Norwegian, 18, Is Youngest to Be Ranked No. 1 at Chess

By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: November 14, 2009
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The chess world has a new No. 1 player, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, and he is only 18 years old — the youngest player ever to hold the rank.

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On Saturday, Mr. Carlsen beat Peter Leko, a Hungarian player now ranked No. 11, in the final round of a tournament in Moscow. Though Mr. Carlsen only tied for second in the tournament, his performance was good enough for him to edge out Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria for the top world ranking. Mr. Topalov, 34, did not compete in the tournament.

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Mr. Carlsen, who turns 19 on Nov. 30, is only the seventh No. 1-ranked player since the ranking system began in 1970. Garry Kasparov, the Russian former world champion, became No. 1 in January 1984, when he was 20 years and 9 months old. He held the spot for 18 months, lost it, and then regained it and held it for 20 consecutive years before retiring in March 2005.

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The other players to be No. 1 are all former world champions, including Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand.

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Rankings are based on cumulative performances, measured by something called a rating. Mr. Carlsen’s rating is now 2,806, and Mr. Topalov’s is 2,805. Mr. Anand, 39, the current world champion, finished in a tie for fourth in Moscow and is now No. 3, with a rating of 2,790.

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Last year, during a tournament in Bilbao, Spain, Mr. Carlsen briefly took over the top spot, but he lost the following the day and slipped back to No. 4. In an e-mail message just after the tournament ended in Moscow, Mr. Carlsen said of his current No. 1 status that he “hopes it lasts much longer than the short stay during Bilbao last year.”

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Mr. Kasparov is now training Mr. Carlsen. They began working together in December 2008, though Mr. Carlsen said the training sessions became more intensive over the summer.

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Though Mr. Carlsen is No. 1, he cannot become world champion yet. World champions have historically been determined in a match of many games between two players, and Mr. Anand and Mr. Topalov have already signed to play a title match next April in Bulgaria.

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The World Chess Federation, the game’s governing body, has also not settled on a format for selecting a challenger after next year’s match, so Mr. Carlsen will have to wait until at least 2011 and possibly 2012 to even have a shot at the title. But he still has a few years to become the youngest world champion, as Mr. Kasparov did not do it until he was 22. -NY Times

Game for more

CHESS
By QUAH SENG SUN

Even on a limited budget, we can still host interesting tournaments that attract strong foreign players.

ONE observation made by Malaysian Chess Federation honorary life president Datuk Tan Chin Nam at the prize-giving ceremony of the Malaysia Open last month was that chess promotion need not mean holding elite tournaments graced by the best players.

It was a statement that struck a chord. He was right, of course.

Best of the best: Vietnam’s Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son accepting his prize from Masterskill University College of Health Sciences director Tunku Kamel Tunku Rijaludin.

Let’s leave the elite tournaments to organisers with the big bucks. If we spend within our means, we can still hold interesting tournaments that attract reasonably strong foreign players.

After all, as Tan reasoned, chess professionals still have to make a living off the game.

Through the Malaysia Chess Festival, we provide opportunities for players to enjoy themselves and win some cash prizes, aside from raising the standard of the local game and enabling them to earn their international title norms.

A successful chess event by Tan’s interpretation then would mean having a tournament that satisfies these conditions: that it must be organised for the players, by the players and be about the players.

If I were to draw a conclusion about the Malaysia Chess Festival based on these conditions, then yes, the event was a success.

The same could be said about the Masterskill Kuala Lumpur Open held earlier this month. I could apply the same three conditions to the KL Open and come to the conclusion that it, too, was a success for the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association.

Of course, I cannot compare the KL Open to the Malaysia Open.

They were two completely different tournaments although they shared many similarities. Both were equally competitive and suspenseful. Players jostled for position and they jostled hard for the points.

Nevertheless, the smaller number of players in the KL Open together with a more compact playing area gave the tournament its own special characteristic.

Players were sitting closer to one another, almost elbow to elbow in many cases. Not one of the visiting grandmasters or international masters minded. No prima donnas among them, they came here to play chess and enjoy a bit of competitive fun.

On the chess board, there were big battles. But as much as I would like to say that it was a very tight race to the finish point, it wasn’t exactly so.

The second half of the tournament was dominated by a 19-year-old grandmaster from Vietnam. Presently, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son is ranked as No.2 in his country.

At the Malaysia Open, he was among four or five players who remained unbeaten throughout that event. With a little more luck, he could have tied for the first place too.

Well, at the KL Open, he showed why his consistency has made him one of Vietnam’s brightest chess stars.

After the fourth round, he shared the top position with two other players but by the end of the fifth round, he was leading the field. However, he allowed his compatriot, the veteran Vietnamese grandmaster Dao Thien Hai, to catch up with him on points and for two rounds, they were running neck and neck towards the finish post.

Dao, however, slipped up in the eighth round. Here was the perfect chance for the 19-year-old. Obviously, he had learnt his lesson at the Malaysia Open and went into the final round with a lot of determination.

He refused to accept any other result but a win and in the end, he got what he wanted: a valuable point from the Uzbekistan grandmaster Marat Dzhumaev.

In second place was Indonesian grandmaster Susanto Megaranto who was just half a point behind the winner. Interestingly enough, Susanto is also the second highest ranked player in his country so there was also a lot of pressure on him to perform.

Unfortunately, he had a poor start, losing two of his first five games. But thereafter, he managed to pull his game together and reeled off consecutive wins in his last four games. His most important point came in the last round when he beat Dao.

Up next

IIUM Open: International Islamic University Malaysia will hold its second chess tournament at its Gombak campus on Oct 17 and 18. Entry fees are RM30 for the open category and RM20 for players under 21. For details, call Norsharmila Zabani (% 03-6196 5393), Ahmad Fadzil Nayan (013-953 1278) or Nurul Azlina Bakrin (017-462 5224). -the star

Skuad catur sapu bersih

SKUAD catur negara menyapu bersih empat pingat emas yang ditawarkan pada hari terakhir Sukan Para ASEAN Kelima (KL'09) yang berlangsung di Dewan Komanwel, Majlis Sukan Negara, Bukit Jalil semalam.

