Happy 57th, Singapore

To commemorate Singapore's National Day today, I am reproducing an updated poem by Andrew Sia, former journalist from The Star newspaper, all in good fun:

They have 3 K's - Kiasu, Kiasi, Kiabo

We have 3 R's - Race, Religion, Royalty

Their dollar is bigger, our houses are cheaper 

Our food is better, their food branding is better 

We go there to work, bargher...they come here to enjoy

Our politics is sex videos, their politics is LKY's house

They talk of uniting one nation, we talk of uniting one race

We argue about religion, they argue about being diligent

We fight over Jawi-khat, they jump & cut ahead

We have the natural wealth, but why the hell are they richer?

They value know-how, we worship know-WHO

They shake leaders' hands, we kiss leaders' hands

They go by meritocracy

We cari jalan with cable-tocracy

Their clean means less corrupt

Our clean means more "holy" 😅 

They have LKY & LHL, we have Razak & Najib 

Both Father and Son, but different spirit

So don't complain, when SGD & MYR are 3 to 1 

We wanna charge them more for water, they say nevermind, can drink toilet water

We call it Batu Putih, they call it Pedra Branca 

They want to expand, we say no give sand (but curi-curi maybe can)

We have comedy king Harith, they have comedy queen Kumar

Our squash queen Nicol reigned long

Their swim king Schooling reigned damp 

Majulah Singapura is original, Negaraku was copied

Both in Malay language, but they don't understand what they're singing

We had MCO, EMCO, CMCO & RMCO

They had CB, CCB & KNNBCCB 😅

We both claim chicken rice, but hello, it's actually from Hainan

Our country is bigger, their country is safer

They nourish city trees, we butcher city trees

They promote cycling, we promote highways

We have cheaper cars, they have better transport

We were one country, now we're different worlds, First and Third

-- By Andrew Sia, Malaysian, 9 August, 2022

Chennai, round 10

Pic from Lanachessphotography

Oh dear, oh dear, it was a crucial 10th round at the Chess Olympiad and both our teams lost. The men's team went down to Indonesia by a 1-3 score. Wong Yinn Long and Poh Yu Tian salvaged a draw each, while the other two players lost. Lim Zhuo Ren and Tan Jun Ying were simply out of their depths and were outplayed easily, and to think that the Indonesia side had not bothered to field their strongest line-up against Malaysia. 

Similarly, the women's team lost but narrowly by 1½-2½ to Albania. In my opinion, the big disappointment was Sim Jia Ru's form which seemed to have collapsed after losing in yesterday's round. Poor girl. Her mind was simply not in her game today. In a rock solid position, she sacrificed her bishop for two of her opponent's pawns. I hope she has a good reason for this adventure because I couldn't find one looking at the board from far away in Penang. Jia Ru couldn't find compensation and her opponent took the time to convert her extra piece into a win. And with this loss, all her hopes of getting the Woman Fide Master title has vanished. What else can I say? We are all sad for her.

Jia Ru must have felt terrible from her loss in the previous round. Despite a last chance at gaining the WFM title, I would understand if she was reluctant to play in the 10th round against Albania. But there was a good chance that she could beat the weakest player in the Albania team, seeing the difference in their rating points. And if Malaysia had beaten Albania without Jia Ru, the women would in all likelihood face a strong opposing team in the final round where it would be more difficult for her to win. But finally, Jia Ru did accede to play, if she plays. Nevertheless, I had reservations about her being able to give her best despite playing, seeing the psychological pressure that she was under. How true it turned out to be. I hope this disappointment can be put behind her fast because the most important thing (can I call it a "cure"?) is to enjoy your chess, for now and in the future, and be damned with what has occurred in the past. That is done, and finished.

83. Malaysia (MAS / RtgAvg:2261, Captain: Subramaniam, Sumant / TB1: 10 / TB2: 173,5)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Pts.	Games	Rp	K	rtg+/-
1	FM	Lim Zhuo Ren	2318	MAS	1	0	½	0	1	½		1	0	0		4	9	2245	20	-6,2
2	FM	Wong Yinn Long	2381	MAS	1	½	0	0	1	1	0		1	½		5	9	2277	20	-4,2
3	CM	Tan Jun Ying	2191	MAS	1	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	0		4	10	2091	20	-19,2
4		Poh Yu Tian	2118	MAS	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	½		7,5	10	2333	40	120
5	FM	Subramaniam Sumant	2152	MAS							0	1				1	2	0	20	-1,8

Bo.	80	Malaysia (MAS)	Rtg	-	46	Indonesia (INA)	Rtg	1 : 3
30.1	FM	Lim, Zhuo Ren	2318	-	GM	Priasmoro, Novendra	2494	0 - 1
30.2	FM	Wong, Yinn Long	2381	-	IM	Taher, Yoseph Theolifus	2463	½ - ½
30.3	CM	Tan, Jun Ying	2191	-	IM	Ervan, Mohamad	2402	0 - 1
30.4		Poh, Yu Tian	2118	-	FM	Kurniawan, Muhamad Agus	2328	½ - ½

