THEY HAD GONE .... FOREVER

I have some collection of games with chess players who are no more with us. They had passed away. However, their games will be last, as long as someone keep them in the form of database or hardcopy, just like the greatests who had passed away, like Lasker, Capablanca,Max Euwe, Botvinnik, Tal, Petrosian, Fischer, and most recently Smyslov.

Of course, the top of the list would be GM Edhi Handoko

[Event "Merdeka open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.08.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "GM Edhi Handoko"]
[Black "Rizal A Kamal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[Annotator "Rizal,A"]
[PlyCount "154"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. Be3 cxd4 8.
cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. O-O Qd6 11. a3 Ba5 12. h3 Bh5 13. Nb5 Qe7 14. Bg5 Rd8
15. Nc3 h6 16. Bh4 Bc7 17. g4 g5 18. Bg3 Bxg3 19. fxg3 Bg6 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Bxg6
fxg6 22. Kh2 Qd7 23. Qc2 Kg7 24. Rad1 Nd5 25. Rde1 Rxf3 26. Rxf3 Nxd4 27. Qe4
Nxf3+ (27... Nxc3 28. Rxc3) 28. Qxf3 Nxc3 29. Qxc3+ Qd4 30. Rxe6 Qxc3 31. bxc3
Kf7 (31... Rd2+ 32. Kg1 Kf7) 32. Re2 Rd1 (32... Rd3) 33. h4 Ra1 34. Rb2 b6 35.
Rb3 Ke6 36. hxg5 hxg5 37. Kg2 Rd1 (37... Kd5) 38. Rb4 Rd5 (38... Rd3 39. Rc4
Kd5 40. Rc8) (38... Kd5 39. Rb5+ Kc4 40. Rxg5 Rd6) 39. Kf2 Rd2+ 40. Ke3 Rg2 41.
Kf3 Ra2 42. Re4+ Kd6 43. Rd4+ Kc5 44. Ke4 Re2+ (44... Rxa3) 45. Kd3 Rg2 46. Ke4
(46. Rd7 Rxg3+ 47. Kc2 a5) 46... Re2+ 47. Kd3 Re5 48. Rc4+ Kd6 49. Rc8 b5 50.
Rg8 Re6 51. Kd4 Kc6 52. Rc8+ Kb7 53. Rc5 Rd6+ 54. Ke3 Kb6 55. Rxg5 a6 56. Re5
Ka5 57. Re4 Rc6 58. Kd2 Rd6+ 59. Kc2 Rf6 60. Kb3 Rf3 61. Re6 g5 62. Rg6 Rxg3
63. Rxg5 Rg2 64. a4 Rg1 65. axb5 axb5 66. c4 Rg3+ 67. Kc2 Ka6 68. cxb5+ Kb6 69.
Kd2 Rb3 70. Ke2 Ra3 71. Kf2 Rb3 72. Ke2 Ra3 73. Kf2 Rb3 74. Rf5 Kc7 75. g5 Kd6
76. g6 Rb4 77. Kf3 Rb1 1-0



Many of my friends who watched this game at that time commented that, I had a won position. It was not that easy for me. My endgame technique was very poor.

Another opponent that gave me the most bitter medicine was Agus Salim. I had never get even a half point against him in 'official meetings'. Here is one of the defeat I suffered, and as usual, it was too little but yet too far

[Event "Radison Hotel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rizal A Kamal"]
[Black "Agus Salim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B88"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 Be7 8.
Be3 O-O 9. O-O a6 10. f4 Qc7 11. Qf3 b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. f5 e5 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15.
g4 Qb7 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Nd7 18. g5 Bd8 19. Qg3 Bb6 20. Bxb6 Qxb6+ 21. Kh1
f6 22. Rg1 fxg5 23. Qxg5 Rf7 24. Rae1 Raf8 25. Re4 Qf2 26. Reg4 Qf3+ 27. R4g2
Nf6 28. Re1 Nh5 29. Re3 Qxf5 30. Qxf5 Rxf5 31. c4 Rf1+ 32. Rg1 R8f2 33. c5 dxc5
34. Rxe5 c4 35. Bxc4 bxc4 36. Rxh5 Rxg1+ 37. Kxg1 Rxb2 38. d6 Rd2 39. Rc5 Rxd6
40. Rxc4 Kf7 41. Kf2 Rd2+ 42. Kg3 Rd3+ 43. Kf4 Rxa3 0-1



On the other hand, I had a 100% record against one of the FIDE rated player, Mohd Jamil Yahaya. I consider this as one of my best technique to catch the King in the similar 'slaying the dragon set piece'. (The reader may agree or disagree with me)

