Tromso Olympiad - first look at the teams

The 2014 Tromso Olympiad is set to begin in just a few days in Tromso, Norway. There was a small problem when the organizers ran out of money but eventually the Norwegian government came up with the money to hold it's first chess olympiad.

There is still some minor scare as intelligence reports that terrorists are targeting Norway. Norwegian security forces are not taking this lightly and police presence have been increased at strategic points. Police street patrols which are normally not armed are now equipped with firearms. Hopefully all this is just empty threats but as chessplayers we know that the threat is worse than its execution.

Looking at the team list there is another surprise. Russia and Ukraine are seeded first and second respectively. The surprise is the third seeding which goes to France! This is due to their having three players rated over 2700 and they are Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2766), Etienne Bacrot (2720) and Laurent Fressinet (2708). Armenia is seeded "only" fourth. So will France be in the running for medals? Very hard to believe as the Armenians have always done very well in olympiads and also they won the last one in Istanbul!

The United States is fifth seed by a single rating point. They have two 2700s players in Gata Kamsky and Hikaru Nakamura. One of the big news in recent weeks was Wesley So switch from Philippines to the United States . Although Wesley rated at 2744 would certainly have moved the US up the seeding list, he is not eligible yet to play for the US in this olympiad. Apparently he will be the coach instead!

The Russians are back for revenge after missing out on the gold in Istanbul. Their 2700s powerhouse team includes GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Grischuk, Sergey Karjakin, Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Ukraine's line-up is quite predictable. They have GMs Alexander Moiseenko, Ruslan Ponomariov, Vassily Ivanchuk, Pavel Eljanov and Anton Korobov.

Armenia is depending on its best player GM Levon Aronian rated 2805. The rest are  Sergei  Movsesian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian and Tigran Kotanjian. One wonders if this team can repeat their win two years ago.

Malaysia is seed 105th and the team list is here. The seeding is low enough that it will be hard not to live up to.

As mentioned above, Philippines is missing its top player. It is fielding four grandmasters including Julio Catalino Sadorra, Oliver Barbosa,  John Paul Gomez and Eugene Torre. This could be a record for Torre , already aged 62 years old, as the player with the most number of olympiad appearances. Another surprise is the inclusing of FM Paulo Bersamina. Philippines has no shortage of grandmasters and international masters so this could be a signal from the NCFP , in light of Wesley So' so called "defection", that its chess masters toe the line or risk being dropped. There could be another change in their line-up as GM Barbosa is reportedly unable to obtain a visa (he is currently competing in the US).

Our neighbour, Singapore is again depending on its Chinese imports. Their line-up is GM Zhang Zhong, IM Goh Wei Ming, WIM Gong Qianyun, FM Ting Jinyao and  Lee Qing Aun. Zhang Zhong practically lifted the Singapore team in the last olympiad when Goh Wei Ming had to return early due to a bereavement in the family. This time they could very well do better. Let's hope that Malaysia can keep up as in Istanbul.

Vietnam has sent a no-nonsense team of their best players.The team comprises a mix of grandmaster and international masters.GM Le Quang Liem leads the team of GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, IM Nguyen Duc Hoa , NguyenVan Huy and Nguyen Minh Huy.

Indonesia is led by GM Susanto Megaranto and IM Firman Syah Farid but the rest of the team are virtually unknowns.

Chess Training by Intelligent Minds

Intelligent Minds Academy is a chess training centre set up by Malaysia's International Master Mok Tze Meng.  IM Mok is a very well known chess player and trainer. He has beaten the Super Grandmaster Loek van Vely at the Istanbul Olympiad attesting to his skills and abilities.

IM Mok has a very rich experience in training  at all levels. He is now opening his training methods to the chess public.

The chess training is held every Saturday starting at 9.00 AM  to 12 noon for a total of three hours. Venue is at A-1-9 Amandari ,Jalan 30/38A Sri Sinar in Kuala Lumpur. The fees charged are RM120 per student per session.

The chess training will cover different topics on different days. The first topic that will be examined this Saturday 26th July 2014 will be "Mating the king". This will be an eye opening and fun experience not to be missed.

For those interested please contact IM Mok at 016-2233536 or email moktm@hotmail.com to register. Enquiries are also welcome.

Tromso line-up for Malaysia

Another controversy over Tromso Olympiad selection

My previous post on the subject of selection. Read Sumant's open letter here.

Summary of the events leading up to this. Three players were qualified for the team, Ng Tze Han , Yeoh Li Tian and Aron Teh by virtual of finishing in the top three in the Malaysian Masters. A further four players, IM Lim Yee Weng, Fadzil, Sumant and Fong Yit San competed in another selection to pick the remaining two places. The qualifiers from this second selection were IM Lim Yee Weng and Fong Yit San.

