Dresden chess olympiad, Round 3

The Malaysian team was quickly brought down back to earth early this morning to face the harsh reality that they were playing against a team that was at least a league better than them. Germany One came prepared and only Lim Yee Weng had a decent game. Yet, he had nothing better than a draw. We felt the might of the German team but at least, we did not come away empty-handed in this match. It could've been worse.

Is it only in Europe that you can see crowds as large as these at chess events? (Photo: Europe-Echecs)

(Photos: Paul Truong / Susan Polgar)

(Photo: ChessBase)

(Photo: Chess Vibes)

So how did the top 10 tables fare? Interestingly, five small minnows - Malaysia, Faroe Islands, El Salvador, Japan and Malta - were thrust into the limelight playing the juggernauts at the top 10 tables and they were overwhelmed. It wouldn't have happened this way if not for the change in one of the Olympiad rules where match points are now counted instead of game points. It has certainly given rise to rather unique situations and pairings. For example, how could tournament leader Tajikistan with 7½ points end up playing at the seventh table while Russia with 5 points played at the top table? Interesting. BTW, I'm surprised that China lost. Norway is seeded many rungs below China so this is an upset result.

Russia 3½-½ Cuba
Germany One 3½-½ Malaysia
Georgia 1½-2½ Ukraine
China 1½-2½ Norway
Netherlands 2-2 Azerbaijan
Armenia 4-0 Faroe Islands
Tajikistan 1-3 Spain
India 3½-½ El Salvador
Japan 1-3 Romania
England 4-0 Malta

And how were the fortunes of the rest of the Asian teams in this round?

Singapore 1-3 Poland
Kyrgyzstan 1-3 Belarus
UAE 1-3 Croatia
Slovakia 4-0 Yemen
Bosnia & Herzegovina 2½-1½ Syria
Lebanon 1-3 Sweden
Uzbekistan 4-0 Iraq
Jordan ½-3½ Kazakhstan
Luxembourg ½-3½ Vietnam
Monaco 1½-2½ Philippines
Macedonia 4-0 Thailand
Sri Lanka 0-4 Austria
Bangladesh 3-1 Libya
South Korea ½-3½ Portugal
Pakistan 2-2 Paraguay
Hongkong ½-3½ Ecuador
Nepal 0-4 Costa Rica
Afghanistan ½-3½ Indonesia
Mongolia 3-1 Mozambique
Ethiopia 1-3 New Zealand
Turkmenistan 3-1 Malawi
Mexico 1½-2½ Iran
Australia 4-0 British Virgin Islands
Qatar 4-0 Namibia
Palestine 3-1 Fiji
Papua New Guinea 1½-2½ Netherlands Antilles
Cyprus 2-2 Chinese Taipei
Macau 4-0 Virgin Islands

Our representatives in Dresden, Round Three: (left to right) Mas Hafizulhelmi, Lim Yee Weng, Mok Tze Meng and Jimmy Liew

At Table 2, these are the results of the Malaysian team:
GM Naiditsch Arkadij 2678 - IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2439 1-0
GM Gustafsson Jan 2634 - FM Lim Yee-Weng 2396 1/2
GM Fridman Daniel 2630 - FM Mok Tze-Meng 2308 1/0
GM Baramidze David 2557 - IM Liew Chee-Meng-Jimmy 2306 1-0

For Round Four, Malaysia has been pushed down to Table 15 - not too unreasonable considering the quantum of their loss but hey, match points over game points, remember? - and they are going to play Slovakia. It's going to be another tough match. Their first four players are GMs. Good luck, boys!

Dresden Round 3: Germany (One) vs Malaysia

The name lists are out for the third round of the Dresden Chess Olympiad and as I mentioned earlier, this is a BIG fight for Malaysian chess. And for that matter, a guarded one for Germany. Meeting a lightweight team like Malaysia in the third round is quite unlike meeting a lightweight team in the first round. Definitely, Germany will be going all out against Malaysia tonight. But are our players up to it? We have to wait and see and hope for the best. Here are the pairings for Germany (One) versus Malaysia.

2.1 GM Naiditsch Arkadij 2678 - IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2439
2.2 GM Gustafsson Jan 2634 - FM Lim Yee-Weng 2396
2.3 GM Fridman Daniel 2630 - FM Mok Tze-Meng 2308
2.4 GM Baramidze David 2557 - IM Liew Chee-Meng-Jimmy 2306

Go, fellas, go!

Will something now be done about Penang's hill rape?

Finally, someone in The Star's northern office has woken up to the destruction of the environment around us in Penang. There's a big write-up in Saturday METRO North today about the hill cutting activities (I would call it hill rape) in the state but as expected, the story is island-centric, concentrating only on the destruction in Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi with lots of comments from so-called environmentalists and total disregard of similar hill slope destruction on the mainland. I am very disappointed with them. So insular are their thinking that they cannot see beyond their noses.