[Event "Malay Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.10.20"]
[Round "4.11"]
[White "Rizal A Kamal"]
[Black "Jamil Yahya"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "Rizal,A"]
[PlyCount "85"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Ng4 5. Bg5 c6 6. f3 Nf6 7. Qd2 Bg7 8. O-O-O
O-O 9. Bh6 b5 10. h4 b4 11. Nb1 Qa5 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. h5 Nxh5 14. g4 Nf6 15.
Qh6+ Kg8 16. Bc4 Nbd7 17. Nh3 Re8 18. Ng5 e6 19. f4 Nf8 20. Rh4 d5 21. e5 Nxg4
22. Rxg4 dxc4 23. Rh4 (23. Ne4) 23... c3 24. Ne4 cxb2+ 25. Kxb2 f5 26. Nf6+ (
26. exf6 Qc7 27. Ng5) 26... Kf7 27. Rg1 (27. Nxh7 Nxh7 28. Qxh7+ Kf8 29. Qh8+
Ke7 30. Qf6+ Kd7 31. Rh7+ Re7 32. Qxe7#) 27... Qb6 28. Rd1 a5 29. Nxh7 Ra7 30.
Nf6 a4 31. Qh8 Ke7 32. d5 a3+ 33. Ka1 b3 34. cxb3 (34. d6+ Kd8 35. cxb3) 34...
cxd5 35. Rxd5 Bd7 36. Rd6 Qf2 37. Rh2 Qg1 38. Rhd2 Qc1 39. Nxd7 (39. Qg7+ Kd8
40. Nxd7 (40. Rxd7+ Nxd7 41. Rxd7+ Kc8 (41... Rxd7 42. Qxd7#)) 40... Nxd7 41.
Rxd7+ Kc8 (41... Rxd7 42. Qxd7#) 42. Rxa7) 39... Qb2+ 40. Rxb2 axb2+ 41. Kxb2
Nxd7 42. Qh4+ Kf7 43. Qh7+ 1-0



One more our chess friend who is no longer with us, is Nizam Hamzah from Kelantan. Unfortunately, I have never met him across the board. However, I did collect some of his games in my database.

[Event "National closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nizam Hamzah"]
[Black "Khairul Nizam"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B12"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 Nd7 7. c3 Ne7 8. O-O
h5 9. Nh4 Ng8 10. Ng6 fxg6 11. Qxg6+ Ke7 12. Bg5+ Ngf6 13. f4 Qe8 14. Qd3 Kd8
15. Nd2 Kc7 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Bh4 f5 18. b4 a6 19. a4 Be7 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. b5
axb5 22. axb5 Ra3 23. Rfe1 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 c5 25. c4 Qd6 26. Nb3 Rg8 27. Qe3 dxc4
28. Nxc5 Nxc5 29. dxc5 Qd5 30. Qf2 Rxg2+ 31. Qxg2 Qd4+ 32. Qf2 Qxa1+ 33. Kg2
Qg7+ 34. Kf1 Qg4 35. Qd4 Qf3+ 36. Ke1 Qe4+ 37. Qxe4 fxe4 38. Kd2 Kd7 39. Ke2 c3
40. Ke3 Ke7 41. Ke2 Kd7 42. Ke3 1/2-1/2



In MAKSAK, one of the participants' teams was PENJARA. The late Abdul Rahim was one of their best players. I was told by his team mates, he died in an accident. Maybe, not many known him. He gave me a tough time during our only encounter.

[Event "MAKSAK, Kuala Lumpur"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Abd Rahim PENJARA"]
[Black "Rizal A Kamal KL"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[Annotator "Rizal,AK"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. g3 d6 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 c5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. c3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. O-O
Qc7 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. dxe4 b6 11. Qc2 Bb7 12. Rad1 Rad8 13. Qb3 Na5 14. Qc2 Nc6
15. Bf4 Ne5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Be3 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Rd8 19. Rf1 Qd6 20. a3 Bc6 21.
a4 Qd7 22. b3 c4 23. Ra1 cxb3 24. Qxb3 e6 25. Qc2 h6 26. c4 Bf8 27. a5 Bc5 28.
Bxc5 bxc5 29. e3 Qd3 30. Qxd3 Rxd3 31. Rb1 Rc3 32. Rb8+ Kg7 33. Rc8 Bb7 34.
Rxc5 Rc1+ 35. Bf1 Bxe4 36. Rb5 Bd3 37. Kg2 Bxf1+ 38. Kf3 Rxc4 39. Rxe5 a6 40.
e4 Ra4 41. Rc5 Bb5 42. h4 Rxa5 0-1



An OKU (visual handicapped) who had also passed away was... Fazimi Tajul.

[Event "Sabbaruddin Chik Trophy"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fazimi Tajul"]
[Black "Hairul Hamid"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Bc4 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8.
Be3 c6 9. a3 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. Qd2 Qc7 12. h3 a6 13. Bg5 c5 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15.
Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 e4 17. Bxe4 Nxe4 18. Qe3 Nf6 19. Rad1 Rad8 0-1



Especially for those I stated, I pray for them (to the Muslims) May Allah placed them among them who bestowed with Rahmah and Forgiveness.. Amin. And for the non muslims, ..rest in piece..