Chessaholic
After more than 100 days sober and free from the grip of tournament chess, i couldn't resist it anymore, last weekend i went alone to DATCC...the sound of chess pieces being captured...and the smell of plastic pieces...the laughter of my fellow chess buddy...ahh, damn it, the temptation too strong...i got dizzy and weak and silently...enter chess tournament again, Insofar Chess Tournament.
Insofar
Insofar tournament is arguably the third most difficult thing to understand (the first is young lady, close second is old lady). Starts with entrance fee (you can chose to pay RM20 or RM50), the prize structure (the scholarship things, 60 months continuos payment reward, the vouchers), the reward for serial entree (my understanding is if you enter 3 times in a row then you are guaranteed of certain amount of prize, every month for 60 months),and there is this equation 1 RM= 1 unit...i got confuse.
But all in all it is a generous tournament, well run and well, bit misunderstood...for clarification you can always check this out with Encik Mat Zaki. He shall be glad to assist.
Ah, never mind about prizes, after all i am here for jolly good hour of chess. So i proceed to make a payment...so, via cash or voucher? come back the question, i got even confuse. Voucher?
Cash!, i replied...ok, you play first, make payment AFTER round one, i was told. I smiled, ah, evil you! just like a bank's credit card tactic, used first, pay later...Result of this novelty play first, pay later concept?... Also like a bank, customer needs to be reminded again and again to make payment, round after round,....not sure whether at the end of round 7, if any player manage to avoid from making payment.
Enough about it, let's proceed with proper tournament report. A very good turnout (100 plus), seeded number one is Yeoh Li Tian, seeded number double one (or eleven) is yours truly, elsewhere there are AM Fadzil Nayan, IM Giam, NM Kamal Ariffin, Kamaluddin, Syazwan, Zaidan, Sumant, Aqie, Zambri, Ng6 (with son!) etc.
On and off, IM Mok can be seen here, So are CM Fadli and CK Saprin (Cari Komputer). IA Hamid Majid also around and many others...just too many to mention.
I finished at 5 points out of 7 and left early (partly to avoid KL's famous afternoon shower, mostly because i am sure i am not winning any prizes...bad habit, don't follow) not sure who is the winner but i think its Li Tian.
Below is my round 6 game.
Bro, since this is allegro...I want to be hero and play like Moro...Result? Zero. I have never play this bad...
W: Mohd Tayah
B: Ilham
With game like this...it is time for me to enter chess rehab.
Me :Hello, my name is Ilham...
Other:Hello, Ilham.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
WHY I PLAY CHESS...
I play chess because 29 years ago, trapped inside my auntie typical Terengganu’s wooden house at Kampung Ladang due to heavy monsoon rain, I learned to play a war game that soon become an obsession, an addiction and took a life of its own that I now can barely able to control.
I play chess because when i was young (read:stupid) i thought this is the cool way to impress my pretty schoolmates...no success, some even until now don't know i am exist.
I play chess because chess game allowed me to unleash that primitive primordial urge in me, Homo Sapien, to kill...to torture..to strangle my fellow human rival (although most of the time, i am the one who at the receiving end), albeit only in a game.
I play chess because chess is the only world where the more queens you have, the less headache is your situation! Unlike the real world where more queens equate to more profit to Panadol company. The best part is in chess it is not wrong to have more than 4 queens legally!
I play chess because chess teach patience...we need to wait our opponent to make his/her move before we can make our move...we need to wait for tournament (1st round) to start, normally half an hour late, the earliest, from schedule...of course, as at now, we have been waiting 57 years, and counting, for Malaysia to have our own GM.
I play chess because as an adult (read: wiser…hopefully) chess teach me valuable skills such as detecting traps from miles away, innocently creating traps to my unsuspected victim, maximising limited resources etc... skills I found useful now to survive in a jungle called adulthood.
