Biggest Tournament in Malaysia report
Sorry no pictures as my camera-phone is totally out of commission.
Arrived late at the tournament and 8.30 am and saw a huge crowd in Mid Valley level 3 Exhibition Centre. That was the time round 1 was supposed to start. I thought to myself that I was lucky as with the huge number of 1000+ participants there will be a couple hiccups. I made in time to confirm my registration but I could see from the pairing my name was already up. How lucky !! (or so I thought)
The sad thing was the events was full of hiccups. Organisers were scrambling to fit in the U-15 age group which had 250 participants. This apparently was too many so they was transfer the additional U-15 to the U-19. This caused a massive delay that affected all the other groups including the open section which I was taking part in. At least that was the apologetic excuse given by one organiser over the loud speakers before the actual start.
This made a lot of people unhappy that the organisers did not let any of the other categories sections to carry on first. Instead everyone had to wait until they got the U-15/U-19 problem settled first. It was not until an hour and a half later they started the first round. It was ok as I got to talk to my opponent who was pretty excited and nervous entering such a big tournament. However, for a new chess enthusiast, I doubt this experience is a good encouragement for him to play in huge publicity tournaments like this ever again.
The tournament broke the previous record with a total number of 1370 participants. Congratulations to the organisers as this was not an easy task reaching this number.
However, my personal opinion that it was a sad way to conduct a chess tournament.
Here’s just a summary of things that went wrong:
1. 16 computers used but the people operating them to input the results were making countless mistakes delaying the entire tourney.
2. Mistakes in recording the results by the student helpers for the Under 9 were numerous. There were results where the result was 1-1 meaning both opponents from the same game got one point. This caused another delay in Round 2 after parents reported many erroneous results recorded by the organiser.
3. The PA system was used consistently to announce everything and it mostly involved calling the players to clarify results. This went on while the games were on. The entire atmosphere appeared more like a market rather than a chess tournament. I for one was annoyed hearing someone’s voice perpetually being on the loud speakers while trying to concentrate on a game. Ironically one of the “announcement” was to ask visitors not to get too close to the playing area as this might “disturb” the concentration of the players. I didn’t mind the visitors getting too close. I was more disturbed by the loud speakers blaring away every 5 minutes.
4. The MBSSKL school did a commendable job getting the manpower in the form of students and teachers to help out. However there was no real leadership to get things organised. The common feedback I got was “Why couldn’t the organisers get arbiters like Hamid or Tse Pin to get the pairings organised”. Another common feeing is that any results that were reported wrongly by the players should be official. In a tourney this size, you cannot keep going back to the players to verify the results. I share the same feeling too.
5. One hour or more to get the pairing done is a little too much.
6. The helpers were not taught how to set the digital clocks. I played all my games (except for the last 2 which the organisers changed to a analog clock) with a 2 second increment per move. It was supposed to be 20 min + 0 sec.
7. First round used 20 min time control but the 6 subsequent rounds were reduced to 15 minutes because (in the organisers own words - they did not want the event to end too late)
8. Lack of communication between organisers themselves. Playing above your age level was not allowed. For example, one participant registered under the Open category but was rejected and moved to the Under 17 because his age was under 17. However another organiser said that it was ok but it was too late as the rounds have already started. Sumant who was Under 17 played and won second place in the Open category.
9. No seeding given. It looks almost random as the first round you see the top players scattered all over. For example, National Master and eventual champion, FM Lim Yee Weng was playing on board 21 in the first round. So you had less than ideal situations in a Swiss tourney where two very strong players can meet each other in the early rounds.
There is more to complain about but I left the place at about 10pm and it’s now 12 midnight and I’m tired. I just want to forget this tournament.
I’m sure to hear more complaints from others these coming days. It was embarrassing too all this chaos was witnessed by players from Singapore (they sent a bus load of junior players), Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc. They organisers proudly announced that we have foreign players in the opening of the tourney.
The running joke of the tournament was that it broke more than one record. Worst run, biggest number of mistakes, longest one day tourney, most complaints by parents/participants etc.
