National closed chess championship 2007

Five days of the National closed chess championship in Penang. For me, it was four enjoyable days as I only arrived last Monday morning. I took over as the Chief Arbiter from my friend, Hamid Majid, who covered for me on the first day of the tournament.

I managed to have this snapped on the third day of the event, just before he left home. That's us ... the four arbiters. Chuah Soon Pheng on the far left and Ung Tay Aik on the far right. We worked our butts out to ensure that there were no hiccups during the rounds. Give us a clap, please!


And this is the hardworking USM gang. Without them, the tournament wouldn't have been a success. They worked very hard on the logistics and also provided support for the games bulletin which came out 2.5 hours after the last game ended! A great effort. Give them a clap, too!


This is the Dato' Hussein Onn challenge trophy with last year's winner, Jonathan Chuah. Actually, this is only the top of the trophy. I didn't feel like photographing the whole troply but I thought this picture gives a completely different perspective to the trophy.


The following photos of the top five winners of this tournament were taken in the last round. See how tired they all were? Chess is not an easy game. It may look only cerebral, but it takes a lot of physical energy out of the players.

Zarul Shazwan Zulkafli from Selangor. The new national champion. He's only 18 and waiting to be admitted to university.


Tan Eu Hong, second, from Penang. He had a great chance to challenge Zarul in a play-off for the title but could make no headway in this game which was eventually drawn.


Masrin Erowan, third, from Sabah. He fought a dogged game in the final round and managed to ground down his opponent in a difficult endgame.


Sumant Subramaniam, 14, from Selangor, fourth. He won an exchange early in the last game but fell to nerves.


Au Yoong Yaw Loo, fifth, from Johor. I felt he could have beaten Eu Hong but he let the opportunity slip away.


It wasn't a particularly strong field. Many players from the Klang Valley stayed away for various reasons. Many players from Penang stayed away too. It's a pity that there wasn't enough support from them. They could have made a difference in the results. But I'm not taking the glory away from Zarul. He deserves to be the new national champion. Congratulations! Final clap to him, please....