Back to My Daily Routine

After reaching back to Malaysia, I've received numerous calls from chess friends who would like to know more details and personal experience in my trip. Well, generally this trip is good. I met a lot of Turkish who are warm-hearted, kind-hearted and many of them are extending great hospitality to foreigner like me especially during our sightseeing trip.

I'll blog more on my nice experience in Turkey at the later of the month when I will be taking-off from my work to enjoy the year-end holiday. As of now, I'm busy covering classes until I find no time to make my way to the just concluded Masterskill ASEAN+ Youth Chess Championship.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Masterskill for sponsoring the event and ACC together with MSSM for running the event successfully. Malaysian Chess can and will do better with sponsorship of this nature coming from more corporates.

Also, I would like to congratulate trainees of Malaysian Chess Academy for their success in helping MSS Malaysia, MSS Selangor, and MSS KL squad in getting excellent result.

CAS Fourth Quarter Allegro (9th Dec 2007)

"This is a nationally-rated event"

Venue: The Chess Network, 2nd Floor, Wilayah Complex

Name: CAS Fourth Quarter Allegro Chess Championship

Category: Category 1 (Nat rating 1400 & above), Category 2 (National
Rating less than 1400)

No. of Rounds: 7

Time control: 25 minutes per player

Prizes: Total prize fund worth RM 1,600 with Cat 1 1st prize = RM 300.

External Sponsorship: No

Reg fee for Cat 1: CAS Member>> RM 15, Others>> RM 25;
Reg fee for Cat 2: CAS Member>> RM 10, Others>> RM 20;

Registration with payment: Before 9.00 AM, Round 1 at 9.30 am.

Pre-Registration via email after deadline (7th DEC 2007) will
incured a late admin. fee of extra RM 5. For pre-registration, please
email your name and category to selangorchess@gmail.com by 7th DEC.

We Have Arrived at Changi International Airport

The 1st batch of Malaysian has arrived safely at Changi International Airport, Singapore. We departed from Istanbul at 11.55pm (29th Nov) which is approx. 90 minutes before a plane enroute from Istanbul to Isparta had crashed at 1.36am local time (30th Nov).

We are currently having our dinner at the Airport, all of us missed the local food very much. Zhuo Ren and Edward Lee are enjoying their meals with two different serving. After meal, some of us are playing cards while waiting until 6.45pm before we take a cab to Harbour Front to board the bus back to KL. We are expected to arrived in KL past midnight.

The 2nd batch of Malaysian will depart from Antalya at 10.30am local time (1st Dec) and expected to arrive at KLIA at 7.50am Malaysian time (2nd Dec). Upon arrival, they will rush to Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam for the Masterskill Asean+ Youth Team Chess Championship.

Round 11 Result (Day 12)

The result for the last round as below:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against SHEREMET Anton of Belarus. He finishes 4th among 123 players in the event. He is now the best Malaysian performance at World Youth Chess Championship where he elipsed the record of Malaysian great juniors like FM Ooi Chern Ee, IM Mas Hafizulhelmi and Yeap Eng Chiam.

02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against SIALENCHYK Anastasiya of Belarus. She finishes at 30th placing among 73 players.

03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with FM CHIARI Arthur Gontijo of Brazil. He finishes at 72nd placing among 156 players.

04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to AISHWARYA Gorthy of India. She finishes at 46th placing among 105 players.

05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against KAFETZIS Georgios of Greece. He finishes at 39th placing among 161 players.

06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Drew with BAGHERI Taleghani Nadia of Iran. She finishes at 46th placing among 125 players.

07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with SILVA Denison of Brazil. He finishes at 127th placing among 154 players.

08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with AYDOGDU Erkmen of Turkey. He finishes at 89th placing among 126 players.

09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to BLACKMAN Justin of Barbados. He finishes at 113th placing among 126 players.

10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to ALVAREZ RAMIREZ Miguel Angel of Mexico. He finishes at 94th placing among 114 players.

Round 10 Result & Round 11 Pairing

I'm unable to get internet connectivity during the daytime for the last 2 days. That's the reason why there isn't any update for the last 2 rounds.

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to SAVENKOV Konstantin of Russia on Board 1
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to MARCZUK Anna of Poland on Board 13
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to AL MOHAMAD Wisam of Syria on Board 29
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Drew with BLUHM Sonja Maria of Germany on Board 22
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to GRANDADAM Patrick of Switzerland on Board 17
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to SAHAJASRI Ch of India on Board 14
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to KOMUT Burak of Turkey on Board 58
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against BLACKMAN Justin of Barbados on Board 49
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to KAFETZOPOULOS Anastasios of Greece on Board 48
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with RAVDANLKHUMBU Amgalanbaatar of Mongolia on Board 44

The pairing for the last round as below:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against SHEREMET Anton of Belarus
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against SIALENCHYK Anastasiya of Belarus
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against FM CHIARI Arthur Gontijo of Brazil
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against AISHWARYA Gorthy of India
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against KAFETZIS Georgios of Greece
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against BAGHERI Taleghani Nadia of Iran
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against SILVA Denison of Brazil
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against AYDOGDU Erkmen of Turkey
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against BLACKMAN Justin of Barbados
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against ALVAREZ RAMIREZ Miguel Angel of Mexico

Round 10 Pairing (Day 11)

The pairing for the Round 10 as follow:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against SAVENKOV Konstantin of Russia on Board 1
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against MARCZUK Anna of Poland on Board 13
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against AL MOHAMAD Wisam of Syria on Board 29
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against BLUHM Sonja Maria of Germany on Board 22
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against GRANDADAM Patrick of Switzerland on Board 17
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against SAHAJASRI Ch of India on Board 14
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against KOMUT Burak of Turkey on Board 58
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against BLACKMAN Justin of Barbados on Board 49
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against KAFETZOPOULOS Anastasios of Greece on Board 48
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against RAVDANLKHUMBU Amgalanbaatar of Mongolia on Board 44

Player's ID Card Lost Got Replaced Very Fast (Day 10)

One of our players, Syakir, had misplaced his ID card on Day 9. He did not notice it until 1 hr before the start of the round on Day 10. He tried to search for his card in the hotel room but could not find it. So, the next possible thing we could do is to go to Myra Office (Secretariat room) @ Limra hotel to get a replacement card.

