MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!



Love, Peace and Joy came down on earth on Christmas day to make you happy and cheerful.
May Christmas spread cheer in your lives!

CHRISTMAS WISH

W ith his small hands clasped together
He kneeled beside his bed
Trying to wipe the tears away
This is what the small boy said.
Dear Lord, I miss my daddy so
He's been gone almost a year
And it's really hard on mom right now
Since Christmas Eve is here.


I do my best to help her
I've done the things I should
If you'll please bring me a puppy dog
I promise to be good.
I get to missing dad so much
Though I know he's there with you
I think a pup would cheer me up
And soothe me when I'm blue.


S o, the little boy fell off to sleep
And drifted far away
He dreamed of fluffy puppy dogs
That chased him in his play.
Then something strange awakened him
In the middle of the night
He felt a presence in the room
But no one was in sight.


T he little boy looked all around
There was not a soul to greet
But a small and fluffy puppy
Curled up there at his feet.
Wishes really do come true
In his heart he felt so glad
The tag attached said simply
To you dear son .... from Dad.


http://www.alighthouse.com/cwish.htmAlign Center

SEJARAH DAN KASUS PERANG SALIB

Sebuah novel yang berpretensi mengangkat peristiwa di masa lalu selalu dibayangi persoalan sejauh mana akurasi sejarah dan sejauh mana capain novel itu sendiri. Jika akurasi sejarahnya lebih kuat sedangkan capaian novelnya terabaikan, maka karya demikian lebih bersifat karya kesejarahan dibandingkan dengan karya sastra. Pun demikian ketika sebuah karya yang mengangkat masa lampau ternyata justru merancukan data masa lampau tersebut dan malah menjadikan capaian sastra sebagai satu-satunya tujuan.

Untuk karya demikian, tanggung jawab atas keotentikan dan kemasukakalan data menjadi sekunder dan mesti meletakkannya sebagai sebuah karya sastra. Karya sastra, dalam hal ini novel, akan cukup dalam dirinya ketika unsur-unsur kesastraannya terbangun dan mampu membuat dirinya utuh. Perihal apakah pretensi sejarahnya berhasil atau tidak, menjadi bukan prioritas utama.Namun, sebuah novel yang hendak memaparkan kisah tokoh dalam sejarah semacam Kitab Salahuddin karya Tariq Ali, jelas-jelas berpretensi pada sejarah. Ia bisa dikatakan sebuah karya sejarah yang menggunakan medium novel sebagai cara agar pembaca yang tidak mungkin membaca laporan sejarah yang ketat dan kaku akan dengan mudah mengikutinya. Atau, sialnya, sang penulis tidak cukup data untuk membuat laporannya bisa dipertanggungjawabkan, sehingga untuk mudahnya, digunakanlah jalur penulisan novel sebagai siasat.. Namun, alasan yang belakang itu sudah sepatutnya tidak pantas diletakkan pada karya Tariq Ali tersebut.

Kitab Salahuddin merupakan rekonstruksi fiksional atas kehidupan Sultan Salahuddin atau Sultan Saladin di telinga orang Barat. Sultan Salahuddin hidup semasa abad ke-12 Masehi dan sultan yang pernah merebut Jerussalem dari tangan orang Barat setelah kejatuhan Yerussalem selama Perang Salib Pertama pada 1099.Namun, dalam deskripsinya, dalam novel Kitab Salahuddin, Sultan Salahuddin tidak digambarkan semata seorang sultan dengan pedang di tangan kanan dan Alquran di tangan kiri. Justru, sebagian besar novel ini berkonsentrasi pada kehidupan keseharian sang sultan beserta orang-orang terdekatnya. Bagaimana masa kecilnya, remajanya, masa akil balighnya, dan masa ia menanjak menjadi seorang panglima perang yang paling disegani di tanah Arab maupun di mata orang Barat.

Tariq Ali tidak segan-segan menggambarkan bagaimana situasi harem tempat perempuan-perempuan cantik menemani sang sultan dan bagaimana sang sultan mendapatkan perempuan-perempuan cantik itu. Seorang harem bernama Halimah dikisahkan sebagai seorang istri dari pembantu utama sang sultan yang selingkuh dengan lelaki lain.Jika Sultan konsisten dengan hukum yang ada mestinya ia menghukum dengan merajam sampai mati. Namun tidak. Sang Sultan malah menyembunyikannya di harem dan menjadi salah satu selir untuk pemuas sultan. Ketika salah satu anggota masyarakat mengangkat masalah penyelewengan hukum tersebut dalam bentuk kesenian, tak tanggung-tanggung, sang pengkritik dihukum mati.

Dunia harem benar-benar bertolak belakang dengan ajaran Islam yang memperoleh perhatian besar dalam Kitab Salahuddin. Sisi gelap ini menjadi salah satu penyeimbang sifat ambisius orang-orang Islam sendiri untuk menegakkan keyakinannya. Berulang kali Sultan Salahuddin menegaskan bahwa pengusiran orang-orang Barat bukan semata menolak segala jenis campur tangan Barat, melainkan masa depan keyakinan Islam itu sendiri. Di sini semangat melawan Barat dimaknai sebagai jihad terhadap orang-orang kafir.Alasan tersebut sangat terang ketika Sultan Salahuddin menegaskan perlunya merebut kembali Yerussalem dari tangan orang-orang Barat.. Yerussalem jatuh ke tangan orang-orang Barat pada 1099 Masehi dan hampir seratus tahun kemudian, yaitu pada 1187 Masehi, Yerussalem dapat direbut oleh orang Arab.

Sebenarnya ada sedikit kerancuan antara Islam versus Kristen dalam perang salib itu. Islam sendiri bukan semata orang Islam tetapi meliputi Yahudi dan Kristen. Mereka berada satu payung kepemimpinan Sultan Salahuddin dalam melawan Barat.

Sekalipun imajiner, penulis buku biografi Sultan Salahuddin dalam novel ini, Tariq Ali, menempatkannya dalam kerangka ruang dan waktu semasa abab ke-12. Orang-orang Arab yang berkeyakinan Islam, Kristen, dan Yahudi, bahu-membahu dalam menangkis dan mengusir orang-orang Barat. Sementara, Barat sendiri dalam mendefinisikan orang-orang Arab sudah tentu Islam. Orang-orang Moor yang perlu diluruskan dan kalau tidak bisa, dihancurkan.

Kenapa Barat mendefinisikan orang-orang Arab sebagai Islam yang perlu diberadabkan? Ini sangat terkait dengan penciptaan mitos dalam benak orang-orang Barat sendiri agar terdapat kesatuan persepsi demi kepentingan yang sesungguhnya tidak hanya berurusan dengan masalah keyakinan. Masa Abad Pertengahan, Paus sangat kuat posisinya melebihi seorang raja. Ia mempunyai kekuatan nyaris di seluruh daratan Eropa Barat, kecuali wilayah-wilayah yang dikuasai orang-orang Arab -- Kordoba dan Spanyol.

