2025 Dato Tan Chin Nam International Seniors' Open : Round 6

 

2025 Dato Tan Chin Nam International Seniors' Open

Lim Kian Hwa vs Ismail Ahmad (Round 2)

Seventh Round Update - KL Gateway Mall

The 2025 Dato Tan Chin Nam International Seniors' Open enters its seventh round at KL Gateway Mall. With just three rounds to go, every point gained or missed will have a profound impact on these veteran masters.

Impressive Pace by IM Young Angelo

IM Young Angelo (2158)

Score: 5.5/6 | Country: Philippines

Leading the standings is Filipino IM Young Angelo (2158), who has set himself apart from the field with a sparkling 5.5/6. After edging out fellow contenders and scoring crucial victories—including a clean win as Black in round 6 over Alvin Pulley—Angelo sits alone at the summit, his only dropped half-point a draw against Edmundo Gatus in the opener. All that means he is a full one and a half oint ( 1 ½ ). 

 Chasing Pack: Gatus, Milligan, and Chan

Nipping at the leader's heels are several highly experienced campaigners.

Edmundo Gatus (2062)

Score: 4.0/6 | Country: Philippines

Edmundo Gatus (2062, PHI) stands at 4.0/6, having secured fighting draws against tough opposition including Helen Milligan and IM Chan Peng Kong. His steady accumulation keeps him in striking distance.

CM Helen Milligan (1877)

Score: 4.0/6 | Country: New Zealand

New Zealand's CM Helen Milligan (1877, NZL) with a 4.0 score, her disciplined, solid style that is paying dividends—she drew all her top-board encounters and has yet to lose a game.

IM Chan Peng Kong (2084)

Score: 4.0/6 | Country: Singapore

IM Chan Peng Kong (2084, SGP) has also racked up 4.0 is the tournament first seed.

Lim Kian Hwa (1633)

Score: 4.0/6 | Country: Malaysia

Flying the Malaysian flag, Lim Kian Hwa (1633) has impressively climbed to 4.0 after a key win over Chay Joon Hoong. He'll look to leverage local support in the decisive final phase. 

Several others—including Pulley Alvin, IM Liew Chee-Meng Jimmy, FM Ismail Ahmad, Lee Soi-Hock, and FM Gibbons Robert—are all within half a point of the podium chase, each with 3.5.

Crucial Results from Round 6

Round 6 saw a battle of the boards:

Angelo confirmed his lead with a strong victory over Pulley Alvin.

The much-anticipated Gatus–Milligan clash ended in a balanced draw, neither giving ground.

IM Liew Chee-Meng Jimmy and IM Chan Peng Kong also played to a tough half-point split.

Lim Kian Hwa's ambitious play was rewarded as he prevailed over Chay Joon Hoong.

The standings' compactness means that even slight slip-ups could bring dramatic changes as the event enters its final quarter.

7th Round: Key Pairings

The seventh round offers several blockbuster encounters likely to define the event's narrative:

IM Young Angelo (5.5) vs IM Chan Peng Kong (4.0): A heavyweight battle; a win for Angelo could cement his lead, while a breakthrough for Chan reinvigorates the race.

Lim Kian Hwa (4.0) vs Edmundo Gatus (4.0): The local hope tries to topple a top seed with a direct clash at the top.

CM Helen Milligan (4.0) vs AIM Muzzaffar Ahmad (3.5): Both looking to stay within medal range.

FM Ismail Ahmad vs IM Liew Chee-Meng Jimmy: Both on 3.5, this matchup could provide a late surge for the winner.

Other crucial pairings see Lee Soi-Hock facing Pulley Alvin, and several mid-packers aiming for late charge.

Round 7 on 2025/09/20 at 0900

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	1	IM	Young, Angelo	2158	5½		4	IM	Chan, Peng Kong	2084	2
2	18		Lim, Kian Hwa	1633	4		4		Gatus, Edmundo	2062	3
3	8	CM	Milligan, Helen	1877	4		3½	AIM	Muzzaffar, Ahmad	1633	17
4	10	FM	Ismail, Ahmad	1831	3½		3½	IM	Liew, Chee-Meng Jimmy	2017	5
5	6		Lee, Soi-Hock	1889	3½		3½		Pulley, Alvin	1826	12
6	11	FM	Gibbons, Robert	1826	3½		3	ACM	Idris, Ali Amir	1553	20
7	14	AIM	Tharation, Prem Kumar	1735	2½		2½		Chay, Joon Hoong	1823	13
8	19		Kuich, Gero	1588	2		2½	CM	Spiller, Paul S	1885	7
9	23		Yu, Antonio Jr	0	2		2		Chan, Kok Leong	1717	15
10	22		Lim, Beng Seng Ronald	0	1		2		Sheridan, Wallace	1517	21
11	16		Kerr, Grant	1708	2				bye

Malaysia Open 2025: After 6 rounds

20th Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open—After Round 6: Top 15 Players and Round 7 Preview

With six rounds completed in this prestigious 9-round Swiss event at KL Gateway Mall, the competition at the top is heating up!