Thanks to the swift action by 2007 WYCC Organiser, he got his replacement card in just 10 minutes with his photo taken. Without this card, he cannot enter into the Tournament building which means had to forfeit his game.

He scored a win against his opponent. A big Thank You to the WYCC Organiser.

Round 9 Result (Day 10)

Breaking news....... Li Tian just won his game against Shahi Harshal of India to inch closer for a shot at the World U8 title.

At at 9pm local time, our players had completed their games where we have scored 8.5 points from this round. The best ever scoring up to this round. I wish this positive results will continue for the remaining 2 rounds.

The result for the 9th round as follow:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against SHAHI Harshal of India on Board 3
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against SARMIENTO ROBLES Paula of Ecuador on Board 18
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with AKHMETOV Ayan of Kazakhstan on Board 27
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Won against GOMBOS Bettina of Hungary on Board 27
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against KRAUS Tomas of Czech Republic on Board 23
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against STOERI Laura Fatma of Switzerland on Board 27
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against SALEH Alamri of UAE on Board 70
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against AKBULUT Firat Caglar of Turkey on Board 56
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with DAVIES Carl of Wales on Board 51
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with AL KASIR Mohamad of Syria on Board 44

Round 9 Pairing (Day 10)

The pairing for the 9th round as follow:

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against SHAHI Harshal of India on Board 3
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against SARMIENTO ROBLES Paula of Ecuador on Board 18
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against AKHMETOV Ayan of Kazakhstan on Board 27
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against GOMBOS Bettina of Hungary on Board 27
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against KRAUS Tomas of Czech Republic on Board 23
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against STOERI Laura Fatma of Switzerland on Board 27
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against SALEH Alamri of UAE on Board 70
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against AKBULUT Firat Caglar of Turkey on Board 56
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against DAVIES Carl of Wales on Board 51
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against AL KASIR Mohamad of Syria on Board 44

Round 8 Result (Day 9)

Li Tian (U8) is performing strongly with 6.5 points from 8 games.

The result for the 8th round as follow:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against KLEPIKOV Nikita of Russia on Board 3
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Won against MOZAH Almansouri of UAE on Board 23
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against SCHUHMACHER Jakob of Germany on Board 38
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Lost to CHOLADZE Mariam of Georgia on Board 20
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to EMIROGLU Cankut of Turkey on Board 15
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Won against DURMAZ Ayca Fatma of Turkey on Board 37
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to JACKMAN Alex of Barbados on Board 61
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with YILDIRIM Fazli Ilke of Turkey on Board 58
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with GLIBSTRUP JAKOB of Denmark on Board 53
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to STOJIC Dusan of Australia on Board 38

Round 8 Pairing (Day 9)

The pairing for the 8th round as follow:

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against KLEPIKOV Nikita of Russia on Board 3
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against MOZAH Almansouri of UAE on Board 23
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against SCHUHMACHER Jakob of Germany on Board 38
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against CHOLADZE Mariam of Georgia on Board 20
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against EMIROGLU Cankut of Turkey on Board 15
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against DURMAZ Ayca Fatma of Turkey on Board 37
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against JACKMAN Alex of Barbados on Board 61
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against YILDIRIM Fazli Ilke of Turkey on Board 58
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against GLIBSTRUP JAKOB of Denmark on Board 53
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against STOJIC Dusan of Australia on Board 38

Round 7 Result (Day 8)

The result for the 8th round as follow:

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against MAREK Matyas of Czech Republic on Board 8
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Lost to SOKOLOVA Evgenia of Russia on Board 19
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to ELGIN Resul Gökberk of Turkey on Board 29
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to UVAROVA Anastasiya of Russia on Board 8
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with MARTINEZ Martin of Colombia on Board 12
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against KOSELOVA Zuzana of Slovakia on Board 47
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to ASHIKU Franc of Albania on Board 51
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to LIAO Chun-Che Tim of Taiwan on Board 53
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against YILDIRIM Fazli Ilke of Turkey on Board 57
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against SELEK Yalcin of Turkey on Board 45

P/S: Malaysians obtained 4.5 points from 10 players.

Synopsis on Day 7 Adventure Tour

Day 7 was a free day for everyone. The Organiser had arranged for some sightseeing packages namely, (i) City Tour (€15/pax), (ii) Adventure Tour(€28), (iii) Historical tour(€35), (iv) Cable Car Tour(€30), (v)Cultural tour(€30) and (vi) Sea Tour (€10).

All tours must have 1-day prior reservation. We intended to go for Adventure tour but could not confirm the number of people going from our contingent because some of our players slept early on Day 6. We try our luck to see whether can we join the tour by making reservation on Day 7 itself but no luck since there are too many people made last minute reservation from Limra hotel. Again, Limra Hotel guests have the advantage over other hotels.

However, this is a blessing in disguise because we manage to find the same package (minus the lunch) for €16 and €13 for adult and child below 11 y.o respectively in one of many travel agencies near the hotel. It is much cheaper than €28 organised by 2007 WYCC travel agency. We did not need the lunch anyway since the hotel already provide us with the 3 meals on the free day.

