It’s All In The Planning!

Countdown to the Malaysian Chess Festival.

WE are just eight weeks away from the start of this year’s biggest local chess show. Unless you’ve been away on a prolonged leave, you will know that I’m referring to the Malaysian Chess Festival. This year, it starts on Aug 22.

As in previous editions, this year’s festival will consist of a few tournaments cramped into several days of activity. There will be 10 days of intense, non-stop chess that starts with the IGB Arthur Tan memorial Malaysia open chess championship and culminates with the Merdeka team rapid chess tournament.

  Tourist magnet: Last year’s Malaysian blitz open final between grandmasters Saidali Yuldachev (left) and Zhang Zong. The Malaysian Chess Festival is a major event that draws players from around the world.

The latter tournament is a three-day fun-filled event which attracts a lot of local participation from around the country. Players who come to Kuala Lumpur for this tournament usually find the time to renew friendships amidst rivalry.

For many players, the Merdeka chess tournament is also about getting to know people. If their teams are no longer in the running for a prize, why not squeeze in the opportunity to touch base with other players? That’s what many players do at the Merdeka chess and this year, the Merdeka team rapid chess tournament will take place on Aug 29-31.

Since some six years ago, the focus of the Malaysia chess festival has moved away from the Merdeka team chess event to the Malaysia open.

In its present format, it has become a memorial event to remember Arthur Tan, a son of the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) honorary life president, Datuk Tan Chin Nam. Initially, the understanding was that the Malaysia open championship would be a sponsored event for five editions, and last year was supposed to be the fifth and last year of corporate sponsorship.

There was some speculation on whether the sponsorship would continue beyond the five years but, seeing how the IGB Arthur Tan memorial Malaysia open chess championship has assumed a life of its own, it did not take the sponsors long to agree on extending their custom.

The Malaysia open is a mainstay in the local and regional chess calendar. It is also in the calendar of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), and that is where many foreign players get to learn of this event. Some foreign players who make it a habit to return year after year just to play in this event.

If there’s any event that contributes to sport tourism in this country, this is one of them. It brings in players and their families who stay here for at least a week and they contribute to the nation’s earnings and bring back with them pleasant memories of their stay here.

Prizes aside, in order to make it attractive enough for foreign players to take part, the MCF generally makes it a point to waive the entry fee for participating grandmasters, international masters, and all other players – foreign or local – who are rated at least 2,500 points in the latest FIDE rating list.

Anyone else who wishes to play in the Malaysia open are subjected to an entry fee scale that goes up as the player’s international rating goes down. So for unrated players or those whose FIDE rating is below 2,000 points, it becomes increasingly more expensive for them to play in the Malaysia open. In a way it is good because it encourages participation from players who come here to seek their chess title norms.

If you are a reasonably strong player who has the ambition of gaining an international master or grandmaster title norm, you wouldn’t want to waste your chance by playing someone who is unrated or has a low rating. You would want to take your chances against better players because that’s about the only way to go up the title ladder.

Therefore, the high entry fees become a natural deterrence for the weaker players. But of course, the Malaysia Chess Festival is not only about the Malaysia open or the Merdeka team rapid chess open tournaments only. There’s also the Chess Challengers tournament that runs concurrently with the Malaysia open.

For all practical purposes, the Chess Challengers is similar to the Malaysia open. The main differences are the lower prizes and entry fees, and easier entry requirements. So it’s a tournament most suitable for those people with less than 2,000 rating points.

The Malaysia Chess Festival will be held at the Cititel Ballroom at MidValley Mega Mall, Kuala Lumpur. Part of the festivities is the Malaysian blitz open, on Aug 28.

LAST WILL

OF

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON

I, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, a resident of the State of California, declare this to be my last Will, and do hereby revoke all former wills and codicils made by me.

