Controversies

Yesterday was a day with something new for me to write on this blog. I was invited by the IA Abdul Latiff Mohamed through the phone to participate in the Bloggers Special at Catur Hari Wilayah Persekutuan DBKL 2010.

"Hanya untuk bloggers yang link dengan sifumycatur boleh bermain dalam Terbuka Catur WP DBKL 2010" - taken from http://sifumycatur.blogspot.com/2010/03/catur-terbuka-hari-wilayah-persekutuan.html

In the tournament, I discovered that only I (Rizal's Chess Trading) and another blogger Norazlin Juarih (Bad Bishop) turned up. The good thing is that, I should have no big trouble to win the cash prize, since I need only to mantain my level above my only rival. The bad thing is that, the organizer tends to cut off the price and redelegate it into the other categories.

Kategori
1. Untuk OKU Cacat Penglihatan Berpasukan 2 OKU + 1 normal (rating bawah 1200)
2. Untuk OKU Cacat Anggota dll Berpasukan 2 OKU + 1 normal (rating bawah 1200)
3.A Terbuka Untuk Mereka bawah 1600 sahaja tapi rating di kecualikan untuk bloggers dan wanita .
3.B Terbuka untuk Bloggers yang link dengan sifumycatur
4 Terbuka untuk Sekolah Rendah
Source : SIFU.mycatur

Subsequently, the organizer had to include me and the other blogger to play together in the same pool with the open categories. I had achieved 3 full points when I was paired against a well known player (I shall refrain myself from stating his name). The game was winning for me. At one point, I have an extra Bishop (Rook+Bishop+3 connected pawns against Rook+ 3 isolated pawns).

Suddenly my opponent lifted the clock as if he was tightening the clock's "lock" button. Thinking that, what he had been doing was only to make sure that the clock did not stop, I somehow forgot to look at the needles of my and my opponent's clocks. However, as soon as my opponent put the clock, another player who was watching my game (Subramaniam Sivanesan) exclaimed loudly, "Mister, just now you have 10 minutes on your clock!". And my opponent flatly denied, "mana ader.." (means no there's no such thing).

I looked at my clock and found that, I had merely only 5 minutes, while my opponent had about 15 minutes (The time control was 20 minutes)

In a state of confusing and full of puzzled, I continued the game like someone who had just learn how to play chess reaching the folowing position.

Now, simply (and obviously) 1..f6 should keep the winning advantage. However, as I could not think straight, I hurriedly (inexplicably) played the worst blunder 1..Kf6 and promptly answered by 2.g5+ winning my Bishop and consequenltly i did not able to stop the suddenly strong pawn from Queening.

I immediately approached the arbiter's table and tell them what had just happened. Eventually I discovered that the IA was at a corner of the hall and I got him to listen to my case.

In my case, the game, by right, should be stopped by me as soon as the independent witness interfered, to investigate the basis of his claim. What was obvious is that, my opponent had deliberately lifted up the clock and quietly (unexpectedly) executed his mala fide intention to adjust his opponent's time giving himself some chances to win the game by time.

I admited, in a state of confusion, I failed to comply with the requirement to lodge a proper complain. However, the dirty plot had been eyewitnessed and backed up by some affirmation from the colleagues of this dirty player that he had done and had actually habitually practised this dirty tactic in previous occassions.

I had to admit my defeat but my friends in the hall keep supporting me to proceed with the official complaint and leave it to the IA to decide.

Finally, the result is out, and it was confirmed that, this particular player emerged as the champion, while, I, luckily, had able to hold my nerve and scored the remaining 2 points to claim my 2nd place with 5 points, ahead of another player Kabber Azad Mohd Kassim, who was also with 5 points, but I had better tie break score and in fact, I beat him in round 1.

(obviously, I was in the second place from the original result - picture taken from GiloCatur website)

Surprisingly, the organizer announced me as the winner and disqualifying the winner not due to my complain, but due to the other reason, that is, he has FIDE rating of 1816 and thus negated him to qualify to participate in this tournament which only allows the rating of 1600. "I think he should had learned the lesson well today, not to cheat"- said one of the players after the end of the prize giving ceremony.

Why must we played chess using the dirty means to win? After all this is a game for the gentlemen. The win should be with full of dignity.

Let alone if we are talking about halal and haram in Islamic perspective. Anything that obtained from illegal means will jeopardise the mubah or halal. Think, if this money is then given to the wife, or son, or daughter of ours... they will soon grew and become corrupted as the flesh and blood was mixed with non-permissible means of source of cash.

After all, the community of chess is too small for someone to practise dirty and illegal tricks, instead of winning it with full of dignity. This reminds me a world class player which I shall quote below from the WIKIPEDIA:
Perhaps Matulović's most notorious transgression was against Istvan Bilek at the Sousse Interzonal in 1967. He played a losing move, then took it back after saying "j'adoube" ("I adjust" - used to adjust pieces on their square, see Touch-move rule). His opponent complained to the arbiter, but the move was allowed to stand. This incident earned Matulović the nickname "J'adoubovic."

Matulović was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served nine months in prison for a car accident in which a woman was killed.

