The ugly truth about match fixing.

From observation and from their own admission, a fair number of juniors fix their matches. This is nearly an open secret. It's just that no one has openly talked about it before. But I think we need to. It's important. Let me try to explain why.

The juniors are under immense pressure to deliver. And usually they don't have the support system to help them deliver. It is expensive to have both the right training as well as to pay for the overseas trip. So there is strong pressure to take the short cuts.

Over the years, I have seen and heard of many creative ways to fix the matches. But I will talk about a particularly damaging one today. This very often happens on the last round. One more tough match and they either emerge Champion or they can fall from the winners list. R9; the psychological round. The heart starts beating faster. Just one more hurdle.

I suggest that fighting this round is what makes the Champion. The last push, when the nerves are stretched taut. We need to face it here and in our local tournaments first. This is simply because in an overseas tournament, in an International field, you cannot pakat draw.

It will take a while to change this culture. It is deeply rooted. But if we explain it properly to the juniors, I am sure they will see the reasoning in time.

Note: In fact I know of a few cases where they have. I believe these will be the ones who will go further.

And if they can hold the tension of that last round, they will break that glass ceiling in no time.

ps: Can you now see why I thought it was such a low act for someone who should know better to offer LZR a draw with the IM's and also a guaranteed backdoor deal to SEA games if he wrote that email about my training? It has been proven to be just another one of their many lies now. But imagine the psychological blow to him coming from people he ought to have been able to trust to advice him better.