For the open category, Lim Yee Weng (RM1,000) won first place followed by Sumant(RM800). Under17 champion - Francis Tan (RM160). I didn’t stay to find out the rest of the results.
Not to sound too harsh on the organisers as so much hard work and effort went into organising such as big tournament. But you owe it to the sponsors, participants and the people who put their blood and sweat into the project to at least spend some effort and thought into getting professional help for the tournament itself. At first I thought this will be another great publicity tool for chess in Malaysia but now with over 1000 unhappy participants the majority whom were accompanied by parents, you can be sure there will be damaging effects to the local chess scene. It’s probably a good idea if MCF to only endorse big publicity events like this only if they have a qualified arbiter.
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Comments
To clarify on Andrew’s remark, First of all there is a series of unseen “Arbiter-related” preparation work need to be done in getting the event of such magnitude to be organised successfully. The Pairing issue that was highlighted by Andrew should be the last thing that can go wrong and was not the real issue. A proper pre-tournament training aka Arbiter’s Seminar was conducted in the first place.
For the information of general public, a Working Paper was submitted to MBS last year September by a Professional Proposee that documents the whole framework of what needs to be done in order to avoid the huge mess created by the then record-breaking and most “chaos & controversial” chess event in Malaysian Chess history, UTP Open. In that Working Paper, a framework was presented and the utmost important on engaging a team of professional arbiters (not 1 or 2 “Also can do in disguise” arbiters) plus a pool of up-to-date tournament assistants together with a pre-tournament Arbiter’s Seminar for all Tournament staff. If the Proposal was adopted, then the event will run by a pool of top notched Arbiters in the country.
For your information, the same Working Paper was resubmitted again in this January at a request from MBS Old Boys. Unfortunately, the services of professional arbiters are not seen to be of significant value in handling event of such magnitude. There is no official reply by the Organiser for 6 1/2 months until late March this year on the status of the Working Paper. The Proposee had made a decision to withdraw the Working Paper Proposal since it is too late to assemble a good team of professional arbiters and pre-training was no longer a possibility. After the withdrawal was conveyed, then it was made known to the Proposee that there is an Insider Guy who claimed to be able to get the job executed successfully as a price of “community service”, and that was the main reason why no reply after 6 1/2 months by MBS Old Boys on the Working Paper by Professionals.
Unfortunately, the appointed Chief Arbiter (Insider guy from MBS Old Boys) did not do the homework for himself in coming out with a list of pre-emptive measures to handle a set of well known swiss system tournament problems that already been there in the last 10 years since the existent of computer pairing and what the FIDE Laws of Chess has to say in these issues. I guess we can’t blamed him for his shortfall since he was not a regular chess organiser for the last 20 or perhaps 25 years (Before the existent of computer pairing DOS program on mini desktop computer). I hope this episode that had happened can be treated as a lesson learnt for our chess community especially any future chess organiser-to-be in organising another record-breaking effort when comes to making a decision in selecting the real professional arbiters and “Also can do in disguise” arbiters.
Personally, I felt terribly sorry for all the hard work put in by the MBS organisers in preparing for the event, the effort and the amount of money spent in other departments but have to endure the tournament day in sombre mood with all these hiccups. Andrew’s remark was just the icing on the cake. There exist at least another dozen issues/problems. Lastly, I hope all Arbiters in the Country can periodically update their arbitering knowledge and help the country to strive for the betterment of chess.
Signing off, IA Lim Tse Pin
Amendment:
“A proper pre-tournament training aka Arbiter’s Seminar was conducted in the first place. ”
should read as
“All the delaying problem that existed in yesterday tournament could have been avoided if A proper pre-tournament training aka Arbiter’s Seminar was conducted in the first place. “
This kind of event actually will bring out many newcomer? But how long they will continue play after the event end? As when i was joining chess, some one told me that chess is bore game? compare with other games like basketball, badminton and etc? coz both player just sit and think, it need a lot of patience to do it. And, chess is very unique, no like football when the ball are in, we know who win. Only chess player will understand the result of the game. But since yesterday, i understand the statement was right? yes bore, but in waiting the pairing out!! it need more patience than a game!!
