Marina's article: Are there points here we want to consider in our chess community too?

Here.

Marina on building bridges.

Ref: Here.

We can only build bridges if we have general agreement on important issues. Then we can sit down to trash out the details by trying to understand each other's perspective better to bridge the divide.

We cannot build bridges if the other party says that Malaysian chess is doing very very well and is completely impervious to overwhelming evidence to the contrary. There is no bridge for communication.

We cannot build bridges if we keep shouting other opinions down and keep using intimidation as a tool. We cannot build bridges if you have no solutions to an unacceptable situation but no one else is allowed to say anything contrary to your "truths".

And we cannot build bridges if you have hidden agendas.

For bridges can be built only if trust is also simultaneously developed.

Post by Marina.

Ref: Here.

In one decision to take away competition from chess for players going to the Olympiad 2012, we have condemned Malaysian Chess to the wilderness. See what years of back doors have done to Jimmy. Once he was a player who could and dared to compete. Now he is just a shadow, the product of our system. Now he needs to try to look like a gangster and hope he may trick a few players into thinking he is a ferrari. Sad. And then we apply the same formula to Li Tian, number 4, at NC2012 and hope he becomes just like Jimmy.

The power of the mind.

Here. What more since we are a mental sport.

Cycle of abuse by Marina Mahathir.

Here.

I wrote about how to unmake the bully in you. Here.  Marina's article shows how bullies are created in the first place. So I hope you will reflect on the 2 articles and then look again at our own chess environment. We have extremely talented kids and they will enter the mainstream of Malaysian society at some point in positions of influence. Whether they will become part of the solution of bringing Malaysia forward or become part of the problem that we are now seeing will depend very much on whether we nurture them or we abuse them.

Note: We cannot protect them all their lives but we need to ensure that they are equipped to handle themselves; learn how to solve problems and how to get real results when they are still young. The way we are doing things now breaks them before they are ready and creates the next generation of bullies.

This is not about putting anyone down. All we are asking for is responsibility by the governing bodies of chess to putting in proper guidelines and rules.

Painting the right picture- Marina Mahathir

Here.

Without the right picture we will be looking for the wrong solutions. If we believe their lies that our kids are all washed out by 15, we will be looking for the wrong solutions. If we believe that Greg and friends own MCF and can use the money to benefit themselves exclusively, we cannot see the solution in front of us.

If we believe that we only deserve one place in the Olympiad and surrender 4 places to the "selection committee" of MCF, that is also the wrong picture. That will mean we believe our contributions which support the whole system means nothing and that the people who are making a living from our money is more important than us and our children. Isn't that obviously the wrong picture?

Think on it. It's the same as chess. If you have the wrong picture, you will use the wrong plan.


Read this again. Here.

PM says to seize opportunities.

Ref: Here.

And this is what we can learn from chess. Here. A big part of doing business globally is understanding competitor analysis. And you get a big head start in this from understanding tournament strategy. Tomorrow I will explain further why criteria for the Olympiads is important and why MCF is failing us by not putting the criteria out early. See you tomorrow.