Dengan memanfaatkan sentimen terhadap orang-orang Arab dengan Islamnya dan jaringan kuasanya yang sampai pelosok-pelosok, Roma mengerahkan raja-raja yang berkuasa dan sukarelawan untuk menjadi pasukan Perang Salib. Knights Templar, pasukan Barat itu, dalam benaknya dilesakkan oleh sebuah keyakinan ketika mereka semakin banyak memenggal kepala orang-orang Islam, maka semakin terbuka lebarlah pintu sorga untuk mereka. Ambisi orang-orang Kristen selama Perang Salib semakin besar tatakala mereka disahkan untuk membawa harta benda selama mereka di Arab tanpa harus menyerahkannya kepada raja maupun Paus.

Knights Templar bukan pejuang suci, tetapi sekelompok berandalan yang dikumpulkan dengan janji-janji surga dan mereka menggunakan kesempatan itu untuk merampok harta benda orang Arab dan memperkosa perempuan Arab.

Namun, setelah Knights Templar kaya dan tak tersentuh oleh raja, maka raja menghantam mereka dengan menfitnah dan menempatkan mereka dalam pesakitan..

Ambiguitas politik orang-orang Eropa dalam Perang Salib diangkat dalam Foucault's Pendulum karya Umberto Eco. Karya Eco dapat dikatakan representasi orang Barat atas kebejatan orang Barat itu sendiri. Tak beda dengan Kitab Salahuddin karya Tariq Ali yang berusaha 'objektif' atas situasi kultur Arab dan Islam itu sendiri.

Sudut pandang yang digunakan dalam novel Kitab Salahuddin adalah orang-orang Arab, khususnya kalangan elitnya. Pembaca tidak hanya disuguhkan bagaimana keyakinan para penguasa Arab begitu luar biasanya dalam urusannya dengan orang-orang Barat, tetapi juga konflik-konflik yang ada di antara penguasa-penguasa Arab sendiri. Tidak jarang dengan kedatangan pasukan Barat, mereka melakukan intrik demi melanggengkan kekuasaan sekalipun harus menghamba kepada mereka yang berbeda, bahkan berlawanan dengan keyakinannya.

Wilayah kekuasaan di tanah Arab sendiri saat itu sangat rentan untuk pecah dan melakukan perlawanan dengan pusat. Sultan Salahuddin sendiri dalam novel ini sering kali digambarkan bertentangan dengan wilayah kerajaan lain dan perang demi mengukuhkan sebuah kekuasaan. Wilayah kekuasaan yang cenderung membelah diri itu disiasati dengan menempatkan sanak saudara untuk memimpin sebuah wilayah yang lebih kecil. Ini bertujuan untuk menciptakan sebuah kekuasaan yang relatif permanen dalam waktu yang lama.Kekuasaan tradisional di banyak tempat cenderung bersifat paternalistik, seperti halnya Sultan Salahuddin dalam Kitab Salahuddin. Ia menempatkan keponakannya, Farrukh Shah dan Taki al-Din, sebagai penguasa kecil di daerah taklukan.

Namun, Sultan Salahuddin adalah pemegang prinsip moral yang tegas saat berurusan dengan tanah rampasan. Ketika ia merebut Yerussalem, Sultan tidak membunuh dan menjadikan kepala orang-orang Kristen sebagai hiasan tetapi membiarkan mereka hidup. Tidak mengharuskan orang-orang Kristen miskin membayar dan tetap mempertahankan gereja-gereja sebagai tempat beribadah. Sultan tidak membabibuta dengan menghancurkan Yerussalem dari pengaruh Kristen sebagaimana orang-orang Barat menghancurkan Yerussalem pada kejatuhannya tahun 1099.

Sejarah Islam abab ke-12 terasa sekali, sebab data tersebut berbentuk adegan cerita yang hidup. Sehingga, Edward Said pun berkomentar antara aspek historis dan hubungannya dengan takdir sangat meyakinkan sekali. Seolah-olah ketika Sultan Salahuddin memutuskan untuk menunaikan haji ke Mekkah dan kemudian meninggal dunia selama perjalanan tersebut, pembaca tidak disuguhkan fakta tetapi daya spiritual seorang Salahuddin.



RESENSI NOVEL SEJARAH DAN KASUS PERANG SALIB

Novel Sejarah dan Kasus Perang Salib

Sumber: Republika, Minggu, 16 April 2006

Judul Buku: Kitab Salahudin
Penulis: Tariq Ali

oleh: Imam Muhtarom
Penyair dan pengamat sastra
SASTRAWAN ARAB

UMAYAH BIN ABI ASH-SHALT
UMAYAH BIN ABI ASH-SHALT Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Nama aslinya adalah Abu Utsman Umayyah bin Abi ash-Shalt Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'ah ibn Auf Ats-Tsaqafi.. Ia merupakan penyair Tsaqif dan termasuk salah seorang pencari agama yang benar pada masa Jahiliyyah. Ia dibesarkan di Thaif.

LUBAID BIN RABI'AH
Nama lengkapnya adalah Lubaid bin Rabi'ah bin Malik. Ia sering juga dijuluki Abu 'Uqail al-'Amiry. Ia termasuk salah satu penyair yang disegani pada masa jahiliyyah. Ia berasal dari kabilah Bani 'Amir Ibnu Sho'sho'ah, yaitu salah satu pecahan dari kabilah Hawazin Mudhar. Ibunya berasal dari kabilah 'Abas. Lubai dilahirkan sekitar tahun 560 M. Selain sebagai penyair, ia juga dikenal sebagai orang dermawan dan pemberani. Sifat kedermawanannya diwarisi dari ayahnya yang dijuluki dengan "Rabi' al-Muqtarin". Sedangkan sifat keberaniannya diwarisi dari kabilahnya..

AL-HARITS BIN HILLIZIAH AL-BAKRI
AL-HARITS BIN HILLIZIAH AL-BAKRI Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Nama aslinya adalah Al-Harits bin Hillizah al-Yasykuri al-Bakri, ia merupakan salah seorang pemilik puisi mu'allaqat yang terkenal dengan satuan bait-bait puisinya, pemikirannya bagus dan spontanitas, menjadi pribahasa dalam puisi hammasah (patriotik) dan fakhr-nya (berbangga). Silsilah keturunannya sampai kepada Bakr bin Wail.

AL-A’SYA BIN AL-QAISI
AL-A'SYA BIN AL-QAISI Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Nama lengkap dari penyair ini adalah Maimun al-A'sya bin al-Qaisi bin Jundul al-Qaisyi, dilahirkan di Manfuhah dikawasan Yumamah. Ia berasal dari kabilah Bakar bin Wail yang menurut riwayat kabilah ini merupakan bagian dan kelompok di Jazirah Timur yaitu lembah sungai Eufrat sampai Yamamah.

THARAFAH BIN ABDUL BAKRI AL-WA’ILLI
THARAFAH BIN ABDUL BAKRI AL-WA'ILLI Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Amru bin al-`Abd al-Bakri adalah salah seorang tokoh terkemuka pada zaman Jahiliyyah, dan berumur pendek. Ia juga seorang penyair yang memiliki puisi-puisi panjang dan indah, dan yang paling bagus dalam melukiskan unta dalam puisinya.

‘AMR BIN KULTSUM
‘AMR BIN KULTSUM Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Nama lengkapnya adalah Abu al-Aswad ‘Amr bin Kultsum bin Malik at-Taghlibi dari kabilah Taghlib. Lahir dari kalangan keluarga bangsawan dan juga sangat ahli dalam menunggang kuda.