This is the worse tournament i ever join, since i started play chess!!! I don’t feel like i was a chess player. In the first round before the journey started, i sharing my jokes with my opponent, i said ” i wonder how if middle of the game i went to toilet?” He laugh, might be lose of time after coming back!! after a while i said, i don’t think we should finish early coz by the same problem. I’m stuck in the middle and can’t get out? After game 5, i finish early than other, while i was trying to get out, it was disturbing other? but i can’t do anything other than saying Sorry and excuse me…
What Andrew was right, and i agreed was he say from point 1 to 9.. MBS was more focus on the breaking the chess record than the chess event actually? i saw some one with his bluetooth while playing chess?
But anywhere congratulations to MBS, to break more than one record, just in one event
GilaChess, we must also from now on put a disclaimer in this kind of event or on any suddenly organized event from now on if we found that they don’t employed professional arbiters for example “Join this event at your own risk.?” I’m afraid this sad things happens, and will happen again 
P/s: Any local masters want to create the biggest charity simul record in Malaysia?
“Disclaimer
Information published in this weblog is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The author of this weblog disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from the blogs.”
sm telah buat keutusan yang sangat bijak dengan tidak ambil bahagian di kejohanan ini kerana ,sudah ada instinct yang kejohanan ini akan jadi lebih teruk dari utp tahun leas,hehehe.
sm telah buat keputusan yang sangat bijak dengan tidak mengambil bahagian di kejohanan mbs ini kerana ,sudah ada instinct yang kejohanan ini akan jadi lebih teruk dari utp tahun lepas,hehehe.
i think after the first round i could have went for a nice movie, enjoy the movie and come back and still the second round wouldnt have started.. honestly i felt very dissapointed, in the lack of space and lack of organising abilities they had.. i still remembered i told my frens, i wish i would get black pieces every round.. since playing on the white side meant squeezing myself thru so little space just to sit in my chair.. it was more of a social chess gathering den a chess tournament. i dunno if other ppl think it was a waste of time, but i 1000% think it was total waste of my saturday where i usually sleep,
1.Wasted mysleep waking up at 7.30 to reach the playing hall at 8.15..
2. didnt enjoy
3. got tired of waiting for the pairing
4. hated squeezing in just to sit on my chair..
5. getting headaches cuz i wasted 2 games cuz it was more of a blitz.. winning 2 games and lost a piece cuz i was playing blitz
overall the WORST tournament eva i’ve been to in my whole chess playing life:P..
but only 1 thing good happened, got to see a local chess player(whom i wont name) fighting for a so small reason cuz his opponent was not satisfied because he was hitting the clock hard when he had little time. eventually the opponent lost on time and then the the opponent wasnt satisfied and blamed the local chess player of cheating for hitting the clock hard… wat nonsense.. its not cheating for hitting the clock hard while scrambling for time while playing chess.. its normal to hit the clock like that when having low time.. but the shouting, and fighting was pretty hilarrious to me:D… thats the only thing i dun regret doing on my saturday 21st april :D.. rest all was pure crap
i wanted to see some pictures of the event. i’m expecting to see how the chairs and tables are arrange that Kaushal couldn’t be able to move around 
Rumors said the Chief Arbiter is an IA from the 80’s. If this is true, this is totally shocking. Can anyone from MCF confirms on this rumor?
My two kids participated in the chess pasar borong (I will not call it a tournament) for the first time. It was not a chess tournament. It was more like a pasar borong. So noisy with the continuous announcements, kids talking, adults shouting instructions, etc. My kids complained that they could not concentrate due to noisy environment. They played Under 11 Boys and Under 13 Girls. We arrived at Megamall at 7:15am and left the almost 10:30pm immediately after the prize giving ceremony for Under 13 Girls.
I got so pissed off when the pairing was only displayed at one location and all the kids and adults were pushing and shoving to check their pairings. I went to the organizer and asked for refund. After I complained then the organizer decided to post the pairing at two different locations.
For round 1 U13G pairing I found out that they had two different listing. In one list my girl was paired with participant number 2 but in another she was paired with number 6. Another delay.