The Star: Lorries busy transporting materials at hill site in Juru

At least, the newspaper redeemed itself with two photographs of the hill rape on the mainland, in particular this one in Juru which is a BIG eyesore when you travel on the Penang Bridge from the island to the mainland.

Of course, I've highlighted all these destructive activities on the mainland before, especially here (Land rape in southern mainland Penang), but as usual too, nobody - including the Penang government - had noticed. Or if they had noticed, they had preferred to keep mum. Well, at least I'm glad it has been highlighted today in The Star. Never too late.

Dresden chess olympiad, Round 2

Round Two of the Dresden Chess Olympiad started late today. Errors in the team rosters, that's all the information I could get. So the games began at 11pm (local time in Malaysia) but what the heck: it's so darn late and it was almost impossible to reach the official web site. At my age, sleep is definitely more important than to spend half the early hours up over the computer. Never mind, the results won't go away. So this morning, I logged in to see these results at the top tables:

Poland 1½-2½ Russia
Slovenia 1-3 Germany One
Ukraine 2½-1½ Serbia
Belarus 1-3 China
Azerbaijan 3-1 Slovakia
Moldova 1-3 Armenia
USA 2-2 Greece
Spain 2½-1½ Bosnia Herzegovina
Sweden 1-3 India
Romania 2½-1½ Argentina

That's the top 10 tables. But apart from China and India, how are the other Asian teams doing? Here are some of the results:

Cuba 2½-1½ Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan 1½-2½ Georgia
Faroe Islands 2½-1½ Pakistan
Jersey - 1½-2½ Malaysia
Tajikistan 3½-½ Malawi
Switzerland 2½-1½ Turkmenistan
Singapore 0-4 Vietnam
Philippines 2½-1½ Algeria
Kyrgyzstan 1-3 Macedonia
Italy - 2½-1½ UAE
Iraq 1-3 Estonia
El Salvador 2½-1½ Australia
Uruguay 0-4 Bangladesh
Colombia 3½-½ Thailand
Qatar 1½-2½ Japan
Indonesia 3-1 Botswana
Mongolia 3½-½ Trinidad & Tobago
Iran 1-3 France
Macau 0-4 New Zealand
Papua New Guinea ½-3½ Sri Lanka
Chinese Taipei 0-4 Surinam
Netherlands Antilles 1½-2½ South Korea
Guernsey ½-3½ Afghanistan
Gabon 1-3 Nepal
US Virgin Islands 0-4 Hongkong

The number of unpaired countries have reduced to eight and among them are Bahrain, Myanmar and Maldives. I don't think they'll turn up.

Our representatives in Dresden, Round Two: (left to right) Lim Yee Weng, Mok Tze Meng, Jimmy Liew and Edward Lee

At Table 18, Jersey lost to Malaysia 1½-2½ in the second round. (In other words, Malaysia won.) Mas Hafizulhelmi was rested so Edward Lee was able to play his first Olympiad game. He won and these are the results for the team:
Belzo Krzysztof 1993 - FM Lim Yee Wng 1/2
Tandy Chris UR - FM Mok Tze-Meng 1/2
FM Hawes Jonathan - IM Liew Chee-Meng-Jimmy 2306 1/2
Jouault Louis UR - Edward Lee Kim Han UR 0-1

For Round Three, Malaysia is hoisted up even higher to Table 2. It's going to be a BIG one for them tonight as they're are up against Germany One. Good luck again, guys!

At first, I was wondering why our team had managed to find themselves among such company after only the second round of the Olympiad. Then I realised that there have been a few changes to the rules:

1) Open teams are reduced from six players to five. Good to see this implemented as it allows each player more chances to play and not be a passenger in the team.
2) Women's teams are increased from five players to six. This is also a very welcomed move as the number of women players have increased substantially. Besides, it's a positive demonstration for gender equality.
3) All matches are over four boards. Previously, the women's event was over three boards.
4) Match points will be counted instead of game points. The basis is that winning the match is more important than chalking up big scores. This is an experimentation but it gives rise to pairings such as Malaysia versus Germany One in the third round.
5) All players must be seated by 3pm or be defaulted. In my opinion, a very good move to instil discipline in players.

Penang food hunt 2008

The Penang Food Hunt is back.

What could be a more exciting way to enjoy Penang’s multi-ethnic food heritage than a hunt that combines the culinary delights of the state with a series of thrilling activities? The Penang Food Hunt 2008, to be held on 6-7 Dec 2008, promises to tickle the gastronomic senses and pump up the adrenalin in you.