I play chess because it is the game i can play theoretically forever. Chess is the only game that 50 years from now…if I am still alive and hopefully still passionately and intimately in love with chess…I, then an 88 years old payer, can play/fight as an equal against 20 years old kid… Cannot say the same for say …88 years old rugby player.
I play chess because chess make it possible (thanks Mr Internet) for me to play chess against my fellow citizen of the world that locate at Jeddah or Jerusalem , or to play against freely floating astronaut at Space Station to prisoner at some maximum security prison… The force of chess and internet already tore down invisible, divisive wall of race and religion. …exactly what politician wished they could do it but failed miserably.
I play chess because chess is democracy at its purest. Each side got its own equal firepower, equal move, equal time, equal set of laws. Player with best campaign or preparation wins. No veto, no politic. Simple.
I play chess because 29 years ago, I used to think with chess, it is possible to make some good money (good money, not coins, ok)…now I know good money in chess belongs only to World top 20 players…definitely fortune is not smiling to one obscure world number 68,509 (read:me!)
I play chess because it teach me that making a first move is advantage, profitable...but me being me, only ever willing to make the first move in chess...and prefer to 'play it safe' by allowing others to make their first move outside chess...and which later i regret it.
I play chess because when i was young (read:stupid) i thought this is the cool way to impress my pretty schoolmates...no success, some even until now don't know i am exist.
I play chess because chess game allowed me to unleash that primitive primordial urge in me, Homo Sapien, to kill...to torture..to strangle my fellow human rival (although most of the time, i am the one who at the receiving end), albeit only in a game.
I play chess because chess is the only world where the more queens you have, the less headache is your situation! Unlike the real world where more queens equate to more profit to Panadol company. The best part is in chess it is not wrong to have more than 4 queens legally!
I play chess because chess teach patience...we need to wait our opponent to make his/her move before we can make our move...we need to wait for tournament (1st round) to start, normally half an hour late, the earliest, from schedule...of course, as at now, we have been waiting 57 years, and counting, for Malaysia to have our own GM.
I play chess because as an adult (read: wiser…hopefully) chess teach me valuable skills such as detecting traps from miles away, innocently creating traps to my unsuspected victim, maximising limited resources etc... skills I found useful now to survive in a jungle called adulthood.
I play chess because it is the game i can play theoretically forever. Chess is the only game that 50 years from now…if I am still alive and hopefully still passionately and intimately in love with chess…I, then an 88 years old payer, can play/fight as an equal against 20 years old kid… Cannot say the same for say …88 years old rugby player.
I play chess because chess make it possible (thanks Mr Internet) for me to play chess against my fellow citizen of the world that locate at Jeddah or Jerusalem , or to play against freely floating astronaut at Space Station to prisoner at some maximum security prison… The force of chess and internet already tore down invisible, divisive wall of race and religion. …exactly what politician wished they could do it but failed miserably.
I play chess because chess is democracy at its purest. Each side got its own equal firepower, equal move, equal time, equal set of laws. Player with best campaign or preparation wins. No veto, no politic. Simple.
I play chess because 29 years ago, I used to think with chess, it is possible to make some good money (good money, not coins, ok)…now I know good money in chess belongs only to World top 20 players…definitely fortune is not smiling to one obscure world number 68,509 (read:me!)
I play chess because it teach me that making a first move is advantage, profitable...but me being me, only ever willing to make the first move in chess...and prefer to 'play it safe' by allowing others to make their first move outside chess...and which later i regret it.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
ANAND'S CHESS (MIS)QUOTE
Let me add a bit what IM Jimmy has wrote here about GM Anand's now famous quote
Intro
In life there are 2 major lines of thinking. The first is the one who followed everything to the letter, "you drove above speed limit, here! RM300 fine because law said so, your IC and driving license...." and the second one, those who used judgment, see the bigger picture, used discretion to evaluate things before deciding on the next course of action "you drove above speed limit to send your about-to-deliver wife to hospital...ok, no fine, quick! i will escort and clear the road for you..."
Ok maybe there is 3rd line of thinking...never mind, maybe next time...
