stories and a fascinating account of American chess from the early 1920s to 1970s. The book is out of print but I spotted a copy of it in DAT Chess Centre library.
Strangely, I never thought of him as an American. He settled down in Malaysia for many years (over twenty I believe). He always turned up for chess events such as the Malaysian Open, if only for a day. I knew something was not right when he did not show for the National Championships a few weeks ago. Hamid then told me that Larry had contracted tuberculosis though I do not think Hamid ever suspected that it could be this serious.
He leaves behind his Thai wife and two children. My condolences to them for their loss.
Larry is best known as the editor of Chess Life magazine from 1985 to 1988. This was no easy job as politicking is rife in US chess. He ghost wrote Dato' Tan Chin Nam's biography Never Say I Assume. I read this book one night and continued through to the next morning. It was that hard to put it down. Great biography and written in a vintage Larry style.
Larry had a prodigious memory and loved telling stories to whoever he could corner into listen. Thing is, he told so many stories to so many people, he would forget which story he told it to. Many a time I had to pretend to be amazed (again) by his recollection of people - primarily chess people - he knew or read about. He was a great story-teller. His book The Bobby Fischer I Knew And Other Stories written with Arnold Denker are filled with such stories and a fascinating account of American chess from the early 1920s to 1970s. The book is out of print but I spotted a copy of it in DAT Chess Centre library.
Strangely, I never thought of him as an American. He settled down in Malaysia for many years (over twenty I believe). He always turned up for chess events such as the Malaysian Open, if only for a day. I knew something was not right when he did not show for the National Championships a few weeks ago. Hamid then told me that Larry had contracted tuberculosis though I do not think Hamid ever suspected that it could be this serious.
He leaves behind his Thai wife and two children. My condolences to them for their loss.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Kasparov comments on electronic cheating
The European Championship goes into its 10th and penultimate round tonight. Games are on-going as I write.
There are no less than twelve grandmasters in the lead with 7/9. It is almost a certainty that there will be a big tie for first.
An interesting fact is that Sebastian Feller's opponents took safe draws against him in rounds eight and nine. Feller is on 6.5 points with another big bunch of players.
Kasparov comments on cheating -
There are no less than twelve grandmasters in the lead with 7/9. It is almost a certainty that there will be a big tie for first.
An interesting fact is that Sebastian Feller's opponents took safe draws against him in rounds eight and nine. Feller is on 6.5 points with another big bunch of players.
Kasparov comments on cheating -
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
European Championship cheating?
Participants at the European Championship have come out with an open letter aimed at fighting against cheating using electronic devices. The letter follows:
Open Letter
Dear French chess federation, dear ECU, dear chess community,
In view of the rumours and allegations about possible cheating using electronic devices and outside help taking place during the European Individual Championship in Aix-les-Bains, we have an atmosphere that makes it impossible for the players to approach their games calmly and being sure that their opponents do not break the rules.
We therefore demand that
- the arbiters reserve the rights to search any player’s pockets in case of suspicion
- no electronic devices can be brought into the playing hall, switched off or otherwise
- electronic boards can be unplugged if one of the players demands it
Respectfully,
Among the players that signed are Victor Bologan, Boris Grachev, Jan Gustafsson, Anna Muzychuk, Tomi Nyback, Jan Smeets,Gabriel Sargissian, Peter Svidler and Natalia Zhukova.
I guess it is no accident that this came about seeing that the "star" of the cheating allegations in the French Chess Federation is playing in this championship. See here and here for context.
Yes, Sebastien Feller is taking part in the European Championship. He is able to take part despite a ban on him playing because he is appealing the decision.
Feller is currently doing very well with a 5.5/7 score after seven rounds behind the current leader, Vladimir Potkin who has 6/7. There are another nineteen players with the same 5.5/7 score! Feller plays GM Francisco Vallejo Pons today.
Open Letter
Dear French chess federation, dear ECU, dear chess community,
In view of the rumours and allegations about possible cheating using electronic devices and outside help taking place during the European Individual Championship in Aix-les-Bains, we have an atmosphere that makes it impossible for the players to approach their games calmly and being sure that their opponents do not break the rules.
