SMS Deen Merdeka Open Rapid Team 2026 — Halfway Report (Rounds 1-4)
The 21st Malaysian Chess Festival is finally, officially, ON. And as always, Event 1 — the good old SMS Deen Merdeka Open Rapid Team Chess Championship — kicked things off at KL Gateway Mall with the kind of numbers that make organizers lose sleep and arbiters lose their voices: 66 teams, 264 players, 9 rounds. Four rounds down on Day 1, five more to go on Day 2. Let's potong tumpang and see who's actually doing the damage.
The co-leaders: BRAINBOX and INDONESIA A, perfect 4/4
Sitting pretty at 8 match points apiece (that's a flawless 4-0 in matches) are BRAINBOX - FEEL MY HOLY ATTACK and INDONESIA A, and honestly, nobody should be surprised.
I also like the GM Iniyan Pa's team name - their poor opponents are definitely feeling his holy attack. (not they use "MY" and not "OUR")
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| IM Cahaya Sutria from Indonesia A |
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| Brainbox |
BRAINBOX rolled out GM Iniyan Pa (2463, IND) and IM James Morris (2382, AUS) on the top two boards, both of whom have not dropped a single game — 4/4 each — while FM Lye Lik Zang and Chan Sheng Yip mopped up enough points underneath to keep the sheet spotless. That's a genuinely scary top-heavy lineup for a rapid team event where depth usually decides things, and so far the depth hasn't mattered because boards 1 and 2 simply haven't lost.
INDONESIA A have gone about it a little differently — a wall of IMs (Cahaya Satria Duta, Hafiz Arif Abdul, Budhidharma Nayaka, Gilbert Elroy Tarigan) with boards 3 and 4 both perfect 4/4. Very balanced, very hard to find a weak link, and all of then look surprisingly young - will definitely do a breakdown on exactly how young in the next post (if I can remember).
These two meet head-on in Round 5. Board 1. First match of the second half. This is basically the final before the final, and I'll be glued to it.
The story of the day: INDONESIA B and the Rise of Diajeng Theresa Singgih (again)
If you've been reading this blog, you'll remember I wrote about WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih last September and felt bad I didn't even get a photo of her in action. Well, she's back, and this time she's brought three friends, and together they're the best story of the tournament so far.
INDONESIA B is an all-WIM squad — Singgih Diajeng Theresa, Laysa Latifah, Shafira Devi Herfesa, and Ummi Fisabilillah — and they currently sit in 3rd place with 7 match points, one board-point behind the co-leaders on tiebreak. Board 4 Ummi Fisabilillah is a perfect 4/4 despite being the lowest-rated player on her own team (1579 average performance rating be damned, she's just winning). Also wasted that the rapid is not FIDE rated
In the picture above she beat GM Priasmoro Novendra!
But the headline result is what they did to SMS DEEN TEAM 1 in Round 4: a clean 4-0 sweep, and this against a team fielding none other than GM Timur Gareyev (2574!) on board one. Yes, that Gareyev, of blindfold-chess-on-a-bicycle fame. All four SMS Deen boards went down together in that round, which tells you this wasn't a fluke on one board — the whole Indonesia B lineup turned up on the same day and dismantled a GM-anchored team in one sitting. Genuinely one of the results of the festival so far.
How are the local guns doing?
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| IM Poh Yu Tian |
Malaysia's own talent has had a mixed but interesting four rounds against the visiting GMs and IMs.
- FM Lim Zhuo Ren (yes, the same Lim Zhuo Ren I wrote about facing Magnus Carlsen a couple of months back) is quietly having a perfect tournament — 4/4 on board 4 for CAKL SELANGOR, who sit 8th overall with 6 match points. Boring in the best sense of the word: he just keeps winning.
- GM Yeoh Li Tian and IM Poh Yu Tian, both flying the flag for CEREBRILL MARCUSCHESS on boards 2 and 1 respectively, have each scored 3.5/4 — genuinely excellent individual results. The team itself sits mid-table at 17th with 5 match points though, a reminder that in these 4-board team formats, two stars carrying boards 1 and 2 isn't always enough if boards 3 and 4 don't back them up. Their Round 4 was the rough patch — a loss as a team despite Yeoh and Poh doing their part.
Solid evidence that our local FMs, IMs and GMs can absolutely go toe-to-toe with the region's best over 20+5 rapid — the top boards are holding their own even where the overall team results haven't quite followed.
Round 5 — the pairings that matter
Here's what to watch when the pieces go back down for Round 5:
- Match 1: BRAINBOX - FEEL MY HOLY ATTACK vs INDONESIA A — the top-of-the-table clash. Whoever wins effectively takes control of the tournament with four rounds left.
- Match 2: INDONESIA C vs GLADIATORS — both on 7 MP, right behind the leaders, and both very capable of gate-crashing the top of the table if the leaders trip up.
- Match 3: GMJ CHIEFS SQUAD vs INDONESIA B — can the WIM squad keep the momentum going against another 7-MP outfit? After the SMS Deen demolition job, I wouldn't bet against them.
- Match 9: SMS DEEN TEAM 1 vs APEX CHESS QUEENS OF PAIN — Gareyev and co. will want a bounce-back after that shock 0-4 in Round 4.
Of course how can I not mention GILACHESS CHARIZARD KL is paired against THE RANDOM MIX in Round 5. We're on 3 match points, mid-pack, no delusions of grandeur — just here for the fun and the free flow of games to write about. Wish us luck anyway.
WHAT to expect for the final 5 rounds
It's going to be a hectic and tiring day with 5 rounds still to play out of 9, nothing is settled — 8 match points is a great cushion but that's all it is - a cushion.
Indonesia's three teams (A, B, C) occupying three of the top five spots is the dominant theme right now, and it wouldn't shock me if the tournament boils down to an all-Indonesia argument at the top with BRAINBOX and GLADIATORS trying to crash the party.
Keep an eye on Diajeng Theresa Singgih's board too — I have a feeling there's more content to cover there later.
