The different routes: Learning to play to win first.

I prefer the route of learning to win first before you learn to draw. But this is a longer route. Lets see why.

When you play to win first, you would start off with different tools. You would choose tools as white and as black to give you the best chance to win. So you will be experimenting. You will be learning more about yourself and what your gifting is.

But you will also lose more times than you will do if you start off with fixed "drawish" weapons. It is higher tension games. This also trains your nerve and equally important judgement.

And yes, your rating will also take a hit for the simple reason you will crash many times and lose early on using this route.

So why would I encourage taking this route? I believe this is the route that bears the better fruit in the longer term. It is more akin to the GM runs that I have seen. You have better control of strategy when you can win with the weapon that gives you the best chances as both white and black, when you need to win, to make that run.

So now you understand why I am not in favour of starting out with "drawish" weapons at the outset. The popular method here is to play one opening till you are very familiar with that opening. Nothing wrong with that. But why choose "drawish" weapons to start out? So you don't lose in the beginning? So you have big rating numbers? Isn't that short term thinking?

Here is the trap. When you reach that high number and you only have "drawish" tools and a limited repertoire, you can be ambushed. It's only a question of time till we find the way to beat you. You are a sitting duck.

And when you have the higher numbers and you hit the ceiling with "drawish" tools and only then you realise you need winning weapons too, you will realise perhaps too late that that beautiful number that you have will take a massive hit till you too have the weapons to win at the higher levels still.

Upside down. You cannot have tournament strategy unless you have all the weapons you need to win and draw as the tournament requires to get to the goal that you have set. But you start off with winning tools first. Now why is this so hard to understand?

If you think you are right, so be it. But when I do it my way, you attack my players, you try to "ban" them. And now you even cry victim as bullies often do and sing accolades to yourself. Like I say, leave the kids out of this. Pick on someone your own size. Not quite liking it now I see. Not easy pickings as young children.

If you are as confident of your methods as I am confident in mine, then prove it on the table. There is no need for the blog war. This argument can only be settled on the table. Don't you think? Why so scared? This is just chess isn't it? Your thinking against mine. Your method against mine. No need to attack my players, no need to "ban".

When you try that you have already lost. That shows you do not have the confidence to meet my players on the table. So you need all those bags of tricks to try and win on the blogs etc. etc.

You should be relishing the chance to show how great you are on the table. You should even be giving my players free entry so you can shut me up for good by showing in the full glare of the public, just how lousy my methods are. So that's my tip to you since you are very slow on the uptake. Try it. It works if you are that superior.

ps: Come to think of it, you should also relish the chance to show your amazing superiority by dazzling us in selection. In fact you should insist on all the titled players competing to show us why you deserve to play for Malaysia instead of hiding behind that number. Now that is chess. So what are you guys talking about?