IM Nguyen Quoc Hy

After so many rounds one sole leader finally emerges in Vietnamese Nguyen, Quoc Hy. A newly minted IM and only 19 years old, he is leads the Malaysian Open narrowly, ahead of the rest of the field just by half a point. 9 players are joint second with 4.5 points.

Standings After Round 6

Rank	Name	Fed	Title	Rating	Points
1	Nguyen, Quoc Hy	VIE	IM	2413	5.0
2	Zou, Chen	CHN	IM	2416	4.5
3	Nguyen, Van Huy	VIE	GM	2352	4.5
4	Kavin, Mohan	MAS	FM	2309	4.5
5	Concio, Michael Jr.	PHI	IM	2409	4.5
6	Laxman, R.R.	IND	GM	2271	4.5
7	Nguyen, Duc Hoa	VIE	GM	2442	4.5
8	Kushagra, Mohan	IND	IM	2432	4.5
9	Liu, Xiangyi	SGP	IM	2349	4.5
10	Sebastian, Mhage Gerriahlou	PHI		1930	4.5
11	Winkelman, Albert	AUS	FM	2324	4.0
12	Bacojo, Mark Jay	PHI	FM	2326	4.0
13	Jin, Ruijun	CHN		2079	4.0
14	Gireman, Ja	IND	CM	2208	4.0
15	Aakanksha, Hagawane	IND	WIM	2320	4.0

Highlights from Round 6:

• Nguyen, Quoc Hy (VIE) took the sole lead by defeating Albert Winkelman (AUS).
• Zou, Chen (CHN) drew with GM Laxman, R.R. (IND), both staying in contention.
• Draws on other top boards (Van Huy-Kushagra, Concio-Kavin) helped add to the traffic jam of 4.5 pointers.
• Lower-seeded Sebastian, Mhage Gerriahlou (PHI) continues to impress, defeating Lye Lik Zang (MAS) to climb into the top 10.

Round 7 Pairings—Who Plays Whom?

The next round promises high tension on the top boards. Here are the matches for the top 15:

Bd	White	Pts	Rating	Black	Pts	Rating
1	Kushagra, Mohan (IND, IM)	4.5	2432	Nguyen, Quoc Hy (VIE, IM)	5.0	2413
2	Liu, Xiangyi (SGP, IM)	4.5	2349	Nguyen, Duc Hoa (VIE, GM)	4.5	2442
3	Kavin, Mohan (MAS, FM)	4.5	2309	Zou, Chen (CHN, IM)	4.5	2416
4	Sebastian, Mhage Gerriahlou (PHI)	4.5	1930	Concio, Michael Jr. (PHI, IM)	4.5	2409
5	Laxman, R.R. (IND, GM)	4.5	2271	Nguyen, Van Huy (VIE, GM)	4.5	2352
6	Lim, Zhuo Ren (MAS, FM)	4.0	2332	Velarde, Jerish John (PHI)	4.0	2110
7	Karthik, Rajaa (IND, IM)	4.0	2330	Jin, Ruijun (CHN)	4.0	2079
8	Cantela, Oscar Joseph (PHI)	4.0	2007	Bacojo, Mark Jay (PHI, FM)	4.0	2326
9	Winkelman, Albert (AUS, FM)	4.0	2324	Xie, Chujun (CHN)	4.0	2000
10	Aakanksha, Hagawane (IND, WIM)	4.0	2320	Vo, Hoang Quan (VIE)	4.0	1924
11	Gireman, Ja (IND, CM)	4.0	2208	Li, Bo (CHN, IM)	4.0	2209

It will be an interesting Round 7 with so many players with similar points!

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Stay tuned for more updates as the battle for the title heats up. Will Quoc Hy keep his lead or will a challeger take his place!