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Keseluruhannya, Malaysia melepasi sasaran enam pingat emas pada KL'09 ini apabila meraih lapan daripada 20 pingat emas yang ditawarkan daripada acara catur.

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Nur Feiqah Maulud Mohd. Halil dan Choo Min Wang masing-masingnya menyumbang dua pingat emas bagi acara individu dan berpasukan terbuka lelaki dan wanita.

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Pada pertandingan akhir semalam, Nur Feiqah meraih dua pingat emas bagi kategori individu wanita terbuka B1/B2/B3 dan berpasukan wanita terbuka B1/B2/B3 ketika berganding dengan Athirah Azman dan Teo Suat Mui.

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Min Wang pula menyumbangkan emas dalam acara individu lelaki terbuka B1/B2/B3 dan berpasukan lelaki terbuka B1/B2/B3 bersama Mah Hassan Omar dan Shahruddin Sidek.

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MAH HASSAN meraih emas dalam acara berpasukan lelaki terbuka B1/B2/B3

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Nur Feiqah yang menyumbang keseluruhan empat pingat emas bagi skuad catur negara berkata beliau gembira kerana berjaya mencapai sasaran bagi kategori individu dan pasukan.

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"Kejayaan yang diperoleh hari ini (semalam) merupakan kejayaan bersama dan tanpa bantuan daripada jurulatih ia sukar dicapai," katanya.

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Beliau bertekad untuk mengulangi kejayaan yang sama jika berpeluang menyertai Sukan Para ASEAN di Bandung, Indonesia pada 2011 nanti.

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"Walaupun sibuk dengan pelajaran, saya akan tetap luangkan masa untuk mendalami ilmu catur," katanya Sementara itu pengurus pasukan catur negara, Abdul Latif Mohammad berkata, beliau bersyukur kerana anak didiknya telah membuktikan bahawa mereka adalah yang terbaik.

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"Secara keseluruhan saya berpuas hati dengan pencapaian semua pemain," katanya.

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Beliau berkata, usaha mencari bakat baru bagi atlet lelaki perlu segera dibuat sebagai persiapan awal menghadapi Sukan Para ASEAN di Bandung kerana kebanyakan daripada atlet lelaki telah berusia. -kosmo

KL'09: Malaysian Chess Players Clean Sweep All Four Gold Medals On Offer

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian chess players made a clean sweep of all the four gold medals offered in chess competitions on the final day of the Asean Para Games (KL 09) at the National Sports Council's Commonwealth Hall here on Wednesday.

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With the four gold medals won on Wednesday, the last of the 20 gold medals offered in chess competitions, Malaysia ended their campaign in the Games with eight gold medals, surpassing the six gold target set earlier.

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Nur Feiqah Maulud Mohd Halil and Choo Min Wang lived up to their top billing by winning the women's and men's individual events and later led their respective teams to win the team gold in both events. The two gold medals won on Wednesday increased Nur Feiqah's personal gold medal tally in the Games to four but the young petite lass remained modest and gracious in her celebrations.

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"This victory is a win for all and a team effort. It will not have been possible if not for the support and guidance from the coaches and officials," she told Bernama here on Wednesday. Nur Feiqah whose two gold medals came through the women's B1/B2/B3 category events, hopes to repeat a similar feat at the next Asean Para Games to be hosted by Indonesia in 2011.

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"Though I will be busy with my studies, I hope to continue playing and learning the techniques of the game," said Nur Feiqah who teamed up with Athirah Azman and Teo Suat Mui for the team gold in the same event. Meanwhile, Choo who swept the men's individual in the B1/B2/B3 event, partnered Mah Hassan Omar and Shahruddin Sidek for the team gold in the same event.

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Team manager Abdul Latif Mohammad said he was more than satisfied with the performances of his charges as they were able to surpass their initial target of six gold medals.

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"Having performed well here, it will be important to identify new talents to repeat a similar feat in Indonesia two years later," he said.-- BERNAMA

Danial pelajar autisme juara catur

KUALA TERENGGANU 9 Ogos - Pelajar tingkatan dua Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Sheikh Abdul Malik di sini, Muhammad Danial Zainuddin muncul juara pertandingan catur pelajar pendidikan khas integrasi bermasalah pembelajaran.
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Kemenangan Muhammad Danial, 14, yang mengalami autisme itu dicapai selepas menewaskan 11 pelajar istimewa lain dalam pertandingan tersebut.
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Dia berjaya membawa pulang wang tunai RM200, trofi, hamper dan sijil.
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Muhammad Danial ketika ditemui berkata, dia gembira dapat memenangi pertandingan catur yang sangat diminatinya.
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Katanya, ia merupakan pertandingan catur pendidikan khas kedua yang dimenangi.
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"Saya mula menyukai permainan ini apabila mula bermain dengan ayah sejak saya berusia dua tahun.
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"Dia yang mengajar saya cara bermain dan memberi panduan untuk mengalahkan lawan," katanya.
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Pelajar tingkatan dua itu berkata, dia banyak berlatih dengan ayah dan adik untuk meningkatkan kemahiran bermain catur.
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Dalam pada itu, seorang lagi peserta pertandingan itu, Muhammad Zulhakim Zainudin, 10, berkata, dia menyukai permainan itu kerana membolehkannya mencari lebih banyak rakan baru.
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"Saya sangat suka main catur dan kebanyakan lawan saya menjadi rakan saya," katanya.

Chess Notes

By Harold Dondis and Patrick Wolff

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The Ruy Lopez tournament is held annually at Zafra, Spain. This year it was held June 13-19. The tournament honors the Spanish cleric Rodrigo Lopez de Segura (1540-1580). Lopez was born in Zafra and was bishop of Segura. He was generally thought to be the strongest player of his time.

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In this tournament Michael Adams is upset in the first round by the young (20) IM David Larino, the current Spanish champion. In the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez, Adams suffers an early inferior position and has to surrender a pawn.

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Nevertheless, Adams sets up a defensive position with his minor pieces that appears to be impenetrable. In such situations, there are always weak spots, and Larino, in no hurry to make a premature attack, was able to find them.

