Some thoughts of Li Ting's run in India.

Ref: Here.

Greg asked me during Malaysian Open this year why I didn't send Mark to HD Bank in Vietnam and Bangkok Open this year. I answered that it was because I felt Mark wasn't ready yet. Fresh out of STPM and a year and a half lay off from competition he needed a lot of work before he can be fighting fit again.

So we started out the year checking that he has the right weapons to win against lower rated players, win or draw against players of his level and also the weapons to take the fight to the higher rated and titled players. And then we tested those weapons in local competitions. Then we went to a chess camp to refine them and solve other knotty problems that still persist.

For me that is good investment. And not only that, I do not field my fighters in significant, expensive, overseas tournaments unless I know they are ready. That they have a chance to win or to go to the next level.

But much much more than that, I do not want to risk damage to my fighters by sending them to fight a field not properly armed, unprepared and untested.

I think that is my strongest objection to what some trainers are doing to their players here. Why go for World, Asian when you cannot even fight at home or in Asean? Why risk the damage to their psyche and fighting spirit when they are hammered and hammered, again and again and again and they have no replies, no answers.

But they say I do not know anything about chess. And I say they know nothing about developing strong players.