Syuen tournament tomorrow.

Ref: Here.

Will be playing at Syuen again tomorrow for the first time since I first organised a chess event there after asking my former boss, the owner of Syuen, for his support in 2009.

You need to take the cowboy out of you.

In the past whenever issues were brought up, MCF would be very reluctant to rectify the wrong doings. When there were unconstitutional sackings, they would close a blind eye. When there were banning without grounds, they would choose to be silent. When selection was subverted they will make don't know. When the selection criteria is substandard to facilitate washed out players, they will try to justify. When we say that the tournament was fixed, they will not investigate. When we say that Li Tian is not the strongest Junior and the other Juniors are being sabotaged and publicly attacked, they will send Li Tian to the Olympiads and the Zonals etc etc etc.

So it is not just Peter is it? He is probably the most toxic but it is not just him alone. Have you ever wondered why there is never any action despite the fact that the issues being brought forward is so blatantly and transparently unjust? Why the rule book is almost never used properly? They should know all these things shouldn't they. After all they lusted after the posts.

I think the reason is this. I think it is because that secretly they all want the same unfettered power to do all those things themselves. So their issues with Peter is probably more personal than principle based.

I agree with Peter's removal, he is just too toxic with almost no redeeeming features. And his sort of toxicity can spread like wild fire if left unchecked. Almost anything he touches or influences eventually turn to dust.

But the others are not pure either. If proper rules are followed, no official in the future will ever be able to abuse their power without challenge. So that is why they want Peter removed but not by using the rule book.

And that is why they speak to me. When I tell them to do it the proper way, they say I am trying to teach them how to suck sweets. So it seems to me that they want to use the power of this blog but without taking responsibility themselves. So it may seem that they want me to knock out Peter for them. Silly isn't it? The authority rests with them.

The solution is very simple. Get a resolution/motion to define the roles and responsibilities of each official. If Peter is that unmanageable then un-appoint him. It only needs a majority vote. And you are many. (The President can only appoint with the approval of the Council. Check the constitution.) Then define your own roles and responsibilities too. Use the rule book and use it fairly.

So this is my modified saying. You may be able to bring a cowboy into the Associations but only they can take the cowboy out of themselves.

I think we are now all sitting on a ticking time bomb. I tell them that all these new MACC, police reports is not good. I say that State Associations writing into COS about a fraudulent AGM is not good. I tell them that if there are even more reports from new people it may prove to be the tipping point. And I tell them that they may be a small step away from a legal challenge.

But I am told that they are not worried about that. They just want Peter out without using the rule book, without taking personal responsibility, without taking official responsibility or having accountability. And without transparency. What more can I say?

SS2 Chess tournament on July 20th and 21st. Age group and Open.

Get details here.

We just signed up to try to get in some extra practice before the Malaysian Chess Festival. See you guys there.

Some games from the Malaysian Masters.

Here.

An interesting article that may hold some meaning for us.

Ref: Here.

I am wondering if this article may hold some meaning for us. For instance, how did Peter get all that power without the authority of the full Council? He is just one man with the wrong portfolio. All authority comes from the full Council. It does not rest with any one individual. So the Council can spell out what he can or cannot do. They can say that the post of "Fide delegate", if there is even such a thing is only to answer emails from Fide, to keep the Council informed and that is all. That the technical Chair just gives technical input for the best tie breaks for any particular type of tournament and that is all.

So is it really Peter's fault after all? Ok, maybe a lot. But the big question is why is the whole Council powerless to prevent him usurping all the power and authority?

Do think about this MCF. I did try to explain this to a Council member. I tried to also explain why Peter cannot block anyone who wants to register their chess clubs in KL. It's all in the rules of COS including the appeal procedure.

And he told me not to teach MCF how to suck sweets. Then why ask me? Or is it possible that you guys need to learn how to suck sweets?

Or maybe you are just too afraid to take responsibility and looking for a scapegoat?

Just wondering out loud.

What we would like to see in the new MCF.