ANTARAH BIN SYADDAD AL-ABSI
ANTARAH BIN SYADDAD AL-ABSI Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Penyair ini dilahirkan dari ayah seorang bangsawan Absi dan ibu dari kalangan budak Habsyi.

ZUHAIR BIN ABI SULMA
ZUHAIR BIN ABI SULMA Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilah Nama lengkapnya adalah Zuhair bin Abi Sulma bin Rabi'ah bin Rayyah al-Muzani.

AN-NABIGHAH ADZ-DZIBYANI
AN-NABIGHAH ADZ-DZIBYANI Nasab Keluarga Dan Kabilahnya Penyair ini memiliki nama asli An-Nabighah Az-Zibyani Abu Umamah Ziyad bin Muawiyah.

UMRU’ AL-QAIS BIN HUJRIN
UMRU' AL-QAIS BIN HUJRIN Kabilah Dan Keluarga Umru' Al-Qais Penyair ini memiliki nama lengkap Umru' al-Qais bin Hujrin bin al-Harits al-Kindi, dan berasal dari suku Kindah, yaitu suatu suku yang pernah berkuasa penuh di daerah Yaman.
Hani Bin Qabishah Bin Hani Bin Mas’ud Asy-Syaibani

Hani Bin Qabishah Bin Hani Bin Mas'ud Asy-Syaibani
Hani bin Qabishah bin Hani bin Mas'ud asy-Syaibani adalah seorang kepala kabilah dari bani Syaiban, yang terkenal dengan keberaniannya pada akhir zaman Jahiliyyah.


Aktsam bin Shaifi

Aktsam bin Shaifi Aktsam bin Shaifi dikenal sebagai orator bangsa Arab Jahiliyyah yang paling bijak, ia juga dikenal sebagai seorang yang paling mengetahui silsilah keturunan bangsa Arab.

Qus bin Sa’idah Al-Iyadi
Qus bin Sa'idah Al-Iyadi Qus bin Sa'idah al-Iyyadi merupakan seorang orator ulung Arab Jahiliyyah dan menjadi idola dalam ke-balaghah-an orasinya, kata-katanya banyak mengandung hikmat dan nasihat-nasihat yang baik.

CARLSEN's 6th and 7th round games


GAME 6: CARLSEN ½-½ ADAMS







GAME 7: SHORT ½-½ CARLSEN




Singapore Chess Festival 2009




RESULTS FOR COMMONWEALTH OPEN:

Rk. Name Typ sex FED RtgI Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 IM Paciencia Enrique SIN 2424 7,5 46,0 35,5 25,5
2 IM Ashwin Jayaram IND 2448 6,5 47,0 36,0 26,0
3 CM Illingworth Max AUS 2211 6,0 49,0 37,5 26,5
4 FM Chan Wei Xuan Timothy SIN 2384 6,0 46,5 35,5 25,5
5 IM Gokhale Chandrashekhar IND 2259 5,5 43,5 35,0 25,0
6 FM Fernandez Daniel Howard SIN 2230 5,5 43,5 35,0 24,5
7 IM Lim Yee-Weng MAS 2336 5,0 41,5 30,5 21,0
8 Dole Anant RSA 2068 5,0 38,0 29,0 20,5
9 IM Konguvel Ponnuswamy IND 2444 5,0 36,5 29,0 20,5
10 FM Sauravh Khherdekar IND 2274 4,5 48,0 36,5 26,0
11 IM Mas Hafizulhelmi MAS 2419 4,5 45,0 34,0 23,5
12 Lee Kim Han Edward MAS 2114 4,5 43,0 33,5 24,0
13 Phadke Sohan IND 2214 4,5 39,5 30,0 21,0
14 Tan Weiliang SIN 2168 4,5 34,0 27,0 20,0
15 FM Lo Kin Mun Dominic SIN 2174 4,5 33,0 27,0 20,0
16 CM Neubronner Jarred SIN 2215 4,0 42,0 33,5 24,0
17 FM Chua Zheng Yuan Terry SIN 2256 4,0 41,0 31,5 22,5
18 Lazarus Ben AUS 2168 4,0 39,5 32,0 22,5
19 Thakur Akash IND 2368 4,0 38,0 29,5 20,5
20 Stojic Dusan AUS 2201 4,0 37,0 30,0 21,5
21 Koh Jonathan SIN 2211 4,0 32,0 26,0 19,5
22 WFM Mitali Madhukar Patil W IND 2007 2,5 33,0 26,5 19,5
23 WIM Solomons Anzel W RSA 1954 1,5 31,0 24,5 18,5
24 FM Mishra Soumyaranjan IND 2273 1,0 44,5 35,0 25,0
25 Vaibhav Suri IND 2344 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5


RESULTS FOR COMMONWEALTH U20/U16:


Rk. Name Typ sex FED RtgI Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 Yashas Devappa U16 IND 2119 7,5 52,0 41,0 30,0
2 Udeshi Aditya U16 IND 2330 6,5 51,0 39,5 28,5
3 Mohana Priya J U16 W IND 1988 6,5 50,5 41,0 29,5
4 WFM Ho En Huei Danielle U16 W SIN 1774 6,5 50,0 41,5 30,0
5 Yeap Eng Chiam U16 MAS 2118 6,5 43,0 34,0 24,0
6 IM Lalith Babu M R U20 IND 2460 6,0 54,0 42,5 31,5
7 Harini S U20 W IND 2053 6,0 48,5 38,5 27,0
8 Guo Emma U16 W AUS 1910 6,0 45,5 35,0 25,0
9 Muralidhar Suraj U20 IND 2079 6,0 45,0 35,0 24,5
10 Bhuvaneshwari R U16 W IND 1666 6,0 43,5 34,0 24,0
11 Grigg Sam U16 AUS 1978 5,5 48,0 37,5 26,5
12 WFM Pujari Rucha U16 W IND 2060 5,5 46,5 37,0 26,0
13 WIM Jule Alexandra U20 W AUS 1945 5,5 43,0 33,0 23,5
14 Iskandar Bin Abdullah U16 SIN 1839 5,0 48,5 37,5 26,5
15 Ong Way Justin U20 MAS 2018 5,0 47,5 37,0 26,0
16 Jitendria Vels U16 IND 1977 5,0 47,0 37,5 27,5
17 Neo Xiuwen Christabel U16 W SIN 1798 5,0 42,0 32,5 23,0
18 Anjana Krishna S U16 W IND 1908 5,0 41,5 32,0 22,5
Tan Jun Feng U16 MAS 1801 5,0 41,5 32,0 22,5
20 Chin Matthew Peter U16 SIN 1954 5,0 41,0 32,0 22,5
21 Cheng Jie Ling Zerlene U16 W SIN 1798 5,0 39,0 30,5 22,0
22 Yong Han Shawn U16 SIN 0 4,5 44,5 35,0 25,0
23 Lo Yin Ling Melissa U16 W SIN 1804 4,5 42,5 33,0 23,5
24 Soh Hong Han Isaak Ethan U16 SIN 0 4,5 42,0 32,0 22,5
25 Yuan Wei Ting U16 W SIN 1675 4,5 40,5 31,0 22,0
26 Raja Aparna U20 W IND 1921 4,5 39,0 29,0 21,0
27 Najwa Jiahui Rujok U16 W SIN 1733 4,5 36,0 27,0 19,5
28 Feng Thomas U16 AUS 1700 4,0 39,0 30,0 20,5
29 Chng Jiun Jing Pearle U16 W SIN 1739 4,0 37,0 29,0 20,5
30 Chan Yi-Jun Timothy U20 SIN 1590 4,0 37,0 28,5 20,5
31 Koh Abigail U16 W SIN 0 4,0 35,5 26,0 18,0
32 Ng Joshua U16 AUS 0 4,0 34,5 27,0 19,0
33 Soong Mun Hey Gabriel U16 MAS 0 4,0 33,0 26,0 18,5
34 Er Si Hui Vivian U16 W SIN 1688 4,0 33,0 25,5 18,0
35 Mar Teng Chou Nathan U16 SIN 0 3,5 42,5 33,5 23,5
36 Lau Zechariah Sean U16 SIN 0 3,5 42,0 32,0 23,5
37 Lim Chuin Khai U16 MAS 0 3,5 37,0 29,0 20,5
38 Lim Jing Hong U16 MAS 0 3,5 36,0 28,0 19,0
39 Narayanan Renitha U16 W MAS 0 3,5 34,0 28,5 21,0
40 Chong Yan Meng U16 MAS 0 3,5 32,0 26,0 18,5
41 Yahaya Muhammad Nurislam U16 MAS 0 3,5 30,5 24,5 18,0
42 Hew Zhenjing U16 MAS 0 3,5 29,5 23,5 17,0
43 Kanagarajah Abbie U16 W AUS 0 3,0 40,0 30,5 21,5
44 Kok Han Yi U16 SIN 0 3,0 37,0 29,5 22,0
45 Toh Qin Kane U20 MAS 0 3,0 36,0 27,0 18,5
46 Manasa S U20 W IND 1335 3,0 29,5 23,0 17,0
47 Hoon Thien Qing Alexander U16 MAS 0 2,5 31,5 24,0 17,5
48 Yap Wing Heng U16 MAS 0 1,5 29,5 22,0 16,0
49 Tejaswini Reddy S WD W IND 2016 1,0 43,5 35,0 25,0
50 Chandana Priya Reddy S WD W IND 1891 0,5 39,5 31,5 22,5
51 Goh Yen Fei U16 SIN 0 0,5 33,5 25,0 17,5
52 Grahesh Yejjavarapu WD IND 1805 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5


RESULTS FOR COMMONWEALTH U12


Rk. Name Typ sex FED RtgI Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 WCM Ivana Maria Furtado U12 W IND 1859 7,5 50,5 41,0 30,0
2 Tin Jingyao U12 SIN 0 7,0 54,5 42,0 30,0
3 Lim De Dao Linson U12 SIN 1689 7,0 53,0 40,5 29,0
4 Ng Isaac U12 AUS 1641 7,0 44,5 36,5 26,5
5 Gu Sean U12 AUS 1837 6,5 51,0 39,5 28,0
6 Liu Yong Kang Samuel U12 SIN 1741 6,5 49,0 37,5 26,5
7 S Sriram U12 IND 1613 6,5 47,0 36,0 26,0
8 Daniel Raja N U12 IND 1757 6,0 53,5 41,5 30,0
9 Soo Kai Jie U12 SIN 0 6,0 46,0 35,5 25,5
10 Yu Guanhua U12 SIN 0 6,0 45,5 35,5 26,0
11 Sunyasakta Satpathy U12 W IND 1795 6,0 45,5 35,5 25,0
12 Srija Seshadri U12 W IND 1822 6,0 42,0 33,5 23,0
13 Gorak Rajesh U12 IND 1355 6,0 39,0 31,0 22,5
14 Lee Qing Aun U12 SIN 0 5,5 52,0 39,5 27,5
15 WFM Monisha Raja Jawahar U12 W SIN 1601 5,5 49,0 38,5 27,0
16 Tan Wei Hao U12 MAS 1870 5,5 47,0 38,0 27,5
17 Ong Jun Xue Calvin U12 SIN 1773 5,5 46,5 36,5 26,0
18 Muralidhar Satvik U12 IND 1824 5,5 46,5 35,5 25,5
19 Fernandez Michael U12 SIN 1806 5,5 46,5 35,5 25,0
20 Chan Hiang Yong Gerald U12 SIN 0 5,5 46,0 36,5 26,0
21 Koh Cedric U12 AUS 0 5,5 46,0 36,0 26,5
22 Ho En Ying Michelle U12 W SIN 0 5,5 46,0 36,0 26,0
23 Sivanesan Subramanian U12 MAS 0 5,5 45,5 35,0 25,5
24 Sivakumar Ashvin U12 SIN 0 5,5 43,0 33,0 22,5
25 Foo Andrea U12 W SIN 0 5,5 39,5 32,0 23,5
26 Lee Kai Jie Edward U12 SIN 1775 5,0 50,0 40,0 29,0
27 Aw Khai Loong U12 SIN 0 5,0 44,0 34,5 25,0
28 Yahaya Muhammad Nuriman U12 MAS 0 5,0 42,5 33,5 24,0
29 Chan Zhi Xuan Joel U12 SIN 0 5,0 42,5 32,0 22,0
30 Ow Jun Wai Ryan U12 SIN 1681 5,0 42,0 33,0 23,5
31 Nithyalakshmi Sivanesan U12 MAS 0 5,0 41,0 32,5 23,0
32 Liu Wen Yi Rachel U12 W SIN 0 5,0 41,0 31,5 23,0
33 Koh Clarise U12 W AUS 0 5,0 40,5 31,5 22,0
34 Ding Tze How Dilwen U12 MAS 0 5,0 40,0 32,0 22,5
35 Yow Nicole U12 W SIN 0 5,0 37,5 29,5 21,0
36 Wong Yinn Long U12 MAS 0 5,0 36,5 29,5 21,5
37 Yick Benjamin Oliver U12 SIN 0 4,5 47,0 38,0 27,5
38 Foo Kai En U12 W SIN 0 4,5 44,0 34,0 24,5
39 Cheong Zhan Hao John U12 SIN 0 4,5 43,0 34,0 24,5
40 Yeoh Hsin Ying Candice U12 W SIN 0 4,5 43,0 33,5 24,0
41 Lim Pei Ying Kelly U12 W MAS 0 4,5 40,5 31,5 22,5
42 Vikram Ravichandran U12 SIN 0 4,5 40,0 33,0 23,5
43 Soh Hui Jun Rachel U12 W SIN 0 4,5 40,0 32,0 23,5
44 Dharsha Raja Jawahar U12 W SIN 0 4,5 32,0 24,5 17,0
45 Neha Shankar U12 W SIN 0 4,0 45,5 36,0 25,5
46 Lim Shi Chen Kerwin U12 SIN 0 4,0 43,5 34,5 25,5
47 Goh Cameron U12 SIN 0 4,0 43,5 34,5 25,0
48 Low Yi Wei Jonathan U12 SIN 0 4,0 42,0 33,5 24,0
49 Yap Wan Lin U12 MAS 0 4,0 42,0 33,0 23,5
50 Fam Jia En Victoria U12 W SIN 0 4,0 38,5 29,5 20,5
51 Cheong Ren Hao Jonathan U12 SIN 0 4,0 37,5 29,5 21,0
52 Lau Zhi Wei Ryan U12 SIN 0 4,0 37,0 28,0 20,0
53 Ankitha Rajaram U12 W SIN 0 4,0 36,5 28,5 21,0
54 Karthik Kumar Amuddhu U12 SIN 0 4,0 35,5 27,5 19,5
55 Ho Jun Hui Nicholas U12 SIN 0 4,0 34,5 27,5 19,5
56 Kok Xin Yi U12 W SIN 0 4,0 33,0 26,0 18,0
57 Tan Sheryl-Lynn U12 W SIN 0 4,0 33,0 25,5 17,5
58 Yeoh Hsin Yee Clarice U12 W SIN 0 3,5 36,0 28,0 20,0
59 Low Zhen Yu Cyrus U12 SIN 0 3,5 35,5 26,0 18,0
60 Lee Jun Jie U12 SIN 0 3,5 34,0 25,0 17,0
61 Kirubezhwaran Venthan U12 SIN 0 3,5 33,0 25,0 17,5
62 Tan Ming Ying Samuel U12 SIN 0 3,5 30,5 24,5 18,5
63 Hng Emmanuelle U12 W SIN 0 3,5 25,0 20,0 14,0
64 Teh Eu Shien Ian U12 MAS 0 3,0 37,0 29,0 20,5
65 Goh Kai Ning Sebastian U12 SIN 0 3,0 36,5 29,0 21,5
66 Chan Li Xuan Beverly U12 W SIN 0 3,0 36,0 29,0 21,5
67 Wong Yi Chee U12 W MAS 0 3,0 34,5 27,0 20,0
68 Chan Hiang Wui Shannon U12 SIN 0 3,0 33,5 26,0 18,5
69 Foo Zhi Yu Shawn U12 SIN 0 3,0 33,5 25,5 18,0
70 Teo Xu Yuan Nicholas U12 SIN 0 3,0 32,0 26,0 19,5
71 Tan Shae-lynn U12 W SIN 0 3,0 31,0 25,0 18,0
72 Ravi Prittam U12 SIN 0 2,5 33,0 26,0 18,5
73 Goh Xin Yi Claire U12 W SIN 0 2,5 31,5 24,0 17,0
74 Chua Yi Wei Derek U12 SIN 0 2,0 33,5 25,5 17,5
75 Lau Hui Miin U12 W SIN 0 2,0 29,0 22,0 15,5
76 Teo Ryan U12 SIN 0 1,0 31,5 24,0 17,0
77 Siow Lih Jiang U12 SIN 0 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
Tan Xin Kai Ethan U12 SIN 0 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
79 Santos Justinian Emmanuel U12 SIN 0 0,0 28,5 21,5 15,0


