IMO,IMO
- Above stands for IGB Malaysia Open,In My Opinion. Sorry could not help it!
- It is a very strong tournament. How strong? Well, all I can say Fischer is not even among Top 100.
- As at time of writing, 5 rounds have been played. Best Malaysian so far are Dr Ronnie and Evan Capel, raking 3.5 points so far out of five.
- Most impressive Malaysian so far is our little darling, our little hope, Tan Li Ting, raking 34 Elo gains so far from her 3 points out of five.
- Best Malaysian we know, most impressive Malaysian we know but guess who is the most profitable Malaysian? Most profitable Malaysian is no doubt Mr Jax Tham, raking few hundreds Ringgit out of 4 days so far from selling chess books outside the hall. I could see some players bought two plastic bags full of books!
- "Why are you not playing, Jax?" I asked him. "I am not qualified in Veteran...I am not qualified in Ambank...and the fee for Open is expensive. Might as well I am manning my stall here"...very true Jax, and ofcourse you are not qualified in Swensen!
- Talk above (expensive) fee. This year Blitz Fee is RM35 for initial 9 rounds. I have heard some unhappy voices but for me, i will still play and support this event...not everyday you can play blitz against GM (and hopefully, against WGM or WIM! :) )
- Many familiar faces around, Greg can be seen talking to Raymond Siew, Kamaluddin is here on third day, I saw Peter Long, Muammar is here, Fadzil Nayan is here everyday giving his undivided support to...we all know who! :) Mok is here too.
- Ah...Mok Tze Meng! Mok can be heard engaged in 'passionate' discussion about local chess outside the hall, clearing some misconception on issues that involved him. He also told a story on how to deal with a rude chess player...we all just laughed listening to him! :)
- Chied Arbiter, Mr Najib, informed players on dress code during the event, no slippers, no shorts. Well, i agreed with no slippers ruling but i disagree on no shorts ruling!
- There are many more to see and learn...so what are you waiting for? Quickly go to Cititel Midvalley to watch all the actions live!
- ...but make sure you go to level 5 and not Level 3. For at Level 3 I have made to understand ( I have never been there, ok!) there is also a tournament, you pay entrance fee depend on type of event you want to participate, heck...here you can also chose your opponent and time control! But believe me, tournament at Level 5 is more exciting!
I like to read your witty and resourceful comments. Keep on blogging.
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