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The tourney was won by Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria, a half a point ahead of Adams.

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a) This has become a fashionable way for White to fight for advantage here.
b) Also 6. . .Be6 is sometimes played.
c) Surprisingly, this move is quite infrequent, with 8.Nc2 and 8.d4 more common. I see no obvious reason why this move is not also reasonable, however.
d) 8. . .Bb7 9.Rd1 O-O-O has been tried a few times, with a sharp fight.
e) There is a nasty little trap after 9. . .Bg4 10.h3 Bh5? (10Bxf3 is necessary with an edge to White) 11.d4! cxd4 12.cxd4 exd4 13.Nxb5! axb5 14.Qxb5+ and the bishop on h5 hangs!
f) This looks too ambitious. Better is 14. . .Be7 with a tough fight.
g) Now Black is in big trouble as 19. . .Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Bxe5 21.Re1 wins the bishop.
h) Very nice! Black has no way to escape loss of material since 24. . .O-O 25.Ne7+ hangs the queen and 24Qa8 25.Bxg7 Nxg7 26.Rd8+ is catastrophic.
i) Not 28. . .Qxb2 29.Rd1 and 30.Rd8+ cannot be stopped.
j) Here and for several moves 31. . .Qxc6 loses to 32.Qxf7+ Kd8 33.Rf6.
k) A very nice victory against one of the world’s strongest players!

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Annotations by grandmaster Patrick Wolff, a two-time US champion who offers chess exercises and more at http://www.wolffchess.com/. -Boston.com

It's all about chess for Korchnoi

Chess
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By QUAH SENG SUN

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Never a world chess champion, Viktor Korchnoi nevertheless lives for the game.

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AMONG all the chess professionals, there is only one I know of who can truly claim that chess is his life. He’s not even a world chess champion. He came close to becoming one in 1978 when he lost what was to be known as the Battle of Baguio.

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I’m referring, of course, to Viktor Korchnoi, a chess grandmaster from the former Soviet Union who is now a Swiss citizen and a hugely respected world senior chess figure.

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From his youth until today, Korchnoi, 78, has done nothing but play chess. Twice, in 1978 and 1981, after defecting from the Soviet Union, he challenged Anatoly Karpov for the world title and lost.

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In 1974, he played Karpov in the final of the Challenger matches and again lost. Karpov went on to be crowned as world champion after Bobby Fischer forfeited his defence of the title.

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Consummate chess player: From his youth until today Viktor Korchnoi has done nothing but play chess.

After 1981, Korchnoi was never able to reach the same heights in his chess career again. Nevertheless, the fire burns strong in him and he continues to compete regularly until today. In September last year, he won the 16th world senior chess championship. It was a befitting recognition for a man who has spent his whole life in the game.

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In 1978, Korchnoi wrote Chess Is My Life which chronicled the challenges in his life, his struggles with the chess establishment in the Soviet Union, his defection and a small collection of games. A few years ago, he retold the story of his life in a new edition of this book.

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Many other professional chess players have claimed that chess was their life. At various times, people like Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik have said it too. But then, Karpov and later, Kasparov, were also dabbling in other things, like politics. Karpov was a member of the old Supreme Soviet Commission for Foreign Affairs and president of the Soviet Peace Fund, while Kasparov is retired from competitive chess and is today an opposition figure in the new Russia.

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In Malaysia, we do not have professional chess players. It may be too simplistic to say that because there are no professional players here, none of our chess players can claim their lives revolve around the game, but it’s true.

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Chess for all of us here is a game, a hobby and an interesting pastime – maybe a more passionate pastime for some – but assuredly, chess is not everything in our lives.
But while some of us less passionate ones were spending the last few days doing things other than playing chess, the more passionate were participating in the national closed chess championships in Kuala Lumpur.

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The championships have ended and I should have some results for you next week but for the moment, let me just say that there were 54 players in the open section and 22 players in the women’s section.

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Of course, the numbers could have been better but I suppose the Malaysian Chess Federation cannot complain, seeing how details of the championships were announced rather late.

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Regular readers will remember how I’ve often griped about defending champions being unwilling to defend their titles at the national closed championships. This year, I got a very pleasant surprise: both of last year’s champions – Edward Lee and Alia Anin Bakri – chose to play.

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It took a lot of guts to play and it showed that they were willing to defend their titles. For this, I salute them. They brought that extra something to this year’s championships.

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By the way, our chess players can certainly learn a lot from sportsmen like Rafael Nadal. When he was knocked out of the Paris tennis open on Monday, was he disappointed? Naturally, he was. But he let the moment pass. He accepted that one day, he would lose at this tennis Grand Slam event.

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“I have to accept my defeat as I accept my victories,” he said and added, “I have to keep a cool head to try and analyse what I did wrong. I need to learn and you learn more when you lose than when you win. I need to work on those points on which I wasn’t good and from there, try and do better for my next tournament. So this is not a tragedy. This is sport.”

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Now, this is wisdom that should apply to any game, chess included.

National Closed 2009 Results

Timothy Evan Capel emerged as the new National Champion after winning a 4 player playoffs.

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Timothy finished the main 9 round event unbeaten with wins over David Tan, Mappa Saharuddin, Jax Tham, NM Edward Lee and Mohd Hezri Che Aziz. He drew with Abdullah Che Hassan, Mohd Saprin Sabri, Lim Zhuo Ren and Abel Yap. (+5=4).

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Defending champion, NM Edward Lee had to settle for second place finishing just half a point behind TImothy in the playoffs.
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Tan Li Ting is the new National Woman Master after finishing with a better tie break compared to Renitha Narayanan when both finished with 6.5 points out of 9.

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NWM Tan Li Ting

Teen wins $2,833 in chess tournament

By TOM GERMOND

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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Photo by BETSY DYNAKO

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SEMINOLE – A local teenager, the youngest competitor in a 25-player field, finished in 11th place at the U.S. Chess Championships in St. Louis.