The latest is that one of the qualifiers have opted not to play in the olympiad. MCF then hand picked Fadzil as the replacement without a playoff with Sumant who submitted an open letter pleading for a play-off.

MCF already indicated (from previous decisions and actions), that there will be no more hand-picking of an individual into the team and everyone has to qualify in some manner. Both Fadzil and Sumant tied in the second selection, so there should be a playoff.

Note: An source told me that when there was a tie between the two in the second selection, a playoff was to be scheduled but Fadzil refused to agree to a date. And now he is automatically in the team based on a letter he wrote?

Personally, I think this is bullshit and the whole thing stinks.

Chess Camp by Intelligent Minds Academy

Intelligent Minds Academy announces their Chess Camp which will be held over five days from 28 May (Wednesday) until 1 June 2014 (Sunday).

The chess camp will be handled by IM Mok Tze Meng and IM Jimmy Liew (if more participants). Course will cover understanding and ideas in Chess Openings, Strategies and Planning, Assessment of positions in Middlegame and Practical Play in Endgame.

The fees for the camp are RM200 per day or RM900 for the full 5 days course.

The time is from 10am to 4pm and lunch will be provided.

The venue is A-1-20, Amandari, Jalan 30/38A Sri Sinar, 51200 Kuala Lumpur. GPS co-ordinates are

3°11'01.3"N 101°38'49.6"E

or refer to this Google map.

Registration and enquiry, please call : IM Mok 0162233536 or  Ginny 0162194128

Registration can also be done by emailing to intelligentmindsacademy@gmail.com and payment made to the Hong Leong Bank Account Number 28400028244.

All students are encouraged to bring their own chess set and clocks. Chess equipment and clocks are also available for sale during the camp.

2014 Malaysian Women Masters

The name list for this year's Women Masters is out.

Our highest rated women, Alia Bakri , is back after a long hiatus. It will be interesting to see how she fares amongst the current crop of top women.

A newcomer is Najihah Mohd Saufi who is rated way below the others at just 1518. She qualified by virtue of coming in the top three from the Nationals. I had some chance to watch her games at the Nationals. She has potential but will find this Masters a little out of her league as everyone is already very experienced and around for a very long time.

The top five in this Masters will get the opportunity to represent Malaysia at Tromso Olympiad later in the year. Best of luck to everyone.

Inside look on Olympiad selection - Updated

Update: I have just been informed by Nicholas that he did not actually decline but there were communications problems with MCF and he was left out.

Now that the Malaysian Masters and MCF Selection are over and the team for Tromso Olympiad decided, it is time to reflect back on what was done and what was done wrong.

Initially, I did not intend to write this post but a number of readers and friends were asking me about this very subject. This is  what I found out and also my personal views.

Before I start let me state that there are no conspiracy theories. There are no collusions amongst the MCF officials to favor or to deny any players. For those who love such theories, you can proceed to the poison blogger's site. If you are more interested in facts, then read on.

Everything that I have written here was gleaned from speaking to an MCF official and using some common sense. Getting it from the inside is better than making up stories to fit your agenda, yes?

Also, I am not an mouthpiece for MCF, so everything written here are my own opinions.

Malaysian Olympiad team confirmed members

IM Lim Yee Weng and NM Fong Yit San has topped the MCF Selection which started today. They both beat Sumant Subramaniam and Fadzil to get two points each. This means the two latter players cannot catch them.

IM Lim Yee Weng and NM Fong Yit San will join the qualifiers from the Malaysian Masters, Yeoh Li Tian, Ng Tze Han and Aron Teh.

Sumant Subramaniam and Fadzil will still have to play their game tomorrow as the third place will substitute in the event that anyone opts out of the olympiad team.

Kasparov Gala Dinner

Last night, I attended the Kasparov Gala Dinner and Charity Drive at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Putrajaya as a guest of  Dato' Tan Chin Nam.

The night started with some speeches. The best speech was from UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamalludin. My respect for him grew although I did not get to meet him personally. Khairy is a new breed of UMNO politicians; more moderate with a modern outlook unlike the older ones.

Khairy is a very charismatic speaker and most importantly to me, he was enjoying himself last night especially during the simul by Kasparov against five VIPs. Whether posing for photos or cheering the simul participants on, he blended in well with the crowd last night.

Malaysian Masters: Final standings

Yeoh Li Tian drew with Fong Yit San while Ng Tze Han and Aron Teh beat Fadzil and Sumant respectively. So the three qualifiers to the olympiad team are Li Tian, Tze Han and Aron.

Final Standings

The remaining two spots will now be decided by another selection this week-end. Fadzil, Yit San and Sumant will be joined by IM Lim Yee Weng in a four player tournament.