I DIDN’T mention it last week but women chess players in the country should also get themselves ready to play in the national women’s closed chess championship which starts off at the same time as the national closed itself.
Women chess players are actually allowed to take part in the national closed championship, which does not discriminate between male and female chess players, but it has been a long-time tradition for the Malaysian Chess Federation to hold these two as separate events.
And normally too, they are held at the same time except for last year when the national women’s closed chess championship was pushed to much later to avoid a clash with the national women’s sports.
Nur Shazwani Zulkafli, reigning champion of the national women’s closed tourney. – Photo courtesy of Khairunnisa Wahiduddin (http:// setiachess. blogspot.com)
But this year, the two events will be held concurrently again. It’s too soon to say whether the two winners last year will be defending their titles but if they do, they will be the first pair of siblings to do so together.
I’m referring, of course, to Zarul Shazwan Zulkafli and Nur Shazwani Zulkafli. If they feel that there is something for them to play for in the national closed and the national women’s closed championships, I’m sure we’ll see them in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month.
One great champion that we have seen in the last few years is Siti Zulaikha Foudzi. If there is any champion that our local players should emulate, it can only be her. For eight consecutive years, Siti Zulaikha was the national women’s champion, from 1999 to 2006. In terms of chess strength and ability, nobody could touch her until last year.
She competed in last year’s event, trying to win an unprecedented ninth title, but for the first time, she faltered at the chess board. For Nur Shazwani to overtake Siti Zulaikha as last year’s women’s champion would have meant a Herculean effort on the former’s part. Or maybe, there was a hint of good fortune too. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t take the shine off her effort. The credit was all Nur Shazwani’s.
Wouldn’t you like to see these two players square off again in this year’s national women’s closed championship? One a reigning champion, the other an ex-champion. I would very much like to see it happen but even though the event is only eight days away, nobody can say for sure that it will happen.
Chess lends a great opportunity for family members to compete together. If you were to look at the past winners of the two national closed championships, you’ll see this happening many times.
For example, two players who had been dominating the Malaysian chess scene in the earlier half of this decade were the Chan brothers, Marcus and Nicholas. Even when they were much younger, I had been silently impressed with their achievements at the chess board in many local events.
Then, in 2003, Nicholas had his first breakthrough at the national closed. He showed that it was not a flash in the pan because he played again the following year and won it as well. His older brother Marcus then became the national champion in 2005.
Another family of champions were the Wahiduddin trio of Kamal Ariffin who was the winner of the national closed in 1991 while his two sisters, Nurul Huda and Khairunnisa, were also women’s champions. Khairunnisa won the title in 1995 but Nurul Huda managed to win it twice in 1991 and 1992.
And finally, there were the two sisters, Eliza Hanim Ibrahim and Eliza Hanum Ibrahim. Between the two of them, they won the women’s title four times between 1993 and 1997.
To find out whether you are eligible to represent your state in the national closed events, you should contact your respective state chess associations. According to the championship regulations, each association that’s affiliated to the Malaysian Chess Federation is allowed to enter four players for each event.
But take heart: even if you are unable to represent your state chess association, you can still register yourself directly with the MCF upon payment of a RM150 fee if you are not Fide-rated. Fide-rated players need pay only RM50. In any case, anyone who registers from Monday onwards will be required to pay an additional RM50 as late fee.
The two championships will be played at the Wilayah Complex in Jalan Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur, from May 31 to June 4.
The winner of the national closed will be award the national master title and get to keep the Tun Hussein Onn challenge trophy for a year. Similarly, the women’s champion will become a national woman master and hold the Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik challenge trophy.
(This article first appeared in The Star on 23 May 2008)