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| Johor Open 2025 (RM) | Johor Challenger 2025 (RM) | Penang Open 2024 (RM) | Penang Challenger 2024 (RM) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | 10,000 | 1,300 | 10,000 | 1,300 |
| 2nd Place | 6,000 | 1,000 | 6,000 | 1,000 |
| 3rd Place | 4,000 | 800 | 4,000 | 800 |
| 4th Place | 3,000 | 700 | 3,000 | 700 |
| 5th Place | 2,000 | 500 | 2,000 | 500 |
| 6th Place | 1,200 | 400 | 1,200 | 400 |
| 7th Place | 1,000 | 300 | 1,000 | 300 |
| 8th Place | 800 | 300 | 800 | 300 |
| 9th Place | 700 | 300 | 700 | 300 |
| 10th Place | 600 | 300 | 600 | 300 |
| 11th-12th Place each | 500 | 300 | 500 | 300 |
| 13th-20th Place each | 500 | - | - | - |
| Best Lady 1 | 300 | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best Lady 2 | 300 | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best Veteran (>65) | 300 | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best Veteran (>50) | 300 | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best PCA 1 | - | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best PCA 2 | - | - | 300 | 200 |
| Best PCA 3 | - | - | 200 | 200 |
| Best PCA 4 | - | - | 200 | 200 |
| Best PCA 5 | - | - | 200 | 200 |
| Best JCA1 | 300 | 200 | - | - |
| Best JCA2 | 250 | 200 | - | - |
| Best JCA3 | 200 | 200 | - | - |
| Best JCA4 | 200 | 200 | - | - |
| Best JCA5 | 200 | 200 | - | - |
| Total | 31,550 | 6,400 | 31,400 | 6,400 |
The 11th Johor Open Rapid 2025 spiced things up as part of the larger Johor Open 2025 chess extravaganza! Held between rounds of the main Open Classical event, it was organized by the Johor Chess Association and was FIDE-rated. The event used a Swiss-System format with 7 rounds, each featuring a time control of 20 minutes per game. Players from far and wide gathered at Fairview International School in Johor on January 19th, 2025, for this thrilling contest. The tournament saw an average player rating of 1592 and an average age of 19. Richard Tan Wuu Chyau, the Johor Chess Association's President (who also moonlights in the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government), was there to award the prizes.
Held in the afternoon and evening between rounds 2 and 3 of the main Johor Open Classical and Challenger sections, the Rapid tournament was a roller-coaster ride for participants. Usually, players would rest between such intense rounds, but not this time! Defying the tiring schedule and expectations, a record-breaking 185 players took part, surprising even the organizers. This included 36 players from the total of 84 in the Open section and 46 players from the total of 105 in the Challengers section.
GMPriasmoro Novendra (INA) - RM 1,200
"Priasmoro Novendra faced his wife WIM Dita Karenza. With a Centre Counter defense, the game seemed balanced until move 20, but Dita blundered at move 22, losing the exchange and resigning immediately."
CM Kamalsyah Muhammad (INA) - RM 800
IM Polschikov Alexey (RUS) - RM 600
FM Cahaya Satria Duta (INA) - RM 250
FM Rudin Hamdani (INA) - RM 250
Other top ten finishers included: FM Kakavand Ramtin (IRI), GM Iniyan Pa (IND), WIM Karenza Dita (INA), Lasama Claudio Vargues Vasco (INA), and GM Nguyen Van Huy (VIE). The prize money for positions 6th-10th ranged from RM 120 to RM 200.
Best Lady: WIM Karenza Dita (INA) - RM 200
Best Rating Prizes:
Rating <1800: 1st Simanihuruk Nathanael Dieudonne B (INA) - RM 200, 2nd Yu Shi (CHN) - RM 150, 3rd Lau Sau Ching (MAS) - RM 100
Rating <1700: 1st Muraley Rittesh (MAS) - RM 200, 2nd Wong Ming Yau (MAS) - RM 150, 3rd Mohd Shohod Shahrulnizam (MAS) - RM 100
Rating <1600: 1st Lim Kian Guan (MAS) - RM 200, 2nd AIM Saajid (SGP) - RM 150, 3rd Imanuel Martogi (INA) - RM 100
Rating <1500: 1st ACM Joseph Samuel Alexander (INA) - RM 200, 2nd Gultom Almagro Hasian (INA) - RM 150, 3rd Goh Jing Hee (MAS) - RM 100
Rating <1400: 1st Toh Ding Yu (MAS) - RM 200, 2nd Vivaldy Jonathan Charmian (INA) - RM 150, 3rd Sarawana Kumar Darsvin Kumar (MAS) - RM 100, 4th Khaw Wei Zhe Jayden (MAS) - RM 100, 5th Ruzaidi Muhd Fakhrurozzi (MAS) - RM 100, 6th Wildan Muhammad (INA) - RM 100, 7th Tan Yean Shin (MAS) - RM 100, 8th Sai Jia Chun (MAS) - RM 100.
