First GM Chess Academy-Announcement

After doing our due diligence and analysis of forces we have come to this conclusion. We recognise that MCF has a leadership role for the development of Malaysian chess. We do see some positive changes but we also recognise that there is a powerful negative force within MCF that acts against change. Energy spent towards engaging MCF in its current form will show little return in terms of result. They have no plan and they will unlikely come up with one in the near foreseeable future. The forces for change in MCF is just too weak. So there may be more spinning of wheels but no traction.

They are unable to work together with serious sponsors and cannot improve. This is borne out from our Asean experience. By refusing to undertake a postmortem they have condemned themselves to repeating past mistakes. There also does not seem to be a philosophy of win-win. Their attitude of treating sponsors money as their private piggy bank will drive away any serious long term sponsors.

We also recognise that there are limited genuine sponsors who would be willing to support chess and they cannot be frittered away in this manner. First GM have potentially lost DKLS and Air Asia as serious sponsors and we are unwilling to risk our reputation and good name by entering into another fiasco of this nature.

However we continue to recognise a strong need in our society for good critical thinkers. Those that become stronger with training and is competitive in a global environment. There are daily clamours in our newspapers for quality education and exposes of the weak students we produce.

We believe that by using chess training correctly we can produce those thinkers. But it cannot be done in its current form. Look at the products of our current system.

We also continue to believe that if there is sufficient recognition of this fact and sufficient support then we have a way forward. I will put out a proposal after this posting and we will go from there.