The spacing between one row to another row was also very narrow that you barely can walk in between chairs.
This was the worst event ever just because the organizaer wanted to save RM11,000.00 for not letting the profesionals handle it.
seriously.. the only problem about the chairs was for the open category for white side.. cuz .. its the end there.. so have to squeeze in to sit down .. ;S really irritating.. i remember i went under the chair 3 times to sit cuz i was to tired to walk all the way to the front to enter the other side
Found more blog comments
One from Chua Hsieh Wen, a Singaporean junior player:-
http://unionruler.blogspot.com/2007/04/2nd-mbsskl-chess-tournament.html
Many from unknown Malaysians:-
http://assassinscross.blogspot.com/2007/04/chess.html
http://kiyun.blogspot.com/2007/04/2nd-mbsskl-chess-open-tournament.html
http://yongmehmeh106.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!3D94F64340350FB4!351.entry
http://munzie88.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!5D33F6B8EF01FB5B!188.entry
A sample of the cert given HERE.
Taken from Eric Mak’s Too-Bad-To-Be-Commented Blog site
Extracted from chess-malaysia
“VG Tan wrote: Dear Khairunnisa
The tournament was not run by kids!
The chief arbiter is one of the most experienced organisers and a former secretary of MCF ( he is not a teacher ). The adviser is an IM. The team of
arbiters is one of the most experienced and largest, including an IA and former national players.
Regards
TVG”
A former MCF secretary ?????? What a shocking news to know that the Chief Arbiter was a former MCF secretary and most experienced Arbiter …… Can screw up this big –> You guys in MCF better buck up.
Whatever the cause, I think it all boils down to the weakest link in the organising machinery. I am not certain even the current crop of arbiters can do better if they do not have adequate experienced support and coo[eration from the participants.. And it was said somewhere that they wanted RM11,000? What a ridiculous demand, if that’s true!
Does anyone know what sort of contraints they worked under time, like budget, space, equipment, staff, etc? Did they have the cooperation of all those taking part like reporting the correct results quickly after every game? What more if they were trying to set a record of sorts given no prior experience in this area. Please read …setting a Malaysian record, and not just overseeing any tournament.
I can conclude that it was just too ambitious a project and it overwhelmed the available resources. Something just snapped.
I do not agree the arbiters came under blame for everything. I can understand if the organising committee was made fully responsible, but the arbiters were just a part of that committee perhaps.
In response to Malaysian’s comment,
The way you said things had clearly illustrate you did not have any idea on what it takes to organise any event of this nature. You called RM 11,000 ridiculous for 30+ professionals doing the job. It’s just show how naive you can be. I won’t be surprise if you are part of the Arbiters who fouled up on that day.
Btw, didn’t anyone mention it to you that the group of proposed Professional Arbiters consists of people who build the first MBR “The Largest Chess Tournament” and the event was conducted with great success plus new people who are capable of getting things done.
I am surprised again why people like Lim take things personally. And please, no personal attacks.
I am not from the arbiter group you mentioned. In fact I was not even at the venue. I am just making a fair comment.
RM 11,000 to you may be chicken-feed because perhaps arbiters nowadays make much more organising tournaments than the money allocated to prize winners.
I don’t blame you because you are a professional arbiter who earns fron such ventures, but there used to be many arbiters before who did it for free. Thos were the good days.
Visit my blog at http://www.chess-malaysia.blogspot.com for hearing my comments on the “largest tournament held in Malaysia”
It is so hilarious to hear Professional Arbiter in Malaysia earns good money. If anyone has to depnd on Arbitering, then there is no one organise competition.
Ask a Heart Surgeon whether they would like to perform complicated critical heart surgery for FREE.
Only those who wants to renew their past glory will offer service for free without fearing the consequences of failing.
Only Professional can take responsiblity to ensure no failure at all. This is the commitment of Chess Professionals. If you check around, parents are willing to pay to get home early on that day, however nothing can be done even who they call to solve the problem on that day itself.