I

I declare that I am not married. My marriage to DEBROAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON has been dissolved. I have three children now living, PRINCE MICHAEL JACKSON, JR., PARIS MICHAEL KATHERINE JACKSON and PRINCE MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, 11. I have no other children, living or deceased.

II

It is my intention by this Will to dispose of all property which I am entitled to dispose of by will. I specifically refrain from exercising all powers of appointment that I may possess at the time of my death.

III

I give my entire estate to the Trustee or Trustees then acting under that certain Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust executed on March 22, 2002 by me as Trustee and Trustor which is called the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, giving effect to my amendments thereto made prior to my death. All such assets shall be held, managed and distributed as a part of said Trust according to its terms and not as a separate testamentary trust.

If for any reason this gift is not operative or is invalid, or if the aforesaid Trust fails or has been revoked, I give my residuary estate to the Trustee or Trustees named to act in the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, as Amended and Restated on March 22, 2002, and I direct said Trustee or Trustees to divide, administer, hold and distribute the trust estate pursuant to the provisions of said Trust, as hereinabove referred to as such provisions now exist to the same extent and in the same manner as though that certain Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, were herein set forth in full, but without giving effect to any subsequent amendments after the date of this Will. The Trustee, Trustees, or any successor Trustee named in such Trust Agreement shall serve without bond.

IV

I direct that all federal estate taxes and state inheritance or succession taxes payable upon or resulting from or by reason of my death (herein “Death Taxes”) attributable to property which is part of the trust estate of the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, including property which passes to said trust from my probate estate shall be paid by the Trustee of said trust in accordance of terms. Death Taxes attributable to property passing outside this Will, other than property constituting the trust estate of the trust mentioned in the preceding sentence, shall be charged against the taker of said property.

V

I appoint JOHN BRANCA, JOHN MCCLAIN and BARRY SIEGEL as co-Executors of this Will. In the event of any of their deaths, resignations, inability, failure or refusal to serve or continue to serve as co-Executor, the other shall serve and no replacement need be named. The co-Executors serving at any time after my death may name one or more replacements to serve in the event that none of the three named individuals is willing or able to serve at any time.

The term “my executors” as used in this Will shall include any duly acting personal representative or representatives of my estate. No individual acting as such need post a bond.

I hereby give my Executors, full power and authority at any time or times to sell, lease, mortgage, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of the property, whether real or personal comprising my estate, upon such terms as my Executor shall deem best, to continue any business enterprises, to purchase assets from my estate, to continue in force and pay insurance premiums on any insurance policy, including life insurance, owned by my estate, and for any of the foregoing purposes to make, execute and deliver any and all deeds, contracts, mortgages, bills of sale or other instruments necessary or desirable therefore. In addition, I give my Executors full power to invest and reinvest the estate funds and assets in any kind of property, real, personal or mixed, and every kind of investment, specifically including, but not by way of limitation, corporate obligations of every kind and stocks, preferred or common, and interests in investments trusts and share in investment companies, and any common trust fund administered by any corporate executor hereunder, which men of prudent discretion and intelligence acquire of their own account.

VI

Except as otherwise provided in this Will or in the Trust referred to in Article III hereof, I have intentionally omitted to provide for my heirs. I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, DEBORAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON.

VII

If at the time of my death I own or have an interest in property located outside of the State of California requiring ancillary administration, I appoint my domiciliary Executors as ancillary Executors for such property. I give to said domiciliary Executors the following additional powers, rights and privileges to be exercised in their sole and absolute discretion with reference to such property: to cause such ancillary administration to be commenced, carried on and completed; to determine what assets, if any, are to be sold by the ancillary Executors; to pay directly or to advance funds from the California estate to the ancillary Executors for the payment of all claims, taxes, costs and administration expenses, including compensation of the ancillary Executors and attorneys’ fees incurred by reason of the ownership of such property and by such ancillary administration; and upon completion of such ancillary administration, I authorize and direct the ancillary Executors to distribute, transfer and deliver the residue of such property to the domiciliary Executors herein, to be distributed by them under the terms of this Will, it being my intention that my entire estate shall be administered as a unit and that my domiciliary Executors shall supervise and control, so far as permissible by local law, any ancillary administration proceedings deemed necessary in the settlement of my estate.

