SUKAN KEWANGAN 2010

After a mediocre result from the 3rd DATCC League and disastrous 4/9 score from the recent National Closed, I see my FIDE rating had dropped 5 points to below 2000. It seemed that, I should stop playing chess after all. However, being a customs officer, I had no excuse from taking the responsibility to play on board no.1 for my department (Jabatan Kastam) in the recent Sukan Kewangan which were held at DATCC from 14 to 16th July 2010. The most bitter rivals on board one were among others, the experienced Goh Teck Koon (KWSP) and Abang Mohd Reduan (BSN - also MAKSAK Sarawak board no.1 player). Fortunately I did not have to add another headache facing the father of the 2 siblings WCM and WFM, Azman Hisham Che Doi of Securities Commisioners due to his busy of managing his daughters who are playing abroad for the country.

Sincerely speaking, I was happy to make a draw against them and would be trying to beat the other who are not as strong as the mentioned rivals. Incidentally, I only managed to draw against NM Kamalarifin Wahiduddin (DBKL) and Mohd Fahmi (LHDN) in the MAKSWIP Chess Tournament 2010, that was a few days before the SUKAN KEWANGAN.

It turned up unexpectedly pleasant achievement. I scored the full 7 points including victories against Goh Teck Koon and Abang Mohd Reduan.


Rizal A Kamal KASTAM - Goh Teck Koon KWSP
[C45] Scotch Game Sukan Kewangan (Round 1 Table 3 Board 1 ) 14.07.2010 Rizal A Kamal KASTAM - Goh Teck Koon KWSP [C45] Sukan Kewangan (R1.B1 T3), 14.07.2010

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.d4

[3.¥b5 a6 4.¥xc6 dxc6 is played in the later round between Abg Mohd Reduan and Goh Teck Koon]

3...exd4 4.¤xd4 ¥c5 5.¤xc6 £f6 6.£d2 £xc6

Theory says, best is 6..dxc6. But the text is played most frequently by our Malaysians players

7.¤c3

[7.£f4!? may be better, avoiding the possible pin as in the game ¤f6 8.¥d3 d6 9.0–0=]

7...¥b4! 8.¥d3

[Possible is8.¥e2 £xe4 (8...¥xc3 9.£xc3 £xc3+ [9...£xe4 10.£xg7] 10.bxc3 ¤f6 11.¥f3 0–0 12.0–0) 9.¤xe4 ¥xd2+ 10.¥xd2]

8...¤e7

[In my opinion, stronger is 8...¤f6 9.0–0 and now not the blunder ¤xe4 '??' 10.¥xe4 wins a piece, but 9...0–0 10.¦e1 etc (If 10.£g5 ¥xc3 11.bxc3 £xc3 12.e5 £xa1 13.¥a3 h6 14.£g3 £d4 15.exf6 £xf6 16.¥xf8 ¢xf8 17.£xc7; or if 10.£f4 ¥xc3 11.bxc3 £xc3 12.¦b1 d5 13.e5 ¤e4 14.¥b2 £a5 15.£h4 h6) ) ]

9.0–0 ¥xc3 10.bxc3 0–0 11.£g5 ¤g6 12.¥d2 d6 13.¦ab1 b6 14.f4 £c5+ 15.£xc5 bxc5 16.¦f3 ¥d7 17.¦g3 ¦fb8 18.¦a1 ¦b2 19.¥c1 ¦b6 20.¦f3

Seeing that The Rook on g3 doing nothing, I decided to pull back

20... ¦ab8 21.¦f1 ¦b1 22.¥e3 ¦xa1 23.¦xa1 ¦b2 24.a4 ¢f8 25.¥c1 ¦b8 26.g3 ¤e7 27.c4 ¤c6 28.¥d2 ¤d4 29.¥c3 ¥c6 30.¢f2 g6 31.¢e3 f6?

Losing a pawn. Goh was already having less than 5 minutes around here.

32.¥xd4 cxd4+ 33.¢xd4 ¢e7 34.¢c3 a5 35.h4 ¦b4 36.h5? g5?

36... gxh5! may had given me a headache as ...¥e8 is a feasible defence

37.fxg5 fxg5 38.h6! ¦b8 39.¦f1 ¦f8 40.¦h1 ¦f7 41.¢b3 ¢f8?

After the game Goh freely admited that, this was a mistake. 41... ¢f6! may saves the half point.