RESULTS FOR SINGAPORE CHALLENGER:

Rk. Name Typ sex FED RtgI Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 Docena Jedara Chl W PHI 1987 8,0 49,5 40,5 29,5
2 Paulo Bersamina Chl PHI 1897 7,0 49,5 39,0 28,0
3 CM Rezon Yanuar Chl INA 2077 7,0 46,5 37,5 27,0
4 Turqueza Mari Joseph Chl PHI 2110 6,5 54,5 43,5 31,0
5 Bernales Christy Lamiel Chl W PHI 2051 6,5 53,5 41,5 30,0
6 Jung Young Hoon Chl KOR 1728 6,5 53,0 41,5 30,0
7 O`reilly Steven Chl AUS 1974 6,5 49,5 40,0 28,5
8 Arjun Vairavan Chl SIN 0 6,5 49,0 38,0 27,0
9 Azarya Jodi Setyaki Chl INA 1725 6,5 47,5 37,0 26,5
10 Attwood James Chl AUS 2047 6,5 46,5 36,5 26,5
11 Yeoh Khay Guan Chl SIN 0 6,0 52,0 40,5 29,0
12 Eng Andre Jerome Chl SIN 2090 6,0 50,0 39,5 28,5
13 CM Gokhale Raghunandan V Chl IND 2147 6,0 50,0 39,5 28,0
14 Pereira Johnharry Chl SIN 1903 6,0 45,0 34,5 24,5
15 Abalos Wilfredo Chl PHI 0 5,5 50,5 39,0 28,0
16 Neri Wilfredo Chl PHI 0 5,5 50,0 38,5 27,0
17 Neubronner Shannon Scott Chl SIN 2052 5,5 49,5 39,0 29,5
18 Yuliana Sentosa Chl INA 0 5,5 49,0 38,0 26,5
19 Tan Kwang Yang Aaron Chl SIN 1654 5,5 45,0 36,0 26,0
20 Aron Teh Eu Wen Chl MAS 0 5,5 45,0 35,0 25,0
21 Jean Karen Enriquez Chl W PHI 0 5,5 44,5 33,0 23,5
22 Tan Kwang Shing Bryan Chl SIN 1507 5,5 44,0 34,5 24,5
23 Roos Ezet Chl W RSA 1822 5,5 44,0 34,0 24,5
24 Chan Cheng Hoong Joel Chl SIN 1867 5,5 42,5 34,0 25,0
25 Dennis Nigel W Chl ENG 1957 5,5 42,0 33,0 24,0
26 Kuan Julian Chl HKG 0 5,5 42,0 32,0 22,5
27 Ang Keliang Albert Chl MAS 0 5,0 48,0 37,0 26,5
28 Branzuela Bong Chl PHI 0 5,0 46,0 35,5 26,5
29 Morado Jeth Romy Chl PHI 0 5,0 46,0 35,5 25,0
30 Chang Cheng Hwee Chl SIN 1769 5,0 45,0 34,5 25,0
31 Limono Handjojo Chl INA 0 5,0 44,5 34,5 24,5
32 Pangilinan Stephen Rome Chl PHI 0 5,0 42,5 34,5 26,0
33 Mirano Mira Chl W PHI 0 5,0 42,0 32,0 22,5
34 Muhammad Firmansyah P Chl INA 0 5,0 41,5 33,5 24,0
35 Aay Aisyah Anisa Chl W INA 0 5,0 40,5 33,0 23,5
36 Cheng Jun Yuan Ryan Chl SIN 0 5,0 40,0 30,0 21,5
37 Revita Samantha Glo Chl W PHI 0 5,0 39,5 31,0 22,5
38 Ong Wah Peng John Chl SIN 1765 5,0 38,5 30,0 21,5
39 Sitorus Tromphin Chl INA 0 5,0 38,0 29,5 21,0
40 Lindvall Per Chl SWE 0 5,0 37,0 28,0 19,5
41 Ahmad Ismail Chl MAS 2035 4,5 46,5 36,5 26,0
42 Mukmin Panggabean Chl INA 0 4,5 44,5 36,0 27,0
43 Chong Kwai Kun Chl MAS 0 4,5 41,5 32,5 23,0
44 Yat Guo Jie Chl MAS 0 4,5 40,5 31,0 22,5
45 Teng Kai Lee Eunice Chl W SIN 0 4,5 37,5 29,0 21,0
46 Jang Jaewon Chl KOR 0 4,5 36,5 28,5 20,5
47 Tiong Jun Wei Jon Chl SIN 0 4,5 32,5 26,0 18,0
48 Tan Jian Wen Wilbur Chl SIN 0 4,0 49,0 37,0 26,0
49 Madhavan Olivia W MAS 0 4,0 43,5 34,0 24,0
50 Tay Tze Kiat Jonathan Chl SIN 0 4,0 42,5 33,5 24,5
51 Monica Putri Wigustira Chl W INA 0 4,0 40,0 32,0 23,0
52 Boey Jin Huey Chl MAS 0 4,0 40,0 30,5 23,0
53 Luthfi Nurul Huda Chl INA 0 4,0 40,0 30,0 21,5
54 Lai Rui Qian Amber Chl W SIN 0 4,0 39,5 30,5 22,0
55 Tang Hang Sing Chl MAS 0 4,0 39,0 29,5 21,0
56 Mark James Marcellana Chl PHI 0 4,0 38,0 30,0 21,5
57 Jee Kai Yen Chl SIN 0 4,0 38,0 29,5 21,0
58 Jang Kyungsik Chl KOR 0 4,0 36,5 29,0 21,5
59 Shania Mae Mendoza Chl W PHI 0 4,0 36,5 27,5 18,5
60 Zheng Junren Chl SIN 0 4,0 36,0 27,5 19,5
61 Lau Xian Hui Rudolph Chl SIN 0 4,0 35,0 28,0 20,0
62 Lum Miao Sen Chl SIN 0 4,0 34,0 26,0 18,0
63 Yesayas Joel Augusto Chl INA 0 4,0 31,5 24,5 17,0
Hii Kai Li Annabel Chl W SIN 0 4,0 31,5 24,5 17,0
65 Wong Chun Yan Chl W SIN 0 3,5 44,5 34,0 24,5
66 Woong Zhi Wei William Chl SIN 0 3,5 40,5 32,5 23,0
67 Isa Aiman Zaki Chl SIN 0 3,5 31,5 24,5 17,5
68 Lim Wan Yu Steffi Chl W SIN 0 3,5 29,5 22,0 15,0
69 Siew Kai Xin Chl W SIN 0 3,5 26,0 19,0 14,0
70 Docena Jesca Chl PHI 0 3,0 38,5 29,5 21,0
71 Jee Kai Xin Chl W SIN 0 3,0 38,0 28,5 20,0
72 Chua Yu Hui Chl W SIN 0 3,0 36,0 29,0 21,0
73 Jung Min Jung Chl KOR 0 3,0 33,5 24,0 17,5
74 Chew Clement Chl SIN 0 3,0 33,0 26,0 19,0
75 Lim Peck Hwa Chl W SIN 0 3,0 33,0 25,0 18,5
76 Nistala Kameswara Rishi Yeshay Chl W SIN 0 3,0 32,5 24,5 17,0
77 Koh Zong Duan Chl SIN 0 3,0 32,0 24,0 17,5
78 Doshi Devansh Sanjay Chl SIN 0 3,0 29,5 22,5 16,0
79 Tan Wen Xin Chl W SIN 0 3,0 29,5 22,5 15,5
80 Pramod Hegde Rajath Chl SIN 0 2,5 34,0 25,0 18,0
81 Aljunied Syed Muhd Asadullah Chl SIN 0 2,5 31,0 24,0 17,0
82 Seo Jungmin Chl KOR 0 2,5 30,0 23,5 17,5
83 Lee Jun Wei Chl SIN 0 2,0 35,0 25,5 17,5
84 Low Yi Quan Chl SIN 0 2,0 31,0 24,0 17,0
85 Aljunied Sharifah Safiyya Chl W SIN 0 2,0 28,0 21,5 14,5
86 Chua Xavier Chl SIN 1728 1,5 37,0 29,0 20,0
87 Tan Si Xian Chl SIN 0 1,5 27,0 20,0 14,0
88 Tejaswini Reddy S IND 2016 1,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
89 Datu Alcon John Chl PHI 2220 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
WCM Kadek Iin Dwijayanti Chl W INA 1887 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
Ahmad Yahaya Chl MAS 0 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
Charmaine S Perit Chl W PHI 0 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
Reddy Sushruta Chl W IND 0 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5
Chandana Priya Reddy S W IND 1891 0,0 40,5 31,5 22,5