Point
My point is we should not take Anand's quoatation word by word, verbatim...it should be seen together with the reasons why Anand say that, which unfortunately we did not know. However, I believe it is Anand's response to question like "At what age we can determine whether a chess player is World Champ's material?" or something like that...definitely i think the question is not "Mr Anand, what is your advice to Malaysian chess junior?"
We should not be the extremist and takes this quotation verbatim. After all many other GMs said "worst" such as Nigel Short who has once said "Chess is ruthless: you've got to be prepared to kill people". Is it fair it we bandied around Short's short (sorry, could not resist that!) quote above by saying only killer makes a good chess player because Short said so? We understand what Short mean with his quotation the way we should understand Anand's quotation is not meant to discourage young chess player.
Anand's quoatation is more to reflect the changes in time (Super GM are getting younger and younger...), the more competitive nature of chess now and his realistic view of quest for a World Champ's title etc.
It is sad when GM Anand's (arguably the most well mannered sportsman in chess) quotation is towed around to show as an example of how Malaysian chess society tried to dampen the spirit of its youngsters.
It is totally not the case.
"Nowadays, when you are not a GM at 14 you can forget about it"
Intro
In life there are 2 major lines of thinking. The first is the one who followed everything to the letter, "you drove above speed limit, here! RM300 fine because law said so, your IC and driving license...." and the second one, those who used judgment, see the bigger picture, used discretion to evaluate things before deciding on the next course of action "you drove above speed limit to send your about-to-deliver wife to hospital...ok, no fine, quick! i will escort and clear the road for you..."
Ok maybe there is 3rd line of thinking...never mind, maybe next time...
Point
My point is we should not take Anand's quoatation word by word, verbatim...it should be seen together with the reasons why Anand say that, which unfortunately we did not know. However, I believe it is Anand's response to question like "At what age we can determine whether a chess player is World Champ's material?" or something like that...definitely i think the question is not "Mr Anand, what is your advice to Malaysian chess junior?"
We should not be the extremist and takes this quotation verbatim. After all many other GMs said "worst" such as Nigel Short who has once said "Chess is ruthless: you've got to be prepared to kill people". Is it fair it we bandied around Short's short (sorry, could not resist that!) quote above by saying only killer makes a good chess player because Short said so? We understand what Short mean with his quotation the way we should understand Anand's quotation is not meant to discourage young chess player.
Anand's quoatation is more to reflect the changes in time (Super GM are getting younger and younger...), the more competitive nature of chess now and his realistic view of quest for a World Champ's title etc.
It is sad when GM Anand's (arguably the most well mannered sportsman in chess) quotation is towed around to show as an example of how Malaysian chess society tried to dampen the spirit of its youngsters.
It is totally not the case.
Monday, February 6, 2012
FOR A CHANGE...
The Audition
Few weeks ago I went to one of a local TV station to take part in audition process for one family game show. Reached there at about 10am and after finish filled the form and signed the Term and Condition...I was given number 20.
While waiting for my number to be call (they called my number at about 5pm, after waiting for 7 hours), I look around and cannot help to notice there are many similarities between participants attending the Local Game Audition and chess players entering chess tournament.
The Regular
Believe it or not there is a clique of people who make taking part in any TV shows/games as their hobby (career?!). They know each other and always talk about previous TV game show like we talk about Selangor Open or National Closed…and they know what’s going on in local TV shows , who’s who etc. Hearing them talked, you feel how ‘green’ and how ‘out prepared’ you are compared with these professionals. Must be what newbies feels when we, the chess regulars, start discussing Dragon and Marshall Attack! or whether Malaysia Olympiad 1986 is the best team...
Not sure whether they have website sharing their knowledge about this…or self promoting themselves via it!
The Opinionist.
I happened to sit next to an uncle who is very generous with ideas. They should limit the number of contestantlah…they should doing thislah…they should doing thatlah…I asked him what is his number…smiled, he told me he did not take part in the audition (just accompany his daughter).
