Malaysian GM

Grand quest Taken from The Star newspaper column by Mr Quah Seng Sun. ( Friday February 22, 2008) Mas Hafizulhelmi Chess by Quah Seng Sun DO YOU know that in the early 1990s – I believe it could be sometime between 1992 and 1994 – there was a Chess Palace in Malaysia? Well, it was not exactly a palace in the real sense of the word, but a bungalow off Jalan Semarak in Kuala Lumpur that had been converted into a chess centre and used for tournaments and coaching sessions to chess players. The place has since been torn down for redevelopment but that double-storey building was a very popular place for chess activities. I was at the Chess Palace in 1993 during one of the visits by the late grandmaster Eduard Gufeld to the country. The Malaysian Chess Federation had organised a big simultaneous chess exhibition and lots of children were running all over the place. Mas Hafizulhelmi is now working to become the first Malaysian Grandmaster. One particular kid did not joi...

We support IM Mas Hafizulhelmi's quest for GM. There are too many nay sayers to Mas hard work and too few people who voice out their support for this brave young GM aspirant. it's impossible for him to achieve it if he doesn't have support from Malaysians. So if you are a Malaysian blogger, please put this button on your website to show your support for our brave hero, MAS BOLEH !!! '/> Copy and paste this code into your blog to have the above button link as show of support for IM Mas.

  I read with disgust in GilaChess blog as many people start to ditch IM Mas in the comments section. For me, IM Mas is a talent still laying dormant. We got a glimpse of it when he was a junior. Even GM Gufeld indentified him as Malaysia's future and first GM. But as we know, studies took over and his chess went undeveloped for the sake of securing his studies and career. Now that his career is secure with a good job at Petronas, Mas has come back to his first love which is chess. Will he succeed ? I for one believe he will. His present results does not really do him justice as his deep talent has not yet surfaced. Glimpses of it is there... the rest is coming. Watch out people!! IM Mas monster is about to rise from the deep. You know what the say about calm waters.