Saturday,16 February,
12.30 am, Setiawangsa, just read the first 300 pages of The Fountainhead (and
it is just getting exciting and exciting!)...in a few hours time...and almost
500 kilometres away... Terengganu will organize a rapid chess tournament at
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu...should i go or should i just stay at KL?
...but to
chose between playing chess among friends next to blue South China Sea or alone
reading a novel (even a great novel that i am reading now) under grey landscape
of KL is a no brainer decision for me.
Quickly I
grabbed my car key, SMSed those who should know that i am making this trip
(just in case) and hit the East Coast Highway in no time...
Country
roads, take me home
To the place I belong
Terengganu, Sea side Mama
Take me home, country roads
To the place I belong
Terengganu, Sea side Mama
Take me home, country roads
That is how
i end up playing at TCA Rapid...initially plan for 7 rounds, 20 minutes time
control but due to overwhelming response (122 players), organizer decide to
change it to 8 rounds, 15 minutes time control...that just fine with me, the
more the better...
Top 5 seeded
11. Syazwan
22.
Ilham
33.
Norazmi
44
Hashim
55
Fairul
Top 5
finishers
11
Fairul
22
Syazwan
33
Ruzenan
44
Rahim
55
Ilham
Trivias
Norazmi Mohd
Noor
Norazmi had
a tournament he would rather forget, after 5 wins he just melted down on his
last 3 rounds (2 losses and a draw), did not finished even among top 15.
Had a small
chit chat with him before a first round...he informed he had just come back
from Sabah...representing his University Team in a football tournament! Vintage
Norazmi the sportsman!
MasHafizul
Helmi
After second
round, MasHafizul (together with his family) pay a visit to this tournament. He is on
his way back to KL from a long CNY break...can be seen having a long, private,
serious discussion with Ruzenan, his old friend way back during Mas’ Petronas
day or maybe way back before that...
By the way, wonder
what the discussion is all about ? :)
Worthy winner,
Fairul Yusof aka Gambit.
The crowd
favourite, Fairul Yusof is a worthy winner of this tournament, scoring 7.5 out
of 8 (he drew his last round game against Rahim)...dashatt!!
For record,
during Association’s AGM, Fairul has been re-elected as Treasurer.
TCA AGM
Talk about
AGM...TCA’s AGM went through smoothly...a new president is elected, Dr Pouzi
(Rahim refuse to defend its post), Ghalam Sani is the new Deputy President,
Arshad is the new secretary (replacing the late Cikgu Sabirin who died in last
year fatal accident) and etc.
After the
meeting i informed Greg, who happened to sit next to me...”I don’t think next
month MCF meeting will be as smooth as Terengganu’s”
Greg just
smiled...
Greg,
Haslindah and Zuraidah (and Ghalam)
Quite a
surprise...Trio can be seen at this tournament...my first impression is
like...wow! busy campaigning ?
Actually
they are here under personal invitation of Ghalam Sani, who seem of late busy
reactivating his chess contact and to deliver MCF President’s personal donation
to TCA with the purpose of organizing a tahlil to late Cikgu Sabirin and
family.
Talk about
Ghalam and reactivation of his chess contact...last month I received a dreaded
2 am call...my imagination runs wild thinking of who is making this call at 2
am...and what is the important information caller wants to inform...my head dizzy
with the possible bad news scenarios...
Actually it
is just Ghalam (after god knows how many years of silent) and he called just to inform that he reads my posting
about him and just usual call to chit chat...at 2 am!
Thats
Ghalam...full of surprises! and glad to see his interest in chess is back again...
After the
tournament
Few of us
(Ruzenan, Gambit, Hashim and few others) went for ‘makan keropok’ session
sponsored by the champion...some who knows that i am about to went back to Kl
on the same day advise me not to do it because obviously i am very tired...some
asked me to stay at his house and some even offered me to stay at one of his
chalets...TQ! TQ!
I said not
to worry...but still after the keropok session and after fill up my car boot
with keropok lekor, keropok keeping, duku, dokong etc...usual tourist stuff...i
quietly rushed back to KL.
1000 kms
journey , 8 rounds chess tournament, an AGM... all in 24 hours...
Oopps! I did
it again!
It seems that MCF AGM next month is causing a minor stir in the north :)
ReplyDeleteWho is Trengganu supporting for President? ;)
Ilham,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar journey on Saturday - from KL to Felda Lasah, Sungai Siput.
Yup, it was not as far as KL-Ganu, but I was on my trusty old bike (speed not exceeding 80km/h)and Lasah was d place where "the jinns-like-to-kick", if you know what I mean.. :)
By the way, do you have an Facebook account, Ilham?
Oh. I forgot to mention it; it was for Open Chess Tournament @ Felda Lasah, Sungai Siput (U)...
ReplyDeleteHi Jimmy,
ReplyDelete:)
Frankly i don't know who Terengganu will support for President Post...
Next month will be an election month for M (Malaysia and MCF)...whoever win hopefully will not have revenge on whoever that did not...
Don't follow Abba's song...
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It's simple and it's plain
Why should I complain?
Hi abdooss,
KL-Lasah on a small bike for a chess tournament?....crazy thing that we do for a game we love! :)
I don't have facebook account...maybe i should open one...heard many interesting thing happen there...hot and spicy! :)
Ayn Rand, Ilham. Good book. I agree with your sentiments that it should be winner takes it all. We need to remove the hate out of the equation and bring sense back into chess. All have rights within the chess community. States, Players, parents, officials, Academies, trainers, coaches etc. It becomes a problem only when one party tries to take away the rights of others by belligerence and gangster ways.
ReplyDeleteHi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Ayn Rand is...how to say it...one hell of a novelist...not even finish one of her book, i am a fan already! :)
Actually my sentiment is winner should NOT take all hence i said that we should not follow Abba's song...Winner takes it all...we should not follow this one.
Yes, that is what I meant. Typo. The issue I see now is being able to compromise. But for that to happen those guys have to meet each other half way. That means they need to see that each side has legitimate grievances as well as rights. So they need to sit down and talk with no threats. As far as I know this has not happened yet but I live in hope. :)
ReplyDeleteIlham,
ReplyDeleteYes, crazy things we do for a game that we love! :)
But, by the end of the day, let us remember that it is just a game, not real life.
So, there's no need to be "crazy" all the time about it. (Maybe half the time, then? ;) )