75. Malaysia (MAS / RtgAvg:2038, Captain: Mok, Tze-Meng / TB1: 10 / TB2: 167)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Pts.	Games	Rp	K	rtg+/-
1	WIM	Foudzi Siti Zulaikha	2188	MAS	1	0	½	½	1		0	1	0	1		5	9	2053	20	-11,2
2	WIM	Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa	2018	MAS	1	0	½	0		½	1		0	½		3,5	8	1940	20	-6,4
3	WFM	Azhar Puteri Rifqah Fahada	1940	MAS	+	0	½		1	1	0	½	½			4,5	8	1899	20	-6
4	WCM	Sim Jia Ru	2005	MAS	1		1	0	1	1	0	1	0	0		5	9	1775	40	-60,8
5	WFM	Chong Kai Ni Agnes	1909	MAS		0		½	0	½		1		0		2	6	1697	40	-58,8

Bo.	52	Malaysia (MAS)	Rtg	-	70	Albania (ALB)	Rtg	1½:2½
29.1	WIM	Foudzi, Siti Zulaikha	2188	-	WCM	Shabanaj, Eglantina	1940	1 - 0
29.2	WIM	Azhar, Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa	2018	-	WCM	Shuqja, Klean	1883	½ - ½
29.3	WCM	Sim, Jia Ru	2005	-		Caku, Kler	1626	0 - 1
29.4	WFM	Chong, Kai Ni Agnes	1909	-	WCM	Gjergji, Rozana	1920	0 - 1

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.30"]

[Board "1"]

[White "Lim, Zhuo Ren"]

[Black "Priasmoro, Novendra"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[BlackTitle "GM"]

[WhiteElo "2318"]

[BlackElo "2494"]

[ECO "E62"]

[Opening "King's Indian"]

[Variation "fianchetto, Uhlmann (Szabo) variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Indonesia"]

[WhiteFideId "5702488"]

[BlackFideId "7105029"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 O-O 5. c4 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 e5 8. dxe5

dxe5 9. Bg5 Be6 10. Qa4 h6 11. Rad1 Qe8 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nd5 Bd8 14. Qb3 Bc8

15. c5 Kh7 16. e4 Bg4 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qa6 Rxb2 19. Rb1 Rxb1 20. Rxb1 Qe6 21.

Ne1 Nd4 22. Qxe6 Bxe6 23. Rb7 c6 24. Rxa7 cxd5 25. exd5 Bf5 26. Nf3 Kg8 27. g4

Bxg4 28. Nxe5 Bf5 29. h3 Bg5 30. d6 Re8 31. Ra8 Kf8 32. a4 Bf6 33. Ng4 Bxg4 34.

hxg4 Rxa8 35. Bxa8 Be5 36. Bd5 Ne2+ 37. Kf1 Nc3 38. d7 Bc7 39. Bc6 Ke7 40. f3

Na2 41. Ke2 Nc1+ 42. Ke3 Nb3 43. f4 Nxc5 44. f5 gxf5 45. gxf5 Nxd7 0-1

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.30"]

[Board "2"]

[White "Taher, Yoseph Theolifus"]

[Black "Wong, Yinn Long"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "IM"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2463"]

[BlackElo "2381"]

[ECO "B30"]

[Opening "Sicilian"]

[Variation "Nimzovich-Rossolimo attack (without ...d6)"]

[WhiteTeam "Indonesia"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "7105347"]

[BlackFideId "5707684"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 8. d4

Bxf3 9. gxf3 cxd4 10. cxd4 d5 11. e5 Nh5 12. e6 g6 13. exf7+ Kxf7 14. Bh3 Ng7

15. Bg5 Qd6 16. Qd2 e6 17. Nc3 Be7 18. Bf4 Qd7 19. Be5 Bf6 20. Bxf6 Kxf6 21.

Qf4+ Nf5 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Re5 Nxe5 24. Qxe5+ Kf7 25. Nxd5 Rhe8 26. Qf6+ Kg8 27.

Rc1 Re6 28. Rc7 Qxc7 29. Qxe6+ Qf7 30. Qd6 Rf8 31. h4 f4 32. Qe5 Qg7 33. Qe4 g5

34. h5 g4 35. Qe6+ Qf7 36. Qe5 Qg7 37. Qe6+ Qf7 38. Qe5 Qg7 39. Qe6+ Qf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.30"]

[Board "3"]

[White "Tan, Jun Ying"]

[Black "Ervan, Mohamad"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "CM"]

[BlackTitle "IM"]

[WhiteElo "2191"]

[BlackElo "2402"]

[ECO "E46"]

[Opening "Nimzo-Indian"]

[Variation "Reshevsky variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Indonesia"]

[WhiteFideId "5710413"]

[BlackFideId "7102135"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 c6 6. a3 Ba5 7. c5 d5 8. cxd6