Pictures from Round 6

GM Nguyen Duc Hoa

CM Kavin Mohan

IM Kushagra Mohan

GM Laxman R R

IM Albert Winkelman

IM Zou Chen

GM Nguyen Van Huy

Event 7: Seniors – Standings After Round 5 (with Round 6 Preview)

Current leader ; IM Angelo Young

CM Helen Milligan

Gatus Edmundo

Alvin Pulley

IM Chan Peng Kong

FM Ismail Ahmad

IM Jimmy Lieu

AIM Ahmad Muzzaffar

• IM Young Angelo (PHI) leads with 4.5/5 points, maintaining an unbeaten record after drawing his first game and winning the next four.
• Gatus Edmundo (PHI), Pulley Alvin (USA), CM Milligan Helen (NZL), IM Chan Peng Kong (SGP) are all close behind with 3.5 points, only one point behind the leader.
• Further contenders with 3.5 or 3 points include IM Liew Chee-Meng Jimmy (MAS), FM Ismail Ahmad (MAS), Lim Kian Hwa (MAS), AIM Muzzaffar Ahmad (MAS).

Top Ranking Table

Rank	Name	Country	Rating	Points
1	IM Young, Angelo	PHI	2158	4.5
2-5	Gatus, Edmundo	PHI	2062	3.5
	Pulley, Alvin	USA	1826	3.5
	CM Milligan, Helen	NZL	1877	3.5
	IM Chan, Peng Kong	SGP	2084	3.5

Other players are in the 2.5–3 point group and one player has 0 points after 5 rounds.

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• IM Young Angelo is the tournament favorite so far, but the next seeded group is within striking distance.
• Top players from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, and USA are all battling in the upper ranks, showing strong international participation.
• The middle of the table is tightly packed, meaning a single win in Round 6 could significantly shift positions.

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Round 6 Key Pairings (to be played on 2025/09/19 at 15:00)

Board	White	Points	Black	Points
1	Pulley, Alvin (USA)	3.5	IM Young, Angelo (PHI)	4.5
2	Gatus, Edmundo (PHI)	3.5	CM Milligan, Helen (NZL)	3.5
3	IM Liew, Chee-Meng Jimmy(MAS)	3	IM Chan, Peng Kong (SGP)	3.5
4	AIM Muzzaffar, Ahmad (MAS)	3	FM Ismail, Ahmad (MAS)	3
5	Chay, Joon Hoong (MAS)	2.5	Lim, Kian Hwa (MAS)	3
...	...	...	...	...

Other notable matches include FM Gibbons, Robert vs AIM Tharation, Prem Kumar, and Chan, Kok Leong vs Lee, Soi-Hock.

• With 4 rounds left including Round 6, the event is entering its critical second half.
• Expect more tense head-to-head matches as leaders collide on the top boards.

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20th Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open – Standings After Round 5 (with Round 6 Preview)

20th Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championship (Event 5)

WGM Janelle Mae Fraena vs GM Nguyen Van Huy

GM Laxman RR

IM Mohan Kushagra

Jin Ruijun

FM Bacojo Mark Jay

IM Zou Chen

FM Alex Winkelman

GM Nguyen Duc Hoa - first seed

After an intense five rounds, there is a packed leaderboard at the top with multiple players sharing the lead. Here's a snapshot of the standings after Round 5 and a look at the decisive Round 6 matchups that could shape the event:

Top 10 Standings After Round 5

Rank	Name (Title, Federation)	Rating	Points	Key Tie-Break
1	IM Zou Chen (CHN)	2416	4.0	Buchholz 15.0
2	FM Winkelman Albert (AUS)	2324	4.0	Buchholz 14.5
3	FM Bacojo Mark Jay (PHI)	2326	4.0	Buchholz 14.0
4	FM Kavin Mohan (MAS)	2309	4.0	Buchholz 13.5
5	GM Nguyen Van Huy (VIE)	2352	4.0	Buchholz 13.5
6	GM Laxman R.R. (IND)	2271	4.0	Buchholz 13.5
7	IM Concio Michael Jr. (PHI)	2409	4.0	Buchholz 13.5
8	IM Nguyen Quoc Hy (VIE)	2413	4.0	Buchholz 12.5
9	IM Kushagra Mohan (IND)	2432	4.0	Buchholz 12.0
10	CM Gireman Ja (IND)	2208	3.5	Buchholz 14.0

Note: Tie-break system prioritizes Direct Encounter, then Buchholz.

Round 6 – Key Matchups (Leaders Clash!)

