The 2013 National Age Group (NAG) chess competition is on-going in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak. Two days had gone, six (6) rounds had completed. Today (Sunday, 3rd February 2013) will be the final day where last two rounds will be held.
There are six age groups - U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18. There are two sections which are Boys and Girls for each age group. So, who are the current leaders? Are the top seeds at the top of the table? Let's find out. Since GiLoCatur is not present at UTP, the results are solely based on the ones published at the chess-results.com website.
Under 8
While there are 16 participants taking part in the Boys section, there are only nine (9) players in the Girls section. Three players are leading the pack with 5 points out of the total six rounds. Two of them are from Penang while one is from Selangor. It is most likely that one of these three leaders will become the champion.
In the Boys section, a player from Wilayah Persekutuan named Wong Zi Yue is leading with 5.5/6 points. He is the top seed with national ratings of 1331. Is he related to Wong Jianwen? GiLoCatur is not sure. But can he become the next Jianwen for MSSMKL? Let's wait and see.
Amier Hamzah Mohd Zuhri is the current leader in the Under 12 Boys category. He scored 5.5/6 points from 5 wins and one draw. Amier from KL breaks the Penang players dominance in this age group. Both Yinn Long and De Juan are trailing Amier 1/2 point. In the seventh round, both of them are paired at table #2 while Amier will be challenged by another KL player, Jen Shen at the top board. Interestingly. two Selangor players, Jian yang and Emir Rusyaidi will fight each other at table #3. Can Jen Shen spoil Amier's dream to become the champion in the Boys Under 12 age group?
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In the Girls section, the second seed Teh De Zen is the current sole leader. Thanks to her state mate, Teh Ming Min (De Zen's relative maybe?) who won against Puteri Munajjah of Selangor in Round 2. Since De Zen and Munajjah had played each other in the sixth round, the former has better chance to emerge as the champion. Can her next opponent, Shu Zing, delay De Zen's celebration before the final round? Meanwhile, Munajjah can't afford to lose any point in the final two rounds in order to be among the top three winners.
Boys Under 12, Girls Under 12
Under 14
In the Boys section, the top seed is placed in the mid of the table before the two final rounds are over. The sole leader in this age group is another Penang player, Ooi Zhi Yang. His score of 5.5/6 points is one point ahead of the rest players. Three players have 4.5/6 points while seven others have 4/6 points. Can Zhi Yang maintain his winning momentum to be crowned as the champion?
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In the Girls section, GiLoCatur believes the top seed, Nur Najiha, has the upper edge to be the champion. She scores the perfect 6/6 wins. She is leading her age group by 1 1/2 point. She edged her schoolmate in the fifth round. Like in the Boys section, three players have 4.5/6 points and seven others have 4/6 points.
Boys Under 14, Girls Under 14
GiLoCatur has to stop writing at this point. It is almost 3.30 o'clock in the wee hours. Hopefully, GiLoCatur can continue writing the U16 and U18 age groups later after sleep.