The success of last year's Penang Food Hunt with its 98 cars and nearly 400 participants,has proven that hunters enjoy themed hunts with local experiences. This year the organisers will have a new host of challenges to extend the food hunt experience.

• Prizes to the top 25 teams valued at RM20,000 (including cash prizes for the top three teams)
• Cost per pax is RM150 (including a one-night stay at Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, dinner and breakfast)
• Goodie bags for every participant
• Limited to the first 120 teams
  

* Registration at 9am, briefing at 11am and flag off at 12 noon in Penang on 6 Dec 2008 (Saturday). Prize-giving is over breakfast-cum-brunch on 7 Dec 2008 (Sunday).

For ENTRY FORMS and more information, please log on to:
www.rasarasa.net, www.timeoutsolutions.com
or call Time Out Solutions at 03-5621 4818

Dresden chess olympiad, Round 1

The Chess Olympiad has started in Dresden, Germany and the Malaysian team is seeded 74th in an event that has 144 teams playing. When I looked at the official results here, I noticed that there were 10 teams which were unpaired for the first round. Presumably, I would take it to mean that they have not arrived in Dresden at all.

Anyway, the first round normally throws up little surprises at the top tables but Hungary was held by Iran, France and Montenegro played to a 2-all draw while Latvia and Israel split their points. All these happened at the top 10 tables.

Other than that, in the bottom half of the draw, the results were quite decisive with many matches ended in 4-0 0r 3.5-0.5 results. I observed that the recipients of the zero or half point are usually those weakest teams in the chess olympiad.

Let me see how some of our better known Asian teams fared in the first round:
Vietnam 1.5 - 2.5 Ukraine
China 2.5 - 1.5 Philippines
Hungary 2 - 2 Iran
India 2.5 - 1.5 Canada
Australia 0.5-3.5 Czech Republic
Bangladesh 0.5 - 3.5 Netherlands
Argentina 2.5 - 1.5 Qatar
Uzbekistan 2.5 - 1.5 Indonesia
Palestine 0.5 - 3.5 Kazakhstan
New Zealand 1-3 Trinidad & Tobago
Lithuania 3 - 1 Mongolia
Sri Lanka 1 - 3 Faroe Islands
Malaysia 3.5 - 0.5 Libya
Cyprus 0 - -4 Tajikistan
Turkmenistan 4 - 0 Mauritius
Albania 0.5 - 3.5 Singapore
South Korea 0 - 4 Kyrgyzstan
Hong Kong 0.5 - 3.5 South Africa
Bolivia 3.5 - 0.5 Macau
US Virgin Isles 0 - 4 Iraq
El Salvador 3.5 - 0.5 Fiji
Uruguay 3.5 - 0.5 Papua New Guinea
Monaco 0.5 - 3.5 Pakistan
Thailand 3 - 1 Ethiopia
Chinese Taipei 0 - 4 Wales
Afghanistan 1.5 - 2.5 Japan

Our representatives in Dresden, Round One: (left to right) Mas Hafizulhelmi, Lim Yee Weng, Mok Tze Meng and Jimmy Liew

Seated at Table 38, Malaysia beat Libya 3.5-0.5 in this round:
IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2439 - Homrana Mustafa 2001 1 - 0
FM Lim Yee-Weng 2396 - Elbaruni Mohamed 2072 1/2
FM Mok Tze-Meng 2308 - Chahrani Ibrahim 2314 1 - 0
IM Liew Chee-Meng-Jimmy 2306 - FM Asabri Hussien 2191 1 - 0

For Round Two, Malaysia is hoisted up to Table 18 where they'll be playing Jersey tonight. Good luck, guys!

4 King Street, Penang

When was the last time that you came across a spiral staircase in a house? I know a beauty salon in Butterworth that installed one a few years ago but that doesn't count. It would have been too modern. I meant an old house with its own spiral staircase. I dare say there should still be several in the heritage part of George Town. Like this one. This is the interior of 4 King Street, Penang. Don't you just love the spiral staircase? As it spirals towards the top, the steps get narrower and smaller until at last you step off onto what's supposed to be the attic. More about this place later....

More on Penang's tennis big bust

Somehow, I hope the Penang Island Municipal Council is not left to clear the whole set-up at the Esplanade field on its own at tax-payers' expense.

There's this one paragraph in The Star's report: "A check with the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) office also revealed that the RM200,000 rental for the usage of the Esplanade field has not been paid." Bank guarantee waived is one thing but rental not paid? Wonder whether the MPPP is now in the business of dishing out charity. Looks like there's no income here but a loss coming the MPPP's way. Even a paper loss is a loss.