Also, see http://sifumycatur.blogspot.com/2010/03/kemenangan-yang-di-batal.html

and more recently see http://sicilian-najdorf.blogspot.com/2010/03/chess-cheat-blacklist-there-are.html

The truth shall prevail .

Here are 5 games of my victories without annotation.

Rizal A Kamal (2000) - Kabber Ezzad Mohd Kassim [C14] French: Alekhine Chartard attack
Catur OKU Hari Wilayah (1), 21.03.2010
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4 h6 7.Qh5 Bxg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.Nb5 Qa5+ 10.c3 cxd4 11.Nd6+ Kd8 12.Nxf7+ Kc7 13.Nxh8 dxc3 14.Rc1 c2+ 15.Ke2 Qb5+ 16.Kd2 Qb4+ 17.Kxc2 Nxe5 18.Kb1+ Nbc6 19.gxh6 gxh6 20.Qxe5+ Kb6 21.Qc3 Qe4+ 22.Bd3 Qxg2 23.Qc5+ Kc7 24.Rxh6 Qg7 25.Rh7 1–0

Akmal Salleh - Rizal A Kamal (2000)[B50] Sicilian Kopec
Catur OKU Hari Wilayah (2), 21.03.2010
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Bd3 g6 5.0–0 Bg7 6.Bc2 Nc6 7.d3 0–0 8.h3 b5 9.Bf4 b4 10.Qe2 a5 11.a4 Ba6 12.Nbd2 bxc3 13.bxc3 Nh5 14.Bh2 Bxc3 15.Ra2 Nb4 16.Bb3 Bxd3 17.Qe3 Bg7 18.g4 Nf6 19.Rd1 Nxa2 20.Bxa2 Bc2 21.Rc1 Bxa4 22.e5 dxe5 23.Bxe5 Nd7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Ng5 Rc8 26.Rc4 Bb5 27.Rf4 c4 28.Bb1 e5 29.Nxf7 Rxf7 [29...exf4 30.Nxd8 fxe3 31.Ne6+ Kg8 32.Nxf8 exd2 33.Bc2 Nxf8] 30.Rxf7+ Kxf7 31.Qf3+ Nf6 32.Ne4 Bc6 33.g5 Bxe4 34.Bxe4 c3 35.gxf6 Qxf6 36.Qd1 Rc7 37.Qb3+ Kg7 38.f3 Qg5+ 39.Kh2 Qd2+ 40.Kg3 Qd4 41.Qc2 h6 42.Qa2 Qg1+ 43.Qg2 Qxg2+ 44.Kxg2 c2 0–1

Rizal A Kamal (2000) - Norazlin Juarih [B01] Scandinavian defence
Catur OKU Hari Wilayah (3), 21.03.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.c3 e6 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0–0 0–0 8.Re1 b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.Ne4 Nf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Bg5 Nxd4 13.Bxf6 Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 gxf6 15.Be4 Bxe4 16.Rxe4 Rad8 17.Qf1 Kh8 18.Qh3 Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Rg6 20.Rh4 Rg7 21.Rg1 Rdg8 22.Rhg4 f5 23.Qxh7+ 1–0

Rizal A Kamal (2000) - Mohd Faudzi Ahim [B27] Sicilian Hyper accelerated dragon
Catur OKU Hari Wilayah (5), 21.03.2010
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 Ng8 6.c3 d6 7.exd6 exd6 8.0–0 d5 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Re1+ Ne7 11.a4 a6 12.Bd3 c4 13.Bc2 Nbc6 14.Bg5 f6 15.Bf4 0–0 16.Nbd2 Re8 17.Nf1 Bg4 18.h3 Bf5 19.Qd2 Bxc2 20.Qxc2 Na5 21.Re2 Nb3 22.Rae1 b5 23.Ng3 g5 24.Bxg5 fxg5 25.Nxg5 Qd7 26.Qxh7+ Kf8 27.Ne6+ Qxe6 28.Rxe6 Nf5 29.Qxf5+ Kg8 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.Rxe8+ 1–0


Subramaniam Sivanesan - Rizal A Kamal (2000) [B84] Sicilian Najdorf Scheveningen
Catur OKU Hari Wilayah (6), 21.03.2010
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qd2 0–0 9.0–0–0 Qc7 10.f3 b5 11.a3 Nc6 12.Na2 d5 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.e5 Nd7 15.f4 a5 16.Kb1 Bb7 17.Rhf1 Nb6 18.Bxb6 Qxb6 19.g4 b4 20.a4 b3 21.cxb3 Qxb3 22.Qc2 Qxc2+ 23.Kxc2 Rfc8+ 24.Kb1 Bc5 25.f5 Be3 26.Rf3 d4 27.Rff1 Bd5 28.Rd3 Be4 29.Rfd1 Rab8 30.fxe6 fxe6 31.Rf1 Rb3 32.Rfd1 Rcb8 33.Ka1 Rxb2 34.Re1 Bf2 35.Rf1 Rxe2 36.Rdd1 Bd5 37.Nc1 Reb2 0–1

(C) Copyright to Rizal Ahmad Kamal 2010