We therefore demand that
- the arbiters reserve the rights to search any player’s pockets in case of suspicion
- no electronic devices can be brought into the playing hall, switched off or otherwise
- electronic boards can be unplugged if one of the players demands it
Respectfully,
Among the players that signed are Victor Bologan, Boris Grachev, Jan Gustafsson, Anna Muzychuk, Tomi Nyback, Jan Smeets,Gabriel Sargissian, Peter Svidler and Natalia Zhukova.
I guess it is no accident that this came about seeing that the "star" of the cheating allegations in the French Chess Federation is playing in this championship. See here and here for context.
Yes, Sebastien Feller is taking part in the European Championship. He is able to take part despite a ban on him playing because he is appealing the decision.
Feller is currently doing very well with a 5.5/7 score after seven rounds behind the current leader, Vladimir Potkin who has 6/7. There are another nineteen players with the same 5.5/7 score! Feller plays GM Francisco Vallejo Pons today.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
First GM Norm for Goh Wei Ming
Congratulations to Singaporean IM Goh Wei Ming who made his first grandmaster norm recently.
He scored 5 wins and 4 draws to reach the required 7/9 at a tournament in Kecskemet, Hungary. His TPR was 2617 .
You can play through some of his games here.
He scored 5 wins and 4 draws to reach the required 7/9 at a tournament in Kecskemet, Hungary. His TPR was 2617 .
You can play through some of his games here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Lim Chong Memorial
The Lim Chong Memorial will be held this Sunday 27th March at DATCC. The tournament is held in honour of Lim Chong who passed away last November. Lim Chong is a journalist, chess player and a ardent supporter of chess.
This promises to be a well attended affair with many of our strong players as well as inactive and less active players promising to show their support.
Entry forms can be obtained from Abd Hamid (Tel: 019 3158098 or email to aham@pc.jaring.my).
See you there.
This promises to be a well attended affair with many of our strong players as well as inactive and less active players promising to show their support.
Entry forms can be obtained from Abd Hamid (Tel: 019 3158098 or email to aham@pc.jaring.my).
See you there.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thoughts on MCF Selection
To recap, Malaysian Chess Federation has decided on the selection criteria for 2011 Asian Team Championship. Both IMs Mas and Mok plus the top eight positions from the recently concluded National Championship will be short-listed. The final team will be decided from these ten players, perhaps through a training round-robin tourney.
Firstly the decision not to subject Mas and Mok to qualifications is a no-brainer. These two are the highest rated players and shown good consistency in team events. They are amongst the four Malaysians who have breached the 2400 ELO barrier - the others being Nicholas Chan and myself. This is not easy to achieve. So no question about this decision.
Personally I think it is a good move by the MCF to select players from the nationals. This might draw in other top players who might harbour ambitions to represent the country and thereby give the event some prestige. Unfortunately this did not happen.
Now, a Swiss tournament to select eight players is not ideal. The Swiss is only accurate to determine first place and perhaps second to fourth. After that it is a bit of a lottery. The top eight are:
Let's look at the tie-break (TB) column. This tie-break score indicates the level of opposition that the player faced. Four players have TB over 50. Sumant and Yit Ho has the lowest tie-breaks. They even lose out to those players who have half a point less than them! If both had not won their last game, they would be out of the top eight on tie-breaks. The unfortunate victims were Edward Lee and Yeoh Li Tian. Both needed only a draw to qualify. Both also had tie-breaks over fifty and were always amongst the top boards which means they had to play the strongest players. Unfortunately they lost the last round against determined opponents. It is a pity that these two will not have a chance to make it into the national team this year. However we cannot fault the others for the imperfections of the Swiss.
Still there is only five places on the team. In my opinion the current national champion should always have an automatic spot. Therefore, Zhou Ren should join Mas and Mok in the final team and eventually five of the remaining seven will be disappointed to be left out.