Alamak! RM11,000 for so called professional arbiters? for 1 day?? why do they need 30+ arbiters. Got many student volunteers. Just hired one or 2 arbiters per group then assign 10-15 students under him/her, give them instruction. Overall cost would not be more than RM4000.
Please check your fact first before passing comment, Chess Player:
Do you know there exist how many group in existent >>> 17 groups.
So, that is why the event does need 30+ Arbiters as per for sugesstion 1 or 2/group.
Yeah. Come to think of it student helpers usually don’t make good arbiters when there is a dispute.
Example, when I was taking pictures at last years MBSSKL junior event at their school there was a dispute where this kid called the ‘arbiter’ who as a school’s prefect to claim a draw. Apparently he wanted the arbiter to witness a 3 move repetition. The prefect just said play on.. not knowing about the 3-fold-repetition rule. Not satisfied the kid called me, an outsider to confirm that it is a draw. I told the prefect it was a draw and luckily he accepted that suggest.. 
So I guess it would be an even bigger mistake to just delegate the task of abitering to the student helpers..
Like I said… one of the thing they didn’t get sponsors for is ‘oxygen’ in the playing hall… That is the first thing to consider while making such a huge tournament.
…lame one though…well to cheer all of your moods because it is apparently not good right now… sorry for that..
To answer Lim TP, chess is still an amateur game in Malaysia with very little fundings and public CASH sponsorship. As far as I know, Dato TCN is the only substantial source of permanent funding.
There is NO professional Malaysian chess player, here so how can you expect to have professional arbiters? Nobody in his right mind expects local arbiters to earn a good living solely organising tournaments (hilarious, as Lim described it, and he was right). However, that doesn’t mean arbiters nowadays don’t expect to earn good money doing their work piecemeal, unlike their counterparts of the past, who did it FOC. One may not appreciate it but it is a fact of life that one can only get what people are willing to pay, and not what one thinks one should be paid.
Given the current state of chess, nobody will pay RM11,000 for you to organise a local event no matter what you say to justify your worth. If you ask for US$3000 (Equiv to RM11000) to do the job in US, you may readily receive it. If you ask for US11,000, you won’t receive a reply.
As an example, organisers of DATMO want US$100-200 from local players. An American/British/European player may deem that as peanuts, but the same sum may be a month’s pay for some Malaysian players, who also have to take leave from work. Isn’t it a wonder why the are many times more foreigners than Malaysians in a so-called Malaysian Championship? What a pity!
Do you know how much MBS has spent for chess equipment such as sets, clocks, and manpower to overseeing it? Just guess?
Why some people in here have no guts to use their actual names and have to hide behind a dummy name. What a coward act?
As I recall back my old memory, there is a saying from my Singaporean friend (heavyweight figure in FIDE) who loves to say “You pay peanuts to get monkeys”.
By the way, the focus should be on why The Arbiter’s Department failed, and not on why should one pays RM 11,000 for the job. Is is a lame tactic to divert attention from the actual disasters committed by the Arbiter’s Department?
After reading all the comments from “Malaysian” and “Chess Player” , my impression is that is is OK to fail big since they are doing it for Free.
Btw, I heard from someone they are also getting some payment. So no free lunch after all.
Also, I think “Malaysian” has missed read somewhere.
RM 11,000 not for 1 person. It is for a group of 30+ people, a professionally run Arbitering course, and a customise Arbiter handbook for 100 tournament staff that documented all the possible disasters that can happen to a chess tournament.
“Malaysian”, do you believe that all the disasters that happened on the T-day and the right approach to react to every problem that occured on T-day already known to happen in the eye of at least 2 professional Arbiters days before the T-day.
One of them had personally wishes “Good Luck” to Pn. Gan of MBS.
I just don’t understand your statement why it needs guts to post messages with one’s real name. Is that necessary? Does it serve any purpose? You wan’t to nail down who you perceive to be your public enemy, is it?
I have not insulted you, have I ? Once again, you take things very personally and I think that’s wrong.
Why won’t you say your good friend was IL. I count myself as his friend too!