CONGRATULATIONS GELFAND!

The FIDE World Chess Cup took place in Khanty-Mansiysk from November 20th to December 15th 2009. It was a seven-round knockout event with six rounds of matches comprising two games per round, with the winners progressing to the next round. The final seventh round consisted of four games. The time control was 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move from move one. The World Chess Cup is an integral part of the World Championship Cycle 2009-2011.
Final, tiebreak

The three weeks marathon of the 2009 World Cup finished with 41-year-old Boris Gelfand of Israel beating Ruslan Ponomariov in the tiebreak on Monday. The organiser, FIDE, feel vindicated that the top seed won the event. "Who would dare to call the knock out format a lottery?" the official bulletin says. “Boris is the only participant of the World Cup who could avoid the obvious failures, the only one to play with quality and stability. Bravo, Boris!"



http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5987

Final Blitz Games : GELFAND WINS!




GAME 1: GELFAND 1-0 PONOMARIOV




GAME 2: PONOMARIOV 1-0 GELFAND




GAME 3: GELFAND 1-0 PONOMARIOV




GAME 4: PONOMARIOV 0-1 GELFAND

Final Rapid Games: 2-2




GAME 1: PONOMARIOV ½-½ GELFAND




GAME 2: GELFAND 1-0 PONOMARIOV




GAME 3: PONOMARIOV ½-½ GELFAND




GAME 4: GELFAND 0-1 PONOMARIOV




CARLSEN in round 4 and 5 of The London Chess Classic

ROUND 4



[Event "Chess Classic"] [Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.12"] [Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Nakamura, Hi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2715"]



ROUND 5



[Event "Chess Classic"] [Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.13"] [Round "5"]
[White "Ni Hua"] [Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "0-1"] [ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2665"] [BlackElo "2801"]

THE WORLD CUP HOLDER WILL BE DEFINED AFTER THE TIE BREAKS



The main games of the World Cup 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk are over. Boris Gelfand and Ruslan Ponomariov did not decide who is the strongest in the tournament within the classical time control games.

The game Gelfand-Anand, which was played in the Tal Memorial in November this year in Moscow, was repeated in the fourth game of the final match. The Grandmaster Boris Gelfand of Israel played a novelty on move 20. His opponent was not confident in reacting to this idea. The Ukrainian Grandmaster weakened his position in the king flank after move 27. Gelfand received good chances to attack an opponent's king. However the Israeli Grandmaster chose a slow plan and let his opponent move his Rook to “h” line and therefore to strengthen his king. On move 35 they agreed for a draw.

At the press conference after the game both finalists agreed that they had equal chances in the endgame. Gelfand expressed an opinion that he had an advantage and he should not let his opponent to move his rook on “h” line. Ruslan mentioned that he saw several possibilities for the white pieces to attack, but at the same time he had enough resources to defend his position.
Therefore, the winner of the World Cup will be defined tomorrow, 14 December in the tie breaks of the final match. Together with the Cup a winner will receive a cheque of 120 thousand US dollars and a qualification to the Candidates matches.