Anyway, there is more revealing information from the newspapers. In the New Straits Times, it was reported that Lasse Olsson, the managing director of the tennis bonanza, said the event was scrapped due to the (local) organisers' shortcomings. "We express our sincere apologies to the public that the local promoter failed to remit the funds despite a number of ultimatums issued by us. The event has been cancelled. We notified the local promoter last week," he said in a statement.

The local promoter was informed last week. When exactly? "Last week" can mean any time between 2 Nov 2008 to 8 Nov 2008. Yet on 9 Nov 2008, The Star quoted the local promoter as insisting that the event was "going to be huge and it is definitely on". What's going on? Who's right? Who's wrong? Mmm...

Tennis Big Bust fall-out in Penang

In the newspapers today, it is revealed that the cost for cancellation of the Kings Of Tennis Big Bang Penang tournament will be in the region of millions. To be more exact, about RM18 million. The cancellation came about because the local organisers could not pay their foreign partners the fees to bring in the players.

A big fiasco, because the local organisers were hoping that the Penang government could play a bigger role in the event. But as it was a private sector initiative and not an official government programme, the government claimed it could not do more than to give the event its usual support. Still, the Espanade field had been rented to the organisers at a nominal fee which came up to RM200,000 anyway. I wonder how much it would have cost if the fee was not 'nominal'.

State Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said that “tournament organising chairman Arianna Teoh called me on Tuesday night and insisted that the event would go on. But the international players will not be coming. The state government should not be held responsible for the cancellation as we only endorsed the project and were not partners in organising it. The initiative was taken by a private organisation with the state authorities only helping them get the venue."

He said that the state had waived the RM2mil bank guarantee from the organisers to set up the structures at the Esplanade Heritage Site. The Star newspaper said that a check with the Penang Island Municipal Council revealed that the RM200,000 rental for the usage of the Esplanade field has not been paid.

Law said the council would get tough on the organisers if they failed to keep their agreement to restore the venue to its original condition. “The organisers are responsible for the restoration of the field. If they don’t comply, action will be taken against them." The grass on the field near Fort Cornwallis was dug up and the surface tarred before the tennis court was laid.

Big Bang Penang or Tennis Big Bust?

What's to become of this stage, the tennis court and the seats now that the Kings Of Tennis Big Bang Penang tournament is off? I suppose the organisers will have no choice but to dismantle them and cut their losses.


The Big Bang tournament was supposed to bring in the big names of tennis to Penang for three days of competition on 14-16 Nov, but it's now become the Big Bust. The big names will not be coming because the local organisers have allegedly failed to pay the promised fees to the promoters to bring them in.

Over the past few days, we've been reading the accusations and rebuttals in the newspapers with the organisers saying that there was lack of support from the authorities (meaning, the state government) but really, for the organisers to be able to rent the Esplanade field at a minimal rate for a private sector initiative was support itself. I can't understand what more support could the organisers want or expect?

So Penang has missed out on a chance to be placed on the world tennis map. But I wonder whether it would have been worth the effort for three days of tennis. Who would benefit more: the people of Penang or the organisers of this tournament?

Anyway, these are the tennis greats who would have been here: Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Marcelo Rios and Roy Emerson.

Aerobus system for Penang?

Will we see one of these in Penang soon? It's a novel idea but it may just work to resolve the traffic mess on the island. A highly configurable aerobus system that glides silently on cables about 40m from the ground. (P.S. Just make sure the cables are strong enough. If the Penang Hill funicular train service - which is pulled by cables on the tracks - can malfunction, what more about cables dangling in the air and supporting the aerobus? Just make them bloody strong enough if such a system is implemented!)

This was proposed to the Penang government yesterday by Pinggiran Pelangi. It's capable of travelling at speeds of up to 100kph and a 12-coach system can carry up to 30,000 people in an hour. An appealing feature is that there's no need to construct heavy infrastructure to prop up the track. And the cable can even be laid beneath the Penang Bridge to connect the mainland and the island together! Pretty interesting and exciting. I hope the government can study into the proposal fast.

Some thoughts about heritage

These two remarks were referenced by Badaruddin Mohamed, A. Ghafar Ahmad and Izzamir Ismail in their paper on "Heritage route along ethnic lines: the case of Penang" which was presented to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in Year 2000:

Heritage is not only about the past. It is about the present generation who continues to cherish and to learn about the vibrant and glorious history, culture and past civilization. It is about cultural traditions, places and values that people proudly preserve."
(Collins, R ‘Tourism and Heritage Conservation-The Pacific Experience’, Heritage Australia 2.2 1983: 58-59.)

"It includes family patterns, religious practices, folklore traditions and social customs, as well as museums, monuments, battlefields, artefacts, historic buildings and landmarks."
(Konrad, V. ‘Historical Artifacts as Recreational Resources’, pp. 392-416 in G. Wall & J. Marsh eds. Recreational Land Use: Perspective on its Evolution in Canada, Ottawa: Carleton University Press 1982.)