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Ray Robson, 14, won four matches, tied another four and lost just once in the nine-round event and picked up $2,833 in prize money at the championships, which ended May 17. His father, Gary Robson, said in an e-mail that he taught Ray to play chess when he was 3 years old.

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By 11, he was already the youngest chess master in Florida and now, three years later, he is working on becoming a grandmaster.

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“We started playing chess as another father and son activity – just something that I thought we could enjoy together,” Gary said. Gary takes his son to a major event once each month. It takes a lot of time for Ray to prepare for each tournament, and the trips are expensive, especially since he is playing international events.

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“The events themselves are very tiring – usually nine rounds with each game 4 to 6 hours, depending on the time control. That is a long time to stay mentally focused,” Gary said. Ray said he would like to play professionally.

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“However, you have to be one of the best in the world to make a good living as a chess player. I like the challenge of chess. In chess, it is just you against the other person. You have to prepare well, stay focused throughout the game, manage your time carefully, and try to outplay the person sitting across from you,” Ray said.

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The Web site for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, where the U.S. Chess Championships were played, called Ray a “phenom.”

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Gary is a professor of education at St. Petersburg College. Ray’s mother, Yee-chen Robson, is a Chinese teacher at Safety Harbor Middle School. Ray has not attended school since fifth grade. He studies at home.

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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Article last modified on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 -->

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Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. -Tbnweekly

FIDE postpones Anand-Topalov WCh match

FIDE postpones Anand-Topalov WCh match10.03.2009 – A FIDE Presidential Board meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, had decided to postpone the World Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov until latest April 20th, 2010, and opened the bidding process. Originally the match was scheduled for September this year. The PB also accepted the bid by UEP to stage the world chess championship cycle 2010-2011. Press release.

Linares Rd 12 - Grischuk Loses But Still Leads

With the finishing line fast approaching in Linares, Alexander Grischuk suffered his first loss today, but still leads the tournament on 7/12. His nemesis was Magnus Carlsen (pictured) in a complex Sicilian Scheveningen where Grischuk got into time trouble and missed Magnus' spectacular move 33.Ba6!! which ensured that white's advanced pawns were unstoppable.

With only 2 rounds to go, Vassily Ivanchuk and Magnus Carlsen are in joint second place on 6.5/12, just half a point behind Grischuk. The other games were drawn, the last to finish being the clash between cellar-dwellers Radjabov and Dominguez which went down to bare kings.

1	Grischuk, Alexander	RUS	2733	7
2	Ivanchuk, Vassily	UKR	2779	6½
3	Carlsen, Magnus	NOR	2776	6½
4	Aronian, Levon	ARM	2750	6
5	Anand, Viswanathan	IND	2791	6
6	Wang Yue	CHN	2739	5½
7	Radjabov, Teimour	AZE	2761	5½
8	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	CUB	2717	5

Grischuk Retains Lead at Linares; Wang Goes Hunting

By Dylan Loeb McClain

Alexander Grischuk preserved his lead at the Linares tournament in Mexico heading into the final three rounds of the tournament. Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine was a full point behind in second place while Viswanathan Anand of India, the world champion, Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia were another half point back, tied for third. The Web site of the tournament, which is in Spanish, has additional information about the players and live broadcasts of the games.

All the games in Round 11 were draws, but that does not mean they were uneventful. Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba engaged in a slugfest with Aronian. Aronian had the upper hand throughout, but Dominguez found a way to force a drawish rook-and-pawn ending and then force a stalemate in one of those motifs that sometimes arise in such endings.

Carlsen seemed poised to make a move up in the standings after beating Dominguez in Round 9, but he was upended in Round 10 by Wang Yue of China in a rather spectacular game featuring a king hunt by Black. Carlsen’s king slithered away after Wang, who was Black, misplayed the attack, but it did not matter as the resulting endgame was winning for Wang.

King hunts at the top level are not that common because of the defensive prowess of the best players. But when they do occur, they are exciting as they are the essence of chess. Although they may not be complete, there are not

one, but two, collections of king hunts on chessgames.com.

They include some classics, such as Edward Lasker’s win against George Alan Thomas from 1912, Joseph Henry Blackburne’s victory over H. W. Birkmyre Gifford from 1874, and Jose Raul Capablanca’s textbook win over Herman Steiner from 1933. -Gambit

Topalov to challenge Anand for the chess crown

Bulgarian grandmaster Vesselin Topalov won the right to challenge world champion Viswanathan Anand after winning the chess crown pretenders match against American Gata Kamsky on February 26 2009.

Playing with the white pieces, Topalov won the seventh game in his eight-of-best match against Kamsky in Sofia to take the overall score to 4.5-2.5 points. Topalov's superb performance forced Kamsky to concede on the 45th move, which meant that there was no need for the two to meet for an eight time.

If the final score was 4-4, a tie-break of up to seven fast chess games had to be played on February 28 2009.

"It was a game of blink, to see who will make the first mistake," Topalov was quoted by Bulgarian news agency Focus after the game."

At one point, I felt in control of the game but then I made a mistake. Kamsky played very fast and he himself made a fatal mistake. He could have played better. After my loss [in game four] we with the team felt very bad because we could not get our game where we wanted.

"Kamsky always outsmarted us. He is a very tough player. I have never won in such a long match and it was a big experience for me," Topalov said."

It was a very complicated game," Focus quoted Kamsky as saying. "I made some serious mistakes while Vesselin played very smart and made fewer mistakes. At the end, I was the one who lost," he said.

Topalov, the 2005 world champion, will have a chance thus to reclaim the crown when he meets reigning champion Viswanathan Anand later this year. - The Sofia Echo

Georgiev catat rekod lawan catur 360 orang

SOFIA 24 Feb. - Pemenang Grandmaster, Kiril Georgiev berjaya memecah rekod dunia untuk jumlah tertinggi dalam permainan catur secara serentak.

Georgiev bertarung dalam 360 permainan secara serentak dan menamatkan permainan dalam masa 14 jam 8 minit.

Dia merekodkan hanya enam kali kalah dan 70 keputusan seri, manakala yang lain semua dimenanginya daripada pesaing pelbagai peringkat usia yang terdiri daripada kanak-kanak hingga pesara.