The Secretive vs The Professor
After finished audition, contestant will be mobbed by other fella contestant who yet to be audition, asking what they asked to do inside the studio. Some refused to answer (afraid of giving his opponent an unfair advantage) while some are very generous with answers (in chess it is equivalent to reveal all one opening preparation for the sake of impressing fellow contestant)
The Rights to ‘ban’ clause.
After I have signed the Terms and Conditions and have all the time in this world waiting for my number to be call, only then I read the T&C (My boss will surely scream at me should she knew I signed first, read later…). Hmm, Ok, they have this ‘ban clause’…”…reserved the rights at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual …”:)
The Differences
Maybe the only different is on the prize money, unlike chess the first prize of winning this show is , I was told, around tens of thousands (and this game show is considered 'very small', according to The Regular) while in chess with first prize in tens of thousands, it will surely be a mega event…
Last but not least, sorry guys, cannot be specific on this posting since I have signed Confidential Agreement with them. Fully believed if this TV station say they will sue me under whatever ground, it will not going to be NATO….
Few weeks ago I went to one of a local TV station to take part in audition process for one family game show. Reached there at about 10am and after finish filled the form and signed the Term and Condition...I was given number 20.
While waiting for my number to be call (they called my number at about 5pm, after waiting for 7 hours), I look around and cannot help to notice there are many similarities between participants attending the Local Game Audition and chess players entering chess tournament.
The Regular
Believe it or not there is a clique of people who make taking part in any TV shows/games as their hobby (career?!). They know each other and always talk about previous TV game show like we talk about Selangor Open or National Closed…and they know what’s going on in local TV shows , who’s who etc. Hearing them talked, you feel how ‘green’ and how ‘out prepared’ you are compared with these professionals. Must be what newbies feels when we, the chess regulars, start discussing Dragon and Marshall Attack! or whether Malaysia Olympiad 1986 is the best team...
Not sure whether they have website sharing their knowledge about this…or self promoting themselves via it!
The Opinionist.
I happened to sit next to an uncle who is very generous with ideas. They should limit the number of contestantlah…they should doing thislah…they should doing thatlah…I asked him what is his number…smiled, he told me he did not take part in the audition (just accompany his daughter).
The Secretive vs The Professor
After finished audition, contestant will be mobbed by other fella contestant who yet to be audition, asking what they asked to do inside the studio. Some refused to answer (afraid of giving his opponent an unfair advantage) while some are very generous with answers (in chess it is equivalent to reveal all one opening preparation for the sake of impressing fellow contestant)
The Rights to ‘ban’ clause.
After I have signed the Terms and Conditions and have all the time in this world waiting for my number to be call, only then I read the T&C (My boss will surely scream at me should she knew I signed first, read later…). Hmm, Ok, they have this ‘ban clause’…”…reserved the rights at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual …”:)
The Differences
Maybe the only different is on the prize money, unlike chess the first prize of winning this show is , I was told, around tens of thousands (and this game show is considered 'very small', according to The Regular) while in chess with first prize in tens of thousands, it will surely be a mega event…
Last but not least, sorry guys, cannot be specific on this posting since I have signed Confidential Agreement with them. Fully believed if this TV station say they will sue me under whatever ground, it will not going to be NATO….
Monday, November 21, 2011
THE GREATEST MALAYSIAN HEROES OF THE MOMENT!
To 'Yii Ha!' Najiha and 'You Win!' Yee Weng
Don’t know how you guys did it ( winning a medal, beating the odds...) but i know one thing. You have surely makes Malaysian chess community proud! Congratulations for job well done!
Don’t know how you guys celebrate it...maybe you can do by singing below song from 80’s TV song ‘The Greatest American Hero’
Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on Games podium,
It should've been somebody else.
Believe it or not,
I'm winning a bronze.
I never thought I could be so good-.
Winning a bronze on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.