Qxd6 9. b4 Bc7 10. g3 a5 11. b5 cxb5 12. Bg2 Bd7 13. O-O Na6 14. e4 e5 15. dxe5

Qxe5 16. Be3 Bc6 17. Bd4 Qe6 18. Re1 Rfe8 19. Nf4 Bxf4 20. gxf4 b4 21. axb4 Nxb4

22. Qe2 Qg4 23. Qxg4 Nxg4 24. Re2 Nd3 25. f3 Nxf4 26. Rea2 Ne5 27. Rxa5 Rxa5 28.

Rxa5 f6 29. Bxe5 Rxe5 30. Ra8+ Kf7 31. Bf1 Rc5 32. Ra3 Ke6 33. Kf2 Kd6 34. Ke3

Ne6 35. f4 Rh5 36. Ra2 Rh4 37. Rd2+ Ke7 38. Nd5+ Bxd5 39. exd5 Nxf4 40. d6+ Kd8

41. Bb5 Rh5 42. Bc4 Ne6 43. Rb2 Re5+ 44. Kd3 Kc8 45. Rb6 Nd8 46. Bg8 Rh5 47. Kd4

Rxh2 48. Bd5 Rh4+ 49. Kc5 Rh5 50. Kd4 Rg5 51. Rb2 Kd7 52. Kc5 h5 53. Re2 b6+ 54.

Kc4 Kxd6 55. Rd2 b5+ 56. Kxb5 Rxd5+ 0-1

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.30"]

[Board "4"]

[White "Kurniawan, Muhamad Agus"]

[Black "Poh, Yu Tian"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2328"]

[BlackElo "2118"]

[ECO "B51"]

[Opening "Sicilian"]

[Variation "Canal-Sokolsky (Nimzovich-Rossolimo, Moscow) attack"]

[WhiteTeam "Indonesia"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "7103735"]

[BlackFideId "5734088"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. O-O e5 8.

Qd3 Rc8 9. c4 b5 10. Nfd2 Nf6 11. Nc3 Qb6 12. b3 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Rac1 Rc7

15. cxb5 axb5 16. b4 Rfc8 17. a3 h6 18. h3 Qb8 19. Rfd1 Rb7 20. Nf1 Be6 21. Ne3

Bc4 22. Qb1 g6 23. Nxc4 Rxc4 24. Nd5 Nxd5 25. Rxc4 Ne3 26. Rc6 Nxd1 27. Qxd1 Rc7

28. Qc2 Bd8 29. Bc1 h5 30. a4 Rxc6 31. Qxc6 bxa4 32. Qxa4 Bb6 33. Qd7 Qc7 34.

Qxc7 Bxc7 35. Be3 Bb8 36. g4 hxg4 37. hxg4 f6 38. Bb6 Kf7 39. Bd8 Ke6 40. Kg2 d5

41. exd5+ Kxd5 42. Bxf6 Bd6 43. b5 Kc5 44. Kf3 Kxb5 45. Ke4 Kc6 46. Bxe5 Bb4 47.

Bd4 Kd6 48. Kf4 Kd5 49. Be3 Be7 50. Bb6 Ke6 51. Bd4 Kf7 52. Bb6 Ke6 53. f3 Kf7

54. Ke5 Bf6+ 55. Kd6 Be7+ 56. Kd7 Bg5 57. Bd8 Bf4 58. Bh4 Be5 59. Bg5 Bc3 60.

Kd6 Bb4+ 61. Kd5 Bc3 62. Be3 Bb2 63. Bd4 Bc1 64. Ke5 Ba3 65. Bb6 Bb2+ 66. Kf4

Bf6 67. Be3 Be7 68. Ke5 Bf6+ 69. Kd5 Be7 70. Bc5 Bg5 71. Bd6 Bf6 72. Bc7 Be7 73.

Ke5 Bf6+ 74. Kd6 Be7+ 75. Kd7 Bf6 76. Bd8 Be5 77. Bg5 Bc3 78. Kd6 Bb4+ 79. Kd5

Ba3 80. Bd8 Bc1 81. Ke4 Bd2 82. Kd3 Bf4 83. Ke2 g5 84. Kd3 Kg6 85. Ke4 Bd6 86.

Kd5 Bf4 87. Ke6 Be3 88. Ke5 Bf4+ 89. Ke4 Bd2 90. Bb6 Bf4 91. Bd4 Bd6 92. Be5 Bb4

93. Bg3 Bd2 94. Bd6 Bc1 95. Kd3 Bb2 96. Bb4 Be5 97. Bc3 Bd6 98. Ke4 Bc7 99. Be5

Bb6 100. Bd6 Bd8 101. Kd5 Bf6 102. Be5 Bd8 103. Kc6 Ba5 104. Bd4 Bd2 105. Be5

Ba5 106. Kb5 Bd2 107. Bd6 Be3 108. Kc4 Bb6 109. Be5 Be3 110. Bd6 Bb6 111. Be5

Be3 112. Bd4 Bf4 113. Kd5 Bd2 114. Bc5 Bf4 115. Bd6 Bd2 116. Ke4 Ba5 117. Be7

Bd2 118. Bc5 Bc3 119. Be3 Bb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.29"]

[Board "1"]

[White "Foudzi, Siti Zulaikha"]

[Black "Shabanaj, Eglantina"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "WIM"]