42.¦h5 ¦f6 43.e5 dxe5 44.¥xh7 ¥e8 45.¦xg5

and now Goh played the illegal move 45... ¥xh6 but resigned after putting a piece en prise in our mutual time scramble

1–0

Rizal A Kamal KASTAM - Abg Mohd Reduan BSN [C81]

Sukan Kewangan (3), 14.07.2010

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 b5 6.¥b3 ¤xe4 7.d4 d5 8.dxe5 ¥e6 9.£e2

[9.¤bd2 ¤c5 10.c3 d4 11.¤g5 dxc3 (11...£xg5 But this changed my mind as I had not prepared for it) 12.¤xe6 fxe6 13.bxc3 £d3 14.¥c2 £xc3 15.¤b3 ¤xb3 16.¥xb3 came across my mind as played by Gary Kasparov in his famous victory over Viswanathan Anand]

9...¤a5!?

[9...¥e7 10.¦d1 0–0 (10...£d7 11.c4) 11.c4! bxc4 12.¥xc4 £b8 13.¥d3; 9...¥c5 10.¥e3]

10.¦d1 c6 11.¥e3 ¥e7 12.¤bd2 ¤xd2 13.¦xd2 £c8 14.h3 0–0 15.c3 ¤xb3 16.axb3 a5 17.¤d4 f5 18.exf6 ¥xf6 19.£d3 ¥d7 20.f4 ¦e8 21.¦f2 ¢h8 22.¦f3 £b8 23.¤f5 ¦e4 24.¤g3 £e8 25.¥c5 ¦e1+ 26.¦f1 ¦xa1 27.¦xa1 ¥h4 28.¢h2 £f7 29.¦f1 ¦e8 30.¥d4 ¥xg3+ 31.£xg3 ¦e2 32.¦a1 a4 33.bxa4 bxa4 34.¦xa4 h6 35.¦b4

[35.b4 ¦e4 36.¥e5]

35...¥f5 with a draw offer

36.¦a4 ¥e4 37.¥f2 c5 38.b4 £g6 39.£xg6? [39.bxc5! simply winning]

39...¥xg6 40.¢g1 [40.¥xc5 ¥e4 41.¢g1 ¦xg2+ 42.¢f1 ¦g3 43.¥d4 ¦xh3 44.¦a7 ¦g3 45.b5]

40...cxb4 41.¦xb4 ¦c2 42.¥d4 ¥e4 43.¦b7 ¦xg2+ 44.¢f1 ¢h7 45.¦e7 ¦g3 46.¢f2 ¦xh3??

[46...¦g2+ 47.¢f1 ¦g3=]

47.¦xg7+ ¢h8 48.¦g3+ 1–0

For the full result of CATUR SUKAN KEWANGAN 2010

SUKAN KEWANGAN 2010

I received a news from Roslan Jais (KWSP chess and dart manager) saying that, this year, Sukan Kewangan which shall be hosted by Bank Negara shall includes chess as one of its games. The last time chess has been included was 2004 when KWSP was the host and simultaneously defended their title as the champion.


(Picture and logo of BNM taken from the web via google image search for illustrative purpose)

I involved with this event for the first time in 2002 when BSN as the favourite easily clinched the gold medal. However, in 2003, they lost their title to KWSP when Customs Department hosted this event. Meanwhile, as for the Customs, we (myself and my team mates) mantain our status quo as the silver medalist for 3 consercutive years. The last time however, most of the best board winners were from the Customs (including me on board one ahead of Abang Mohd Reduan of BSN - he lost to Mohd Rozali of LHDN).



Our main problem is however, to find a strong female player that not only strong but willing to learn and play chess for the Customs Department. It is extremely difficult to find even one female from Customs which fulfills this criteria. Unless, the host decided not to make fielding a female player as a compulsory, than this shall be a real chance to wrest the gold medal for us.

On the contrary, making such term, not compulsory to field a female player shall kill the career or at least the progress of some female chess players from certain departments under Ministry of Finance.

I actually prefer to put such condition where the female has their place in chess.

Here is one of a fine victory for me
[Event "Sukan Kewangan"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Rizal A Kamal KASTAM"]
[Black "Rozali Ibrahim LHDN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2074"]
[PlyCount "61"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Ndb5 a6 7. Nd6+ Bxd6 8.
Qxd6 Qa5 9. Bd2 Qb4 10. Qxb4 Nxb4 11. O-O-O Ng4 12. Be1 b5 13. h3 Ne5 14. f4
Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. Rd4 d5 17. exd5 exd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rxd5 Bb7
20. Re5+ Kd7 21. Bb4 Rae8 22. Rc5 Re4 23. Rd1+ Ke6 24. f5+ Kf6 25. Bc3+ Kg5 26.
Rc7 Bc8 27. Rxf7 Rg8 28. g3 Bxf5 29. Rd5 g6 30. Bd2+ Kh5 31. Rxh7# 1-0



With this "refreshment" I hope all Customs Department chess player will wake up from their long hibernation and put only one target, to clinch the gold medal for the first time.

(c) Rizal Ahmad Kamal 2010