Also, our tour agent said that it is better to visit the underground fire flame around 5 to 6pm since the day start to get dark around 5pm. So, we began our journey at 3pm. Our first stop was the Phaselis. Phaselis was an important mediterranean trading city as far backed in 7th Century BC. It was an important port until the pirates attacked this place in the 7th Century A.D. Later, it enjoy a brisk revival but this place was abandoned completely in the early 13th Century. We spent 50 minutes snapping lots of photos.

Our next stop was Chimera (also known as Chimeara or the "burning mountain" to the locals) in Cirali village. In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster, depicted as an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the tail of a dragon (sometimes it has multiple heads).

In a more scientific explaination, Chimeara is a “yanartaşi” (a rock that burns eternally) which means a water-rock interaction in which serpentine, magnetite and methane are produced. Olivine, a magnesium / iron bearing silicate reacts with water and CO2 at low temperatures to serpentine and a carbonate. In this process methane is released. So, that is how the fire starts.

Some pictures that we took on free day as below:

The contingent posing with our national flag

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Zhuo Ren is treating Rifqah the way he treats her 5 y.o. sister by offering piggy-back ride. Rifqah loves it very much.

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The two sibling in action, Rifqah and Syakir.

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This is what I called the real adventure trip. Unlike other travel agency, the one we signed up provide many different adventure packages.

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Our first stop - Phaselis. Nine of us (included the camera man, me of course) join this tour. Five others had opted to stay in hotel for relaxation and prepare for the Day 8 opponent.

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Little Rifqah posing for a shot.

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This is how Turkey looks like. We continue our journey to Chimeara.

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We took a rest after climbing 300m up the hill, the whole journey is 700m to reach the top where the burning flame locates. We were told to walk for 800m by our travel agency but were not told that we need to climb steep stairway up the hill.

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Finally, we reached the top after 30 minutes of hill climbing. The experience of watching the burning flames come out underneath the rock alone is worth the price we paid for this trip and the energy spent in climbing the hill.

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P/S: I can only upload these few pictures because every picture upload (<400KB) is 5 minutes long. This is how GREAT the connection speed @ Press Centre, Tournament Hall which equip with 54Mbps connectivity. Theoretically, each photo should take few seconds only to upload but waiting for 5 minutes for 1 photo is too much.

Round 7 Pairing (Day 8)

Day 7 would be a free day for all players. The pairing for the 7th round as below:

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against MAREK Matyas of Czech Republic on Board 8
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against SOKOLOVA Evgenia of Russia on Board 19
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against ELGIN Resul Gökberk of Turkey on Board 29
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against UVAROVA Anastasiya of Russia on Board 8
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against MARTINEZ Martin of Colombia on Board 12
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against KOSELOVA Zuzana of Slovakia on Board 47
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against ASHIKU Franc of Albania on Board 51
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against LIAO Chun-Che Tim of Taiwan on Board 53
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against YILDIRIM Fazli Ilke of Turkey on Board 57
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against SELEK Yalcin of Turkey on Board 45

Round 6 Result (Day 6)

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to AYVAZYAN Nikita of Russia on Board 2
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to REVITA Samantha Gloon of Philippines on Board 11
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against CRISMANN Alessandro Claudio of South Africa on Board 37
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Lost to FEDYUK Iryna of Ukraine on Board 6
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against SHABANOV Nurlan of Azerbaijan on Board 20
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Lost to BACIC Kristina of Montenegro on Board 33
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Won against NEVES Pedro of Portugal on Board 61
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to LAITINEN Mika of Finland on Board 48
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to BALER Yilmaz of Turkey on Board 55
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to GENZLING Alain of France on Board 37

P/S: Not a good round for Malaysians, we scored 3 points only.

Pictures from Day 5 & 6

Typical type of food serve during dinner

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Wei Hao always look delighted when comes to meal time

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Puteri Rifqah in action against Romanian in Rd 5

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Nur Nabila in action against Russian in Rd 5

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Amira in action against Romanian in Rd 5

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Round 5 Result & Rd 6 Pairing (Day 6)

Round 5 result as follow:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against BOLDOO Erdenepurev of Mongolia on Board 4
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against SALIM Arzu of Romania on Board 18
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to KOURKOULOS-ARDITIS Stamatis of Greece on Board 23
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Won against CHETINA Elizaveta of Russia on Board 11
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against AKDAGLI Gokhan of Turkey on Board 33
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Lost to VISANESCU Daria-Ioana of Romania on Board 22
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to HASANLI Sirus of Azerbaijan on Board 53
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against ALTORKY Amer of Syria on Board 57
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with ACARBAY Aydin of Turkey on Board 54
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Won against CHO Seong Ho of Korea on Board 48

P/S: Malaysian scored 6.5 points in this round!


Round 6 pairing list as follow:
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against AYVAZYAN Nikita of Russia on Board 2
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against REVITA Samantha Gloon of Philippines on Board 11
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against CRISMANN Alessandro Claudio of South Africa on Board 37
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against FEDYUK Iryna of Ukraine on Board 6
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against SHABANOV Nurlan of Azerbaijan on Board 20
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against BACIC Kristina of Montenegro on Board 33
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against NEVES Pedro of Portugal on Board 61
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against LAITINEN Mika of Finland on Board 48
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against BALER Yilmaz of Turkey on Board 55
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against GENZLING Alain of France on Board 37

Round 5 Pairing (Day 6)

Day 6 will see Malaysian in action for 2 rounds. The morning round starts @ 10 am local time and the afternoon round at 5pm local time (changed by WYCC Organiser).