[BlackTitle "WCM"]

[WhiteElo "2188"]

[BlackElo "1940"]

[ECO "C71"]

[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]

[Variation "modern Steinitz defence"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Albania"]

[WhiteFideId "5700965"]

[BlackFideId "4700562"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Qe2 Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. d3 Nf6

9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Re1 Qe7 11. Bb3 Nh5 12. Nf1 Kh8 13. h3 f6 14. d4 Rad8 15. a3 Be8

16. Qc2 Bf7 17. Bd5 Qd7 18. b4 Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. c4 c6 21. dxc6 Qxc6 22. Qe2

Ng8 23. d5 Qd7 24. g4 Nf4 25. Bxf4 exf4 26. Rac1 f5 27. g5 Rde8 28. Qd3 h6 29.

h4 Be5 30. c5 hxg5 31. hxg5 Qd8 32. N1d2 Rf7 33. Kg2 Rh7 34. Rh1 Re7 35. Nc4 Kg7

36. cxd6 Bxd6 37. Rxh7+ Kxh7 38. Qd4 1-0

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.29"]

[Board "2"]

[White "Shuqja, Klean"]

[Black "Azhar, Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "WCM"]

[BlackTitle "WIM"]

[WhiteElo "1883"]

[BlackElo "2018"]

[ECO "C70"]

[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]

[Variation "Classical defence deferred"]

[WhiteTeam "Albania"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "4701585"]

[BlackFideId "5709040"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Nf6 7. d3 O-O 8. Bg5

h6 9. Bh4 Be7 10. Re1 d6 11. c3 Rb8 12. Nbd2 g5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. Nf1 Na5 15. Bc2

Qd7 16. Ne3 c5 17. Nxg4 Qxg4 18. d4 exd4 19. cxd4 Rbd8 20. e5 dxe5 21. Bxe5 Nd5

22. Qd3 f5 23. h3 Qh5 24. Bc7 Nxc7 25. Rxe7 Nd5 26. Ra7 Nb4 27. Qc3 Nac6 28. Rb7

Nxc2 29. Qxc2 c4 30. Qc3 Rf7 31. Rb6 g4 32. hxg4 fxg4 33. Ne5 Nxe5 34. dxe5 Rd3

35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. Qe1 Qf5 37. Qe2 Re7 38. Re1 Rd5 39. Qe4 Rexe5 40. Qxf5+ Rxf5

41. Rb6 Rfe5 42. Rxe5 Rxe5 43. Kf1 a5 44. Ra6 b4 45. Rc6 Re4 46. Ra6 c3 47. bxc3

bxc3 48. Rc6 Ra4 49. Rxc3 Rxa2 50. Rc5 a4 51. Ra5 Kg6 52. Kg1 a3 53. Kh2 Rxf2

54. Rxa3 Kg5 55. Kg3 Rf5 56. Ra8 h5 57. Rg8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.29"]

[Board "3"]

[White "Sim, Jia Ru"]

[Black "Caku, Kler"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "WCM"]

[WhiteElo "2005"]

[BlackElo "1626"]

[ECO "C96"]

[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]

[Variation "closed, Borisenko defence"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Albania"]

[WhiteFideId "5716110"]

[BlackFideId "4704703"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 d6 8. c3

O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nc6 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nbd2 Nbd7 14. a4 Rb8 15. axb5

axb5 16. b4 c4 17. Nf1 Re8 18. Be3 Nf8 19. Qd2 Bb7 20. Ra7 Qd7 21. Ng3 Ra8 22.

Rea1 Rxa7 23. Rxa7 Ra8 24. Rxa8 Bxa8 25. Nf5 Ng6 26. Qc1 Bb7 27. Qa1 Bf8 28. Qa7

Bc8 29. Qb6 Ne8 30. Nd2 Ne7 31. Ng3 Qb7 32. Ne2 f5 33. Qxb7 Bxb7 34. f3 Nf6 35.

Nb1 Kf7 36. Na3 Ba6 37. g4 f4 38. Bxf4 exf4 39. Nxf4 Ng6 40. Ne6 Ne8 41. Kf2 Be7

42. Ke3 Bf6 43. Nb1 Bc8 44. f4 Bxe6 45. dxe6+ Kf8 46. g5 Bd8 47. Nd2 Ke7 48. Nf3

Bb6+ 49. Nd4 Bxd4+ 50. cxd4 Nc7 51. f5 Nh4 52. d5 Na6 53. e5 dxe5 54. Ke4 Nxb4

55. Kxe5 Nf3+ 56. Kf4 Nxc2 57. Kxf3 Nd4+ 58. Ke4 Nxf5 0-1

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.08"]

[Round "10.29"]

[Board "4"]

[White "Gjergji, Rozana"]

[Black "Chong, Kai Ni Agnes"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "WCM"]

[BlackTitle "WFM"]

[WhiteElo "1920"]

[BlackElo "1909"]

[ECO "B23"]

[Opening "Sicilian"]

[Variation "closed"]

[WhiteTeam "Albania"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "4700147"]

[BlackFideId "5722071"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 d5 4. Bb5+ Bd7 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7 6. d3 Nc6 7. Nf3 Nf6 8.