At least there is a chance for those with potential to show what they are capable of.
I have to agree with MCF on this one. Having said that, I have to say that some of these players are not yet ready to take on the other Asian opponents in a major tournament at this point in time. But we all have to start somewhere, who is to say that they will not be our future IMs or GMs?. MCF has mentioned training camps and hopefully these players will use that opportunity to improve their readiness.
Firstly the decision not to subject Mas and Mok to qualifications is a no-brainer. These two are the highest rated players and shown good consistency in team events. They are amongst the four Malaysians who have breached the 2400 ELO barrier - the others being Nicholas Chan and myself. This is not easy to achieve. So no question about this decision.
Personally I think it is a good move by the MCF to select players from the nationals. This might draw in other top players who might harbour ambitions to represent the country and thereby give the event some prestige. Unfortunately this did not happen.
Now, a Swiss tournament to select eight players is not ideal. The Swiss is only accurate to determine first place and perhaps second to fourth. After that it is a bit of a lottery. The top eight are:
| No. | Name | Elo | Points | TB |
| 1 | Lim Zhuo Ren | 2080 | 8 | 52.5 |
| 2 | Subramaniam Sumant | 2065 | 7.5 | 46.5 |
| 3 | Liew Chee-Meng-Jimmy | 2302 | 7 | 51.5 |
| 4 | Fong Yit Ho | 1995 | 7 | 38 |
| 5 | Yeap Eng Chiam | 2140 | 6.5 | 56.5 |
| 6 | Loo Swee Leong | 2141 | 6.5 | 53.5 |
| 7 | Fong Yit San | 1945 | 6.5 | 47 |
| 8 | Lee Kah Meng Elgin | 1904 | 6.5 | 43.5 |
Let's look at the tie-break (TB) column. This tie-break score indicates the level of opposition that the player faced. Four players have TB over 50. Sumant and Yit Ho has the lowest tie-breaks. They even lose out to those players who have half a point less than them! If both had not won their last game, they would be out of the top eight on tie-breaks. The unfortunate victims were Edward Lee and Yeoh Li Tian. Both needed only a draw to qualify. Both also had tie-breaks over fifty and were always amongst the top boards which means they had to play the strongest players. Unfortunately they lost the last round against determined opponents. It is a pity that these two will not have a chance to make it into the national team this year. However we cannot fault the others for the imperfections of the Swiss.
Still there is only five places on the team. In my opinion the current national champion should always have an automatic spot. Therefore, Zhou Ren should join Mas and Mok in the final team and eventually five of the remaining seven will be disappointed to be left out.
At least there is a chance for those with potential to show what they are capable of.
I have to agree with MCF on this one. Having said that, I have to say that some of these players are not yet ready to take on the other Asian opponents in a major tournament at this point in time. But we all have to start somewhere, who is to say that they will not be our future IMs or GMs?. MCF has mentioned training camps and hopefully these players will use that opportunity to improve their readiness.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
On Cheating
I feel rather sorry for Sébastien Fellers in the cheating scandal. Not that I doubt that the cheating really took place. All evidence proves it (the SMS messages with the coded moves were available, though not admissible to the Ethics Commission due to French privacy laws).
I feel sorry because he is just a young 19 year old boy. Not everyone of his age have a clear concept of right and wrong. I think he was manipulated into it because of his friendship with Cyril Marzolo ( the operator of the computer engine). I believe Marzolo engineered the whole scheme to make money (the cheating apparently started at the 2010 Paris Championship where Feller took first place).
Feller's chess career and reputation is probably doomed. There is a three year ban on him though it is not clear whether this is just applicable in France or everywhere. A top junior grandmaster like him also depends on being paid to play in open team events e.g the Bundesliga league in Germany. Invitations to round robin events with the attendant appearance fee and possible prize money is gone. There might also be sponsorship money involved. He can say goodbye to all these now - no one will touch him with a ten-foot pole.