VIII

If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother, KATHERINE JACKSON as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. If KATHERINE JACKSON fails to survive me, or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate DIANA ROSS as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.

I subscribe my name to this Will this 7 day of July, 2002

Signed ‘Michael Joseph Jackson’

On the date written below, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, declared to us, the undersigned, that the foregoing instrument consisting of five (5) pages, including the page singed by us as witnesses, was his Will and requested us to act as witnesses to it. He thereupon signed this Will in our presence, all of us being present at the same time. We now, at his request, in his presence and in the presence of each other, subscribe our names as witnesses.

Each of us is now more than eighteen (18) years of age and a competent witness and resides at the address set forth after his name.

Each of us is acquainted with MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON. At this time, he is over the age of eighteen (18) years and, to the best of our knowledge, he is of sound mind and is not acting under duress, menace, fraud, misrepresentation or undue influence.

We declare under penalty of purgery that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on July 7th, 2002 at 5:00 p.m., Los Angeles

Michael Jackson’s will has been filed in a Los Angeles court and in it, he left his entire estate to a family trust. In the will, he named Diana Ross as a substitute guardian to his three children if his mother, Katherine, is unable to act. He also named lawyer John Branca and long-time family friend and music executive John McClain as his executors.

Earlier in the week, Jackson’s parents said they were unaware of any will. However, there was one written in March 2002 and carrying the singer’s signature which was in the hands of Branca.

At just five pages the will is relatively short but still reflects some of the bitterness he felt about his life. He was at pains to state that his former wife, Debbie Rowe, mother of two of his children from whom he had been divorced three years earlier, should be cut out of his will. It was also telling that he named Ross as a substitute for Katherine rather than his father, Joe, who he has in the past accused of having beaten him as a child.

The will states: “If any of my children are minors at the time, I nominate my mother Katherine Jackson as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate Diana Ross as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.”

Ross, 65, is said to have introduced the Jackson 5 to Motown Records, though those involved at the time said this was a public relations stunt, and they had been discovered by others. But she did in 1969, just as she was leaving the Supremes to embark on a solo career, introduce them to national audiences.

The will hands his entire estate over to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, with his mother and children as the main beneficiaries. His wealth at the time was estimated at $500m (£302m). Two years ago, Jackson had $567.6m in assets, including his Neverland ranch and the rights to songs by the Beatles, but had debts of $331m, leaving him with a net worth of $236.6m.

“The most important element of Michael’s will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children,” Branca and McClain said in a statement. “As we work to carry out Michael’s instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve.”

Nobody asked me for my opinion so I suppose I’ve to reproduce someone else’s. Here is an interesting question: who would you finger for the financial crisis that swept through the world in the past few years? The answer: Alan Greenspan, the former US Federal Reserve Chairman.

Here is the story:

LONDON, June 30 — Greedy bankers are routinely blamed for the credit crisis but one British-based poll of – well, financiers – spreads the blame more widely.

Gary Jenkins, Head of Fixed Income Research at Evolution Securities, wanted a more specific scapegoat and ran a poll of about 200 mostly fund managers and investors asking them to pick their credit crisis culprit.

Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was the clear winner, picking up 35 per cent of the votes. Once considered one of the world’s greatest central bankers, he has been widely criticized over the past year for low interest rate policies that helped fuel the credit boom.

Former US president Bill Clinton figured quite prominently with about 10 per cent of votes, and British prime minister Gordon Brown also got quite a few.

Some bankers were singled out, including Fred Goodwin, former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland and Richard Fuld, the head of Lehman Brothers, the US investment bank which filed for bankruptcy protection last September.