Pot calling the kettle black

Thanks for telling off those @#%&* buggers!

And this was what Lim Guan Eng was alluding to: prominent road signs in the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur, and this is not even a heritage area!

Read the stories here and here.
And here and here are two interesting, fully recommended, related commentaries that I found in the local blogs.

The Penang Schools' Students Chess Council (1)

Moving along with my reminiscences of the Penang Chess Association. It was still early days but there was decisions to be made about the Penang Schools' Students Chess Council (PSSCC). My friends and I realised that it had served its purpose and it was time to wind it up. Here is the brief account of the PSSCC in a circular letter which was circulated to the member schools prior to its dissolution:

THE PENANG SCHOOLS STUDENTS CHESS COUNCIL
1. FORMATION AND AIMS
An increasing awareness and demand for the establishment of an organisation representing student Chess interests in the State of Penang, can be emphatically detected in the early sixties. This realisation finally culminated in the meeting of 1966 by the representatives of the Chess Clubs from Chung Hwa High School, Chung Ling High School, Han Chiang High School, Methodist Boys School, Penang Free School and Saint Xavier's Institution, whereupori a decision was reached to initiate a body that would work for Chess interests in the schools of Penang. This body was thus created under the name of Organising Committee, and then Organising School. Later, this organisation was more appropriately renamed the Penang Schools Students Chess Council.

In forming this Council, four major aims were effected :-

(a) To stimulate and prornote Chess interests in the schools of Penang and raise the standard of play;
(b) To introduce and organise inter-school Chess tournanents, and encourage competitive rivalry in Chess;
(c) To coordinate all inter-school Chess activities in Penang;
(d) To serve as a concrete body representing student Chess interests in the State of Penang.

The majority of these aims were realised in one way or another - meetings were convened annually during which problems were worked out; but, perhaps, tho greatest achievements were the successful organisation of the annual inter-school and individual Chess tournaments for International and Chinese Chess.

2. MEMBERSHIP
The founder-members of the Penang Schools Students Chess Council were Chung Hwa High School, Chung Ling High School, Han Chiang High School, Methodist Boys School, Penang Free School and Saint Xavier's Institution. This was in 1966. With the maturing of thc Council, membership later increased to envelope the Chess Clubs of High School Bukit Mertajam, Convent Light Street,. Chung Ling High School (Private), Jelutong Secondary School, Saint George's Girls School and Saint Mark's Butterworth.

3. TOURNAMENTS
A] In accordance with the aims of the Penang Schools Students Chess Council, tournaments were organised annually to cater for players of both International and Chinese Chess. Initially, the organisation of these tournaments was in the hands of the Organising Committee. made up of members elected by the school representatives. Later, a decision was made to entrust the responsibility of organising the tournaments to each member-school on a yearly rotation basis. The organising schools concerned were :-

1966 - Chung Ling High School
1967 - Methodist Boys School
1968 - Saint Xavier's Institution
1969 - Chung Ling High School
1970 - Penang Free School
1971 - Methodist Boys School

These tournaments were purely an internal affair with the participants coming from member-schools. However, before the start of each tournament, circulars were issued to all Secondary Schools, irrespective of whether they have a Chess team or not, in Penang and Butterworth, inviting thern to join the Council and participate in the various tournanrents organised by the Council.

B] The Individuals Championships for International and Chinese Chess had been conducted annually since 1964, and with the formation of the Council, it was decided that the existing trophies would continue to be used for further championships. Thus, in addition to the introduction of inter-school International and Chinese Chess tournaments, the year 1966 also saw the organisation of the Individuals Championships for International and Chinese chess under the wings of the Council. 1968 witnessed the initiation of the Girls Individual International Chess Championships and the inter-school International Chess Championships for Girls. The year 1970 was a great leap forward for student Chess interests in Penang. Being fully conscious of the developing interest in the game arnong the younger players, the Council unhesitatingly undertook the task of introducing the inter-school Under-16 International and Chinese Chess' Charripionships as well as Individual Championships for that age~group.

4. ADVISERS
Although the Penang Schools Students Chess Council is essentially a student organisation, it is the practice of the Council to invite the Advisers of' the Chess Clubs of all member-schools to sit in the Panel of Advisers, the President ot whom is normally the Adviser of the Organising School; The pioneer Adviser to the Council during its budding years was Mr.Tan Yam San, a forrner Adviser of the Chung Ling High School Chess CIub. Mr Tan, a Chess enthusiast of great renown in Penang, was one of the prorninent figures behind the formation of the Council in 1966, and was one of the rrajor Advisers to the Council since its establishment and until even after his retirement in 1969. The Council is most grateful to Mr Tan for the invaluable assistance and guidance rendered.