The sixth round will see the top leaders face each other, which promises to bring some separation to the tightly bunched field:

• Board 1: GM Nguyen Van Huy (4) vs IM Kushagra Mohan (4)
• Board 2: IM Zou Chen (4) vs GM Laxman R.R. (4)
• Board 3: IM Nguyen Quoc Hy (4) vs FM Winkelman Albert (4)
• Board 4: IM Concio Michael Jr. (4) vs FM Kavin Mohan (4)
• Board 5: FM Bacojo Mark Jay (4) vs IM Liu Xiangyi (3.5)

Observations

• No sole leader: Heads of the standings all remain on 4/5, indicating a highly competitive field.
• Big clashes ahead: All top 4 boards are direct matchups between co-leaders.
• Defending champion(s) and favorites are well-represented, but newcomers are matching strong performances.

What to Watch For in Round 6

• Any decisive result in these top pairings may instantly propel a player into clear first place.
• Buchholz tie-breaks are already an important factor, so results on lower boards will also influence future rankings.
• Malaysians in the top 10 (FM Kavin Mohan, FM Winkelman Albert) have an opportunity to keep pace or break from the international pack.

With everything still to play for, Round 6 is set to be a turning point at the 20th Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open!

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For the latest results and all pairings, always check chess-results.com.

Event 8: Open Rapid Winners

The Open Rapid event at the Malaysian Chess Festival 2025 brought together 37 talented players eager to battle it out over six intense rounds. 

The strong field included highly-rated local and international participants, resulting in thrilling games and a dramatic finish. 

After six rounds and a hard-fought four-way tie for first place, IM Michael Concio Jr. emerged as the champion on tie-breaks. Congratulations to all who took part and especially to the top prize winners listed below:

Rk.	Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.
1	IM Concio Michael Jr.	2418	PHI	5
2	IM Kushagra Mohan	2300	IND	5
3	GM Laxman R.R.	2219	IND	5
4	Velarde Jerish John	2052	PHI	5
5	CM Gireman Ja	2099	IND	4.5
6	IM Nguyen Quoc Hy	2239	VIE	4.5
7	FM Kamalsyah Muhammad	2147	INA	4
8	Paglinawan Zeus Alexis	1880	PHI	4
9	Saravanan Keertieshvar	1701	MAS	4
10	FM Bacojo Mark Jay	2320	PHI	4

Best Lady

Results and Live links to Malaysian Chess Festival

Chess Results

No.	Event
1.	SMS DEEN Merdeka Open Rapid Team Chess Championship
2.	Dato Tan Chin Nam Merdeka Junior (U12) Open Rapid Team Chess Championship
3.	Merdeka Blitz
4.	Merdeka Age Group U06 U08 U10 U12 U14 U16
5.	Open
6.	Challengers
7.	Seniors
8.	Dato Tan Chin Nam Age Group U08 U10 U12 U14 U18 Open
9.	Festival Blitz

Live

LiChess Live Broadcast

Supporting chess blogs:

1. gila.catur.org
2. catur.org
3. gilachess

Festival App

• app.catur.org

Start of the Malaysian Open 2025

 

Top Seed Nguyen Duc Hoa (looking at camera) vs WIM Nguyen Tanh Thuy Thien

 
Events 5, 6, and 7 are all starting today. These are the Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championship, the Daniel Yong Chen-I Memorial Malaysia Chess Challenge, and the Dato' Tan Chin Nam Seniors' Open Chess Championship.

A major prize fund is at stake. The Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open has a prize fund of RM65,000, while the Daniel Yong Chen-I Memorial offers RM15,000 and the Dato' Tan Chin Nam Seniors' Open has a prize fund of RM18,500.

The events are FIDE-rated and follow a classical format. All three events are 9-round individual tournaments with a standard time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