[Event "World Cup 2009"]
[Date "2009.12.13"]
[Round "7.4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[WhiteCountry "ISR"]
[BlackCountry "UKR"]



source: http://ugra-chess.ru/eng/news_26.htm

Final Round 3 : DRAW DRAW DRAW



I think the final match is getting boring, don't you guys think so? But you know what, in the press conference after the round 2 final, Ponomariov said that he also felt the same about the match. It seems everything must be decided by tiebreak games. We'll see...

[Event "World Cup 2009"]
[Site "0:02.11-0:06.22"]
[Date "2009.12.12"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[WhiteCountry "UKR"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[BlackCountry "ISR"]

Self-Test

Are You Professional?

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether you are qualified to be "professional". Scroll down for each answer. The questions are not that difficult.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory. OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.

http://www.ourfunnylists.com/test_pro.html

The London Chess Classic 2009



The London Chess Classic 2009 is the highest level tournament in London for 25 years. England's four leading Grandmasters; Nigel Short, Michael Adams, Luke McShane and David Howell are now pitching against a world class field that includes a former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Magnus Carlsen ranked world number two and widely seen a future holder of the world crown. One of China's finest players; Ni Hua and the US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, complete the field.

So far The London Chess Clasic has played 3 rounds of 7 rounds planned and now Magnus Carlsen, a chess prodigy from Norway, is conducting himself with half-point difference from Vladimir Kramnik, whom he had beaten in the first round. Calrsen now trained by the chess legend, Gary Kasparov (current rating: 2812)


GM Magnus Carlsen


ROUND 1

[Event "Chess Classic"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "2009.12.08"]
[White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2772"]



ROUND 2

[Event "Chess Classic"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "2009.12.09"]
[White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "McShane, L."]
[Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2615"]



ROUND 3

[Event "London Chess Classic"] [Site "London"] [Date "2009.12.10"]
[White "Howell, David"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2597"] [BlackElo "2801"]

Final Round 2 : DRAW AGAIN!



It was inexplicable that the finalists agreed to draw in 20 moves only. But they will have 2 more games to be played and if the result is still draw, there will be tiebreak games to prove who is the winner of the World Cup this time. Who do you think, people?

[Event "World Cup 2009"]
[Date "2009.12.11"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[WhiteCountry "Israel"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[BlackCountry "Ukraine"]

Vishy Anand turns 40. Wish him!



Viswanathan Anand turns 40 today. On the occasion, the chess ace has just one wish -- that the sport be included in the Olympics. "It would be nice to have chess in the Olympics," says the first player to become World champion in all three formats of the game.

After all, having won World titles in the Knock-out, Tournament and Match formats, a medal from the Olympics is the only accolade missing from his showcase.

The World Championship match against Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov that comes up in April-May is Anand's big event for 2010, and he has already started preparing for it in earnest. As he puts it, the Bulgarian is a "very versatile and dangerous player". Sure, he'll need all the luck and backing from his legion of fans to come out tops.

Join us in wishing the king of the 64 squares board a very happy birthday and all the best for the coming year.

Post your wishes (do it!)

Final Round 1: DRAW



[Event "World Cup 2009"]
[Date "2009.12.10"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[WhiteCountry "UKR"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[BlackCountry "ISR"]

2009 World Cup Final


The Israeli Boris Gelfand and the Ukranian Ruslan Ponomariov advanced to the finals after beating Sergey Karjakin and Vladimir Malakhov in the semi-finals. This time the final will be very exciting when viewed from the background of each finalist. Boris Gelfand at age 41 is a very experienced player and Ponomariov is a former FIDE World Champion 2002-2004. Gelfand is the top seed of this tournament with ELO 2758 while Ponomariov is 7th with 2739. Photos and games will follow.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed You,
You would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed You most,
You have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."




Mary Stevenson (1984)

We are going to India soon!

In order to follow the Asian Team and Women's Team Chess Championship in India on December 20 until December 29, 2009, Indonesian men and women teams train together for 6 days a week for about 5 hours a day. The training center conducts in Utut Adianto Chess School, Bekasi, West Java. This time Indonesia will send its young players for both men and women teams. The members are :

Men Team:
1. GM Susanto Megaranto (2522)
2. IM Tirta Chandra Purnama (2417)
3. FM Anjas Novita (2340)
4. Kaisar Jenius Hakiki (2227)
5. CM Farid Firmansyah (2249)

Women Team:
1. WGM Irene Kharisma Sukandar (2304)
2. Baiq Vina Lestari (2170)
3. WFM Dewi AA Citra (1938)
4. WCM Chelsie Monica Sihite (1971)
5. WCM Medina Warda Aulia (1959)

News From Vietnam

The 2nd Dragon Capital was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from December 2nd-8th 2009. Le Quang Liem had won the tournament again as last year and got USD 4000 as the main prize. No representative from Indonesia.