O-O Be7 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. Ng4 O-O-O 11. Nf2 h5 12. Bd2 h4 13. Ne2 Nh5 14. c3 f6 15.

d4 dxe4 16. Nxe4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. cxd4 Kb8 19. Qa4 Qb6 20. Be3 e5 21. fxe5

fxe5 22. Nc5 Nf6 23. Rac1 Rd5 24. dxe5 Bxc5 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. exf6 gxf6 27. Qf4+

Ka8 28. b4 Rf5 29. Bxb6 Rxf4 30. Rxf4 axb6 31. Rxf6 h3 32. g3 Rc8 33. Rh6 Rc1+

34. Kf2 Rc2+ 35. Kf3 Rxh2 36. Kg4 Rb2 37. Kxh3 Rxb4 38. g4 Rb5 39. Kh4 Ra5 40.

Rxb6 Rxa2 41. g5 Rg2 42. Kh5 Ka7 43. Rb4 Ka6 44. g6 b5 45. Rg4 Rh2+ 46. Kg5 Rh8

47. g7 Rg8 48. Kf6 Ka5 49. Kf7 Rc8 50. g8=Q Rxg8 51. Rxg8 Kb4 52. Rc8 Kb3 53.

Ke6 b4 54. Kd5 Ka2 55. Kd4 b3 56. Kc3 b2 57. Ra8+ Kb1 58. Rb8 Ka1 59. Kc2 1-0

Chennai, round nine

I remember it was back in 1986 that a Malaysia team first encountered Finland at the Chess Olympiad in 1986. that match ended in a 2-2 score. The memorable part of that match was the first board encounter between Finland's top player, Jouni Yrjola, and Jimmy Liew. Liew made short work of Yrjola in that game. Here is that game: 

[Event "27th olm final"]

[Site "Dubai UAE"]

[Date "1986.11.16"]

[Round "2"]

[White "Yrjola, Jouni FIN"]

[Black "Liew Chee Meng, Jimmy MAS"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteElo "2430"]

[BlackElo "2415"]

[ECO "A52"]

[EventDate "1986.11.14"]

[PlyCount "40"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.a3 a5 7.b3 O-O 8.Bb2 Re8 

9.Bd3 d6 10.exd6 Nxf2 11.Kxf2 Rxe3 12.Kf1 Bg4 13.Be2 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Qh4 15.

Ra2 Rae8 16.Bc3 cxd6 17.g3 Qh3+ 18.Bg2 Qf5+ 19.Rf2 Qxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Rd3+ 0-1

Ever since then, there's a lot of respect from the Finnish players for Malaysia. Okay, let's get back to the present. In the ninth round of the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the pairing system inevitably matched Finland and Malaysia in the men's competition. A salivating match and so it proved to be! The highlight was Wong Yinn Long's superb win which shows why he can be such a dangerous player. It should be comprehensive enough to make the Finns extend their respect for Malaysia's players. 😁 Unfortunately, Lim Zhuo Ren was all tied up with two pawns down. No surprise when he lost. Tan Jun Ying also lost when he got too adventurous and went wrong. However, Poh Yu Tian pulled off a miraculous result in a more-or-less equal position to tie the match at 2-2. He had the upper hand for most of the game but lost his advantage when the position closed up. Still, he went on doggedly and finally won. In the meantime, there was disappointment for the women's team who lost by ½-3½. The Italy side was simply too strong. The only half-a-point came from Puteri Rifqah. 

How is the mood of the Malaysia contingent by the way? I hope it is upbeat because I want to congratulate Poh Yu Tian for achieving the conditional Fide Master title. The condition is that he must reach 2100 Elo points at some stage in his playing career but that's no problem for him as he's already 2100+. There's still hope for another Fide title through Sim Jia Ru (her current rating is 2005). This is the best opportunity for her. She tried hard today but she lost. However, I believe she can still become a conditional Woman Fide Master if she can manage to win one more game. Psychologically, the pressure is on her to perform but I hope she will not let it affect her playing style. Mok Tze Meng is her team captain and he should be level-headed enough to advice her properly. But for heaven's sake, the most important thing is not to celebrate prematurely, okay? Don't be like at the SEA Games in Vietnam recently! Nothing is over until it is truly over! Let that be a lesson learnt!

Note: According to the FIDE Handbook, Regulation B0.6 says:

0.6     The Award of Titles

0.6.1      Titles may be awarded for specific results in specific Championship events, or are awarded on achieving a rating as laid down in these regulations. Such titles are confirmed by the QC Chairman on advice from the FIDE Office. They are then awarded by FIDE.

0.6.2      For a direct title to be awarded immediately an applicant has to have achieved at some time a minimum rating as follows:

GM 2300 WGM 2100

IM 2200 WIM 2000

FM 2100 WFM 1900

CM 2000 WCM 1800

If an applicant is rated lower the title is awarded conditionally and will be awarded finally on request by the respective federation as soon as the minimum rating is achieved.  Any player with a conditional title may take a lower title when they reach the required rating for that lower title.

