Archives: News

Emirates Steel, the only integrated steel plant in the UAE and a subsidiary of the General Holding Corporation (SENAAT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. The MoU seeks to develop chess playing abilities amongst employees at Emirates Steel, alongside supporting the growth of community activities in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

The MoU was signed between Hussain Abdullah Khouri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, and Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, the CEO of Emirates Steel, at Emirates Steel’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Employees of Emirates Steel based at the company’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, will be able to benefit from free chess courses and equipment under the terms of the MoU. The training and chess sets will be provided by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. The club will also provide manuals and guides on the tactics used to play the complex game, enabling Emirates Steel employees to improve their chess skills as well as their capability to think strategically and solve problems.

Speaking after the signing of the MoU, Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, CEO of Emirates Steel, commented: “Chess is a game that tests mental agility and perception, and the history of the pastime has long been associated with the Muslim world. At Emirates Steel, we are proud to have signed this MoU with the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club to promote chess amongst our employees, and I hope that they quickly warm to this intriguing and complex pursuit.

“As an Abu Dhabi based company, we are proud to foster relationships with cultural institutions that can be found across the capital city of the UAE, including the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. Through working with such entities, we hope to promote their wider vision for the development of art and culture in the UAE,” Eng. Remeithi concluded.

Mr. Hussain Abdullah Khouri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, commented: “We are delighted to sign this memorandum with Emirates Steel. Chess is a cultured pastime that brings many cognitive benefits to its players, from strategic thinking to logical accuracy, and we feel it is useful for workers across numerous sectors in the UAE.”

“At the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, we are proud to partner with a company such as Emirates Steel and share with its employees the enjoyment and benefits associated with this game. I look forward to meeting its staff, and working with them to improve their game over the coming months,” Khouri concluded.

Police, comprising Grandmaster Niaz Murshed, Georgian GMs Jobava Baadu and Mikheil Mehedlishvili, International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Fide Master Mohammed Abdul Malek and Women’s IM Rani Hamid, earned maximum 22 points out of 11 matches to clinch the title

Bangladesh Police emerged as the unbeaten champion in the Walton Refrigerator Premier Division Chess League after beating Janata Bank Officer Welfare Society comfortably by 3.5-0.5 game points in the final round at the National Sports Council auditorium lounge last Tuesday.

Police, comprising Grandmaster Niaz Murshed, Georgian GMs Jobava Baadu and Mikheil Mehedlishvili, International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Fide Master Mohammed Abdul Malek and Women’s IM Rani Hamid, earned maximum 22 points out of 11 matches to clinch the title.

Last year’s champion Saif Sporting Club became runners-up with 20 points after beating Sonargaon Chess Club by 4-0 game points.

GM Reefat bin Sattar, GM Kovalev Vladislav of Belarus, GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan, GM Mollah Abdullah al Rakib, GM Ziaur Rahman and GM Enamul Hossain Razib played for Saif.

Niaz, who clinched the National Chess title last month, believes it was more difficult playing with a under-strength reserve team against the holder, who have six GMs.

Niaz too also played with asthma from the first day.“It feels good. I’m spending some good time but it was difficult. There were not enough reserve players so Fahad and I had to play continuously without rest. There was more pressure,” said Niaz yesterday.

South Asia’s first GM continued, “I was confident. The strategy I took also helped us. The plan was that I would face the (top-ranked) foreign GM in the second board and let others play others. It worked three times.”

Meanwhile, Uttara Central Chess Club placed third with 17 points while Titas Club and Bangladesh Navy jointly finished in the 4th-5th positions with 15 points each.

Untitled Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines and WFM Ummi Fisabilillah of Indonesia won the Eastern Asia Juniors and Girls Championships, respectively, held 9-16 December 2019 in Tanauan, Batangas. The tournament was organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission and PAGCOR. Venue was at the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities and hosted by Lima Park Hotel in Batangas, Philippines.