5. RESULTS
The results of the various Championships organised by the Council are as follows :-

A. Penang Students Chinese Chess IndividuaI Championships
(Shield donated by Mr Ng Sui Cam)

1964 - Wong KooiFoi (Chung Ling High School)
1965 - Lau Suan Lok (Chung Ling High School)
1966 - Lau Suan Lok (Chung Ling High School)
1967 - Lau Suan Lok (Chung Ling High School)
1968 - Neoh Huat Peng (Chung Ling High School Private)
1969 - Leow Bin Khiang (Chung Ling High School)
1970 - Lim Thean Teng (Chung Ling High School)

B. Penang Students' International Chess Individual Championships
(Cup donated by Mr J Mandy)

1964 - Cheong Wee Seng (Chung Ling High School)
1965 - Cheong Wee Seng (Chung Ling High School)
1966 - Cheong Wee Seng (Chung Ling High School)

(Cup donated by Mr Cheong Yin Beng)

1967 - Cheong Yee Khoon (Chung Ling High School)
1968 - Khoo Say Guan (Penang Free School)
1969 - Koh Chong Kuan (Methodist Boys School)
1970 - Tan Seang Lin (Penang Free School)

C. Penang Inter-school International Chess Championships
(Shield donated by Messrs. Tan Yan San, Tan Jit Chay, Kok Wang Fai, Khor Gark Khim)

1966 - Chung Ling High School & Methodist Boy School
1967 - Methodist Boys School & Chung Ling High School
1968 - Chung Ling High School
1969 - Chung Ling High School & Methodist Boys School
1970 - Chung Ling High School, Penang Free School & Methodist Boys School

D. Penang Inter-school Chinese Chess Championships
(Shield donated by Mr. Ooi Chin Boon)

1966 - Chung Ling High School
1967 - Chung Ling High School
1968 - Chung Ling High School
1969 - Chung Ling High School
1970 - Chung Ling High School

E. Penang Inter-school International Chess Championships (Girls)
(Shield dotiated by Messrs Tan Yam San & Tan Chuan Huat)

1968 - Methodist Boys School
1969 - Saint Xavierst Institution
1970 - Methodist Boys School & Saint George's Girls School

F..Penang Girls International Chess Individual Championships
(Cup donated by S.X.I. Brother Director)

1968 - Ng Yoke Ling (Saint Xavier's Institution)
1969 - Hooi Choy Khuan (Methodist Boys School)
1970 - Lee Har Looi (Penang Free School)

G. Penang Inter-school Under-16 International Chess Championships
(Shield donated by the Penang Free School Chess Club)

1970 - Penang Free School 'Unicorns'
1971 - Chung Ling High School

H. Penang Inter-school Under-16 Chinese Chess Championships

1970 - Chung Hwa High School
1971 - Chung Ling High School

I. Penang Students Under-16 International Chess Individual Championships

1970 - Khaw Teik Kooi (Penang Free School), Khoo Chuan Keat (Penang Free School), Tan Seang Beng (Penang Free School) & Toh Weng Tuck (Methodist Boys School)

J. Penang Students Under-16 Chinese Chess Individual Championships

1970 - Soon Teng Kiong (Penang Free School), Yeoh Cheang Tiat (Chung Ling High School) & Seng Guan (Chung Hwa High School)

6. DISSOLUTION
On 17th June 1972 a meeting of the Penang Schools Students Chess Council was convened at Saint Xavier's Institution during which a motion proposed by Saint Xavier's Institution and seconded by Penang Free School, moving for the dissolution of the Council was unanimously passed. The motivating factors behind this move for dissolution were :-

(a) that the original aims of the Council had already been realised;

(b) that as encouragernent and support, both financially and morally, is now being given by the Ministry of Education towards the promotion of the game, the necessity for the existence of the Council is now secondary.

(c) that the member-schools are in favour of participating in Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Pulau Pinang (M.S.S.P.P.) and Low Hooi Siah Chess Tournaments organised annually.

At the meeting, the Penang Free School Chess Club was given an official mandate to prepare a short account of the history of the Penang Schools Students Chess Council, outlining the events leading to its formation, its progress and achievements, and finally its dissolution, and also to tie up all other loose ends.

It was also resolved at this meeting that all the challenge trophies for the various Inter-school and Individual Chess Championships organised by the Council be collected by the Penang Free School Chess Club and presented to the Penang Chess Association for safe-keeping and exhibition purposes.

