Kuala Lumpur, 6 May 2023 – (by Ellie Emira) The Malaysian Chess Championship 2023 began on 3rd May and is currently going into round 6. The tournament is being held at Flemington Hotel, in Taiping, Perak. Visit chess-results.com for round by round pairings and standings.
The event is divided into 3 categories – the Open, the Women, and the Challenger Category. There are a total number of 152 players playing. Chief Arbiter FA Najib Wahab is running the show, assisted by Malaysia’s newly crowned and first female international arbiter, as Deputy Arbiter – IA Ellie Emira.
In the Open section, we see our 1st seeded FM Lim Zhuo Ren (who won the National Championship before) back in action! He is followed by FM Yeap Eng Chiam of Penang and CM Ang Ern Jie Anderson. Currently leading the field is Sivanesan, Subramanian with 4.5 / 5 points. In round 6, board 1 will be played by Nik Ahmad Farouqi vs Subramanian Sivanesan, whereas Zhuo Ren will be playing against Yeap Eng Chiam on board 2.
In the Women’s section, 1st seeded is 16-year-old WFM Chong Kai Ni Agnes who hails from Penang. After 5 rounds, Agnes is leading by half a point ahead of second runnning Aqilah Husna. Coming up after her in 3rd place would be Akma Quzaina. In round 6, Agnes will be facing Ainul Mardhiah.
The Challenger category has the highest number with 84 players. This category is for those below 1800 to play. Here, our Paralympian players have also participated to practice for the upcoming SEA Games in Cambodia. Among them includes Mohd Johar Johari – one of the more active Paralympians in the local chess circuits, Norhayati Sarnoh of Perak, being assisted by the OKU Johor President – Dr Nasrul. After 5 rounds of games, Tharvin Shiva Shanmugam is currently leading with 4.5 points.
Chief Arbiter Najib Abdul Wahab (left) giving instructions to players. At right is Malaysia’s newest International Arbiter, Ellie Emira.
The event will end on 7th May after 9 rounds, until then, the battle for the National Champion, & Women’s Champion will be battled out!
Live games are available for the top 2 Open boards.
https://bit.ly/MalaysianChessChampionship2023
More pictures can be found on the Malaysian Chess Federation Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/malaysianchessfederation