I can read as well as you. RM11000 was for a team of people. But if you don’t have RM11000 to pay, you just have to bite the bullet and get cheaper alternatives.
I heard that the building funds collected from last year’s MBSSKL tournament was around RM10k or RM20k. Imagine the funds collected this year. Spending what would be a mere RM11k to not tarnish the school name and infuriate the thousand plus participants seems worthwhile. Oh, and did anybody notice that the boards used were special boards created for that event? What a nice way to use the money from their budget.
The so called ‘runners’ were pathetic too. Most of them were partially blind people strolling along the tables. I had to raise my hand for at least 2 minutes before any of the ‘runners’ could notice it.
On a side note, the organizers were also rather ignorant. I mentioned that a was a KL player and not a Selangor player as shown in the participants list in the book provided in the goodie bag to 1 of the organizers, but I was completely ignored. Of course, nothing could be done and it wouldn’t be a big deal, but the point is that I was completely ignored, not a word said in reply and the person who I talked to(whose name I will not mention) just walked away and talked to another person.
Even a week after the disaster, I still can’t forget this tournament. I have never attended a worse tournament than this before, and I sure as hell hope that there isn’t another tournament like this in Malaysia ever again.
Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
There are players who’d suffered worst than us. Read the recent USCF story on Derek O’Dell, the President of the Virginia Tech Chess Club at:
Chess used to be a cheap game. Now we have expensive entry fees, expensive arbiters and expensive equipment.
Equipment, you can reuse for many years to come, but some expenses have no future value.
I still do not understand why people keep on hammering the arbiters only. They were obviously at fault, but the bigger culprits were the organisers who collected the money. To me the arbiters and organisers were 2 different groups which might have consisted of different or even the same people.
For example, the choice of an inadequate venue, the very close placement of tournament tables to each other, etc …. they were the job of the organisers.
Hey, man… I just wanna say a fair word to everyone there… If i’m one of the arbiter for this tournament and my offering is RM366 (11K/30). Be honest, i will not going to accept that such stupid offer. Will you? Maybe you will think that sitting there for whole day getting RM 366 was too easy for an arbiter? Then believe me try being arbiter for one day?
That tournament was worse ever seen, yes maybe arbiter, one of the factor as well. It should be fair as well, the more work, the more control we need..and control need people, where people need money. Say is easy..lets say tournament have 1300 people, and 30 arbiter? One arbiter is taking control around 44 peole? IS that u think easy? by paying RM 366??
If you can call “THE LARGEST TOURNAMENT IN MALAYSIA”, then MBS should expected to pay largest amount as well? am’i right??
I just wonder, if the pairing go so long, it take time to prepare until one to two hour? what kind of factor make so long? Is that Arbiter? Yes, there is no doubts that paying 11K may not be better than actual situation, but i believe that atleast better than now?
Take my word, if i’m MCF, and offering u 11k for the largest tournament? u have the right either accept or reject the deal. Mean that it was not directly link to MCF, coz MBS reject.
Where, i just wanna ask .. what did u mean by 11K? is that much to pay for it? For anyone of you think that 11k is mean to few month pay. Then i tell u, money is not value by it face value. Is by SATISFACTION, why u need to pay more to get better car? Same theory…that the point…The record broken and the actual statisfaction, there is a big variance… the reputation it self are not qualify for the record broken… did the tour successful enough….??
Can anyone told me, until my last message was 15 comment, all about “THE LARGEST TOURNAMENT” is becoming the WROSE tournament because of 11K that MBS don wanna pay for it? Answer is YES!!
If u are willing to pay for it, the result maybe difference, who know? but atleast better than now? for sure…if you are the participant and visitor on that day u may know what i was taking about and feel it…as a chess player…
IF next year MBS organise another MALAYSIAN LARGEST TOUR? WILL you go for it?? That is the answer how successful it is!!