Concio, 6^th seed at 2194, was undefeated with five wins in the first half of the tournament and four draws in the homestretch to total 7 points out of 9 rounds.  Fisabilillah bounced back after a shocking loss in the first round to finish alone with 7.5 points.

Concio and Fisabililla earn IM and WIM titles, respectively, and GM and WGM norms. Five countries participated in each tournament with 24 players in the boys division and 20 players in the girls division.

IM John Marvin Miciano and Jeth Romy Morado, both of the Philippines, finished second and third in the boys division. WFM Allaney Jia Doroy and defending champion WIM Kylen Joy Mordido won silver and bronze in the girls division.

All games were broadcast live. Visit asianchess.com for coverage and chess-results.com for round by round results and to download games. Read posts on facebook.

Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales announced the holding of the Florencio Campomanes Memorial Christmas Blitz Chess Tournament on Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 3:00 PM.
It will be held at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE), Mindanao Avenue, Project 6, Quezon City. The 11 rounds Swiss System, 3mins. + 2 secs. increment time control format is open to all chess players, titled or untitled, regardless their sexes and ages.
Registration Fee is P200 while P100 each for the Women, Kiddies and Seniors woodpushers. GMs, IMs, WGM and WIMs are free of Registration Fee.
For more inquiries and register online, please contact: WFM Michelle Yaon – 0966-8108378, WNM Jemima Valdez – 0935-6285388. Limited for 100 players only.

by Marlon Bernardino
Tanauan City, Batangas—Reigning National Junior champion National Master Jeth Romy Morado got off to a blazing start by posting victory in the opening round of the  Eastern Asia Juniors and Girls Chess Championships  at the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities College in Tanauan City, Batangas on Tuesday, December 10, 2019.
Playing black, Morado, a 2nd year college student  taking up International Auditing at the Far Eastern University-Manila campus prevailed over countryman John Paolo Medina after 35 moves of Slav defense.
“The first round is one of the toughest rounds in any tournament. It usually sets the tone of how you’re going to perform,” said IM elect Morado, the 2017 ASEAN Age Group chess champion in the Under 20 division held in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
“I hope to perform well in this event and gain some Elo rating points,” he added.
International Master Gilbert Elroy Tarigan and FIDE Master Daniel Hermawan Lumban Tobing of Indonesia, IM elect Eric Labog and Robert James Perez of the Philippines also opened with wins.
Tarigan subdued Abdul Zahirul Zazaki of Brunei after 32 moves of King’s Pawn Opening, Tobing trounced Max Dave Telor after 27 moves of Caro-Kann defense, Labog outplayed Jerico Santiaguel after 41 moves of Torre Attack Opening while Perez crushed Care Greene Lee of Malaysia after 51 moves of Sicilian defense.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) sponsored this tournament organized by Saturnino Belen Jr. of Active Chess Center for Asia under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation, World Chess Federation (FIDE), and the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) headed by its president/chairman Deputy Speaker Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
The Lima Park Hotel in Malvar, Batangas is the official hotel of the week-long event.-Marlon Bernardino

In photo, defending champion Woman International Master Kylene Joy Mordido of Dasmarinas City, Philippines and Woman Fide Master Ummi Fisabilillah of Indonesia made the traditional opening ceremonial moves signalling the start of the Eastern Asia Juniors and Girls Chess Championships 2019 here at the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (FAITH) in Tanauan City, Batangas on Tuesday, December 10,2019. Also in photo from the left are the following: IA/IO Casto Abundo of Asean Chess Federation, Chief Organizer FA Ricky Navalta, Executive Director and Resident Manager of Lima Park Bong Evangelista, FAITH Colleges Executive Vice President Juan Lozano, NCFP Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director FA Red Dumuk, GM Jayson Gonzales, GM Eugene Torre and FM Peter Long.-Marlon Bernardino-

30th SEA Games Chess
Final Standings
		Gold	Silver	Bronze
1	Indonesia	2	3	1
2	Malaysia	1
	Singapore	1
	Thailand	1
5	Vietnam		2	3
6	Myanmar			1
7	Philippines

Favourites Susanto Megaranto and Medina Warda Aulia made it a Golden Double in Blitz and in doing so, secured Indonesia the overall championship in 30th SEA Games Chess.