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Penang Schools Students Chess Council would like to place on record its sincere gratitude to the following :-

(a) All founder-members, including Cheong Wee Seng, for their praiseworthy efforts In initiating the Council,

(b) All mernber-schools namely, Convent Light Street, Chung Hwa High SchooI, Chung Ling High School, Chung Ling High School (Private), Han Chiang High School, High School Bukit Mertajam, Jeluto'ng Secondary School, Methodist Boys School, Penang Free School, Saint George's Girls' School, Saint Mark's Butterworth and Saint Xavier's Institution, for their priceless support and participation in the Council's activities;

(c) Mr. Tan Yam San and all Advisers concerned for sitting in the Panel of Advisers;

(d) The folIowing donors for the presentation of the various Challenge Trophies:-

Messrs Cheong Yin Beng
Khor Gark Khim
Kok Weng Fai
J. Mandy
Ng Sui Cam
Ooi Chin Boon
Penang Free School Chess Club
S.X.I. Brother Director
Tan Chuan Huat
Tan Jit Chay
Tan Yan San

(e) Personnel of the Penang Free School Chess Club, particularly the Chairman, Khoo Chuan Keat, and Secretary, Quah Seng Sun, for the compiling of the Council's records and collection of the various Challenge Trophies for presentation to the Penang Chess Association.

With the dissolution. of tho Penang Schools Students Chess Council, thus ends a chapter in the history of Chess in the schools of Penang.

Requiescat In Pace 17th June 1972

Dated Obtober 1972

Ajahn Brahm visiting Penang in December 2008

I've heard that renowned Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahmavamso from the Buddhist Society of Western Australia will be visiting Penang on 20-29 Dec 2008. He'll be holding a meditation retreat at the Mahindarama Temple in Kampar Road, Penang.

There'll also be nightly public lectures from 8pm to 9pm, and the one that'll be of interest to me will be Buddhism at the workplace on 22 Dec. Got to put this down in my diary....

Chance meeting with Dato Seri Goh Eng Toon

I bumped into someone that I hadn't met for about eight years. Dato Seri Goh Eng Toon. When I first got to know him in the late 1970s, he was already the general manager and chief executive officer at Ban Hin Lee Bank. Every day, he would walk into the bank and go into his room. Then there would be a string of people going in to see him for meetings and approvals. Later, he was the bank's chairman as well. In my days with the bank, I used to bring cheques for him to sign to cover our inter-bank transactions with the central bank. Most times, the cheques would go into millions and I would go agog holding these cheques in my hands and waiting for him to sign them. To me, signing cheques worth millions of dollars was like signing your life away. Gah....

But as I said, I hadn't seen him for about eight years. And the first thing he asked me was whether I was still involved with chess. I hid my surprise. He remembered but all those years in the bank, he never once did talk to me about the game. Whilst in the bank, he kept his professional distance. Another surprise: the next thing he mentioned to me: "Chin Nam won at Melbourne again, eh?" He was, of course, referring to Dato Tan's horse, Viewed, coming in first at the Melbourne Cup just seven days ago. Winning by a nose, he marvelled.

A place called Homestead in George Town, Penang

Nowadays, people know this heritage mansion only as the main campus of the Wawasan Open University in George Town, Penang.

Actually for a good many years - at least 70 years - it was the family home to the Yeap family.

Homestead was built originally for Lim Mah Chye in 1919 by James Stark of Stark & McNeil, a Scottish civil engineering firm but Lim Mah Chye's son, Lim Chin Guan, sold it to Yeap Chor Ee in 1933.

It has been said that Lim Mah Chye deliberately built his mansion to block the view enjoyed by his rival, Quah Beng Kee, who owned a mansion called Columbia Lodge right across the road (which is today the Maple Gold restaurant).

However, I believe it was more about blocking the fengshui rather than the view because in the 1920s, Quah Beng Kee suffered financial ruins when his ship crashed into the port in Deli, Medan, and he had to pay for the damages. His shipping company was taken over by Lim Chin Guan but before long, Lim Chin Guan also suffered due to the great depression and he had to sell Homestead to Yeap Chor Ee.

Once, I was briefly shown the title deeds to Homestead but it was in so fragile a condition that I just looked, not wishing to touch it.

The mansion sits on a four-acre land at 54 Northam Road (also known as Millionaire's Row).

The main building's floor plan is E-shaped and the story goes that its design was a tribute to Elizabeth I.

An annexe, which served as the kitchen and quarters, was added later to the building which connected to a mini Operetta next to the sea. There was also a stable for horses and a small pier for berthing yachts or boats.

This was how Homestead looked like in the 1980s and 1990s with an immaculately kept lawn at the front.

Beneath the porch was a huge black, vintage Daimler. Nobody ever remembered seeing it driven on the roads since the 1980s. Maybe it was, but I wouldn't know.

There were two entrances from Northam Road but the first gate was permanently locked and visitors and families alike were required to use the second one.

As one entered through the ivy-covered gate, the main building would loom on the left. But if you were to follow the gravel path, it would lead first to the stable and then the wide, spacious courtyard behind the building.