There are three things to take stock today. First, taking stock of our teams' overall performances after nine rounds of the competition. Second, our teams' performance in the ninth round. And third, all their games in this round.

68. Malaysia (MAS / RtgAvg:2261, Captain: Subramaniam, Sumant / TB1: 10 / TB2: 145,5)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.	Games	Rp	K	rtg+/-
1	FM	Lim Zhuo Ren	2318	MAS	1	0	½	0	1	½		1	0		4	8	2262	20	-0,8
2	FM	Wong Yinn Long	2381	MAS	1	½	0	0	1	1	0		1		4,5	8	2249	20	-6,4
3	CM	Tan Jun Ying	2191	MAS	1	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	0		4	9	2093	20	-14,6
4		Poh Yu Tian	2118	MAS	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1		7	9	2339	40	109,2
5	FM	Subramaniam Sumant	2152	MAS							0	1			1	2	0	20	-1,8

59. Malaysia (MAS / RtgAvg:2038, Captain: Mok, Tze-Meng / TB1: 10 / TB2: 136)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.	Games	Rp	K	rtg+/-
1	WIM	Foudzi Siti Zulaikha	2188	MAS	1	0	½	½	1		0	1	0		4	8	2019	20	-15
2	WIM	Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa	2018	MAS	1	0	½	0		½	1		0		3	7	1948	20	-2,8
3	WFM	Azhar Puteri Rifqah Fahada	1940	MAS	+	0	½		1	1	0	½	½		4,5	8	1899	20	-6
4	WCM	Sim Jia Ru	2005	MAS	1		1	0	1	1	0	1	0		5	8	1841	40	-24,4
5	WFM	Chong Kai Ni Agnes	1909	MAS		0		½	0	½		1			2	5	1730	40	-39,6

Bo.	55	Finland (FIN)	Rtg	-	80	Malaysia (MAS)	Rtg	2 : 2
34.1	IM	Keinanen, Toivo	2477	-	FM	Lim, Zhuo Ren	2318	1 - 0
34.2	IM	Sklyarov, Dmitry V.	2474	-	FM	Wong, Yinn Long	2381	0 - 1
34.3	IM	Sipila, Vilka	2416	-	CM	Tan, Jun Ying	2191	1 - 0
34.4	FM	Koykka, Pekka	2361	-		Poh, Yu Tian	2118	0 - 1

Bo.	25	Italy (ITA)	Rtg	-	52	Malaysia (MAS)	Rtg	3½: ½
18.1	IM	Brunello, Marina	2341	-	WIM	Foudzi, Siti Zulaikha	2188	1 - 0
18.2	IM	Zimina, Olga	2340	-	WIM	Azhar, Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa	2018	1 - 0
18.3	WFM	Raccanello, Marianna	2067	-	WFM	Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada	1940	½ - ½
18.4		Cassi, Elisa	1922	-	WCM	Sim, Jia Ru	2005	1 - 0

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.34"]

[Board "1"]

[White "Keinanen, Toivo"]

[Black "Lim, Zhuo Ren"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "IM"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2477"]

[BlackElo "2318"]

[ECO "D05"]

[Opening "Colle system"]

[WhiteTeam "Finland"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "509825"]

[BlackFideId "5702488"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Ne5

Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. f4 Be7 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh3 c4 14. Bc2 Nc5 15. e4

Bg7 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. b4 cxb3 18. axb3 a5 19. Nc4 Rd8 20. Nxb6 Qc6 21. Nc4 a4

22. Na5 Qa6 23. Nxb7 Qxb7 24. bxa4 O-O 25. Be3 Rc8 26. Bd4 Rfd8 27. Rfb1 Qa6 28.

Qe3 Bf8 29. a5 Rc6 30. Bd1 Rdc8 31. Bf3 R6c7 32. Rb6 Qc4 33. Rb4 Qa6 34. Be2 Qc6

35. Rb6 Qd5 36. Rb5 Qc6 37. Qf3 Qd7 38. h3 h5 39. Kh2 h4 40. Qe3 Qc6 41. a6 Ra8

42. Raa5 1-0

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.34"]

[Board "2"]

[White "Wong, Yinn Long"]

[Black "Sklyarov, Dmitry V."]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "FM"]

[BlackTitle "IM"]

[WhiteElo "2381"]

[BlackElo "2474"]

[ECO "B06"]

[Opening "Robatsch defence"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Finland"]

[WhiteFideId "5707684"]

[BlackFideId "4157052"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. d4 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. h3 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Nf6 7. Nxf6+ exf6 8.

