How do we build a strong MCF so we can get our own GM.

Happy New Year to all in the chess community. I spent a part of yesterday doing some quiet reflection and I hope you have done the same.

The last year 2 years have been tumultuous ever since we had our first selection for the senior team for SEA games (and slightly before). Suddenly we are able to see that not all is as we have been told. Our IM's are not like the IM's in other places.

We have devised systems to avoid competition and to get fat Fide numbers while they have learnt to fight and climb in strong fields.

Just look at the field in Singapore during their National Championship. Question. Why did they allow foreigners to play? Iron sharpen iron. So they want to forge ahead. I am told that after our 2010 victory over Singapore we have been unable to arrange another Mal/Sing friendly again. I am also told that Singapore went to China to play instead. So maybe this shows that they want to pull ahead. Iron sharpen iron.

But what have we done during the same period? Meeting after meeting in MCF and still no minutes have been produced. We reversed selection. The accounts is in a mess. They are writing disciplinary demand letters to someone who is probably innocent.

We have allowed them to attack our Juniors and attack attempts to train them in the most vicious ways all over the blogs and instead of reprimand the attackers receive more "projects". And they have tried to silence FGM in a coordinated way.

Does that very roughly sum up our activities during the period under consideration? Have we really done anything to improve or reverse our backward slide? Have our projects benefited our players or have they enriched only a very few pockets?

An so many are now questioning. And I have heard many "solutions" proposed during this time. I am also going to make some proposals. But I will do it this way. I will go back to the parts in order to draw some lessons of what is happening at the MCF level. I will do this because I believe the parts join into the whole.

And so from tomorrow I will revisit the relevant parts of my experience in PICA and I will also attempt some analysis of KLCA from the information I have. After I have done that I will suggest some solutions that I think may improve our current situation or at least put us in a position where we can try to catch up with the rest. I am not sure if we will be able to totally reverse the 30 plus years of regression from when we were teaching China. But I do hope that it is at least a start to getting us out of the mess we are in.

I like to think that 2013 will be a year of change. But we can change in 2 directions. We can become worse. Not too difficult I think as there are still a few more Countries that are worse that us. Or we can become better. But that will be probably be a more painful process. It will be up to us. MCF's AGM is coming soon. Hopefully we will be in time to see what is really ailing Malaysian chess and to do something when the AGM comes.

I really believe Malaysia Boleh is not just a slogan. Or else I will not be writing this blog. I have seen our talented and gifted children. And I believe in them. But they will need help from concerned adults before they can shine. So we need to think this through to find the solutions for them.

Till tomorrow then.