Pairings/Results

Round 1 on 2025/09/15 at 0900

49

Bo.	No.	White	Rtg	Black	Rtg	No.
1	49	WIM Nguyen, Thanh Thuy Tien	1996	GM Nguyen, Duc Hoa	2442	1
2	2	IM Kushagra, Mohan	2432	Tin, Shan Wen	1994	50
3	51	CM Genkeswaran, Genivan	1992	IM Zou, Chen	2416	3
4	4	IM Nguyen, Quoc Hy	2413	WIM Galas, Bernadette	1989	52
5	53	Shrutarshi, Ray	1989	IM Concio, Michael Jr.	2409	5
6	6	FM Wong, Yinn Long	2356	Zhao, Chenyu	1980	54
7	55	Muraley, Rittesh	1967	GM Nguyen, Van Huy	2352	7
8	8	IM Liu, Xiangyi	2349	Cheng, Gongpu	1964	56
9	57	AGM Julmiri, Muhammad Zulfaqar Bin Abu Baka	1961	FM Lim, Zhuo Ren	2332	9
10	59	Sebastian, Mhage Gerriahlou	1930	FM Bacojo, Mark Jay	2326	11
11	12	FM Winkelman, Albert	2324	Vo, Hoang Quan	1924	60
12	61	AIM Abd Aziz, A Qil A Lauddin	1920	WIM Aakanksha, Hagawane	2320	13
13	14	FM Kamalsyah, Muhammad	2314	Umayan, Samantha Babol	1917	62
14	63	N., Tarun	1915	WGM Frayna, Janelle Mae	2313	15
15	16	FM Kavin, Mohan	2309	Magpily, Francois Marie	1912	64
16	65	Khandhar, Kaushal	1907	IM Nolte, Rolando	2299	17
17	18	GM Laxman, R.R.	2271	AIM Rajasa, Muhammad Andi	1904	66
18	67	Largo, Franchesca	1904	FM Lye, Lik Zang	2240	19
19	69	Ramakrishnan, Yoggenraj	1890	IM Li, Bo	2209	21
20	22	CM Gireman, Ja	2208	AFM Meiyazhagan, Kaviinayan	1885	70
21	24	Hong, Mingren	2170	Cheah, Cheok Fung	1868	72
22	73	AGM Ong, Way Justin	1867	CM Swayham, P Das	2160	25
23	26	IM Andyka, Pitra	2148	WFM Mohd Afif, Ainul Mardhiah	1861	74
24	75	Lum, Zhun Hoong	1814	FM Castellano, Christopher	2129	27
25	28	CM Shen, Ree Herng	2113	Wee, Yin Lin	1810	76
26	77	ACM Kumaran, Ashwiniy	1805	Velarde, Jerish John	2110	29
27	30	IM Bancod, Ronald	2106	Nizzardo, Mattia	1795	78
28	79	Helmy, Muhammad Adnin Nuaym	1760	WFM Imomkuzieva, Nilufarkhon	2104	31
29	32	WCM Salimova, Asal	2095	Lim, Kian Guan	1754	80
30	81	Nik Norhisham, Nik Muhd Haziq	1749	Tran, Vo Quoc Bao	2095	33
31	34	WFM Sreekarthika, Velmurugan	2080	Ainul Fikri, Aqilah Husna	1746	82
32	83	Suneth, Shyam Keshaav	1725	Jin, Ruijun	2079	35
33	85	Wee, Yu Heng Lucas John	1710	Shahar, Uzair	2070	37
34	38	WFM Mendoza, Shania Mae	2069	Hasnul, Hashim	1695	86
35	87	Wang, Xin Ran Claire	1686	WFM Canino, Ruelle	2065	39
36	40	Bhuvan, Krishna Prasanth	2056	Wang, Xin Yu Aimee	1678	88
37	89	Huang, Aaron Yu-Hsi	1667	Le, Dang Thanh An	2046	41
38	42	Lee, Zhia Chen Zachary	2034	Chen, Baize	1649	90
39	44	CM Mahmood Shah, Mukhriez Shah	2030	Narayanan, Sri Shiva Kumar	1529	92
40	93	Shoban Babu, Lavinesh Babu	1515	WFM Yash, Jyoti Bir	2018	45
41	95	Mohd Nazlee, Muhd Adlee Hakimi	0	Xie, Chujun	2000	47
42	36	WIM Malikova, Marjona	2071	Lau, Sau Ching	1884	71
43	91	Teoh, Je Hern	1622	Cantela, Oscar Joseph	2007	46
44	68	WCM Nithyalakshmi, Sivanesan	1891	IM Karthik, Rajaa	2330	10
45	20	WIM Pandey, Srishti	2213	not paired
46	23	CM Nimay, Agrawal	2208	not paired
47	43	CM Le, Phan Hoang Quan	2030	not paired
48	48	AIM Chua, Chee Sian Sebastien	1998	not paired
58	Liu, Haoling	1950	not paired
50	84	Miao, Zixin	1722	not paired
51	94	Kaattari, Konsta	0	not paired

Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open 2025 | Round 1 Pairings