The AGM for all intents and purposes is over. The new Council of MCF has been tacitly accepted by the vast majority of the chess community. So what is the problem today?

The new Council need to recognise that they are there because of the deep displeasure within the chess community with the way things were run in the previous Council. This was very apparent from the voting during the AGM.

In the past all sorts of abuses ran unchecked and Malaysian chess was in deep decline as we have now seen so clearly from the Malaysian Masters. So we would like to see the new MCF take positive action to turn things around. In the past legitimate grievances were left unheard and problems allowed to fester till the rot set in.

I keep hearing that Peter is causing a lot of problems within MCF and the other Council members don't know how to deal with him. This is the type of indecisiveness that have kept us stagnant for so many years. Energy fretted away talking about taking action but nothing gets done. Energy misspent on trying to silence the voices that try to surface the problems so that it can be solved.

So get the issues solved. I feel some of the current issues can be solved if someone just takes the lead and sit down with the people with the problems. Just talk sincerely and without threats. Try it.

And get rid of the source of the problems within MCF. You just can't allow one man to attack everyone and try to stop any progress and private initiatives in KL and not expect more and more protests. That is not possible. And it will get much worse when he now tries to do that on a National scale.

I did try to tell you, didn't I, before the AGM? Go back and read again what I said during the run up. Did it not turn out as I said it would?

So get it right MCF. Do your job of governing the chess community in a fair, just and transparent way. That is all. And we will see Malaysian chess soar. We have the talent, we have the resources. So let us just end the bad practices and move on. Can you do it? Well you were elected in to do just that job.

We have seen in Aron Teh what 2 years of a proper training program instead of PR campaigns and back doors can do. We can see what a healthy competitive environment instead of trying to ban players stronger than the ones you can produce can do. We can see how 2 years of doing things properly trumps 30 plus years of rubbish. So we know the way. Now all we need now is the resolve to get there. So just get it done MCF.

A commentary on the final result of the Malaysian Masters and sucking sweets.

Ref: Here.

First off I would like to say that it was in very bad taste to put up the final ranking assuming that Aron had lost while the game was still in play.

And so we see a previously 1900 in May becoming second in the Malaysian Masters. What does this say about how he is trained in China versus how our players are training? Ref: Here. When we first met Aron in 2011 he was around 1800.

What does this also tell us about the ratings of some of our senior players? What is the rating of the bottom player? The one that keeps knocking our Juniors as they struggled to fight in the new chess world and saying that they are all washed out.

And finally what does it say of our selection criteria? Can you now see that there were much more deserving players that should have been there instead of Jimmy? Ref: Here.

Now I would like to present you with a question. How is it that a non chess player like myself can see all this years ago when the so called "experts" were not able to see it? Did I not say that some of our IM's ratings were not genuine? Did I not say that Li Tian was not the strongest Junior? Did I not try to reason it out here logically? Even if I don't play the game myself, what they were saying just didn't make sense.

Am I smarter than them then? No, I don't think so. I think it is simply because I do not have a hidden agenda. And so I can say things as I see it.

So we need MCF to carefully examine how we are setting our direction. MCF may also need to recognise the very real possibility that they do not know how to suck sweets after all. This is the problem. Here. Please deal with it. You wanted the national office. You wanted the posts. So now you have the authority and the responsibility. Stop shifting the blame and get your act together. But first of all please remove Peter from office. He was appointed. Un-appoint him

Let him go back into private business, as an organiser or as a trainer it doesn't matter. The market will deal with him. But first remove his poison from MCF. Also please look into KLCA. Is it really a State Association? You are MCF with the authority and responsibility to right the wrongs. All the rest of us can do is to try and highlight the problems to you. So don't just keep trying to shoot the messenger. Learn how to suck sweets.

Results of Malaysian Masters.

Details here.

I hope this result will show conclusively who knows something about chess and who are just empty vessels trying to put others down. I sure hope Peter has nothing to do with the training of our Malaysian senior squad. Unless he wows us all at the Malaysian chess Festival of course. But what do you think are the odds of that happening? However do read this again. Here.

ps: hmmmm, what happened in the last round between Aron and Ronnie?