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against BOLDOO Erdenepurev of Mongolia on Board 4
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against SALIM Arzu of Romania on Board 18
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against KOURKOULOS-ARDITIS Stamatis of Greece on Board 23
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against CHETINA Elizaveta of Russia on Board 11
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against AKDAGLI Gokhan of Turkey on Board 33
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (White) ==> Play against VISANESCU Daria-Ioana of Romania on Board 22
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against HASANLI Sirus of Azerbaijan on Board 53
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against ALTORKY Amer of Syria on Board 57
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against ACARBAY Aydin of Turkey on Board 54
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against CHO Seong Ho of Korea on Board 48

Round 4 Result (Day 5)

Late posting of Round 4 result was due to Internet connection problem at Press Centre, Tournament Hall. Same problem with our hotel @ Alinda Beach Hotel.

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Drew with DECROP of Belgium on Board 2
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black)==> Won against MILICEVIC of Canada on Board 26
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Lost to MOHINEESH of India on Board 04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Won against PAPATHANASIOU of Greece on Board 14
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to HUNT of England on Board 18
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Drew with ALEV of Turkey on Board 27
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Drew with CIRUZZI of Argentina on Board 58
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to GLIBSTRUP of Denmark on Board 49
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to AYDOGDU of Turkey on Board 45
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Lost to YANG of Taiwan on Board 47

P/S: Not a good result in this round with 3.5 points only among 10 players.

The Gate Issue Was Resolved (Day 5)

Follow-up from my discussion with Mr. Koral yesterday evening, he has taken swift action in resolving the Gate issue. He's efficient in doing his tasks and care about the welfare of children and parents. It's a pity that he cannot oversee all aspects of the Championship.

The Championship would have been a wonderful experience for parents and children if there are more people in the Organisation like Mr. Koral. Hopefully, there is no more teething issues from now onwards.

Turkey will be organising this Championship again in 2009, I personally hope that TCF has learned from the teething issues which had occured in this edtion and also be more careful when selecting the hosting hotel. If that happens, then we will witness the best ever World Youth being organise in 2009.

Round 4 Pairing (Day 5)

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against DECROP of Belgium on Board 2


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02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] (Black)==> Play against MILICEVIC of Canada on Board 26


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03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against MOHINEESH of India on Board 10


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04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against PAPATHANASIOU of Greece on Board 14


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05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against HUNT of England on Board 18


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06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] (Black) ==> Play against ALEV of Turkey on Board 27


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07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] (White) ==> Play against CIRUZZI of Argentina on Board 58


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08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against GLIBSTRUP of Denmark on Board 49


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09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against AYDOGDU of Turkey on Board 45


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10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] (Black) ==> Play against YANG of Taiwan on Board 47




P/S: During the daytime, it is very unlikely to get Internet connection so I'm forced to wake up at 2.30am to download the next round pairing list. Unlike yesterday where I'm alone, I've 4 other people already at the lobby for the same purpose. Only 5 of us, yet the Wi-fi 54Mbps Internet connectivity is crawling like a snail. No wonder most of us cannot get Internet connectivity at all during daytime from Alinda Beach Hotel. Thumb down for a 5-star hotel!!!!!

Appearantly, same problem is faced by other delegates at Sailor Hotel (4-star). The connectivity is better at Limra Hotel (5 star) where the Tournament is held. The photos here were added from Limra Hotel Press Centre.

Round 3 Result (Day 4)

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] ==> Won against AWATRAMANI of Canada on Board 13
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] ==> Lost to NURLAN KYZY of Kyrgyzstan on Board 14
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] ==> Won against GONZALEZ GIMENEZ of Argentina on Board 19
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] ==> Won against DEREKHSHANI of Iran on Board 27
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] ==> Won against TOPAL of Turkey on Board 29
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] ==> Lost to LEZHEPEKOVA of Russia on Board 10
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] ==> Won against KARANLIK of Turkey on Board 74
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] ==> Won against AVCI of Turkey on Board 62
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] ==> Won against LIAO of Taiwan on Board 58
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] ==> Lost to PENA of Columbia on Board 37

P/S: A good day for Malaysians (7 points from 10 games)

Round 3 Pairing (Day 4)

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] ==> Play against AWATRAMANI of Canada on Board 13
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] ==> Play against NURLAN KYZY of Kyrgyzstan on Board 14
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] ==> Play against GONZALEZ GIMENEZ of Argentina on Board 19
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] ==> Play against DEREKHSHANI of Iran on Board 27
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] ==> Play against TOPAL of Turkey on Board 29
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] ==> Play against LEZHEPEKOVA of Russia on Board 10
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] ==> Play against KARANLIK of Turkey on Board 74
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] ==> Play against AVCI of Turkey on Board 62
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] ==> Play against LIAO of Taiwan on Board 58
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] ==> Play against PENA of Columbia on Board 37

P/S: At last, the hotel that we are staying is alive again. The connection speed is excellent since I'm the only person using the Wi-fi now because it's 3am local time.

Round 2 Result (Day 3)

01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] ==> Won against Ho Meg-wei of Taiwan
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] ==> Lost to Mammadova of Azerbaijan
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] ==> Won against Dusak of Croatia
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] ==> Lost to Bagirova of Azerbaijan
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] ==> Lost to Idani of Iran
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] ==> Won against Papathanasiou of Greece
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] ==> Lost to Postolaq of Modolva
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] ==> Lost to Karagollu of Turkey
09) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's] ==> Lost to Tasdelen of Turkey
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] ==> Won against Weideman of South Africa

Pictures from Day 1 & 2

This photo was taken at Antalya Airport

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Wei Hao is looking at Edward's luggage for holes

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The entrance to Alinda Beach Hotel

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My 1st de-briefing session with the team on Day 2