This next photograph was taken from the third floor of the Menara BHL Bank. The mansion's balcony would have been a great place for sun-bathing if not for the various multi-storey buildings that now line Northam Road.











Finally, a bird's eye-view of Homestead as it used to be. You can see the front lawn and the wide open courtyard at the back. Unfortunately, the courtyard, stable, annexe and Operetta building are all gone, given way to modern development ever since Homestead was donated to the Wawasan Education Foundation in 2006.

Yes, Homestead was once home to three generations of the Yeap family - Yeap Chor Ee, Yeap Hock Hoe and Yeap Leong Huat - but no more.

(FOOTNOTE: Lim Mah Chye's great great grandson is Lim Bian Yam, born in Penang in 1933 and is renowned for his talent in cookery and floral art display.)

Wireless@Penang (WiFi, WiMax) project to proceed

I was too late in reaching Komtar yesterday to attend the WiFi forum organised by the Penang government but it's been confirmed that it's full steam ahead for the Wireless@Penang project. A lot of experts came out in support of the initiative, such as from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Malaysian Nuclear Agency Radiation Safety and Health Division and the University of Malaya.

Good. We shouldn't be cringing every time that the Consumer Association of Penang open their mouth. They'll always be objecting to everything, whether justified or unjustified. In this case, my personal feelings are that the CAP has no leg to stand on. But you can't really fault them. After all, they are only doing their job to be a watchdog for consumer rights. Oh yes, and to be a pest too. :-)

I have it from a very good source that there wasn't a representation from the CAP. Neither were the other non-governmental organisations present. Which only makes me wonder whether in the first place, were they serious in making so much noise and raising so much objection? Big disappointment and a great pity, isn't it? Especially when notice of this forum had been given to the public at least two weeks ago. See my blog post here. The government was prepared to engage them but they are only sending wrong signals about themselves on this matter. Makes you wonder, how can they ever remain credible when they can't even defend their position?

Anyway, the Chief Minister was there to open the forum and he said: "According to the World Health Organisation, the amount of radiation absorbed by people’s bodies from a WiFi station is less than one-fifth that they receive from FM radio and television that surround them day and night. Based on this and other authoritative reports, we see that there is no conclusive evidence that a state-wide WiFi or Wimax service would pose health risks to the people of Penang." Incidentally, the CM also observed that no country in the world had banned the service.

Maybe I should also add that there is radiation from computer monitors. If anyone is so concerned about safety risks, please-lah blog with your typewriter, not with your computer. I'm sure you should be more afraid about radiation from a computer monitor than from WiFi or WiMax services.

So I say, please proceed with the Wireless@Penang initiative. Read the full report here.

Neil Young for a lazy Sunday afternoon listening

What a warm, lazy Sunday afternoon. Time to bring out the old stuff to listen and this time, it's Neil Young. Ex-Buffalo Springfield. Sometimes the Y in CSNY. But mostly, striking out on his own with his back-up bands. So I've been listening to his debut album, aptly titled Neil Young, and then progressing to After The Gold Rush, Journey Through The Past and finally, Harvest. With his whinny twang and mostly laid back melodies, Neil Young isn't everybody's cup of tea. But if you like songs like The Loner, Southern Man and Harvest, these four albums will bring back good memories.

Construction starts on Second Penang Bridge

The good news today is that construction work on the second Penang Bridge has officially started. This comes after a delay of about onew year during which time, the cost of the bridge kept bumping upwards.

In a simple ceremony yesterday at Batu Maung, China Harbour Engineering Company, which was awarded the letter of acceptance on Oct 20 for the first of three packages, commenced work. This package is worth RM2.2bil contract and covers the design and building of the main navigation span (a 475m-long cable stayed bridge) and the substructure and foundation works of the 15.9km approach spans.

The bridge is 23km long of which 16.37km will be above water. From the artist's impressions, it will look remarkably similar to the present Penang Bridge. The biggest surprise is the scrapping of the two viewing platforms in the original design. It's a pity, of course, because motorists will be unable to break journey and take in the breath-taking wide vista from the middle of the southern Channel. It's also a pity because Penang will no longer have its Twin Teats.

Nevertheless, it was a pragmatic decision to lower the construction cost which was threatening to balloon beyond anyone's imagination. So now, the bridge will only have a dual carriageway with two lanes and a motorcycle lane on each side. Its width will be 29.8m for the approach spans and 35.6m for the main navigation span. Speed limit will be 80kph, just like the present bridge.

The whole project is scheduled to complete by 7 May 2012 but Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng is hoping that construction can finish ahead of schedule by the end of 2011. "It is indeed an historic moment for the people of Penang as the second bridge project has finally started."