There were a few more unusual choices: Adam Smith, the 18th century economist, the legendary King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold, Sarah Beeny, who hosts property TV shows in Britain and Robert Peston, the BBC’s business editor.

One vote went to “the Belgians” and another to Ray Wilkins, an assistant team coach at Chelsea, the football club.

Jenkins himself suggested Microsoft founder Bill Gates take some blame for putting together the technology – spreadsheets and presentation software – that made it easy to create and sell the complex credit products that played a key role.

“That’s a bit tongue-in-cheek,” he said. “If I had to choose one person I would choose Greenspan,” adding that of course it was unfair to blame one person.

He said Greenspan’s reputation had rapidly switched from being one of the world’s leading economic thinkers to someone who helped cause the credit binge and bust.

“He’s like a sporting star who’s gone from hero to zero,” said Jenkins. “He’s the Ronan O’Gara of central banking,” referring to an Irish rugby star who has recently upset fans for bungling a tackle.– Reuters

A lawyer identified by Joseph Jackson as the family attorney has said Sunday night that he has not seen a will for Michael Jackson. The attorney also suggested that the singer’s mother would seek custody of his children.

“There have been reports of one and we are trying to assess that now,” said New York-based attorney L. Londell McMillan.”However, none has been presented to the family at this time.”

McMillan made the comments Sunday night ahead of what are all but certain to be protracted legal battles over the singer’s estate and custody of his children.

Earlier, Joe Jackson has issued a statement saying that he and his wife, Katherine, had the sole personal and legal authority to act on behalf of “our son and his children.” He also identified McMillan as the family lawyer.

If there is no will, Jackson’s assets would go to his next of kin under California law. Katherine Jackson would be appointed to oversee the best interests of her grandchildren. According to some American legal experts, a fight over Jackson’s children is almost inevitable and that the pop star’s former wife, Debbie Rowe, is most likely to get custody of the two children she had with the singer.

Rowe initially waived her parental rights but later changed her mind and appealed. An appeals court ruled that she was the legal mother of Prince Michael, 12 and 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine. Prince Michael II, 7 who is Jackson’s youngest son, was conceived by a surrogate mother who could also be claiming custody of him.

In the meantime, the custody tussle gets more complicated with Rowe also coming out to say that Michael Jackson was not the children’s father. She said that she had been artificially inseminated by an anonymous donor.

“Michael was divorced, lonely and wanted children. I was the one who said to him, ‘I will have your babies.’ I offered him my womb - it was a gift. It was something I did to keep him happy.” But after their second child, Jackson wanted nothing to do with her. In fact, she said that they never consumated their marriage.

It’s been reported that battlelines are already being drawn for a fight over custody of Michael Jackson’s children and his estate. And this is happening just two days after his death.

Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe who is the mother of the two oldest children - Michael Joseph, 12 and Paris, 11 - is reportedly considering claiming custody of the children. If she succeeds, she’ll probably receive a good chunk of Jackson’s estate as child support.

However, Jackson’s family says that his mother Katherine has been named the sole legal guardian of the children in Jackson’s will. All three children are currently with Katherine Jackson.
And in the meantime, Jackson’s youngest child - Prince Michael, 7 - was born using a surrogate mother whose identity has never been revealed. Legal steps to prevent her taking custody of that child are likely to have been taken, but it is still possible that she could launch a custody battle.

A fight is also looming over the division of Jackson’s estate. Although it’s said that he died owing USD400 million, it is also believed now that the singer may have died with millions of dollars locked away.

So Michael Jackson is dead. After the initial shock, focus has now turned to his last hour when his personal doctor was administering CPR. I’m not going to touch on that side of his death. Rather, I’m intrigued by the details that are slowly emerging about Jackson’s financial debt. Some reports said that his debt could reach as much as USD400 million. Already, I’ve also been hearing that some of his memorabilia have gone under the hammer and had fetched good prices. How much of that goes back to Jackson’s estate is unknown because these memorabilia could have come from someone’s personal collection through the years.

