A conversation from KL.

I was just down in KL for a few days to talk to a few old friends and also to meet new ones. One of the friends were from my kindergarten days, one from my primary school days and so we had a lot to talk about. I also met a musician who has just taken up chess because she wants to learn how to think ahead.

But I am going to talk about one conversation in particular from my last trip to KL today. This person said, "Raymond, these people have been around from the beginning of history. Those that want it all without having to pay the price. Those that will attack our young. Those that will use their position and authority to suppress and destroy. Those who will never build anything in their empty lives.

They are simply there so that we can be strong. They are there so we can find the courage to stand up for what is rightfully ours. And they will always have their supporters who want the shortcuts too. We cannot stop them from their right to existence."

Point taken.

And so you will see that I have never asked for them to be banned. They are there to tell us what does not work. So let them continue for the next 30 years to see for themselves that Jimmy, Peter and Eddy will never take them anywhere good. That is their right and that is their tournament. They have made their choice.

What I am saying is that there is also the need of a space for players in Malaysian chess who want to do it the right way. Without cheating, without match fixing. There need to be a place for chess players who want to win purely on their chess skills alone. Who want to learn from the rich lessons of chess. Those that believe in training and competing hard in healthy competition.

What about them? Is there no place for them in Malaysian chess?

That is the question that I hope MCF will be able to answer,