Dear Syazrin

In reply to your post. Here.

I wish your tournament every success. Let me first say that I think there is nothing wrong with a Malay, Chinese or Indian tournament if it is all in fun and in healthy competition. Iron sharpen iron and we need more healthy competition to be strong so that we can all stand tall in the International arena.

But let me tell you a story so you can understand my concern. Last year during MSSPK I witnessed this event. In the girls category there was a young chinese girl who badly wanted to be champ as she felt that year would be her last chance. After winning a round she was surrounded by her malay teachers and forced to take a draw. I suspect that they wanted a particular malay girl to be champ. I know all of them for many years. The teachers as well as the young malay and chinese girl both of whom I have seen growing up.

I remember to this day the young chinese girl's tears when she told me about the forced draw. I dont think there were any really bad people here but the need to produce a malay champion seemed to have overtaken better judgement.

My concern is for both the young chinese girl as well as the malay girl who eventually became champ. I fear the young chinese girl would be damaged for a long time and will not play strong chess again. And the really decent malay girl who would have to carry this guilt of having taken something she did not deserve from a friend and fellow competitor. The decision was not in their hands. The young girls did not decide this. In fact my belief is that if they had been given the choice they would have chosen to fight fairly.

I also want to say that I have never witnessed anything like this anywhere else. So I think that in our chess community we still believe in fair and healthy competition. And these cases are still the exception. I am not very political. My concerns are that we give the kids a good culture in chess. So they can learn to believe in themselves and win the right way.