My comments:-
1. I don’t think there are 30 qualified arbiters in SEA put together. The so called arbiters are just helpers (likely students) and the majority won’t be able to give a decision by themselves. Likely they refer to the Chief/Deputy Arbiters in most instances. Prove me wrong by naming the 30 “arbiters”. So how can they justify earning RM366 a day by CF’s simple calculation? Arranging sets and setting clocks are the most likely functions of these people. I dare say there are relatively few instances where arbiters are called to exercise their discretion, so 40+ players to 1 “arbiter” is a luxury and perhaps no more than 10 “floating” arbiters are more than enough at any 1 time.
2. If you read TVG’s comments, the team of people whom you say “screwed up” the tournament was also “qualified”. Just turned out they didn’t do a good job… from hind-sight.
Even RM4,000 to RM5,000 for the whole works. But to justify RM 11,000 is too much! I think this arbiter thing is getting too commercialised to be good for the future of Malaysian Chess. I can understand people getting reasonably paid but not for chess. It is just not ready.
It has come to such a stage when even the lower prize-winners end up losers in many local tournaments. Mind you, some tournaments are sponsored and in such cases, all prize winners should end up as winners in the true sense of the word.
Take the example of RSC tournaments. The organisers are not paid and the prizes are good. Just love the quality trophies! Congratulations, Dr. Wahid!!
I overheard from one of the CAS people during Selangor Open last week that the Selangor Closed on 13 May had to be cancelled because no arbiter is willing to arbitrate the event. A point to ponder, will it be good for Malaysian Chess when no one willing to become arbiter? May be Malaysian can help us here.
Yup, maybe my calculation was too simple, if i was not mistaken… in this tournament, there are around 16 laptop with and handling with one arbiter so call as “FORMER” MCF secretary. Don even told me that 16 laptop was controling by he alone? while other just sitting here? My point is there is another with is also call as arbiter who also preparing the pairing right?
IF their job was too simple until adjusting and arranging the set and clock, what make them take so long until two hour for one pairing?? Yes, u are right Malaysian, i really cannot count for 30 arbiter…
With my eye, in that tournament, there are more than 50 student are tying to help, just for adjusting the clock and set? not including arbiter which preparing the pairing? My point is maybe 30 of them are not professional arbiter but still worth to hire, coz they done the job which covering 50 student who help, and if 16 laptop, at least half of them going to pairing and another half is controling the situation?
What u think, that can adjusting the clock or arranging the set for 1300 people can done by one person alone? if 15 are doing it, can we justify they are professional as well?? or maybe u (Malaysian) can do it by alone? just arranging set and adjusting the clock? for 1300??
I’m not trying to fight with u, or to support other, matteris right…when the view on open section..coz we are experiance player which can do adjusting or arranging the clock by our self…i’m right…
If u got kids (Malaysian), just telling me how troublesome they are? and not one more than hundred… what u think the situation was that can be? it was to pity u are not there… if yes i think u will just agreed to pay 11k just to settle all the shit that you see…
That was my opinion…pls don mind..
Good idea, gilachess!
May be you can come out with a poll to see how many people would like to become a certified Arbiter and also willing to run tournaments. Not just sit for an Arbiter’s course for the piece of certification to hang on the wall. Then, we can arrange with either IA Tse Pin or Hamid for the certification course.
yeah, this tournament was pretty crappy to be a real tournament. the delay buildup reached 4+ hours, i left the playing venue at roughly 11pm, 5 hours after the scheduled prizegiving,but 5 minutes after the actually prizegiving(for my category that is). very unprofessionally run in my opinion.
apart from that, for the first round, an arbiter also told the participants to start their games, and 5 minutes later he told them to get ready, which meant he implied that he never told us to start. he repeated this a second time.
this also happens to be the first tournament which i went to where i was so frustrated before the start of the first round and also the first tournament which has the lunch break after the first round.
the time control changes were also terrible in my opinion. a supposedly rapid event changed into an event with an almost-blitz time control.
the organisers also failed to realise that if they hold the biggest chess tournament in malaysia, it leads to more participants, meaning they will need more rounds. 7 rounds for certain categories is just not enough.
personally, i am amazed that this event could be considered a chess tournament. the playing hall is always noisy regardless of whether the games are being played or not. i think this event would have been better if it ran for 2 days instead of 1. more rounds, and more room for error(which the organisers desperately need).