1 GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2624 8,0 47,5 38,0 41,75 9 8 6,95 1,05 10 10,5
2 GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2524 6,0 49,5 37,5 30,50 9 6 5,81 0,19 10 1,9
3 GM Tu Hoang Thong VIE 2509 6,0 47,0 36,0 29,50 9 6 5,82 0,18 10 1,8
4 WIM Pham Le Thao Nguyen VIE 2295 6,0 45,0 33,5 25,75 9 6 3,99 2,01 15 30,1
5 IM Nguyen Thanh Son VIE 2441 6,0 41,0 31,5 27,25 9 6 6,48 -0,48 10 -4,8
6 IM Tu Hoang Thai VIE 2380 5,5 48,5 37,0 27,50 9 5,5 4,47 1,03 10 10,3
7 IM Sharma Dinesh K IND 2329 5,5 46,0 39,0 25,75 9 5,5 3,80 1,70 0 0,0
8 IM Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy VIE 2475 5,5 46,0 35,5 27,50 9 5,5 5,89 -0,39 10 -3,9
9 GM Nguyen Anh Dung VIE 2447 5,5 45,0 33,5 26,50 9 5,5 5,69 -0,19 10 -1,9
10 IM Mas Hafizulhelmi MAS 2419 5,5 44,0 35,0 25,50 9 5,5 5,42 0,08 10 0,8
11 IM Ashwin Jayaram IND 2448 5,0 49,5 37,5 24,25 9 5 5,12 -0,12 10 -1,2
12 IM Nguyen Van Huy VIE 2405 5,0 44,5 33,0 20,50 9 5 5,50 -0,50 10 -5,0
13 FM Pham Chuong VIE 2371 5,0 44,0 33,0 20,50 9 5 5,10 -0,10 15 -1,5
14 FM Ton That Nhu Tung VIE 2272 5,0 41,5 33,0 22,00 8 4,5 3,15 1,35 15 20,3
15 IM Lim Yee-Weng MAS 2336 5,0 39,5 31,0 21,75 9 5 5,63 -0,63 0 0,0
16 IM Duong The Anh VIE 2426 5,0 38,5 30,0 20,75 9 5 6,34 -1,34 10 -13,4
17 Le Quang Long VIE 2286 5,0 37,5 31,0 17,25 9 5 4,42 0,58 15 8,7
18 FM Lo Kin Mun Dominic SIN 2174 4,5 43,5 34,0 20,00 9 4,5 2,77 1,73 15 26,0
19 FM Otte Marijn NED 2300 4,5 42,0 32,5 20,50 8 3,5 3,41 0,09 15 1,4
20 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam VIE 2368 4,5 42,0 32,5 19,75 9 4,5 5,58 -1,08 15 -16,2
21 FM Fernandez Daniel Howard SIN 2230 4,5 41,0 32,0 20,00 8 3,5 2,74 0,76 15 11,4
22 FM Chan Wei Xuan Timothy SIN 2384 4,5 40,5 31,0 17,50 9 4,5 5,90 -1,40 15 -21,0
23 WIM Le Kieu Thien Kim VIE 2221 4,5 38,0 31,5 15,25 9 4,5 3,56 0,94 15 14,1
24 FM Nguyen Duc Hoa VIE 2357 4,5 35,0 27,0 16,25 8 3,5 5,69 -2,19 15 -32,8
25 CM Nguyen Van Hai VIE 2283 4,0 39,0 32,0 13,75 8 3 3,41 -0,41 15 -6,2
26 WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An VIE 2334 4,0 35,5 29,0 11,50 9 4 5,72 -1,72 15 -25,8
27 Vo Dai Hoai Duc VIE 2175 4,0 35,0 28,5 11,50 8 4 3,68 0,32 15 4,8
28 WIM Bui Kim Le VIE 2170 4,0 29,5 24,0 9,50 9 4 4,48 -0,48 15 -7,2
29 WIM Nguyen Quynh Anh VIE 2148 3,5 43,0 34,0 13,25 9 3,5 3,20 0,30 15 4,5
30 Bao Khoa VIE 2207 3,5 43,0 33,5 16,25 9 3,5 2,79 0,71 0 0,0
31 WIM Nguyen Thi Tuong Van VIE 2227 3,5 38,5 29,5 12,25 9 3,5 3,95 -0,45 15 -6,8
32 Dang Hoang Son VIE 2040 3,5 34,0 28,5 11,25 9 3,5 2,27 1,23 0 0,0
33 Tan Weiliang SIN 2168 3,5 33,5 27,0 8,25 9 3,5 4,29 -0,79 15 -11,9
34 Tong Thai Hung VIE 0 3,5 31,5 26,0 8,00 9 3,5
35 WFM Hoang Thi Nhu Y VIE 2150 3,5 31,5 25,0 6,75 8 2,5 3,66 -1,16 15 -17,4
36 Nguyen Minh Tuan VIE 2082 3,0 44,0 34,0 14,25 9 3 1,71 1,29 0 0,0
37 Wolfaardt Francois RSA 1802 1,0 32,0 26,0 2,25 8 1 0,91 0,09 25 2,3
38 Do Hoang Lam VIE 2017 0,5 32,5 26,5 0,50 8 0,5 2,70 -2,20 0 0,0


You can see the pairings and results on:
http://chess-results.com/tnr27690.aspx?art=1&rd=9&lan=1&flag=30&m=-1&wi=1000

Teach Yourself Chinese in 10 Minutes

English phrase - Chinese Interpretation


Are you harboring a fugitive? -------- Hu Yu Hai Ding?

See me A.S.A.P. ---------------------- Kum Hia Nao

Stupid Man --------------------------- Dum Gai

Small Horse -------------------------- Tai Ni Po Ni

Your price is too high! -------------- No Bai Dam Ting!!

Did you go to the beach? ------------- Wai Yu So Tan?

I bumped into a coffee table --------- Ai Bang Mai Ni

I think you need a facelift ---------- Chin Tu Fat

It's very dark in here --------------- Wai So Dim?

Has your flight been delayed? -------- Hao Long Wei Ting?

That was an unauthorized execution --- Lin Ching

I thought you were on a diet --------- Wai Yu Mun Ching?

This is a tow away zone -------------- No Pah King

You know the lyrics to the Macarena? - Wai Yu Sing Dum Song?

You are not very bright -------------- Yu So Dum

I got this for free ------------------ Ai No Pei

I am not guilty ---------------------- Wai Hang Mi?

Please, stay a while longer ---------- Wai Go Nao?

Our meeting was scheduled for next week - Wai Yu Kum Nao

They have arrived --------------------- Hia Dei Kum

Stay out of sight --------------------- Lei Lo

He's cleaning his automobile ---------- Wa Shing Ka

Your body odor is offensive ----------- Hu Man Go!

Pew! does this bathroom stink! -------- Hu Flung Dung?



source: http://www.ourfunnylists.com/lang_chinese.html

I ADMIRE SO!



If in Wesley's interview he said that he admires Ivanchuk, but after his strikes facing the giants, Vassily Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky, I proudly can say I admire him! Alright, maybe he was just lucky enough for knocking Ivanchuk out at round 2, but his match with Kamsky was a nice go from a lower-level player. Here is the game which The Philippines can brag about!

[Event "World Cup 2009"]
[Date "2009.11.27"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[WhiteCountry "USA"]
[BlackCountry "PHI"]

How to defend against female Grandmasters as black?

GAME 1


GM Zhu Chen


The first example is me against Chinese-Qatar Grandmaster Zhu Chen (2491), former Women's World Champion. The game was on the 5th round in Asian Continental which held in Subic, Olongapo City, Philippines in May 2009. Fortunately I had a good preparation here, I was trained under GM Lasha Jangjava from Georgia. I finished 11th, tied from 8th-15 with 6,5 points from 11 rounds.

[Event "8th Asian Continental Women"]
[Site "Subic"]
[Date "2009.05.17"]
[Round "5.6"]
[White "Zhu Chen"]
[Black "Sukandar, Irene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2491"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[EventCountry "PHI"]

She resigned after moving 39. Qc4+, in view of 39... Bd5 -+


GAME 2


GM Dzagnidze Nana


The second example happened in China for 2009 Zhejiang-Lishui Open against Grandmaster Nana Dzagnidze (2535), rank#1 in Georgia. All moves came by my own. I was with no one, but luckily can manage a win. I scored 5,5 out of 9 with 5 draws ,3 wins, and 1 lost.

[Event "China Open"]
[Site "Zhejiang Lishui"]
[Date "2009.09.21"]
[Round "6.7"]
[White "Dzagnidze, Nana"]
[Black "Sukandar, Irene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2310"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]

Mate in one: 46. Kg4 Rf4+ 0-1

KPK must be CRIMINALIZED

I agree with this statement. There was a criminalization in KPK which was involved our National Police institution and attorney general's office. But above those all, I want to concern about why our President had to make an institution like KPK? By all matters, it indicated that he didn't really trust our National Police and Attorney General, and it effected them to put KPK into trouble, because of a jealousy of why KPK has a great power as a new institution, comparing with the other two. In my opinion, 3 of them were fault. But what we have to justice more is, whether the mistake were normative or excessive. It was not a secret if our bureaucracy's rules are not doing their jobs well. It's good to erase "the corruption culture" in our country, which was the purpose of the President by making KPK. I think instead of it, why didn't he focus of cleaning up the 2 big institution that are National Police and Attorney General's office? I guess, it'll be more efficient. But those are happened already. What they have to do now is justice them as equal as their faults.