Now, Jackson’s complicated and troubled financial legacy will have lawyers arming themselves for a potentially bitter courtroom battle. During his lifetime, he was estimated to have amassed more than USD650 million but his fortune was ravaged by his own profligate spending and dozens of lawsuits.

His estate rests on the value of his own successful music, estimated at between USD50 to USD100 million, and half ownership of most of The Beatles’ music catalogue worth almost USD1 billion.

But it was revealed in a controversial 2005 trial that Jackson was deeply in debt. The court heard that in a year, Jackson was spending about USD30 million more than he earned. His Neverland ranch cost him about USD5 million a year. In March 2008, he nearly lost this 2,600-acre property after defaulting on an obligation but was saved by an investment group that extended him more credit.

At his death, his total debt of USD400 million looks likely to increase because of several outstanding lawsuits which will have to be dealt with by the people entrusted with handling his estate. It’s not going to be easy for whoever is sitting in that hot spot.

Among them: Raymone Bain, Jackson’s manager from 2003 to 2006, says she is entitled to 10 percent royalties on business deals done during that time period; and John Landis, director of “Thriller”, and Ola Ray, who played Jackson’s love interest in the video, are both sueing for unpaid royalties.

To complicate matters, his former financial advisers suggest he may have left at least two wills. Further more, Jackson had reported converted to Islam at the beginning of the year.  That will add a further layer to the whole Michael Jackson financial mess.

Players in the Klang Valley are getting a taste of the long time control game format.

FOR the past nine weeks, chess enthusiasts in the Klang Valley have been using an old chess format that has not seen the light of day for quite a while. How does a once-a-week, long time control game grab you?

That’s what 70 chess players are in the midst of discovering.

Would they prefer a serious once-a-week game tournament, a tournament that’s played over four or five consecutive days, or a quick event that crams six or seven rounds over a weekend?

Right now on every Wednesday, a handful of them have been turning up at the Dato Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC) at the Wilayah Complex in Kuala Lumpur to discover whether the first option is right for them. They come to play a single round of chess that could last up to three hours or longer.

  Lending support: Goldis Berhad CEO Tan Lei Cheng dropped in just in time to watch her father, Datuk Tan Chin Nam, play.

It was the brainchild of Datuk Tan Chin Nam to begin with, that the DATCC should engage chess players in long serious games so that they would have more time to mull over their next move and rediscover the beauty of the game.

At first, it was envisioned that there could be about 20 teams taking part but eventually last April, the DATCC chess league started off with 10 teams.

“Ten teams is not a setback for you,” I told organiser Hamid Majid. “It was probably as good as you could get for a first-time event.

“The format is new to people in Kuala Lumpur,” I continued. “They are probably a little apprehensive about committing one day in the middle of every week to play chess. There’ll be better response next year when this once-a-week tournament catches on and players see how they can readjust their time accordingly.”

I told Hamid that when the Penang Chess Association first organised their chess league along the same lines in 1991, the association had faced the same challenges.

There were only eight teams then, but at the height of its popularity a few years later, there were 30 teams. For a small place like Penang, it was an astounding response.

So with only 10 teams, it was decided that this first DATCC chess league would be played as a double round-robin event. It would be a win-win situation for all. The players get to play 18 rounds and the organisers get to fill their clubhouse for 18 weeks.

Last Wednesday, the half-way stage for the DATCC chess league was reached. It was a significant milestone which, unfortunately, passed unnoticed by everyone, including the organisers.

At the half-way stage of the event, SMS Gold was leading the pack with 32 points, a slim but clear margin of 1½ points over Goldis. For most of the first half of the league, it was a close tussle between these two teams for the lead.

SMS Gold was first off the block with a 4-0 win against current tail-ender MBS Kuala Lumpur in the first round but somehow, the team lost its focus and found themselves trailing Goldis in the standings.