It's like a light of a new day-,
It came from out of the blue.
Breaking me out of the spell I was in,
Making all of my wishes come true-. (repeat)
Don’t know how you guys did it ( winning a medal, beating the odds...) but i know one thing. You have surely makes Malaysian chess community proud! Congratulations for job well done!
Don’t know how you guys celebrate it...maybe you can do by singing below song from 80’s TV song ‘The Greatest American Hero’
Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on Games podium,
It should've been somebody else.
Believe it or not,
I'm winning a bronze.
I never thought I could be so good-.
Winning a bronze on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.
It's like a light of a new day-,
It came from out of the blue.
Breaking me out of the spell I was in,
Making all of my wishes come true-. (repeat)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
GM KASPAROV VS ABDULLAH CHE HASSAN
Intro
While going through some of the games played by Malaysian player (Read: Asian Amateur Preparation!), i came across one game, Kasparov vs Abdullah Che Hassan. Oh, it must be a game between one of those Kasparov Chess Computer vs Dollah, I thought. Wrong, Ilham. It is really GM Gary Kasparov vs Abdullah Che Hassan, played in year 2000. Thanks to internet who make all this possible.
The Game
It is a simultaneous game where Kasparov played against 30 players worldwide to mark the worldwide launched of Kasparov's chess website. What more remarkable is this game is played when Kasparov is reigning World Champion and also number one chess player with highest ever rating of 2851! Unbroken till today.
And to think that Kasparov in year 2000 is mean and brutal killing machine who take his every game (even in simul) seriously and Abdullah, who is not really bloom into Abdullah we know today, yet still last 51 move before resigning "because I need to go to school" explained Abdullah, that is really an achievement.
W:GM Kasparov
B:Abdullah Che Hassan
While going through some of the games played by Malaysian player (Read: Asian Amateur Preparation!), i came across one game, Kasparov vs Abdullah Che Hassan. Oh, it must be a game between one of those Kasparov Chess Computer vs Dollah, I thought. Wrong, Ilham. It is really GM Gary Kasparov vs Abdullah Che Hassan, played in year 2000. Thanks to internet who make all this possible.
The Game
It is a simultaneous game where Kasparov played against 30 players worldwide to mark the worldwide launched of Kasparov's chess website. What more remarkable is this game is played when Kasparov is reigning World Champion and also number one chess player with highest ever rating of 2851! Unbroken till today.
And to think that Kasparov in year 2000 is mean and brutal killing machine who take his every game (even in simul) seriously and Abdullah, who is not really bloom into Abdullah we know today, yet still last 51 move before resigning "because I need to go to school" explained Abdullah, that is really an achievement.
W:GM Kasparov
B:Abdullah Che Hassan
Thursday, November 17, 2011
DAY 5 AT DATCC TEAM
Intro.
Many regulars are not here tonight IM Mas, IM Jimmy, IM strength Udani, Future IM Sumant, IM (International Manager) Greg and IM Haslindah. The sole representative of IM is IM Giam.
Highlight of the night
The 1chess game between Haq and Zaidan that keep everyone glued around their table, Zaidan got slight advantage but maybe is not enough to win unless Haq make some serious mistakes. Zaidan squeezed and squeezed and squeezed the dry lemon until at one time, Nik Farouqi cannot stand it and called up the arbiter, Mr Kaber, claiming that the game should be drawn, just when Mr Kaber tried to understand the nature of matter raised by Aqie, Zaidan switch his rook bringing the game to a new phase.
Why this game is 1chess? It is played at Table 1, Board 1 and maybe ended at move 111 (who knows what the actual moves are since one score sheet is recorded by the Incredible Haq and the other one is by doctor Zaidan, we all know what the typical doctor’s writing looks like…) and ended at 11.11pm. They finally split the one point allocated to their game.