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A group photo while waiting for shuttle bus to transfer us to Tournament Hall at Limra Hotel. Little did we know, the number of shuttle bus was not enough to accomodate all people if we want to reach on time before Rd 1 at 3 pm local time. Majority of the people started their walk from 2.15pm. It took them 15 minutes to reach the gate that leads to the Tournament Hall. We never want to sweat, so decided to force ourselves into shuttle bus

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Arriving at the gate that leads directly to the Tournament Hall

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Disaster!!! Only players can enter the gate but no loudspeaker available to make the announcement and all disgruntled parents crowd at the gate and prevented other players from getting in. Chess players were late up to 30 minutes despite arrived 30 minutes before the start of Rd 1

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The tournament Hall

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Round 2 Pairing (Day 3)

The pairing for round 2 (start at 9pm Malaysian time) is as follow:

01) Yeoh Li Tian (Black) against Ho Meg-wei of Taiwan
02) Tan Wei Hao (White) against Dusak of Croatia
03) Yeap Eng Chiam (Black) against Idani of Iran
04) Muhd Syakir Shazmeer Azhar (White) against Postolaq of Modolva
05) Lim Zhuo Ren (Black) against Karagollu of Turkey
06) Justin Ong (White) against Tasdelen of Turkey
07) Edward Lee (Black) against Weideman of South Africa
08) Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar (Black) against Mammadova of Azerbaijan
09) Nur Nabila Azman Hisham (White) against Bagirova of Azerbaijan
10) Amira Syahmina Zullkafli (Black) against Papathanasiou of Greece

Round 1 Result (Day 2)

The result list is as follow:
No. Name [Category]
01) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's] ==> Won against UAE player
02) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's] ==> Won against Turkish
03) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's] ==> Drew against Turkish
04) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's] ==> Won against Kenyan
05) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's] ==> Won against Kazakhstan player
06) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's] ==> Won against Turkish
07) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's] ==> Lost to American
08) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's] ==> Lost to Philipino rated elo 2164
09) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's] ==> Lost to French rated elo 2396
10) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's: Extra Player] ==> Lost to Czech rated elo 2188

2nd Batch of Malaysian Contingent (Day 2)

The 2nd batch of Malaysian arrived at the hotel 10.30pm local time. Everybody in the team is fine throughout the flight journey. Upon arrival, they proceed to their hotel room directly since I had performed their check-in on their behalf.

Despite the late night sleep, team members of the 2nd batch did not experience any jet-lag. As plan, all of us have our breakfast at 8am together (14 in total). After meal, I conducted the 1st de-brief session for the team on the things I gathered from last night technical meeting.

Alinda Beach Hotel (Day 1)

An introduction to Alinda Beach Hotel. It is a 5 star resort which located about 500 metres away from the playing venue. This hotel has a total of 410 rooms consisting of 335 standard rooms, 51 duplex rooms, 5 apart, 10 junior suites, 4 senior suites, 1 king suit, and 4 handicapped-rooms.


At at 3pm local time, we officially check into our hotel rooms. Also, I have performed check-in on behalf of the 2nd batch which is expected to reach the hotel at 10pm tonight. Nobody in the 1st batch experience any jet-lag. This is a good start for the team in tomorrow competition.

All rooms comprise WC, bathroom, bathroom phone, music broadcasting, satellite TV, direct phone line, mini bar, safe, central air-conditioning installation.

Besides, the wide and spacious balconies of each room enable you to view the unique mountain and sea landscapes. We are enjoying the best picturesque in the hotel since our rooms are located at the highest floor of the 8 story building. 4 of our rooms also enjoy the sea view.

Antalya! Here We Are (Day 1)

The Contingent experience a slight hiccup when boarding the domestic sector due to our boarding passes that were issued at Changi Airport carried different e-ticket serial numbers compare to the Istanbul computer system. Few other passengers also experienced the same problem. Nevertheless, all affected passengers went on board after 10 minutes delay.

We reached Antalya airport at 10am, followed by 1 hour wait for our bus transfer. Our 1st impression on Antalya scenery is like we are back in Malaysia and the weather akin to Genting Highlands. So, we actually flew 5,691 miles to a place just comparable to our country , cool isn't it?

The journey to Limra Hotel is exactly another 1 hour. At 12 noon, we arrived at the hotel. there was a long queue in the player's registration counter. After queeing from 30 minutes, I were told by the organiser, Mr. Koral, that the Malaysian has been re-assigned to Alinda Beach Hotel, another 5 star hotel 500m away from the current hotel even though he is the man who has assigned Limra hotel to us when we registered ourself 3 months ago. Another unfortunate incident since the playing venue is at Limra hotel.

Without much protest, I accepted his final arrangement and waited for another 20 minutes before we were transferred to the new hotel. Upon arrival, the registration process took almost 90 minutes because our masterfile is still at Limra Hotel. Meanwhile, we have our photo taken for ID tag and we have lunch. The good point about this hotel is that there is less attraction activities which means our players will not be easily distracted througout the tournament.

As I was typing this article from the lobby of the hotel, I have received a message that the 2nd batch of Malaysian lead by Azman Hisham has arrived safely at Istanbul.

Hello! Istanbul (Day 1)

The 1st batch of Malaysian Chess Contingent arrived at Istabul at 5am this morning. The domestic flight to Antalya has been retimed to 8.25 am (1 hour later than the scheduled time).

The time right now is 7.15am (1.15pm Malaysian time). The 2nd batch of Malaysian Contingent is already 4 hours on board Malaysian Airlines and on their way to Istanbul. They are expected to arrive around 3pm local time (9pm Malaysian time) at Istanbul before boarding Turkish Airlines plane at 7pm to Antalya.

The 1st unpleasant incident occured to Mr. Yeoh who was unfortunately sit next to a passenger who vomitted onto his pant just as the plane started to take off from Changi Airport. His calmness and positive feeling in tackling the issue is a good example how important a good character can make a great chess player.

