Chess and Xiang Qi tournament promotes intellectual and cultural exchange

By Chai Xin Jie

MAIN CAMPUS, 6 April - USM Bridge and Chess Club was organising the Chess and Xiang Qi tournament with the theme ‘Checkmate: Bet or strategy?’ on 6 April 2024 at Dewan Utama Desasiswa (DUD) from 9 am to 12.30 pm.

According to the project director, Liew Zhe Xian, the main purpose of this event was to hope that the university and government would make sure that students are not only active in academics but also active in activities that contribute to personal development and social development. This tournament also provides opportunities for interested students to participate in the Chess or Xiang Qi tournament.

“One of the main challenges in organising a tournament encompassing two distinct games like Chess and Xiang Qi is ensuring fairness while accommodating the different rules and strategies of each game. To address this, we gave clear communication of tournament rules and guidelines to help maintain a level playing field while ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for all participants,” Liew said.

Intense focus fills the room as participants immerse themselves during the Xiang Qi tournament. Photo by Chai Xin Jie

Champion of the Chess tournament, Chrisson Yeoh Yan Hui said that he joined this tournament to use this as a chance to practice for a bigger tournament in the future which is the USM Open Tournament and Sukan Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi (SUKIPT). He also needed to stay in shape as he was currently an online chess coach as well. 

“To be mentally prepared for a tournament, I usually try not to touch chess at least 1 or 2 days before the tournament to keep myself relaxed and stress-free. Physically, just sufficient sleep and eat well especially the breakfast on the day of the tournament,” he said.

3rd place in the Xiang Qi tournament, Ooi Si Feng said most of the tournaments he joined before had the time control of 15 minutes with 10 seconds increment. Due to the time constraint, the tournament has a time control of 8 minutes with 0 second increment per move which is quite challenging for a player who used to play for a longer time control.

“Start from the basics and don’t compare yourself to players who are way out of your league; play more strategically.  This allows me to approach them with ease rather than pressure and view them from different perspectives.” Ooi continued.