Let's face it, we cannot pretend that cheating does not happen. Buying and selling happens. There are players who can be counted on to lose a game for a price so that the buyer can get a title norm or win a major prize. Locally, I personally witnessed two players sharing the prize money in one of the Selangor Opens (relax, that was long ago and the players are no longer active). I was also shocked to learn about games being manipulated to achieve certain results at junior and even scholastic level.
I hope this Feller incident will show our own players that cheating does not pay off in the long run.
I feel sorry because he is just a young 19 year old boy. Not everyone of his age have a clear concept of right and wrong. I think he was manipulated into it because of his friendship with Cyril Marzolo ( the operator of the computer engine). I believe Marzolo engineered the whole scheme to make money (the cheating apparently started at the 2010 Paris Championship where Feller took first place).
Feller's chess career and reputation is probably doomed. There is a three year ban on him though it is not clear whether this is just applicable in France or everywhere. A top junior grandmaster like him also depends on being paid to play in open team events e.g the Bundesliga league in Germany. Invitations to round robin events with the attendant appearance fee and possible prize money is gone. There might also be sponsorship money involved. He can say goodbye to all these now - no one will touch him with a ten-foot pole.
Let's face it, we cannot pretend that cheating does not happen. Buying and selling happens. There are players who can be counted on to lose a game for a price so that the buyer can get a title norm or win a major prize. Locally, I personally witnessed two players sharing the prize money in one of the Selangor Opens (relax, that was long ago and the players are no longer active). I was also shocked to learn about games being manipulated to achieve certain results at junior and even scholastic level.
I hope this Feller incident will show our own players that cheating does not pay off in the long run.
Monday, March 21, 2011
French players found guilty of cheating
The Displinary Committee of the French Chess Federation have found three French players guilty of organized cheating at the Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad last September.
The guilty parties are GM Sebastien Feller and Arnaud Hauchard and IM Cyril Marzolo. Arnaud Hauchard was French team captain. Feller won the gold medal on board 5 with a score of 6/9.
Marzolo was sentenced to a 5-year suspension from play. Feller received a 3-year ban followed by 2 years of community service with the federation or another association. A lifetime ban will be imposed on Hauchard and he will never act as a captain again.
According to what I understand the scheme went like this. Marzolo used a computer engine to analyze Feller's game. He then sent a SMS message in code to Hauchard. As team captain, Hauchard could move freely about the playing area. He would then stand behind the French opponents briefly. Using a coded system by standing at boards 1-4 he could then signal the computer move to Fellers. For example board 1 is A and 1, board 2 B and 2, board 3 is C and 3 and so on. To signal the c2 square, he first stands behind board 3 then move on to board 2.
This is quite a simple system but requires the involvement of the team captain as a relay for the moves.
I really admire the French Chess Federation for tackling this issue so seriously rather than close one eye and let it slip by. It says something about the integrity of its president and the committee.
The guilty parties are GM Sebastien Feller and Arnaud Hauchard and IM Cyril Marzolo. Arnaud Hauchard was French team captain. Feller won the gold medal on board 5 with a score of 6/9.
Marzolo was sentenced to a 5-year suspension from play. Feller received a 3-year ban followed by 2 years of community service with the federation or another association. A lifetime ban will be imposed on Hauchard and he will never act as a captain again.
According to what I understand the scheme went like this. Marzolo used a computer engine to analyze Feller's game. He then sent a SMS message in code to Hauchard. As team captain, Hauchard could move freely about the playing area. He would then stand behind the French opponents briefly. Using a coded system by standing at boards 1-4 he could then signal the computer move to Fellers. For example board 1 is A and 1, board 2 B and 2, board 3 is C and 3 and so on. To signal the c2 square, he first stands behind board 3 then move on to board 2.
This is quite a simple system but requires the involvement of the team captain as a relay for the moves.
I really admire the French Chess Federation for tackling this issue so seriously rather than close one eye and let it slip by. It says something about the integrity of its president and the committee.
Jimmy Liew - Ismail Ahmad, Round 6
I had many interesting positions in the 2011 National Championship.
Here is one against Ismail Ahmad.
