Suggestions to Datmo organisers.

Ref: Here.

Hamid is probably the best organiser we have for International events. And Datmo boasts an impressive organising committee. So if I may, I would like to offer some feedback to them from the ground.

There was some intense discussions going around that a number of the unrated players were actually highly rated players looking for the unrated prize money. From the discussions it seems that other International organisers check the passport to ensure that this practice does not occur. The reasons for doing it are these. The obvious one is to ensure that a rated player does not walk away with the unrated prize money. But there is another reason. It affects the pairing. Different pairing, different tournament, different results.

An aside: Some highly respected tournaments also make sure that the ratified unrated players are entered into the system in strictly alphabetical order. This is another level of protection against possible accusation of fixing in pairing.

The other frequent murmurings around the hall is the fact that the tournament is not rated. I was informed that this was an oversight for this year due to some administrative issues but the players will appreciate it being rated in future Datmo's.

Having said that I want to congratulate the committee for a very enjoyable tournament on the whole. Little continuous improvements will make Datmo a fantastic experience for all chess players for many more years to come. Chess tourism is a great way to promote Malaysia. All my best.