Bd3 O-O 9. O-O a5 10. Re1 Na6 11. c4 Nb4 12. Bf4 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 Bf5 14. Qb3 Qd7

15. Rad1 b5 16. cxb5 Be6 17. d5 cxd5 18. a4 d4 19. Qa3 Qb7 20. Nxd4 Bd5 21. Re7

Qb6 22. Bc7 Qb7 23. Bxa5 Qc8 24. Bb4 Rd8 25. Nc6 Bxc6 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. bxc6

Qd1+ 28. Kh2 Qc1 29. Qb3 Rf8 30. Bc3 Bh6 31. Qd5 Qf4+ 32. Kg1 Qxa4 33. Bxf6 Qf4

34. Bc3 Bg7 35. Re4 Qc1+ 36. Re1 Qc2 37. Bxg7 Kxg7 38. b4 Ra8 39. b5 Ra2 40.

Qd4+ Kh6 41. Qe3+ 1-0

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.34"]

[Board "3"]

[White "Sipila, Vilka"]

[Black "Tan, Jun Ying"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "IM"]

[BlackTitle "CM"]

[WhiteElo "2416"]

[BlackElo "2191"]

[ECO "A52"]

[Opening "Budapest"]

[Variation "Rubinstein variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Finland"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "505455"]

[BlackFideId "5710413"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Bb4+ 5. Nd2 d6 6. exd6 Qf6 7. Nh3 Nxf2 8.

Kxf2 Bxh3 9. g3 Bf5 10. e4 Bc5+ 11. Kg2 Bd7 12. dxc7 Na6 13. Nb3 Bc6 14. Be2 g5

15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Be3 Bxe4+ 17. Bf3 Qxb2+ 18. Kh3 g4+ 19. Bxg4 Bg2+ 20. Kh4 Bxh1

21. Bxc5 Qf6+ 22. Kh3 Qh6+ 23. Bh5 Be4 24. Qg4 Qc6 25. Re1 Qxc5 26. Qe6+ Qe7 27.

c8=Q+ Rxc8 28. Qxc8+ 1-0

[Event "44th Olympiad 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.34"]

[Board "4"]

[White "Poh, Yu Tian"]

[Black "Koykka, Pekka"]

[Result "1-0"]

[BlackTitle "FM"]

[WhiteElo "2118"]

[BlackElo "2361"]

[ECO "C18"]

[Opening "French"]

[Variation "Winawer, advance variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Finland"]

[WhiteFideId "5734088"]

[BlackFideId "504319"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 7. Bd2 Qa4 8. Qb1

c4 9. h4 Nc6 10. h5 h6 11. Ne2 Bd7 12. Nf4 O-O-O 13. g3 Nge7 14. Bh3 Kb8 15. O-O

Nc8 16. Qb2 Nb6 17. Rfb1 Rhe8 18. Ng2 Ka8 19. Ne3 Re7 20. f4 f6 21. Kg2 Be8 22.

Bg4 fxe5 23. fxe5 Qa5 24. Qc1 Na4 25. Bf3 Rf7 26. Qe1 Rf8 27. Qe2 Bf7 28. Rf1

Bg8 29. Kh2 Rfe8 30. Bg4 Nb6 31. Bf3 Qa4 32. Bg2 Re7 33. Be1 Nd7 34. g4 Rf8 35.

Bh4 Ree8 36. Rxf8 Nxf8 37. Qf1 Qa5 38. Qe1 Nh7 39. a4 Rc8 40. Nd1 Rf8 41. Nf2

Bf7 42. Qe3 Qb6 43. Qc1 Qc7 44. Nh3 Bg8 45. Qa3 Rf7 46. Qc5 Qb8 47. Kh1 Qe8 48.

a5 a6 49. Kg1 Nf8 50. Bg3 Qd8 51. Kh2 Bh7 52. Nf4 Rd7 53. Rf1 Ne7 54. Bh4 Qe8

55. Bxe7 Rxe7 56. Bxd5 1-0 (It has been confirmed by the player that he had played 56. Bxd5 in the game, and not the 56. Nxe6 which appeared in PGN files everywhere else.) 

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.18"]

[Board "1"]

[White "Brunello, Marina"]

[Black "Foudzi, Siti Zulaikha"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteTitle "IM"]

[BlackTitle "WIM"]

[WhiteElo "2341"]

[BlackElo "2188"]

[ECO "B06"]

[Opening "Robatsch defence"]

[Variation "two knights, Suttles variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Italy"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "822590"]

[BlackFideId "5700965"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Qd2 b5 7. Bd3 a6 8. Bh6 O-O

9. h4 Bxh6 10. Qxh6 Ng4 11. Qd2 h5 12. e5 dxe5 13. dxe5 c5 14. Qf4 c4 15. Be4

Ra7 16. Nd5 Be6 17. Ne3 Qb6 18. Rd1 Nd7 19. O-O Nc5 20. Ng5 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Nxe3

22. fxe3 Bf5 23. Qf4 f6 24. Ne4 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 f5 26. Qf4 Kh7 27. c3 Rd8 28. Rd4

Rad7 29. Rfd1 Qc6 30. a3 Rd5 31. Qg5 Qe6 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Rxd5 Qxd5 34. Qxe7+

Kg8 35. Qf6 Kh7 36. Qd6 Qe4 37. Qd4 Qc6 38. Kf2 Kg8 39. e4 fxe4 40. Ke3 Kf7 41.