Mengikut peraturan untuk melayakkan Georgiev mencatat rekod, dia perlu menang 80 peratus permainan dan dia telah pun mencatat rekod kemenangan sehingga 88 peratus, kata penganjur.
Rekod Grandmaster Bulgaria itu kini secara rasmi telah dikemukakan untuk dicatatkan dalam Buku Rekod Dunia Guinness.

Rekod permainan catur secara serentak dipegang oleh juara catur Amerika Syarikat yang berasal dari Hungary, Susan Polgar pada tahun 2005.

Polgar bermain 326 perlawanan catur, menang 309, seri 14 dan tewas hanya tiga. - AFP

Dipetik dari Utusan Online

Malaysian Chess Blog list

Chess development in Malaysia may be slow compared to other countries but the interest in the game is growing by leaps and bounds. The number of blogs alone is the highest for any country in Asia.

Just to illustrate, here are the list of some Malaysian chess blogs that I know of (not in any particular order):-

1. Marcus Yeoh
2. Hairulov Chess Maniacs
3. Stonemaster.info
4. chess.euhong.net
5. Gilocatur
6. Setia Chess
7. Catur Terengganu
8. Syed Chess
9. Masros Chess
10. The Fide Trainer (Peter Long)
11; Sifu My Catur (Encik Latiff)
12. Nabil Fikri
13. Capman Chess
14. Bad Bishops
15. Masterchess 91
16 Geng Mamak
17, Planet Catur
18. Malaysian Chess (inactive)
19. Balendran (inactive)
20. Jax Tham (inactive)
21. Selangor Chess (inactive)
22. Malaysian GM (inactive)

I am very sure I missed out many other Malaysian chess blogs. Please let me know in the comment section or go to the Malaysian Chess Blog directory page to update.
Not all are blogs though. Below is the list of sites that are not blogs:-

GilaChess.com
Kids4chess.com
TheMalaysian.com.my
The Chess Network

-Gila Chess Blog

Anand beats Wang Yue in Linares chess

Linares (Spain), Feb 23 - World Champion Viswanathan Anand outwitted Chinese Wang Yue in his fourth round encounter in the ongoing Magistral Ciudad de Linares chess tournament here today.

After getting the second victory in four games, the Indian ace inched himself up to 2.5 points in all and now stands sole third. Overnight leaders Levon Aronian of Armenia and Alexander Grischuk of Russia also recorded victories to reach 3 points and continued to share the top spot jointly. Grischuk got he better of off-form Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan while Aronian grounded Lenier Dominguez of Cuba.

Anand, playing with his white pieces, he again opted for the queen pawn that he had successfully used in the world championship match against Kramnik last October. Going for a recently popular variation Anand went for the early trade of queens that gave him a minuscule advantage and once Wang Yue failed to find the right plan, white had a vice-like grip on the position resulting in extreme pressure on both flanks.

Wang Yue was simply overpowered as Anand slowly improved his position before delivering the knockout punch. The Indian guided both his rooks in devastating position on the seventh rank and the Chinese lost a piece before calling it a day.

GM Anand (2791) - GM Wang Yue (2739)

Linares 2009 (4), 22.02.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.g3 dxc4 7.Bg2 c5 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Bxc5 10.Ne5 Nd5 11.Ne3 Nxe3 12.Bxe3 Bxe3 13.fxe3 c3 14.b4 Nd7 15.Nd3 Rb8 16.0–0 b5 17.axb5 Rxb5 18.Rfc1 Ne5 19.Nxe5 Rxe5 20.Rxc3 0–0 21.Bc6 Rd8 22.e4 Kf8 23.Kf2 Ke7 24.b5 axb5 25.Ra7+ Kf6 26.Rf3+ Kg6 27.Rfxf7 Rg8 28.Rfc7 Rh5 29.h4 Kf6 30.Ra8 Rc5 31.Rcxc8 Rxc8 32.Rxc8 b4 33.Bd7 White wins 1–0

Pemain cilik bertaraf dunia

Oleh IZYAN LIYANA MOHD. DARIF
izyanliyana.mdarif@kosmo.com.my

Ketangkasan kanak-kanak berusia 12 tahun ini bermain catur membolehkannya tersenarai antara 20 pemain catur dunia berusia bawah 10 tahun dalam Kejohanan Catur Dunia.

KETIKA usianya enam tahun, tumpuan anak kedua daripada empat orang adik-beradik itu bukan pada anak patung atau barang mainan. Sebaliknya, dia lebih fokus pada latihan mengatur strategi 'peperangan' catur.

"Saya minat bermain catur kerana selalu melihat ayah dan abang berlatih main catur.

"Minat tersebut semakin bercambah apabila saya menemani ayah bertanding catur di Batu Gajah, Perak," kata Nur Nabila Azman Hisham, 12, ketika ditemui di kediaman keluarganya di Sungai Buloh, Selangor baru-baru ini.

Murid Tahun Enam, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Rahman, Sungai Buloh itu berkata, semasa dia menemani bapanya bermain catur, keinginan untuk mencuba permainan itu mula berputik. Walaupun tiada kemahiran, Nur Nabila yang lebih mesra disapa Nabila menjelaskan, dia cuba mempraktikkan permainan tersebut berdasarkan pemerhatiannya.

Ketika itulah, bapanya Azman Hisham Che Doi, 43, mendapati Nabila bijak menyusun strategi dan berbakat dalam permainan catur. Sejak itu, Nabila terus mendapat latihan daripada bapanya selama setahun.

"Selepas setahun menjalani latihan dan mempraktikkan ilmu catur, saya mula berani menyertai pertandingan catur.

"Pada peringkat awal, saya hanya bermain di sekolah untuk mewakili kelab catur sekolah. Kemudian, saya diberi peluang untuk mewakili negara dalam pertandingan ASEAN Age Group Chess Championship (2004) di Vietnam bagi kategori bawah lapan tahun," katanya yang berjaya menggondol pingat emas dalam pertandingan tersebut.