We have the British, Kazakhstan, Vietnamense, Philippines, Australian, Singaporean and probably more nationalities accompanying us for the 1st flight into Antalya for the day. The temparature here at the moment is 15 degree celcius.

A brief Introduction about Antalya, Turkey

In the next 3 days, the 1st batch of Malaysia Chess Contingent will be on board the Turkey Airlines departing from Changi Airport, Singapore to Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, followed by a transit to Antalya, Turkey No. 1 Tourism spot, locates at the Southern part of Turkey.


Antalya attracts tourists with its cultural and historical assets, besides its natural beauties. The historical evolution of the region starts from the Middle Paleolithic Era (50,000 B.C.) and continues until the present. In the city founded by Attalus II, the King of Pergamum in the second century B.C., there are numerous ancient cities in the regions which are called by their historical names of Lycia in the west, Pamphylia in the east and Pisidia in the north.

The Mosque with Fluted Minarets which is the symbol of the city, the Murat Pasha Mosque, Tekeli Mehmet Pasha Mosque, the Kaleici (Inner Citadel) District, where the old Antalya houses are located, the Ataturk and Karalioglu parks where various exotic Mediterranean plants are grown, the Hadrianus Gate, the Ataturk and the Archaeological Museums are worth seeing. The Lara beach to the east and the Konyaalti beach to the west of the city are ideal for swimming. Besides these beaches, there are also two water parks in Antalya in which various water games are played.


Among the interesting places in the vicinity of the city of Antalya are the Upper and Lower Duden Falls, Kursunlu Falls, Saklikent, which is a winter sports center, Gulluk Mountain National Park, with its famous ancient city of Termessos and Karain Cave which was a settlement place in the Stone Age.

SJK(C) Kepong 2 Continues To Dominate KL Chess Scene

In the recently concluded MSSMKL Inter-School Team Competition, SJK(C) Kepong 2 continues her domination in the Primary School Category when both the Boys and Girls won their respective category.

In the Boys' Section, the school did not field their two national-class chess players namely Lim Chin Shen (MSSM Team Gold Medalist) and Tan Wei Hao (National U-10 Champion) in the team event, instead the school had open the door to some back-up squad players to have a chance taking part in the team event. This new team has done relatively well by capturing the title with 15.5 points from 20 games played. In this event, SJK(C) Jinjang Selatan had finished 2nd ahead of Sri Cempaka on tie-break count. Both teams had finished with 14 points. There were 20 schools took part in this 1-day event.

Meanwhile, SJK(C) Kepong Girls had dominated the Girls' Section when they amassed with 16.5 points followed by Sri Garden at a distant 2nd with 12.5 points, and SK Convent Bukit Nanas in 3rd with 12 points. There were 16 schools took part in this 1-day event.

So far, SJK(C) Kepong 2 being the One and Only Primary School in KL that Coach Lim has extended his services. Beginning 2008, Coach Lim would like to expand his contribution to other primary schools in KL by introducing the "know how" secret in chess that is used in the Chess Training Excellence Programme aka CTEP. If there is any KL primary schools who wish to be part of this successful Academy, you can contact Mr. Lim @ 012-298 4922.

Updated 1st Feb 2008: Coach Lim has accepted another primary school in KL under his wing i.e. SK(L) Methodist KL and first secondary school in KL i.e. SMK (L) Methodist KL.

Updated 1st Feb 2012: All these three schools in KL that Coach Lim offers his service has emerged as chess powerhouse in KL

Result: Kepong Juniors Chess Tournament 2007

The Category U-08 was won by Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar (one of pre-tournament favourites) with 5.5 points from 6 games, followed by Chong Wui Foong (another pre-tournament favourite) and Chua Yee Ler. Also, there are 2 newcomers to nationally-rated chess tournament namely Ryan Athanasius and Chew Esheng who finished 8th and 9th respectively.

The Under-10 category saw a five-way tie with 5 points from 6 games. The category won by Mohd Faisal Roslan (one of pre-tournament favourites), followed by Wendy Tan and Tan Wei Hao finished 2nd and 3rd respectively after tie-break count. There is a newcomer, Wong Zhen Yau, who finished at 10th place.

The Under-12 category won by Lim Chin Shen (one of pre-tournament favourites). He registered 5 wins in a row that includes defeating Nur Nabila Azman Hisham (tournament top seed) and Low Jun Keat (another pre-tournament favorite) in round 4 and 5 respectively before agreed to a draw in an advantage position over Wong Jian Wen (another pre-tournament favorite). With the draw, Jian Wen finished 2nd, ahead of Joshua Teo after tie-break count.

The Under-14 Category won by pre-tournament top seed, Edward Lee Kim Han, who is the only player in this year Kepong Juniors that won all the 6 games. He disposed of two other pre-tournament favourites namely Muhd Nabil Azman Hisham and Muhd Syakir Shazmeer in round 4 and 5 respectively. At the end of the tournament, Syakir and Nabil finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The Under-16 Category saw a dramatic fight back by Tariq Amru (one of the pre-tournament favourites) after he lost to Lim Zhuo Ren (pre-tournament second seed) in Rd 4 when he defeated the clear favourite, Francis Tan, who lead the whole field by 1 point into the last round. Tariq scored an upset win against Francis by winning his last game convincingly. Based on the ruling that Personal Encounter is to be used as 1st tie-break, the title is awarded to Tariq even though his other tie-break counts were very much inferior compare to Francis. While, Zhuo Ren finished 3rd ahead of Tan Ken Wei after tie-break count.