Black has just played 14...Qg5. Hard to believe but he just lost a pawn by force. Quite a difficult tactic to find.
15. a3 Be7 16. Nf3 Qh5 17. e4 Nf6 18. Nd6 Nc5
After 18... Bxd6 19. Bxd6 both the knight on a6 and rook on f8 are under attack.
19. Nxb7
This is simpler than 19.b4 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 Ncxe4 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 which wins an exchange but black has a pawn for it and some chances with his active minor pieces.
Nxb7 20. e5 Nd5
Other moves allow 21. Rd7 forking bishop and knight.
21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Rxd5 Rad8 23. Rad1 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Qg4 25. Nd4 Qc8 26. h3 Qc1+ 27. Kh2 Bc5 28. Nf5 g6
Black tries to chase away the knight otherwise white plays Qg4 with dangerous attack. I found a neat reply.
29. e6!
29... gxf5 30. Rxf5 f6
Black can lose in various pretty ways if he does not give back the piece. White's immediate threat is 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Be5+ f6 33. Rxf6 and mate follows.
30... Qh6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Rxf7! (threatens Be5+) Rxf7 33. exf7 (now Qg8 mate is threatened) Qg7 34. Qc8+ Bf8 35. Qxb7 , black has stopped the mating threats but now his pieces are completed tied up and white can win pretty much as he pleases.
30... Nd6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Be5+ f6 33. Rxf6
30... Bd6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Rxf7 Qxb2 (32...Rxf7 33. gxf7 and mate on g8 cannot be avoided) 33. Bxd6 Rg8 34. Qh5 Rg7 35. Be5
31.e7 Bxe7 32. Qxe7 Rf7 33. Qe8+ Kg7 34. Rf4 h5 35. Qe2 Qc5 36. Rh4 Kg6 37. Qe4+
Kg7 38. Bf4 Re7 39. Qf3 Kg6 40. g4 hxg4 41. Qxg4+ Kf7 42. Rh7+ 1-0
Here is one against Ismail Ahmad.
Black has just played 14...Qg5. Hard to believe but he just lost a pawn by force. Quite a difficult tactic to find.
15. a3 Be7 16. Nf3 Qh5 17. e4 Nf6 18. Nd6 Nc5
After 18... Bxd6 19. Bxd6 both the knight on a6 and rook on f8 are under attack.
19. Nxb7
This is simpler than 19.b4 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 Ncxe4 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 which wins an exchange but black has a pawn for it and some chances with his active minor pieces.
Nxb7 20. e5 Nd5
Other moves allow 21. Rd7 forking bishop and knight.
21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Rxd5 Rad8 23. Rad1 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Qg4 25. Nd4 Qc8 26. h3 Qc1+ 27. Kh2 Bc5 28. Nf5 g6
Black tries to chase away the knight otherwise white plays Qg4 with dangerous attack. I found a neat reply.
29. e6!
29... gxf5 30. Rxf5 f6
Black can lose in various pretty ways if he does not give back the piece. White's immediate threat is 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Be5+ f6 33. Rxf6 and mate follows.
30... Qh6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Rxf7! (threatens Be5+) Rxf7 33. exf7 (now Qg8 mate is threatened) Qg7 34. Qc8+ Bf8 35. Qxb7 , black has stopped the mating threats but now his pieces are completed tied up and white can win pretty much as he pleases.
30... Nd6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Be5+ f6 33. Rxf6
30... Bd6 31. Qg4+ Kh8 32. Rxf7 Qxb2 (32...Rxf7 33. gxf7 and mate on g8 cannot be avoided) 33. Bxd6 Rg8 34. Qh5 Rg7 35. Be5
31.e7 Bxe7 32. Qxe7 Rf7 33. Qe8+ Kg7 34. Rf4 h5 35. Qe2 Qc5 36. Rh4 Kg6 37. Qe4+
Kg7 38. Bf4 Re7 39. Qf3 Kg6 40. g4 hxg4 41. Qxg4+ Kf7 42. Rh7+ 1-0
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