By the fifth round, Goldis had opened up a two-point gap on SMS Gold.

In an important do-or-die match in the sixth round, SMS Gold beat Goldis 3-1, which meant that both teams were now equal on points.

After this round, SMS Gold simply rode on the momentum to win by 4-0 in their next three matches.

In contrast, some wind was taken out of Goldis’ sails as they couldn’t match the progress of SMS Gold. Hence by the end of the ninth round last week, a 1½-point gap had been opened by the league leaders.

As the teams entered the second phase of the chess league, they would again be meeting the same opponents as in the first half of the event but now with colours reversed.

The 10th round was played only two days ago but with SMS Gold playing the tail-ender, I do not see how Goldis would be able to narrow the gap.

So who are the players that have helped SMS Gold and Goldis put up such an impressive start to the DATCC chess league?

SMS Gold is led by Fide Masters Ooi Chern Ee and Mok Tze Meng playing on the top boards. There’s also former world police champion Ismail Ahmad in the team, and Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Gregory Lau, veteran player Chan Mun Fye, Soon Wai Cheong, former national champion Nicholas Chan, current national schoolboy champion Lim Zhuo Ren and Khor Shihong.

Goldis’ fire power includes international masters Mas Hafizulhelmi, Lim Yee Weng and Jimmy Liew playing side by side. The team also has Abdullah Che Hassan (who came so close to winning this year’s national closed championship), Nik Ahmad Farouki, Ian Udani, Gerald Soh, Abdul Haq, Tan Ken Wei and Faizal Andin.

Although these teams (including the other eight) had registered up to 10 players each, only four could play in each round.

If you want to watch the 11th and subsequent rounds, be at the Dato Arthur Tan Chess Centre, Wilayah Complex, in Kuala Lumpur from 7pm onwards every Wednesday until Aug 19.

Earlier this month, it was reported in the Singapore newspapers that a 25-year-old man who successfully took his paternal grandmother to court over ownership of a three-room flat in Bedok Reservoir is now suing her for contempt of court.

The man, Garry Chee, had taken 87-year-old Foo Eng Ngoh to court nearly a year ago. At the heart of the issue then was the ownership of the flat. Chee contended he was the sole heir and had inherited the home from his late father. Foo claimed it was part of the joint matrimonial property in which she had a share, despite her not being named. Despite the court ruling, Foo refused to hand over the keys and title deed when her grandson sought to claim what was rightfully his.

Now, Chee wants to sell the flat to realise his dream of studying in Australia. So he has again turned to the law: he wants a court to rule that his grandmother is in contempt of its earlier order. Here is the rest of the story:

Last Friday, High Court Justice Andrew Ang, recognising the seriousness of the contempt-of-court charge and the sensitivity of frayed family ties, called for an adjournment. That would give the lawyers for both sides time to look for alternative answers.

The flat had been in the sole name of the young man’s father, Chee Han Meng. In 1990, he divorced his wife Alice Lin, when their son Garry was only six. Lin moved out of the flat and brought up her son elsewhere.

In the meantime, the elder Chee lived in the flat with his mother, Foo. In April 2006, the elder Chee died of cancer at the age of 49 and the flat passed to his son under the law. But Foo disputed this and both parties wound up in court.

Foo claimed that the flat, which had been bought by her husband, was held by her son in trust for her benefit. She said she was left only with the flat and about $900 in CPF money when her husband died.

But Garry Chee claimed that the flat was part of his late father’s estate due to him as the only son. His submissions through lawyer Wong Shyen Sook said he filed the case with great reluctance and sadness, but that he had come to a crossroads in his life in desperate need of funds. He noted that the $53,000 in insurance money left him by his father had been claimed by his aunt, on the grounds that she looked after his father during his illness. The court ruled in Chee’s favour last July after the submissions from both parties.

