Malaysian Chess Festival celebrates its 19th birthday together with Malaysia Day

by Peter Long - 19/09/2024

The 19th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championship 2024 part of Malaysian Chess Festival, has reached its halfway mark. Malaysia no.1, IM Poh Yu Tian and GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) are leading the tournament scoring 4.5/5 each. IM Kushagra Mohan is the sole Indian in a pack of five players, trailing by a half point at 4/5 each. Among the women, WGM Priyanka Nutakki is at 3.5/5. Peter Long writes on the history and significance of the tournament, the winners of the Rapid team event and also about Seniors and Challengers event. Photo: Andrew Ooi

Poh Yu Tian and Nguyen Duc Hoa in the lead, Kushagra Mohan in pursuit

The region’s longest standing International Open is the IGB Open Chess Championship which is part of and the centrepiece of the Malaysian Chess Festival which is now in its 19th year and being held from 12th to 23rd September 2024 at Cititel Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur.

19th IGB Malaysian Chess Festival 2024 | Photo: Andrew Ooi

While the event no longer attracts the very best in Asia with changing times big money events in the UAE, Qatar, and China amongst many others, and similar Opens in neighbouring countries, none has been held year after year, notwithstanding a hiatus during the COVID-19 global pandemic, and remains the most important regional event while providing a critical catalyst for local chess development.

Each year hundreds of players from all over Asia and even parts of the World flock to Mid Valley, a leading mixed integrated shopping, leisure, hotel, and commercial office development - owned by the family of the father of Malaysian Chess, the late Dato' Tan Chin Nam – and linked by both a commuter train and light rail transit line that takes you in 15 minutes to everything vibrant Kuala Lumpur City has to offer.

Dato' Tan Chin Nam | Photo: Andrew Ooi

The Malaysian Chess Festival is fitting tribute to the memory and many achievements of Dato’ Tan, a true lover and hands on patron of the game, who served as FIDE Deputy President (for Asia) and also sponsored numerous continental and regional events over several decades in the time of the FIDE President Florencio Campomanes Jr., where even their detractors would have to concede as there was a huge and largely successful focus to raise the standard of Asian chess.

After the death of Dato' Tan and post pandemic it was not clear at all if the event would continue, and credit must be given to its long-time organiser Hamid Majid for continuing together with the Tan family clan's support through Tan Mei Sian who also served as the Malaysian Chess Festival Chairman.

Every year the dates for the Malaysian Chess Festival has to be in August/September to coincide with either Merdeka (Independence) Day on 31st August or Malaysia (National Unity) Day on 16th September in the peak tourist period, and when a two-week long school break takes place.

This year the Malaysian Chess Festival was hit by a series of blows to the available dates, all which were outside everyone's control - the first-time inclusion of chess in SUKMA (National Games), the ASEAN Age-Groups where in the end no Malaysian took part, the ongoing National Schools Championship, the World Chess Olympiad in Budapest as well as PON (Indonesia National Games) – and yet the participation level has not been too much less than in peak years with as many as 1400 entries.

In particular, besides the regulars from numerous countries, players from Indonesian and the Philippines still came, even if only being able to play in the curtain lifting Rapid Teams and it could also be argued that was indeed a small blessing in that there were now increased opportunities for Malaysians to shine!

Rapid teams

Players in the hall before the start of play | Photo: Andrew Ooi

Every year the Malaysian Chess Festival has a number of different events to cater for every type of chess player and at whatever age, as after the two-day rapid team championships, moves on to the Open, Challengers and Seniors, with several Age-Group and Blitz events scattered over the rest days.

Winning team - Nasi Lemak, Laksa or Roti Canai? 16/18 | Photo: Andrew Ooi

For the first time a Malaysian team was the top seed and also finally a Malaysian team took the Open title, although arguably at least the top three Malaysian teams would also have successfully taken on the team that Malaysia sent to the Budapest Olympiad.

1. NASI LEMAK, LAKSA OR ROTI CANAI? (RtgAvg:2212, TB1: 16 / TB2: 26,5)

Bo.		Name	Rtg	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Pts.	Rtg Avg
1	IM	Poh, Yu Tian	2303	1	1	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	7	2058
2	IM	Yeoh, Li Tian	2425	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	7	2053
3	FM	Chan, Kim Yew	2193	1	1	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	7	2042
4		Ernest, Yek Zu Yang	1927	½	1	0	½	1	1	½	0	1	5.5	1952

Nasi Lemak, Laksa or Roti Canai's performance

Prize list

The IGB Malaysian Open

IM Poh Yu Tian (MAS) 4.5/5 | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

This year the Open saw 8 GMs, 11 IMs, 3 WGMs, 10 FMs, and 2 WIMs and a total of 73 players from 23 countries.

GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) 4.5/5 | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

Another first for Malaysia was IM Poh Yu Tian being the top seed, and he is expected to be challenged for top honours by GMs Nguyen Duc Hoa, Nguyen Van Huy, Deepan Chakkravarthy J., and Venkatesh M R, and IMs Oleg Badmatsyrenov and Liu Xiangyi.

GM Deepan Chakkravarthy 3.5/5 | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

In particular, India's hopes are in the hands of IM Kushagra Mohan 4/5 and Deepan Chakkravarthy 3.5/5, who will want to join prior Indian champions Parimarjan Negi (2014) and Swapnil S Dhopade (2016).

Intense battles in progress | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

Coming to the halfway mark, the Open is already beginning to take shape with match-ups in Round 5 that might already determine the final standings.

Round 5: GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (MAS) - IM Poh Yu Tian (MAS): 0.5-0.5 | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

IM Poh Yu Tian, the tournament favourite, is up against the uncompromising and tough as nails Vietnamese GM Nguyen Duc Hoa who Indians will remember well from his then unprecedented back to back Open wins.

Duc Hoa is on the comeback trail after focusing on being a trainer in recent years and is the winner of the 3rd Laos International Open held just a few weeks ago.

His good friend and often travel companion, GM Nguyen Van Huy is also with a big match up against Indian GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J and we cannot count out another big fighter in former Filipino No.1 Laylo Darwin, chess refugee IM Oleg Badmatsyrenov, and IM Liu Xiangyi who is looking to rediscover his early promise till being hit by multiple bouts of COVID-19.

IM Oleg Badmatsyenov vs young Vietnamese Prospect Nguyen Quoc Hy with GM Darwin Laylo in the frame | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

Previous champions

2004 GM Ni Hua (CHN)

2005 GM Wang Hao (CHN)

2006 GM Dao Thien Hai (VIE)

2007 GM Li Chao (CHN)

2008 GM Li Chao (CHN)

2009 GM Parimarjan Negi (IND)

2010 GM Cao Sang (VIE)

2011 GM Li Shihong (CHN)

2012 GM Anthonio Rogelio Jr. (PHI)

2013 GM Xio Deshum (CHN)

2014 GM Zhang Zhong (SGP/CHN)

2015 GM Jakhongir Vakhidov (UZB)

2016 GM Swapnil S Dhopade (IND)

2017 GM Tran Tuan Minh (VIE)

2018 GM Wang Hao (CHN)

2019 GM Novendra Priasmoro (INA)

2022 GM Novendra Priasmoro (INA)

2023 GM Vitaly Sivuk (SWE)

Standings after Round 5 in Open

Rk.	SNo		Name	Typ	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5
1	1	IM	Poh, Yu Tian	U16	MAS	2430	4,5	0,5	15	17	14,75	14,5
2	12	GM	Nguyen, Duc Hoa		VIE	2343	4,5	0,5	13,5	16	13,75	14,5
3	5	GM	Laylo, Darwin		PHI	2397	4	0	13,5	15,5	12,00	12
4	9	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy		VIE	2360	4	0	12,5	14	10,50	13
5	2	IM	Kushagra, Mohan		IND	2411	4	0	12	15	12,00	11
6	17	FM	Nguyen, Quoc Hy		VIE	2302	4	0	11	12,5	9,50	12,5
7	23	FM	Chan, Kim Yew		MAS	2247	4	0	10,5	11,5	8,50	11
8	3	GM	Deepan, Chakkravarthy J.		IND	2408	3,5	0	14,5	16,5	11,00	12
9	8	IM	Liu, Xiangyi		SGP	2368	3,5	0	14,5	16,5	10,25	12,5
10	24		Gong, Sunle	U16	CHN	2226	3,5	0	14,5	16	10,25	12

Details

Seniors and Challengers

Seniors games in progress | Photo: FM FT IA Peter Long

The Seniors is actually one of the strongest of its kind in Asia, and while there remains a core of regulars, it does get stronger every year and could arguably be the toughest competition!

Seniors standings

And this time around the challengers is dominated by locals (99) but there are also 31 players from 22 countries.

Challengers standings

Links

Malaysian Chess Festival: Official site, fb page

Organizer's site

About the Author

One Night in Bangkok! Peter Long, FM, IA and FT, no longer Secretary of the FIDE Trainers’ Commission

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