While it was a dominant performance by Medina, it was heartbreak for the Philippines as young Cuizon had put himself in a position to save Philippine pride but the veteran Megaranto was just too good in their last round encounter.

Shockingly, host Philippines ended the 30th SEA Games without a single medal in chess.

The Blitz event is underway with five countries participating. Each country can field two players and while Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines are represented in both the Open (Mens) and Womens competitions, Malaysia has opted only to play in the Womens.

Each match see two arbiters who also track the moves to assist any player claims together with the DGT boards which an electronic tracking for comparison and verification.

Both competitions are played as round robins, the Open (Mens) over seven rounds and the Womens over nine rounds, with players from the same country paired in round one as can be seen in the photos below with their match arbiters hard at work.

         

Cleaning toilets and studying classical chess games is how Gong Qianyun explains the secret to her success. That was the penalty for seven-year-olds if they failed to memorise the moves of past champions at the chess academy she attended in Guangdong, China.

“I was punished like that a few times, and it was terrible because which kid wants to wash toilets?” she recalled with a laugh.

“But I persevered because I enjoyed the winning feeling and the ability to find solutions in difficult situations.”

The determination was evident as she fended off the challenge of nine other players to emerge top of the women’s rapid chess category yesterday to become Singapore’s first SEA Games champion in the sport.

Under this format at this Games, each player has 15 minutes, with 10 seconds added after every move, starting from the first. Games typically last for about 40 minutes, with a point for a win and half for a tie.

Gong, 34, got off to a fine start with three victories and a draw in her first four matches on Monday at the Travelers Hotel in Subic, before losing to Ummi Fisabilillah.

It meant the Indonesian would finish above Gong if both ended tied on points yesterday. But Ummi could only draw with Filipino Catherine Secopito, while Gong beat Pham Le Thao Nguyen to snatch the gold medal, coincidentally also the Republic’s 900th gold at the Games which began in 1959.

Singapore Chess Federation general secretary John Wong paid tribute to Gong, the country’s sole chess representative in the Philippines.

He said: “Being a veteran in the chess scene, Qianyun knows how to handle pressure well. Rounds 6 and 7 could have gone either way, but she found a way to win after some tense moments, which proved vital in the end with such a narrow margin.

“We are very happy with our first SEA Games gold, and we hope this can inspire more people to pick up chess, and more players to aim for greater heights.

“Currently, we have grown to about 1,500 competitive players over the last five years, and we don’t have a specific number to hit; the more the merrier.”

Gong arrived in Singapore in 2009 to work as a chess coach, and became a citizen after she got married in 2012. She and her husband Tay Shi Hao have two children.

Despite her achievements, Gong, who was awarded the Woman Grandmaster title by the World Chess Federation last year, the highest-ranking title in chess exclusive to women, remained modest about her abilities.

The quicker formats were initially not her forte, she said. “I was not competing much because I was more involved in coaching, and I was losing to kids in the faster formats, which took getting used to.

“Chess is tiring both mentally and physically as there is a large amount of concentration and focus involved.”

In the lead-up to the Games, she juggled her responsibilities of coaching more than 10 primary school pupils with daily practice of two to three hours.

Winning the gold has whetted her appetite, she said. “I am very happy and honoured to have gotten the 900th gold for Singapore. I want to thank the supporters back home for all their encouragement.

“I’m still surprised that I won the gold medal, but this is a motivation for me to carry on competing.”

While Thailand’s defending champion Uaychai Kongsee was dominant in taking Gold, the battle for Silver and Bronze when right down the final round.

In the end Mohamad Ervan from Indonesia deservingly took Silver while Myanmar’s Wynn Zaw Htun edged Indonesia’s Dede Lioe for Bronze.