Centenary chess competition concludes

The OFA Centenary chess tournament proved to be a resounding success, and I must say that as the Tournament Director and organizer, I am quite pleased with the outcome. Notably, this was a FIDE-rated event, which is a rarity in Penang, and we executed it seamlessly at Penang Free School's Pinhorn Hall.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Jonathan Chuah, who I appointed as the Chief Arbiter, and his dedicated team, which included Cheryl Ho and three volunteer tournament assistants. I also want to express my gratitude to Lim Li Yeong, the advisor of the PFS Chess Club, who remained present throughout the tournament and assisted in managing the storage boxes.

I am truly appreciative of See Swee Sie, the President of the Penang Chess Association, and her team for their unwavering support in every aspect. A special mention goes to Lim Poay Sim for his invaluable assistance in the FIDE ID approval process and supplying chess equipment. In addition, I would like to acknowledge Steven Cheong from the Malaysian Chess Federation for his role in the FIDE ID approvals, which greatly contributed to our tournament having so many new FIDE unrated players.

Most importantly, I want to express my deep appreciation to my sub-committee members, Ung Tay Aik and Terry Ong. We successfully executed this event, gentlemen!

The morning of the tournament was spent setting up the hall, and on Sunday, the tournament day itself, players, many accompanied by their parents and relatives, began arriving at 8:15 am. I was already at the school hall before eight o'clock, and the doors were open with schoolboy helpers in attendance. Jonathan and his father arrived shortly after, and along with Tay Aik and Terry, we set up the equipment. We made adjustments based on early feedback from a participant and quickly spaced out the tables in the hall since we had ample room.

By 8:30 am, we were ready to commence, and we decided to start at 8:40 am. I delivered a brief opening remark, expressing gratitude to all participants for their presence and introducing the Chief Arbiter and his assistants. Jonathan then conducted his briefing session, and we nominated a five-person Appeals Committee. We also invited Russian international master Pavel Shkapenko to draw for his color in the first round.

The event officially began at 9 o'clock, with three rounds before lunch and four rounds after. We managed to finish on time, and the prize-giving ceremony commenced at six-thirty. My thanks go to Lee Eu Beng and See Swee Sie for graciously presenting the prizes.