GilaChess Blog

As comparison the above was the round 2 results. This time the same teams meet but with colours reversed.

DATCC and MBS board 3 both got zeroes because both players were absent.

As can be seen from the 1st half games from Round 2, there are no major upsets but the previous ‘losers’ made slight improvements and managed to reduce the deficit by half or one point.

Viewed 1764 times by 371 viewers

Just got the details for the AmBank MALAYSIA CHESS CHALLENGE 2009. Click here for details and entry form.

Those who feel that the Malaysian Open entry fees is too expensive, then the AmBank is a better alternative.

Entry Fees 

Prizes up for grabs are:-

Forms and details.

Viewed 1959 times by 405 viewers

This is the latest FIDE rating for the Malaysian Top 10 active chess players:-

The speculated rating change is correct. FM Nicholas Chan crosses the 2400 rating and is also takes over the no 1 position from IM Mas Hafizulhelmi. Mas may have just broken the record for the most rated game for a Malaysian for a given rating period. 62 games in total!!

FM Mok Tze Meng overtakes FM Peter Long to take 4th place. It’s also surprising to see Francis Chin is still in the active list. He has 5 games rated recently.

Taken from FIDE rating website.

Viewed 2105 times by 419 viewers

These are what I think are essential chess software for the chess player nowadays. Not just professionals but typical club players.

	Deep Rybka 3 Acknowledged to be the world’s strongest chess engine. ‘Deep’ refers to the multiprocessor version of this chess analysis monster. Since most computers nowadays are at least dual-core, it’s better to get the ‘Deep’ version to squeeze even more ELO strength out of this already formidable analysis engine. Fritz is still popular but Rybka is just stronger. Common use of this engine is to pin-point missed tactics. Some lazy players (me included!) leave the engine to analyse the games overnight to do the hard work of checking the games for mistakes/improvements. Of course everybody knows the best thing is to use your own brains to criticallly analyse first and then only compare with the engine’s findings. That’s how one can derive the maximum benefit of using a strong engine. Problem is that I’m just too lazy to follow this advice
	Megabase 2009 Great for opening and sometimes preparation against specific opponents. Couple this with “Opening Report” feature in Chessbase 10 and you have a nice way to study openings. Also a good supplement to opening books which are quickly outdated in the latest variations. With a huge 4 million+ games and 62,000 of them annotated, this is the only chess database anyone would need. I just update the newer games using TWIC and the database is up to date.
	Chessbase 10 You need this to enter your games, search from Megadatabases and it is the single chess program that I use the most often. Of course you can also use the FREE Chessbase reader that comes with Megadatabase  but it’s a crippled version with many features unavailable. Better to get the real deal in Chessbase 10. Use this to annotate your games, save analysis, and watch those chess media videos from Chessbase.

Owning any one of the original Chessbase products also entitles you to one year of Playchess.com user account.

Of course Chessbase product is not the only programs you can use. I see some professional chess players using Convekta products such as Chess Assistant.

Viewed 2165 times by 403 viewers

They are worth this much?

Read the rest of this entry →

Viewed 2790 times by 501 viewers

Past the halfway mark and the following is the current DATCC team standings after 10 rounds. Detail results at DATCC.net.

Viewed 2768 times by 494 viewers

I know this is debatable and may attract opposing views but this is my view. In the coming Malaysian Open many people have raised objections that the entry fee is just too high. For a patzer like me I think so too. I would love to just pay around RM 100 to enter and have a chance to play against a grandmaster as I would rarely have this chance. However I can also see it from the point of a norm seeker. If I had a chance for an IM or even GM norm playing a patzer in my first round would totally ruin my norm chances in a 9 round tournament. This is called a “junk round” where one round is totally wasted playing against a weak player. 

Solutions have appeared in the form of  “accelerated pairings” where essentially the group of really strong players and weaker players are less likely to meet each other in the early rounds.

Anyway, the good news is there IS a Challenger’s section and I will publish the details as soon as I receive it. So there is an alternative to a cheaper entry fee tournament going on simultaneously as DATMO 6.

Viewed 2954 times by 519 viewers

SJK(C) Kepong 2 will be holding a junior chess tournament on the 13th September 2009. Details and entry forms as follows:-

Download Entry Form

Read the rest of this entry →

Viewed 2993 times by 518 viewers

Viewed 3567 times by 590 viewers

Mohd Hussein Jamil won the individual event for Sukan Tempatan Kerajaan held in Klang.

Hussein also represented Majlis Perbandaran Klang to win the team event.

 
Second in the team event was Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya.

Third place is Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya.

Viewed 4589 times by 743 viewers

I am late in finishing the National Closed bulletin. Sorry to those who pre-ordered it were and were expecting it earlier. Not to worry, I’ll be finishing the final 3 rounds and sending it by post by Wednesday (1st July 2009).

Viewed 3958 times by 761 viewers

When I first took part in the DATCC team league, I wasn’t very keen at the thought of coming to play a long time control game in the middle of the week as well as in the middle of the night. I like rapid chess as it’s more interesting. 90 minutes is just too long for me to hold my concentration I thought.

Anyway after passing the halfway mark for the DATCC series I find that I was wrong. Surprisingly the more I played the more I appreciated the long time controls. Of course the quality of games played is higher quality and the games can be very interesting . Also, it’s certainly nice to meet up with old friends and see top chess players like Mas, Yee Weng, Nicholas, Ian Udani, Saprin, Abdullah Che Hassan etc playing in one place.

Viewed 4493 times by 833 viewers

The June 2009 FIDE rating list is coming out soon.

It would be interesting to see if there are any changes in the Malaysian Top 10 list:-

These are the current top 10 players who are active:-

If the “Expected Rating Change” is correct (the figures were taken from FIDE’s website), that means the top four Malaysian players in the July FIDE rating lists are: Mas Hafizulhelmi, Nicholas Chan, Lim Yee Weng and Mok Tze Meng. However we’ll still have to wait a week or two for the official lists to come out.

Viewed 4433 times by 833 viewers

After 9 rounds, all the teams have met each other once.

Since it’s a double round robin, round 10 is where we get a second chance to meet our previous opponents. I remember DATCC first round where we lost to Persatuan Catur Wanita Malaysia (PCWM). I played first board and lost to WCM Nur Nabila. DATCC lost 1.5 – 2.5 to PCWM. Last night we got our revenge by winning 3-1 against PCWM.

It was raining heavily and I cursed myself for not coming earlier like I plan. Got stuck in the jam and then in the rain. Not a good start.

Arrived about 45 minutes late.

DATCC vs PCWM had already started. I see the new National Woman Master Tan Li Ting playing against my team mate on board 2. Who was I playing on board 1? Another NWM! Alas, my opponent did not turn up. So I got a one point walkover. The rain and jam perhaps?

Penang Open champ FM Mok Tze Meng playing board 1 for SMS Gold decimates MBS KL 4-0.

Spawn beats Tan & Tan 3½ – ½

 
DATCC wins 3-1 vs PCWM. Sole point for the girls coming from NWM Tan Li TIng.

When all the other teams have finished their games,  two teams were still still battling out. Tough fight as all four boards were still playing between Pricewaterhouse Coopers vs 786 Chess Club.

Last game ..

between Chew Yaw Chong vs NM Kamal Wahiduddin ended in a draw. NM Kamal missed a win in the final stages in the long hard fought game.

Overall result:-

Viewed 5341 times by 978 viewers