The Selangor Open Is Back!

GiLoCatur would like to call this weekend as the labour day weekend. Why? Because the first May will be on Sunday which is tomorrow. The labour day which falls on the day is very synonym with the Selangor Open among among the Malaysian chess community. GiLoCatur and the kids had been attending and participating in the longest running chess tournament in Malaysia since 2008, the 35th edition. 

But unfortunately, GiLoCatur and the kids are not participating in this year edition which is entering the fourth round this morning. Let's check out some facts about the tourney.

In 2008, 62 players took part. Both Fikri and Anis as well as GiLoCatur were among them. There were 5 Indonesians, one Singaporean and one Pinoy. Can you guess who the Pinoy player was? A hint is that he is also taking part this year and one of the pre-tournament favourite. GiLoCatur still remember rushing from Gombak where Fikri took part in the MSS Selangor Chess Championship to the Selangor Pewter headquarter to pay the entry fee. Who emerged as the champion? Even though he had skipped one round (the sixth) for a certain reason, Lim Yee Weng, an FM then, was crowned as the champion after scoring 7.5/9 points. Two of GiLoCatur's opponents - Derek Poon and Viknesh Viajantheran,  are taking part this year.

In 2009, 90 players took part. In this edition, GiLoCatur did not participate. Only Fikri and Anis were among the contestants. The venue for the 36th edition was DAT Chess Center. IM Mas Hafizul played and was the top seed. Lim Yee Weng also took part as the defending champion and was the third seed. Who was the second seed? The answer is Nicholas Chan. Scoring 8/9 points from 7 wins and 2 draws, Nicholas Chan who is a Fide Master became the champion. 

In 2010, the number of participants had dropped to 71. Both Fikri and Anis played in the 37th edition. Who was the top seed? Nicholas Chan, the defending champion, was the top seed. Scoring 7.5/9 points in the tournament, Nicholas Chan defended his title.

So, now in the year of 2011, how many players are taking part? The answer is 81. Does the defending champion take part? Yes, Nicholas Chan is taking part. He led four others to score perfectly i.e. 3/3. Can he score hattrick in winning the championship?  Let's wait and see. BEST OF LUCK to all the contestants.