Contacted yesterday, both sides showed they had some way to go over the matter. One of Chee’s aunts, Doris Chee, choked with emotion when she recalled looking after her brother and at the thought of her mother losing the flat. “We tried settling ourselves and it did not work so we are leaving it to our lawyer Mustaffa Bakar,” she said.

Lin said she had a duty to her son as a mother and spoke of the three-year struggle to get the matter settled. “If you look at this quarrel between a young man and old lady, where do you think people’s sympathies will lie? But that will be only looking at the surface. You have to look underneath and see the details.”

Seasoned player Mok Tze Meng shows his mettle at the international chess open tournament.

LAST week turned out to be more pleasant than I thought possible. I met quite a number of old friends among the chess-playing participants and spectators at the (take a deep breath) Penang heritage city international chess open tournament.

This was definitely one of the better events organised by the Penang Chess Association (PCA) in recent years. I know that a lot of effort and team work went into organising this event to ensure that it ran smoothly.

They had also thought of the spectators. Though cordoned off from the players by a long row of tables, the spectators could sit and watch the games in comfort. It was a nice touch to the tournament, thinking of both players and spectators. But of course, the hall at the Dewan Sri Pinang was large enough to accommodate everyone.

Despite the short notice for this tournament, 82 people registered as players.

Another nice touch was that there were two events running concurrently: the open proper and the challenger section.

  Champ: Fide master Mok Tze Meng (right) receiving his prize from the political secretary to the Penang Chief Minister and Komtar state assemblyman Ng Wei Aik.

This allowed the stronger and more experienced players to sweat it out in the open tournament while the younger and less experienced players could fight it out among themselves in the challenger tournament.

Effectively, it made the open tournament so much stronger. As early as the second round onwards, there were no easy games. Almost every game was a stiff fight that lasted hours.

In the third round, for example, former national champion Ronnie Lim found himself paired against German grandmaster Gerhard Schebler. By chance, Schebler had heard of this Penang tournament from his contacts in Bangkok, and had decided to take part.

Lim’s game with Schebler proved to be the longest game on record, lasting some five-and-a-half hours and chalking 110 moves. Lim had to defend an inferior endgame in which he played with king and bishop against the grandmaster’s king and rook. Nevertheless, he successfully defended the draw.

I would consider that there were two turning points in this tournament and coincidentally, both involved games by our international master, Mas Hafizulhelmi. The first turning point was in the fifth round when he beat Schebler in a very entertaining game.

Clash of the titans

The second turning point came two rounds later when Mas Hafizul lost to Ronnie Lim. At that time, Mas Hafizul and Fide master Mok Tze Meng were leading the tournament. Mok drew his game early in the round but Mas Hafizul wasn’t able to capitalise on it. Instead, he found himself facing defeat against Lim.

So Mok was now thrust into the picture as the tournament leader. If some people had thought that he could trip up with two rounds remaining, they failed to remember that he was an old hand on the local scene. No way was he going to give up his lead.

At the end, he collected two more points to finish the tournament with eight points from nine rounds. He completely dominated the tournament as Mas Hafizul, for a long time his closest rival in the event, could only muster second place with seven points.

I should add that Schebler also obtained seven points but he lost out on the second prize because of a poorer tie-break than Mas Hafizul. I asked the German grandmaster later whether he felt the pressure was on him by virtue of his GM title and rating.

Yes, he said, he could feel the pressure on him but after he had lost to Mas Hafizul, the pressure was off and he could play his normal game. “I prefer to be the underdog in a tournament and not the role of favourite. Without pressure, I play better,” he admitted.

In the challenger event, 11-year-old Fairuz Hamizah Ahmad Fuad turned in a sparkling performance to snatch the first prize from Francois Wolfaardt. The South African player was the only Fide-rated player in the 45-player field and was the firm favourite to win the challenger prize but he finished in second place behind Fairuz Hamizah. Wolfaardt’s chances evaporated when he suffered a defeat late in the eighth round.