Wait a minute! Maybe there is curse of sort at table one board one…last week game (Udani vs Sumant) shared the similar patent. Draw, arbiter is call, last game to finish…hmm
Result between Renegade and Carikomputer (Yes, this week the came in their standard uniform) is 3.5 – 0.5. Ok when everyone might think based from the result, the half a point must be secured by Saprin , the usual point winner and bread winner too, of the team, well that is not the case here. Saprin lost to Jianwen. Half a point is secured by his 8 years old son who drew his game against Shamsudin Sabri aka Fireyrook.
About Saprin son, they are sort of grown up in this tournament. Early rounds saw they are beaten quite easily but now they can be count to win points here and there…and they now took up tougher resistance before they lost. They also now mixed easily with their uncles, can be seen playing blitz games etc or genuinely fixed to watch any interesting games in progress…I have to say here, like father like son.
Future King (One day King or Raja sehari) Abdullah Che Hassan is here tonight, draw with CM Fadli and therefore ended his winning streak
My Game
Draw against Ismail Ahmad while the rest of my team wins. We won 3.5 – 0.5 against PJMIM. Sorry guys.( By the way still tried to figure out what is PJMIM stands for. Any idea? )
To R
Thanks for reading my blog and your nice comment about my blog. Yes, agreed that Bill Gates is not the one who wrote DOS but No, do not agreed that Relativity Theory came from Einstein’s wife and not from Einstein. Have done my research on the subject and I stick to what I said on that night. Relativity theory came from Einstein and other than this it is all conspiracy theory. Sorry R :)
Many regulars are not here tonight IM Mas, IM Jimmy, IM strength Udani, Future IM Sumant, IM (International Manager) Greg and IM Haslindah. The sole representative of IM is IM Giam.
Highlight of the night
The 1chess game between Haq and Zaidan that keep everyone glued around their table, Zaidan got slight advantage but maybe is not enough to win unless Haq make some serious mistakes. Zaidan squeezed and squeezed and squeezed the dry lemon until at one time, Nik Farouqi cannot stand it and called up the arbiter, Mr Kaber, claiming that the game should be drawn, just when Mr Kaber tried to understand the nature of matter raised by Aqie, Zaidan switch his rook bringing the game to a new phase.
Why this game is 1chess? It is played at Table 1, Board 1 and maybe ended at move 111 (who knows what the actual moves are since one score sheet is recorded by the Incredible Haq and the other one is by doctor Zaidan, we all know what the typical doctor’s writing looks like…) and ended at 11.11pm. They finally split the one point allocated to their game.
Wait a minute! Maybe there is curse of sort at table one board one…last week game (Udani vs Sumant) shared the similar patent. Draw, arbiter is call, last game to finish…hmm
Result between Renegade and Carikomputer (Yes, this week the came in their standard uniform) is 3.5 – 0.5. Ok when everyone might think based from the result, the half a point must be secured by Saprin , the usual point winner and bread winner too, of the team, well that is not the case here. Saprin lost to Jianwen. Half a point is secured by his 8 years old son who drew his game against Shamsudin Sabri aka Fireyrook.
About Saprin son, they are sort of grown up in this tournament. Early rounds saw they are beaten quite easily but now they can be count to win points here and there…and they now took up tougher resistance before they lost. They also now mixed easily with their uncles, can be seen playing blitz games etc or genuinely fixed to watch any interesting games in progress…I have to say here, like father like son.
Future King (One day King or Raja sehari) Abdullah Che Hassan is here tonight, draw with CM Fadli and therefore ended his winning streak
My Game
Draw against Ismail Ahmad while the rest of my team wins. We won 3.5 – 0.5 against PJMIM. Sorry guys.( By the way still tried to figure out what is PJMIM stands for. Any idea? )
To R
Thanks for reading my blog and your nice comment about my blog. Yes, agreed that Bill Gates is not the one who wrote DOS but No, do not agreed that Relativity Theory came from Einstein’s wife and not from Einstein. Have done my research on the subject and I stick to what I said on that night. Relativity theory came from Einstein and other than this it is all conspiracy theory. Sorry R :)
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