Biarpun baru pertama kali bersaing di luar negara dan berhadapan dengan pemain dari Vietnam, Indonesia dan Filipina, dia sedikit pun tidak berasa gentar. Sepanjang pertandingan berlangsung, otaknya aktif berfikir manakala matanya memandang tepat pada buah catur pihak lawan.

"Peserta dari Vietnam dan Filipina adalah antara peserta Asia Tenggara yang hebat. Setiap langkah buah catur yang dibuka mempunyai misi tersirat dan muslihat," ujar Nabila mengimbas pengalamannya. Pengalaman tersebut memberikan Nabila peluang untuk mempelajari strategi bermain catur daripada pemain-pemain yang hebat.

Catur merupakan permainan papan yang dimainkan oleh dua orang pada papan catur yang bersaiz lapan kali lapan petak. Permainan tersebut dipercayai berasal dari India pada zaman pemerintahan Gupta sejak kurun keenam.

Dalam perlawanan catur, pemain perlu sentiasa peka dan memastikan askarnya bergerak di posisi yang tepat serta selamat.

Terdapat 16 buah catur yang terdiri daripada lapan bidak (pawn), dua kuda (knight), dua gajah (bishop), dua tir (rook), satu ratu (queen) dan satu raja (king). Buah-buah catur itu diatur dalam dua barisan.

Pemegang buah catur putih akan memulakan langkah dan diikuti dengan pemegang buah catur hitam secara bergilir-gilir sehingga menemui pemenangnya.

"Jika salah percaturan, maka raja akan ditawan musuh. Oleh itu, saya tidak boleh mengambil langkah terburu-buru kerana teruk padahnya," jelas Nabila.

Anak kelahiran Kuantan, Pahang itu menambah, bermain catur memerlukan ketangkasan otak. Sejak mencipta kejayaan di Vietnam, Nabila terus mencipta nama dalam pertandingan catur yang dianjurkan di Malaysia mahupun di luar negara.

Boleh dikatakan, hampir kesemua pertandingan yang disertai gadis genit itu sentiasa membuahkan hasil. Malah, lebih membanggakan, Nabila kini berada di kedudukan ke-1,837 dalam Organisasi Catur Dunia (FIDE).

"Terbaru, saya menjadi juara dalam pertandingan catur anjuran Kolej Kejururawatan dan Kesihatan Masterskill di Kuala Lumpur," jelasnya yang memenangi wang tunai sebanyak RM1,000 dan trofi. Hadiah-hadiah tersebut disampaikan oleh Raja Datuk Seri Azureen Sultan Azlan Shah.

Selain itu, Nabila yang juga menggemari sukan bola jaring pernah menjuarai Kejohanan Chessmaster Bandaraya Johor Bahru 2008, memungut pingat emas di KL Open Chess 2008, pingat perak (bawah 12 tahun) Sukan Wanita Kebangsaan dan bergelar juara dalam Kejohanan Junior Kebangsaan.

Tidak ketinggalan, dia pernah diiktiraf sebagai 20 pemain (bawah 10 tahun) dalam Kejohanan Catur Dunia.

Pada pertemuan dengan Kosmo!, Nabila sempat menunjukkan fotonya ketika mewakili negara dalam pertandingan Catur Remaja Dunia di Turki.

KOLEKSI piala yang dimiliki oleh Nabila dan adik-beradiknya yang lain.

Walaupun sekadar menduduki tempat ke-27 daripada 80 peserta, pengalaman tersebut sentiasa terpahat di dalam memorinya. Apatah lagi ketika itu, dia perlu bersaing dengan peserta dari Turki, Rusia, Kanada dan sebagainya.

"Pertandingan di Turki antara pertandingan yang mencabar minda dan kekuatan fizikal. Saya bukan sahaja perlu menahan sejuk, malah terpaksa berhempas-pulas menentang peserta yang handal terutamanya pemain Turki.

"Gerak-geri mereka sukar ditafsirkan. Mereka bijak mengatur strategi," ujar Nabila yang bercita-cita menjadi jurulatih dan membuka kelas catur apabila dewasa kelak.
Bercerita mengenai cabarannya sebagai pencatur, Nabila menyifatkan proses pembelajaran merupakan cabaran yang paling berat.

Dia bukan sahaja perlu mengenali nama buah catur malah perlu menghafal pergerakan buah catur. Ini kerana setiap buah catur mempunyai langkah tersendiri.

"Seperti kuda (knight) perlu bergerak dalam bentuk L manakala tir (rook) bergerak secara melintang atau membujur sejauh mana yang dikehendaki, tetapi bukan secara pepenjuru," ujar Nabila yang berpegang pada prinsip tidak memikirkan soal takut dan kalah.

Catur erat hubungan keluarga
KECEMERLANGAN Nur Nabila Azman Hisham dalam permainan catur turut disertai oleh adik-beradiknya yang lain, Mohd. Nabil, 15, Nur Najiha 10, dan Mohd. Najwan, 8.

SELAIN latihan secara praktikal, himpunan buku catur turut membantu corak permainan Nabila. AZMAN berlatih bermain catur bersama anak-anaknya selama dua jam setiap hari mulai pukul 9 malam. Jika keluarga lain gemar menghabiskan masa menonton wayang atau bersantai pada hujung minggu, keluarga Nabila pula sebaliknya. Hujung minggu adalah hari mereka sekeluarga menyertai pertandingan catur.

"Anak-anak tidak pernah merungut, sebaliknya menjadi resah jika tiada aktiviti berkaitan catur pada hujung minggu," jelas Azman Hisham Che Doi, 43, mengenai anak-anaknya yang begitu obses pada permainan catur.

Ini turut diakui oleh Mohd Nabil yang bakal menduduki peperiksaan Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), pada tahun ini.

"Tidak lengkap kehidupan saya tanpa catur. Seronok bermain catur kerana ia mendidik kita supaya sentiasa peka dan memahami corak permainan pihak lawan.

"Pada masa yang sama, ia menguji kemahiran minda berfikir dalam menyelesaikan masalah. Kaedah (berfikir) itu sebenarnya banyak membantu saya dalam subjek Matematik yang memerlukan kita mencari jalan kerja bagi mendapatkan jawapan yang tepat," kata Nabil tentang keistimewaan catur.

