Simultaneous chess demonstration, Penang Library, 9 Jan 1972

I once wrote a series of articles for the Penang Chess Association to chronicle its early years in the 1970s. It is time for me to reproduce the articles in this blog. Here is the first article:

The year had hardly begun when news went round the secondary schools that a Malaysian chess champion would be giving a simultaneous chess display to some 20 players. Four schools - Chung Ling High School, Methodist Boys School, Penang Free School and St Xavier's Institution - were requested to send some representatives to the Penang Library which, at that time, was still located on the top storey of the Penang courthouse building. This is the report and picture which appeared in The Straits Echo on 11 Jan 1972.

MR CHOO (back towards camera) concentrating on the chess board of Quah Seng Sun, 17, from the Penang Free School, during his chess demonstration yesterday. Seated in the centre is Mr Teoh Kim Leng, a teacher from the St Xavier's Institution (Primary). - ECHOpic
(Standing behind Teoh is Ooi Gim Eng from St Xavier's Institution)

PENANG, Sun - Malaysia's chess champion, Mr Choo Min Wang, gave a fine display of the game when he took on 18 opponents at the same time at the Penang Library, this morning.

Mr Choo, who is also the Vice-President of the Chess Association of Malaysia, is a statistician with the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority in Kuala Lumpur.

Standing in the centre of a 'U' shaped table, he took to task the 18 opponents made up of students and teachers of various schools. The match was more of a demonstration than a challenge.

Mr Choo, who began his chess career while studying at the Victoria Institute in Kuala Lumpur, became the national champion in 1958 while attending the Higher School Certificate class.

He took part in other championships but was not placed and in 1971 he captured the championships again.

While in the University of Malaya, he was sponsored by the University Chess Club to participate in the East Asian Zone championships in Sydney.

In 1963, Mr Choo took part in Jakarta, but could not make it to New Zealand due to lack of funds. However, he played in Singapore in 1969.

In all his matches abroad he did not fair very well but as he puts it, "gained plenty of experience," which has put him in good stead for future competitions.

The next Zone championship will be in Hong Kong, some time this year and he hopes to participate in it.

Asked about the standard of the participants who played against him today, Mr Choo said, "The players are of good standard, and will certainly give the schoolboys in Kuala Lumpur, who have been at the game for a longer period, a hard fight."

Mr Choo also said he was happy that the Malaysian Schools Sports Council had included chess as another item in its sports programme.