U12 Boys: Choong Ee Jay (MAS) and Wee Yu Heng Lucas John (SGP)
U10 Boys: Vishwakarthi Vikram (SGP)
U10 Girls: Xu Ruixi (CHN)
U8 Girls: AIM Theng Hillary Rooca (INA)
One to watch: FIDE Master Cahaya Satria Duta from Indonesia, the 5th place winner, just 16 years old! A rising star on the chessboard. Interestingly, the top seed in the main Open tournament did not clinch the rapid event, finishing in seventh place—a surprise to many.
Organizers: Johor Chess Association, Federation Malaysia (MAS)
Tournament Director: IA Abd Hamid Bin Abd Majid
Chief Arbiter: IA Ariff, Syawal Aqmar Shahrir
Arbiters: Kwan Nam Sang Eddy, Gerijan Dinesh, and others.
Appeals Committee: Abd Hamid Majid, Leong Ignatius, Bunawan Bong
FIDE Event ID: 395150
Direct Encounter (DE)
Buchholz Tie-Break Variable (2023) (Gamepoints, Cut1)
Buchholz Tie-Break Variable (2023) (Gamepoints)
"The Rapid was held between the Classical Open rounds, which was unusual as the classical is more serious with bigger prize money, so many players were expected to rest."
"However, a surprising 185 players took part in the Rapid—a record and a number unexpected by the organizers."
"That is why many opt not to participate in the Rapid—it’s hectic and tiring. Nonetheless, 46 players from the Open joined the Rapid!"
"FIDE master Cahaya Satria, the 5th place winner, is only 16 years old from Indonesia and a player to watch out for."
Unexpected Success: An impressive turnout despite the taxing schedule, showing strong interest in rapid chess.
International Participation: Diverse players from Indonesia, Russia, China, India, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Emerging Talent: Young talents like Cahaya Satria Duta hint at promising future chess stars.
Community & Leadership: With the Johor Chess Association at the helm, the event highlighted great community involvement and leadership. Special shout-out to Richard Tan Wuu Chyau for presenting the awards!
Among the sixteenth Penang Heritage City International Chess Festival 2024 events, the Open section, which took place from December 23–27, Malaysian International Master Poh Yu Tian emerged victorious. A large number of participants from around the world showed up to the tournament, even though it was held at the less-than-ideal time of Christmas. There are four events—the Penang Open, the Challengers, the Penang Team League, and the Blitz—that make up the Penang Chess Festival.
Recently, Magnus Carlsen pulling out of the World Blitz and Rapid Championship 2024 and Gukesh becoming the youngest world champion are two of the most different chess stories.
Magnus's failure to follow FIDE dress codes adds to the idea that he is a chess rebel, which makes the establishment look down on him while his fans cheer him on.
The fact that Gukesh Dommaraju just won the World Championship shows how dedicated he is. And it's clear that Gukesh would never have broken any of the managers' rules, not even the most basic ones like the dress code.
So, which is a better example for a young person who wants to become a chess fan: Magnus or Gukesh?
Gukesh is the perfect model of a chess genius who works hard. To get to the top of chess, he had to stay focused and work hard all the time. At the end of his trip, he became the youngest world champion ever. This shows how important it is to keep going. He is very humble and says that it's because he worked hard and learnt from people who came before him. If you want to become a player, Gukesh is the usual way to do it: work hard, respect the game's history, and be quiet determined to do well. He makes his point very clear: to be successful, you need to be humble and work hard.
I especially like Gukesh's mother repeated words to Gukesh that has become his mantra: "“I’ll be very happy to hear that you are a great chess player, but I would be happier to hear that you are an even greater person."
Magnus Carlsen, on the other hand, has broken the rules many times. During his unmatched rule as world champion, he was brave and willing to question the way things were. Recently, he quit the usual World Championship cycle and is now pulling out of other big events. These decisions show how independent he is. Carlsen wants more than just winning titles, as shown by the fact that he often does things that cause trouble. He does what makes him happy and has fun first, even if it's not what most people do.
Bad Publicity equals Good Publicity?
If you're into writing content or creating YouTube videos, you should know that headlines like "Magnus Carlsen pulls out of World Rapid and Blitz" always get ton of clicks. The above thumbnail and headline is one good example but the title is very misleading and untrue as Magnus was not "KICKED OUT" (caps for emphasis) and was given every chance to continue. He chose to withdraw instead but titles like "Magnus WITHDRAWS ..." is boring and brings in less clicks. By the way "Take Take Take" is Magnus' new YouTube supporting his app bearing the same name.
"Chess mavericks" are heroes to some fans and although is bad press - brings publicity to the game . However this is something that sponsors who pay for and support chess events would NOT want. This is also unfortunate, especially since chess sponsorship money is hard to come by for many chess organisers and promising young players.
As it turns out, Gukesh and Carlsen are the exact opposites of what a role model should be like. Gukesh shows how strong quiet dedication can be, and Carlsen shows how appealing the will to break the rules can be. Young people who play chess have to choose the road that best fits their goals and values. They work hard to be successful in a quiet way. Or do they want to go their own way, even if it means going against the crowd?
Like a caveman I arrived at Cititel last month for the #MYchessFestival meeting confused about where the hotel parking space has gone. As ...