Qxe4 Qb6+ 42. Kf3 Qg1 43. Qd5+ Ke8 44. Qe6+ Kd8 45. Qd6+ Kc8 46. Qxa6+ Kc7 47.

Qd6+ Kb7 48. Qd2 Qf1+ 49. Kg3 Qf5 50. Qf4 Qb1 51. Qf2 Kc6 52. Kh2 Qc1 53. Qf6+

Kb7 54. Qf3+ Kc7 55. Qf7+ Kb8 56. Qe8+ Kc7 57. Qe7+ Kc8 58. Qc5+ Kd8 59. Qd4+

Kc8 60. Qe4 Qxb2 61. e6 Qxa3 62. Qc6+ Kb8 63. Qxb5+ Ka7 64. Qd7+ Kb6 65. e7 Qc1

66. Qd4+ 1-0

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.18"]

[Board "2"]

[White "Azhar, Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa"]

[Black "Zimina, Olga"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "WIM"]

[BlackTitle "IM"]

[WhiteElo "2018"]

[BlackElo "2340"]

[ECO "D10"]

[Opening "QGD Slav defence"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Italy"]

[WhiteFideId "5709040"]

[BlackFideId "4132190"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 h6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Nc3 Nbd7 8. Re1

Bd6 9. h3 O-O 10. Qb3 Rb8 11. c5 Bc7 12. Qa4 a6 13. b4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bb2

Qe7 16. Nd4 Bd3 17. Rad1 Nc4 18. Ba1 Bxe2 19. Rxe2 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Qc2

Rbe8 22. Qxe4 Rxe4 23. Nf5 f6 24. a4 Kf7 25. f3 Re6 26. Kf2 Rd8 27. Nd4 Ree8 28.

Nf5 h5 29. h4 Be5 30. Nd4 g5 31. hxg5 fxg5 32. g3 Bf6 33. Rh1 Rh8 34. f4 Rde8

35. Nf3 gxf4 36. gxf4 Rh6 37. Bxf6 Kxf6 38. Nh4 Re4 39. Kf3 Ke6 40. Rg1 Ne5+ 41.

Kg2 Rxb4 42. e4 Nd3 43. exd5+ Kxd5 44. Rd1 Rd4 45. Kg3 Kxc5 46. Red2 Rhd6 47.

Nf3 R4d5 48. f5 Kc4 49. Nh4 Kc3 50. Re2 Rd4 51. Ng6 Rxa4 52. Ne5 h4+ 53. Kh2 c5

54. f6 Rf4 55. f7 b5 56. Rg2 c4 57. Rg8 Rdf6 58. Nxd3 cxd3 0-1

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.18"]

[Board "3"]

[White "Raccanello, Marianna"]

[Black "Azhar, Puteri Rifqah Fahada"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteTitle "WFM"]

[BlackTitle "WFM"]

[WhiteElo "2067"]

[BlackElo "1940"]

[ECO "B01"]

[Opening "Scandinavian (centre counter) defence"]

[WhiteTeam "Italy"]

[BlackTeam "Malaysia"]

[WhiteFideId "897558"]

[BlackFideId "5702879"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 c6 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Bd2 Qc7 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. h3

Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. Rhe1 O-O-O 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. g4

h6 15. Bb3 Nb6 16. h4 Rhf8 17. g5 hxg5 18. hxg5 Nfd5 19. Ne2 Nc7 20. Nf4 g6 21.

c3 Nbd5 22. Nd3 Qe7 23. Qg3 Nb6 24. Ne5 Nd7 25. f4 Nxe5 26. fxe5 Rh8 27. Rh1 Nd5

28. Rdf1 Rxh1 29. Rxh1 c5 30. Bxd5 Rxd5 31. Qf4 cxd4 32. cxd4 b6 33. Kb1 Rd7 34.

a3 Kb7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad Women 2022"]

[Site "Chennai IND"]

[Date "2022.08.07"]

[Round "9.18"]

[Board "4"]

[White "Sim, Jia Ru"]

[Black "Cassi, Elisa"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteTitle "WCM"]

[WhiteElo "2005"]

[BlackElo "1922"]

[ECO "C95"]

[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]

[Variation "closed, Breyer, Borisenko variation"]

[WhiteTeam "Malaysia"]

[BlackTeam "Italy"]

[WhiteFideId "5716110"]

[BlackFideId "2817220"]

[EventDate "2022.07.29"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3

O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4

Bg7 16. d5 Qb8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rxa8 Qxa8 19. b4 Nb6 20. Qd3 c6 21. dxc6 Bxc6

22. Qxd6 Rd8 23. Qc5 Nc4 24. Nxe5 Nxe5 25. Qxe5 Nxe4 26. Qf4 Nxc3 27. Nf5 gxf5

28. Qxf5 Ne4 29. f3 Nf6 30. Bb2 Rd5 31. Re5 Bd7 32. Qg5 Rxe5 33. Bxe5 h6 34. Qd2

Qd5 35. Qe3 Ng4 36. hxg4 Qxe5 37. Qd3 Qe1+ 38. Kh2 Be5+ 39. f4 Bxf4+ 40. g3 Qd2+ 0-1