Looks like they are still playing but R9 ranking is out.  :)

Some comments on Peter's comments.

Ref: Here.

Hi Peter,

I wonder if Tiviakov or Jimmy is older? I also wonder why is it that you seem totally incapable of an honest comment? Isn't Jimmy just another victim of too many back doors for National representation? Isn't it also true that both him and you are just totally out of touch with today's chess?

Both you and Jimmy slammed all our Juniors recently while promoting Li Tian and now you just talk like nothing happened. So what do you guys really know about chess? Stop making excuses Peter and start doing things the proper way. So are you going to turn up at the Malaysian Chess Festival in the Standard Open category or are you still going to hide behind other people and young boys and girls?

Who did you actually train Peter? Just because a few of our young players have mistakenly gone under you or were influenced by you for a short spell does not mean that you brought them up. Those are 2 very different things.

You are so good at putting others down Peter. So Man up and show us that you can still play chess and know what you are talking about. Ref: Here. Play at the Malaysian Chess Festival. Whatever you say, at least Jimmy went back to the table. What is your saving grace? Or are you just too fear ridden?

There is only one real problem in MCF, just ONE.

Ref: Here.

Lets take this example for instance. Here. Lets look at the faulty selection criteria, lets look at the back doors. Lets look at why the training by a GM was attacked. Lets look at why the Thematics was sabotaged.

As I said, I have been hearing a lot of stories recently about what is going on in MCF. Let me tell you some of it here. There is complaint that KLCA/Peter is trying to block the formation of chess clubs in the KL area.  There is complaint that that new rules about national rating is being used to control private organisers unfairly.

Go back and think about all the complaints in the past about MCF. The PR campaigns to select National players etc etc.

There is only one cause isn't there? Just one. MCF/State Associations is supposed to govern. To promote the sport as WELL as to provide a conducive and fair environment for all within the chess community. And that also includes the PRIVATE ORGANISERS.

So what is that one problem? Isn't it the root cause that trainers, organisers etc, have gone into the Associations to use their power to curb competition? And if you look deeper, which type of trainers and organisers? Are they not the ones that cannot do well in open competition and on a level playing field?

Look back. All our major problems come from this one area. They cannot train and so they need the PR campaigns, the "fixed" tournaments. They need to prop up weak players to lend themselves some semblance of legitimacy. They need to attack strong organisers so that their weak events is not shown up as failures.

All we need to do to progress is to stop these weak people from using the power vested in MCF to attack their competitors. If they want to succeed too then they must also learn how to train the correct way, how to organise events that gets support. They must not allowed to ban/sabotage those that are doing the heavy lifting, doing it the right way.

Think about it. How can it be that people with no ideas on how to improve be given the power to stop all good initiatives? Isn't that why we have not only stalled but moving backwards?

Actually, as I have explained to a MCF Council member, all the rules have been laid out by COS. You can even rewrite the Constitution to put in better guidelines subject to COS approval. No single member of the Council has more power then what is given by the full Council.

So we know the problem don't we?

The big big big quesion is why are the Council members not using the rule book to bring those errant people in line? Why need an EGM as is now being discussed? Even the President only has casting vote. I have even contended that elected Council Members have more authority then appointed one. The authority of elected members come from the States. Appointed ones are only functionary to serve a job on behalf of the elected Council and have only powers circumscribed by the Council.

The solution in my mind is simple. It is all there in the rule book, the Constitution. The possible complication that may arise is just because the people that want other people removed so that they now become in charge instead of the other. But that will also not be rule based if the rule book is not used right? Isn't that why none of the rules have been used? Examine yourselves and your real intent (niat) carefully my friends.

Are you really for the development of Malaysian Chess or do you really just want to be the next Peter Long? Are you afraid to use the rule book because once the rules are established then nobody can ever be Peter Long again?

Is that why you got angry with me when I told you this?

Thank you for your time in discussing this topic with me.