Lesson 101 in how to actively undermine baby tiger dragons.

The first way is the most obvious and much talked about here. That is of course via the selection process or banning.

All coaches and trainers want to increase their prestige by claiming to have a strong national player in their stable of players. It's a testimony of the success of their system. Nothing wrong with that if done the right way.

But there are some who are so desperate that they will try to force players to stay with them when they have obvious failings. And the method they use is via the selection process or banning. "Try to leave my stable or not kowtow to me and I will not select you or I will ban you from whichever sphere I have influence in". Now this is obviously wrong, isn't it?

The other way is not by brute force but by subtle manipulation of fears. "Join me and I will ensure that you are selected even if you are not the strongest player. I will manipulate the system or do side deals. I will help you to have fat fide rating with my means and use that as a basis for selection. Plus I will do lots of side promotions and selected showcase tournaments so other people are fooled". Sound familiar?

In the first method the players are eventually broken or just leave chess. In the second they are they are brought so far from reality that they eventually become cannon fodder in tough International competitions.

We can reverse our fortunes by ensuring there are no shortcuts, no backdoor entry. The proper way is fighting through tough local tournaments, tough selection. Go through proper and tough training by coaches and trainers who know how to be tough and yet nurturing. And the saplings will become Oak trees.

We need both proper selection as well as an end to arbitrary banning so that this can happen. This simply will ensure that the focus is now turned to improving their skills. Not knocking off the others players in order to hide their own inadequacies.

Can you see why the things that are happening around you now is happening? Can you see why we are now so so far behind our neighbours in chess? We are but 10 minutes from changing this. We have selection. Now we need to stop unscrupulous organisers from arbitrary bans.