Berdasarkan kajian yang dijalankan oleh Dr. Yee Wang dari Universiti Chinese Hong Kong pada tahun 1977 hingga 1979, beliau mendapati pemain catur menunjukkan peningkatan sebanyak 15 peratus dalam ujian subjek Matematik dan Sains.

Ini kerana antara permainan catur dan silibus Matematik, persamaannya terletak pada proses menyelesaikan masalah, merancang, menjadi sistematik dan menentukan langkah yang perlu dilakukan.

"Sebab itulah, untuk menguasai langkah dan kefahaman catur, ia tidak hanya bergantung pada latihan secara praktikal. Asas teori juga perlu dititikberatkan seperti membaca buku panduan atau bahan bacaan mengenai resipi kejayaan pemain catur profesional.

"Dengan membaca, mereka akan lebih memahami corak permainan, mengurangkan rasa gerun ketika bertanding dan mengenal pasti langkah-langkah yang boleh mengundang kekalahan," tambah Azman.

Setiap hari, Azman akan melatih anak-anaknya bermain catur selama dua jam bermula dari pukul 9 malam.

Ismail juara catur polis dunia

Oleh MOHD. SAIFUL MOHD. SAHAK(saiful.sahak@utusan.com.my)

Tugas sebagai pegawai dan anggota polis memang sering dihambat masa menyebabkan mereka mengurangkan atau melupakan terus aktiviti masa lapang yang seiring dilakukan sebelum menyertai pasukan itu.

Jika sebelum menjadi polis bermain bola sepak, mendaki gunung, bermain badminton, catur, dam dan sebagainya merupakan rutin harian atau pada hujung minggu.

Tetapi setelah melangkahkan kaki ke dalam pasukan pasukan beruniform biru, semua terpaksa dilupakan buat sementara. Namun begitu, menyertai Pasukan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) bukanlah satu pengakhiran kepada semua aktiviti tersebut.

Walaupun masa sering mencemburui mereka, namun bagi sesetengah individu yang sudah lama melakukan aktiviti-aktiviti riadah seperti itu, masa yang terhad digunakan sebaik mungkin. Bagi mereka, ia seperti nadi dan tidak lengkap hidup jika mereka tidak melakukannya.

Bagi segelintir individu yang tidak mahu menyertai PDRM kerana menganggap ia penghalang kepada minat mereka, buang jauh-jauh pemikiran itu. Walaupun hakikatnya, pasukan polis tidak pernah menghalang malah memberi sokongan penuh kepada kakitangannya yang melibatkan diri dalam aktiviti sukan dan riadah.

Ini dapat dibuktikan dengan penglibatan pasukan PDRM dalam pelbagai kejohanan sukan di dalam dan luar negara. Peluang itu digunakan sebaik mungkin. Kesibukan tugas seharian tidak pernah menghalang mereka melakar kejayaan cemerlang dalam aktiviti yang diceburi.

Bagi, Sarjan Ismail Ahmad, 44, sepanjang menceburi bidang kepolisan ini, PDRM tidak pernah menghalang minatnya untuk melibatkan diri dalam arena sukan dan rekreasi. Malah beliau sendiri juga tidak sedar, terdapat banyak kemudahan dan usaha menonjolkan bakat dalam kerjaya kepolisan, salah satunya permainan catur.

Hasil sokongan PDRM itulah, kini hampir 23 tahun beliau menyertai permainan catur dan telah memenangi pelbagai kejohanan di dalam dan luar negara. Menyingkap penglibatan awal dirinya dalam permainan itu, beliau mempunyai cerita tersendiri. Menurut Ismail, beliau mula berkecimpung dengan permainan catur apabila didorong dengan perasan bosan ketika bersendirian. Katanya, bagi menghilang perasaan itu, beliau sering bermain dengan rakan-rakan pada waktu lapang.

“Dan setiap kali saya bermain kemenangan selalu memihak kepada saya dari situ timbul minat untuk melibatkan secara aktif dalam permainan ini,” jelasnya.

Menurut Ismail lagi, beliau gembira sekali kerana selain layak menjadi polis, cita-cita untuk mengasah bakat dalam permainan catur diimpikan selama ini tercapai. Bermula dari situ, beliau yang bertugas di Bahagian Latihan, Batalion 4, Markas Briged Tengah Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA), sentiasa menghabiskan masa dalam membaca buku-buku dan melayari Internet yang ditulis oleh para Grand Master catur dunia.

Pengorbanan masa, tenaga dan wang ringgit akhirnya dibayar nilai setimpal apabila Ismail banyak memenangi banyak pertandingan dan kejohanan yang disertainya. Antaranya ialah Terbuka Indonesia 1997, Chess Olimpiad Elista 1998, Individu Jonal Tehran 1998, Juara Master Melayu 1999, Chess Olimpiad Turki 2000, Naib Johan Kebangsaan 2001 dan Terbuka Asian-Brunei.

Beliau juga meraih kemenangan di Chess Olimpiad Slovenia 2002, Sukan SEA 2003, Juara Selangor, Juara Team Merdeka, Juara Dunia Polis di Sepanyol 2003, juara dua kejohanan di Amerika Syarikat pada 2004.

Berdasarkan kejayaan dan pengalaman luar itu, pemilihannya sebagai jurulatih pasukan catur Malaysia pada Sukan SEA 2005 di Filipina adalah pilihan yang tepat. Kemuncaknya Ismail menjuarai Pertandingan Terbuka Catur Sedunia Angkatan Tentera Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 2004 yang melibatkan pasukan beruniform dari seluruh dunia.

Pengiktirafan itu turut menaikkan nama PDRM bahawa para anggotanya bukan sahaja siap sedia mengawal keselamatan malah masih mampu mengharumkan nama negara. Katanya, kemenangan itu mengejutkan negara-negara lain apabila pasukan catur elit PDRM Malaysia menang dalam pertandingan tersebut dan di luar jangkaannya sama sekali.