This year edition results showed no major upset between competitors where all pre-tournament favorites had emerged as Champion in all the categories contested. Also, a total 35 players from the list of top 10 seeded players in each category (five categories in total) had emerged as top 10 prize winners at the end of the tournament.

Lastly, the Organiser, PIBG of SJK(C) Kepong 2 had agreed to submit this event for National rating purpose. The school hopes to see more participation in this event next year since this will be Nationally-rated event.

Pre-tournament Favourites for Kepong Juniors Chess Tournament

A total of 69 players have registered for the Under-08 category. For the first time in Malaysian history that girls have occupied the 3 highest seeding in an Open category. Pre-tournament favourites are:
1. Nur Najiha Azman Hisham (N.Rtg: 1445) --> 2007 Nat. U-08 Girl's 2nd
2. Puteri Rifqah Fahada Azhar (N.Rtg: 1328) --> 2007 Nat. U-08 Girl's Champion
3. Nurulhana Syuhada Mohd Sulkifly (N.Rtg: 1243)
4. Chong Wui Foong
5. Tan Yong Zhao

The Under-10 category has received the best response from parents where entries from 69 players have been accepted and the Organiser had closed the registration for this category on 2nd Oct. Several entries that arrived after 2nd Oct are pushed to U-12 category. Pre-tournament favourites are:

1. Tan Wei Hao (N.Rtg: 1519) --> 2007 Nat. U-10 Open Champion
2. Yeoh Li Yuan (N.Rtg: 1485) --> 2007 Nat. U-10 Open 2nd
3. Mohd Faizal Roslan (N.Rtg: 1438)
4. Derek Poon Guo Liong
5. Ee Sun-Xin

The Under-12 category has 56 players have registered. Pre-tournament favourites are:
1. Nur Nabila Azman Hisham (N.Rtg: 1561) --> 2007 Nat. U-10 Girl's Champion
2. Wong Jianwen (N.Rtg: 1526) --> 2007 Nat. U-12 Open 2nd
3. Low Jun Keat (N.Rtg: 1505)
4. Lim Chin Shen
5. Nicholas Lee Kim Hua

As for the Under-14 Category, there is a total of 41 players have registered. Pre-tournament favourites are:
1. Edward Lee Kim Han (N.Rtg: 1793) --> 2007 Nat. U-14 Open 2nd
2. Muhd Syakir Shazmeer Azhar (N.Rtg: 1632) --> 2007 Nat. U-14 Open Champion
3. Low Jun Jian (N.Rtg: 1629)
4. Muhd Nabil Azman Hisham
5. Winnie Hong Wee Ni

Lastly, the Under-16 Category has received a very dissapointing response with 21 players have registered. Pre-tournament favourites are:
1. Francis Tan (N.Rtg: 1800) --> National representative to 2005 Zonal 3.3
2. Lim Zhuo Ren (N.Rtg: 1757) --> 2007 Nat. U-16 Open Champion
3. Amir Hamzah Kamarul Zaman (N.Rtg: 1750)
4. Tan Ken Wei
5. Muhd Tariq Amru

MCF Chess Rating List (Oct 2007 release)

The MCF chess rating list has just released. The MCF chess rating is approximately 250 rating points lower than the FIDE elo rating used by World Chess Federation.

The top 10 juniors for the period from July to Sept 2007:
1. Anas Nazreen Bakri (N.Rtg: 2007) --> 2006 Olympian, National representative to 2007 Asian Indoor Games
2. Zarul Shazwan Zullkafli(N.Rtg: 1903) --> 2007 National Men Champion, 2004 Olympian
3. Sumant Subramaniam (N.Rtg: 1853) --> 2007 Youth Olympian
4. Abel Yap Jinwei (N.Rtg: 1802) --> 2006 National U-20 Champion, Record holder for any player in M'sia by winning Kepong Juniors Championship U-08, U-10, U-12, U-14, and U-16 category within 7 years.
5. Francis Tan (N.Rtg: 1800) --> National representative to 2005 Zonal 3.3
6. Edward Lee Kim Han (N.Rtg: 1793) --> 2007 RS Grand Prix Champion
7. Kaushal Khandhar (N.Rtg: 1779) --> National representative to 2007 Zonal 3.3
8. Yeap Eng Chiam (N.Rtg: 1770) --> 2005 World Youth U-10 6th, MSSM U-12 Champion
9. Lim Zhuo Ren (N.Rtg: 1757) --> 2007 National U-16 Champion
10. Leong Zhi Wen (N.Rtg: 1752) --> 2007 National U-20 Champion, MSSM U-18 Champion

You may download the entire rating list either from Malaysia's Biggest Internet Chess Circle (you need to subscribe to chess-malaysia group)or Malaysia's leading chess portal.

13th Kepong Juniors Open on 28 October

Update(25 Oct): All participants must report to the Official In-Charge at the Confirmation Counter, Assembly area of the school BY 8.30 AM on this Sunday.

Update(12 Oct): The U-08 Category was closed for registration. Any registration form for this category that are mailed to SJK(C) Kepong 2 will be pushed to U-12 Category.

Update(6 Oct): The registration deadline has been extended to 15TH OCTOBER 2007.

Update(3 Oct): The U-10 Category has been closed for registration as of yesterday. Any registration form for this category that are mailed to SJK(C) Kepong 2 from today onwards will be pushed to U-12 Category.

SJK(C) Kepong 2 will be organizing a 6-round international chess competition on 28th OCTOBER (Sunday) at the school premise. This 13th edition event will begins from 8 am until 6 pm.

The categories to be contested are Under-08, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, and Under-16. A total of 73 individual prizes and 5 team prizes awaiting the prize winners for the 5 categories.

So, for those who wish to take part in this annual event, please download the entry form, then fill it up, attached a cheque of RM 15 and post it to the given address in the entry form. The registration fee is inclusive of lunch, snacks, and drinks. For more information, please call Mr. Lim @ 012-2984922

Chef De Mission for the World Youth Chess Championship 2007

The founder of the Academy, Mr. Lim Tse Pin, is selected by Malaysian Chess Federation to become the Chef-De-Mission for the Malaysian Contingent to this year World Youth Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey.

A total of 10 players contesting in 9 different categories together with 3 accompanying parents will be going to Turkey in November. The contingent will goes in two batches due to a huge fluctuation in pricing for air ticket to Istanbul using Turkish Airlines.

The 1st batch is expected to arrive in Antalya airport at 8.30 am on 17 Nov, while the 2nd batch will be flying using Malaysian Airlines is expected to reach around 8.30 pm on the same day. Round 1 for the event will start at 3 pm on 18 Nov.

The contingent list is as follow:
No. Name [Category]
01) Lim, Tse Pin [Chef De Mission]
02) Yeoh, Li Tian [U-08 Boy's]
03) Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada [U-08 Girl's]
04) Tan, Wei Hao [U-10 Boy's]
05) Azman Hisham, Nur Nabila [U-10 Girl's]
06) Yeap, Eng Chiam [U-12 Boy's]
07) Zullkafli, Amira Syahmina [U-12 Girl's]
08) Azhar, Muhammad Syakir Shazmeer [U-14 Boy's]
09) Lim, Zhuo Ren [U-16 Boy's]
10) Lee, Kim Han Edward [U-18 Boy's]
11) Ong, Way Justin [U-16 Boy's: Extra Player]
12) Yeoh, Chin Seng [Accompany Parent]
13) Siow, Susan [Accompany Parent]
14) Che Doi, Azman Hisham [Accompany Parent]

Sterling Performances in MSSM Kuching 2007

Trainees from the Academy who either representing KL or Selangor have helped their states to win gold medals in 7 categories. This year, both Selangor and KL have amassed as Champion in 10 categories from a possible of 12 categories offered in this year MSSM.

A month earlier, the trainees have captured 4 individual gold medals, and a dozen of gold, silver and bronze (combined together) from the Team categories at the State-level Schools Championship.

The Academy Offers

Type Programme [Venue] >>> Duration [Scope]

A) Inter-Class Chess Tournament cum Elementary Development (ICT.Ed) [School] >>> 3 Lessons + 1 Tournament [(i) Chess Basics; (ii) Chess Openings; and (iii) Chess Tournament]. This programme is suitable for schools who want an introduction of chess in school.

B) M. Intensive Introductory Courseware (M.IIc) [School] >>> 4 to 10 Lessons [(i) Chess Basics; (ii) Chess Openings; and (iii) Games Analysis]. This programme is highly suitable for schools who want to prepare for Inter-school competition, inter-zone, and inter-district competition.

C) M. School Courseware (M.Sc) [School] >>> 2 years: 60 Lessons [(i) Chess Basics; (ii) Chess Openings; (iii) Checkmate Patterns; (iv) Chess Endgames; (v) Games Blunders; (vi) Games Analysis; (vii) Evaluation Techniques; and (viii) Assessment]. This programme is highly suitable for schools who want to use chess an an educational tool to improve children thinking methodology.

D) M. Chess Training Excellence Programme (M.CTEP) [School] >>> 3 years: up to 90 Lessons [Stage 1: M. School Courseware; Stage 2: M. Comprehensive Principle Guidelines Courseware; and Stage 3: Tactical Courseware]. This programme is highly suitable for schools who have great interest in producing national class chess players.

E) M. Chess Training Excellence Programme (M.CTEP) [Home] >>> 4 years: 160 Lessons [Stage 1: M. School Courseware; Stage 2: M. Comprehensive Principle Guidelines Courseware; Stage 3: Tactical Courseware; Stage 4: Comprehensive Endgame Courseware; and Stage 5: M. Analysis & Opening Specialty Courseware]. This programme is highly suitable for parents who want a customisable programme that can cater to the needs of their children in chess learning.


For schools / chess clubs / parents who wish to know more on the details of the chess programmes offered by Coach Lim, please do not hesitate to call Coach Lim @ 012-298 4922.

About The Academy

Coach Lim is leader of chess organisation in Malaysia, representing technical, arbitrating, organising, training methodology, and tournament management functional expertise.

Under Mr. Lim Tse Pin unorthodox leadership style at the state-level chess association, both Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have transformed into a chess powerhouse in Malaysia since 2000. He replicate, enhance and more importantly own the success achieved at his associate with the chess organisation.

Coach Lim offers modular therefore customisable and scalable training manuals to children with high level of practical experience, know-how [expertise], high success rate based on successfully implemented methodologies.

Since 2002, many children have attended training offered by Coach Lim with some children have achieved remarkable results. Over a short span of 4 years, Coach Lim has position himself as the leader in chess training in the country with ten national titles won by the trainees and two-dozen players represented the country and still growing in number.

The success of Coach Lim over a short period of time is largely credited for using structural training approach. A formalized and time-tested chess kit will be given to trainees regardless of their existing playing strength at the point of enrolment.

In the National Age-Group Championship in March 2006, Coach Lim trainees won 4 gold medals from the 12 categories contested which is the best ever single result by Chess Coaches / Chess Academies / Clubs in Malaysia in the past 30 years. While, 2005 edition witnessed his trainees’ captured 3 National titles.

In addition, Coach Lim trainees have helped both KL and Selangor to win 4 gold medals from 12 categories (6 individuals + 6 teams) contested during MSSM 2005. Meanwhile at State-level Schools Championship, Coach Lim trainees won 5 out of 12 individual gold medals at stake.