“Saya berjaya mengharumkan nama PDRM dan negara ini di peringkat antarabangsa, memang sukar diluahkan dengan kata-kata.

“Kejayaan dan pengalaman itu merupakan kenangan manis bagi saya,” ujarnya.

Lebih membanggakan Ismail apabila sepanjang penglibatan dalam permainan catur ini beliau berjaya menewaskan pemain-pemain catur terkemuka dunia. Di atas kejayaan itu, Ismail dianugerahkan Pingat Darjah Bentara Pasukan (BPP) Polis daripada Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail pada 2004.

Menurut Ismail selaku pemain catur PDRM, walaupun kesuntukan masa berlatih, namun masa terluang beliau gunakan sebaik mungkin bagi meningkatkan mutu permainan.

“Saya bersyukur pengorbanan itu membuahkan hasil di luar jangkaan saya sendiri,” kata Ismail yang pernah menjuarai Kejohanan Catur Polis Dunia 2003 di Sepanyol. Ismail yang sebelum ini pernah kini mengikuti Latihan Asas Kepolisan di Pusat Latihan Polis (Pulapol) Jalan Semarak Kuala Lumpur berkata, untuk menjadi pemain catur yang hebat soal disiplin perlu ditekankan.
“Disiplin yang baik akan menentukan hebatnya seseorang pemain dalam sukan ini.

“Malah minat yang mendalam terhadap sukan ini merupakan pendorong dan aset pada setiap kejayaan yang diperoleh,” terangnya.

Kata Ismail, beliau amat bertuah kerana pihak pengurusan PDRM amat memahami dan sentiasa memberi kelonggaran kepada dirinya jika ada sebarang pertandingan yang disertai.
Ismail berkahwin dengan Halimah Ahmad, 44, dan dikurniakan empat orang cahaya mata.

Catur bantu anak lebih fokus

Oleh MERAN ABU BAKAR

SECARA luaran ia mungkin tidak lebih sebagai satu lagi jenis sukan tetapi bagi yang pernah mencuba dan mengenali permainan ini lebih melihatnya sebagai satu seni yang menguji kepantasan berfikir.

Malah, kadang kala catur dilihat sebagai permainan perang yang abstrak kerana sebagai satu pertahanan diri yang menggunakan keupayaan dan ketajaman minda.

Permainan ini biasanya dimainkan sebagai satu aktiviti riadah, tidak kurang juga yang melakukannya secara serius dengan menyertai pertandingan hingga ke peringkat dunia. Banyak variasi permainan catur dimainkan di dunia. Antara yang popular xiangqi di China, shogi di Jepun, janggi di Korea dan makruk di Thailand.

Disebabkan ia lebih kepada permainan menggunakan kekuatan minda dan bukannya tenaga fizikal, catur boleh dimainkan oleh semua golongan daripada kanak-kanak semuda lima tahun hingga datuk yang berusia lebih 80 tahun.

Sementara itu, bagi menggalakkan generasi muda khususnya kanak-kanak mengenali seterusnya meminati catur, satu khemah catur telah diadakan di Pandan Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini.

Dianjurkan oleh guru catur terkenal, Collin Madhavan, khemah seperti ini telah diadakan sejak tiga tahun lalu di beberapa tempat seperti Seremban, Klang, Kuala Lumpur dan Puchong. Kata Collin, yang berpengalaman selama 30 tahun bermain catur, kini seramai 77 orang peminat catur berumur antara lima hingga 19 tahun mengikuti khemah catur yang dianjurkannya.

Menurut beliau, sejak beberapa tahun mengajar catur kepada kanak-kanak dan remaja, didapati daya ingatan mereka bertambah baik, mereka lebih fokus, menguruskan sesuatu perkara dengan lebih baik dan pandai berdikari.

“Permainan catur mengajar seseorang itu supaya lebih berkeyakinan dan berdikari. Ini kerana jika anda boleh menyelesaikan masalah di atas papan catur, maka anda akan berfikir bagi menyelesaikan masalah anda sendiri,’’ kata Collin.

Tambahnya, mereka yang bermain catur perlu mengikut peraturan yang telah ditetapkan. Jika mereka melanggar peraturan, mereka akan didenda. Mereka yang berminat dengan permainan ini seakan-akan mempunyai papan catur di dalam otak yang membuatkan mereka sentiasa berfikir.

Ini kerana, katanya, papan catur mempunyai 64 petak dan setiap satu mempunyai masalah untuk dihuraikan.

“Adalah bagus untuk mengajar kanak-kanak dari usia muda bagi menyukai permainan catur kerana mereka akan menjadi lebih fokus pada sesuatu seperti pelajaran dan sebagainya, sentiasa tenang dan tidak tergopoh-gapah,” katanya.

Collin berkata, beliau menganjurkan dua khemah catur setahun terutama pada cuti sekolah. Peserta dibahagikan kepada dua kategori iaitu yang baru hendak mempelajari permainan tersebut dan mereka yang telah pandai bermain. Setiap peserta akan dikenakan bayaran sebanyak RM90.

“Kanak-kanak perempuan lebih digalakkan mempelajari catur kerana mereka kurang berkeyakinan.

“Biasanya, setelah mengikuti beberapa sesi mereka sudah boleh menguasai pergerakan catur malah sesetengahnya mampu bertanding dengan lelaki,’’ ujarnya.

Collin dibantu oleh lima jurulatih berkemahiran termasuk Johan Catur Malaysia 1988, Mohd. Kamal Abdullah, selain Seto dan S. Balan yang merupakan jurulatih profesional, Jimmy Liew, pemenang Malaysia di peringkat antarabangsa dan Doris Wong yang menjadi instruktor catur.

Collin sendiri adalah guru catur gelaran yang diperoleh daripada Badan Catur Dunia dan pernah bermain catur secara berpasukan daripada tahun 1989 hingga 1994 mewakili Malaysia dalam Asian Games dan Asian Cities.

Beliau juga pernah bermain dengan 88 orang pemain serentak yang dinamakan simultaneously chess match di Seremban pada Mei lalu.

Sumber: Utusan Online