February 7, 2011, UOPX Writer Network /University of Phoenix, College of Humanities
Creativity is emerging as the premier signifier of a successful career. It takes those key attributes of improvisation, lateral thinking, pattern recognition and innovation to navigate in a global job market that is constantly updating itself. In a world where any fact or idea can be instantly Googled, the leaders are those who can observe or assemble those facts in new ways.
Rigor and routine
Although there are definitely differences in our innate capacity for creativity, there are many ways that any creative spirit can be encouraged and nurtured. A home and school setting with clear routines and expectations is surprisingly important. A structured life might seem antithetical to creativity, but it is like the mental monkey bars (playground equipment for children to swing on) we need in order to swing and play. When a child can rely on eating, sleeping and having adult attention at regular and predictable intervals, their minds are free to wander and wonder. This structure should be the norm, but plenty of variation should also be present, and children must have the ability to negotiate changes to the way their lives are run.
Be alert, not authoritarian
Paying attention to children is not a new idea, but constantly telling them what to do and how to do it reduces their creative drive to try out their own ideas. Letting a child lead a conversation or direct imaginative play is crucial to finding clues about what will engage and inspire this particular individual. Every parent can relate to being surprised by what their child can do; the key is to reflect on the abilities and interests this child is showing. What is suggested by a love of, for example, taking the batteries out of the remote control at age 3? Introducing fine motor-skill-building toys like LEGOs® or taking day trips to military or industrial museums may help narrow down a domain of interest. This is particularly important when the child's area of skill differs drastically from that of a parent.
Embrace failure
Failure is an event, not a person, and having things turn out differently from expected can spark a whole new way of looking at a situation. Encouraging kids to take an experimental attitude to life will give them the chance to learn from mistakes without feeling shame or disappointment. A failure provides as much or more information than a success. Sometimes creativity emerges in an unexpected or shocking manner that does not at first glance appear to indicate creativity, but rather defiance or disobedience. Once any safety issues are handled, asking the child what he or she was trying to achieve and discussing what went wrong is the most helpful response. Adult interest and guidance helps build children's confidence and faith in their own judgment. Cause and effect is the best teacher.
Model and mirror
Kids learn from the adults in their lives, whether we want them to or not. Parents, teachers, relatives and friends provide role models, increasing children's ideas of what is possible in their own future. It is critical to model the attributes of a creative person, letting go of ideas about how things “have” to be or what “they” will say. We all benefit from learning to listen to our inner urgings, having faith in our own ideas and making a success from what looks like a failure. Similarly, we all need feedback when something is not working and praise when we have done well. Taking the time to make feedback specific and positive, while acknowledging any uncomfortable results, is a valuable investment in a child's creativity and self-concept.
Showing posts with label Sometimes it takes a kid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sometimes it takes a kid. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Is this possible?
I have seen this many times but mostly with the National Juniors. When Syakir won against Mark in the last National Junior, we sincerely congratulated him. When Zhuo Ren became the National Junior Champion, we celebrated with him. Although fierce competitors on the board they shared of their knowledge when off the board. I think the reasoning is like this. We share so that we all learn together. Iron sharpen iron.
This increases the competition till one of us makes GM. It's still a long climb and there are no secrets at this level. They study each others games and improve together.
Is this a better way than the way a few anonymous bloggers and one known blogger have shown us? Tearing down, sabotage, lies, slander etc.
Which is the better way that will take us further? Which is the culture that we want? They have shown their ugliness. And they want that culture in our chess community. It's all in the open now. We need to choose because we will not accidentally get the better culture. For the ugly culture to take over, all we have to do is close one eye.
ps:
This increases the competition till one of us makes GM. It's still a long climb and there are no secrets at this level. They study each others games and improve together.
Is this a better way than the way a few anonymous bloggers and one known blogger have shown us? Tearing down, sabotage, lies, slander etc.
Which is the better way that will take us further? Which is the culture that we want? They have shown their ugliness. And they want that culture in our chess community. It's all in the open now. We need to choose because we will not accidentally get the better culture. For the ugly culture to take over, all we have to do is close one eye.
ps:
Monday, January 17, 2011
Rhetorical question
I asked a rhetorical question in my last posting. Yes, the poisonous snakes are out and they are regrouping. Now we see them banding together. Jimmy, Irrationality and Chess Ninja. That is good. They are all in one place.
Their tools of trade are lies, innuendos, belligerence etc. etc. It is sad perhaps to see our first IM sunk to such depths. A terrible casualty of the sick culture that had enveloped Malaysian Chess for such a long time.
But do we have to do something about it? That is the million dollar question isnt it? If we want to see improvement, see our first GM, see more success in our chess. A friend of mine told me to ignore them, dont even go to their blogs. I dont really agree.
Actually I think they are in chess for a purpose. And the purpose is for us to observe and learn how their lies work. It is not good to adopt the stand of seeing no evil; for it exists. And it exists for us to know what is good.
Let me share a technique I use. Open up your feelings. Dont be scared to feel. Feelings are a good radar for what is going on in the world. Go to their sites. Take note of the feelings that emanate from them. They use words and lies to confuse. What do your feelings tell you about them?
I dont think we should intervene or try to "fix" them. That is their method. If we use those methods too we will eventually become just like them. It is enough to just recognise them for who they truly are. For they have a right to exist too.
I do make an exception though. I do intervene when the children are at stake. They are not ready to deal with the poison yet. But eventually they too will have to grow up and face the world. So use this to help them recognise the lies so they can choose to be different.
But lets also not be distracted from what needs to be done. And that is to build a positive and supportive culture so that chess may thrive in Malaysia. They want to sap our energy. Dont let them.
ps: I have begun to delete those comments that ask the same questions over and over again. I think the purpose of allowing negative postings have been achieved. Thank you for participating.
Their tools of trade are lies, innuendos, belligerence etc. etc. It is sad perhaps to see our first IM sunk to such depths. A terrible casualty of the sick culture that had enveloped Malaysian Chess for such a long time.
But do we have to do something about it? That is the million dollar question isnt it? If we want to see improvement, see our first GM, see more success in our chess. A friend of mine told me to ignore them, dont even go to their blogs. I dont really agree.
Actually I think they are in chess for a purpose. And the purpose is for us to observe and learn how their lies work. It is not good to adopt the stand of seeing no evil; for it exists. And it exists for us to know what is good.
Let me share a technique I use. Open up your feelings. Dont be scared to feel. Feelings are a good radar for what is going on in the world. Go to their sites. Take note of the feelings that emanate from them. They use words and lies to confuse. What do your feelings tell you about them?
I dont think we should intervene or try to "fix" them. That is their method. If we use those methods too we will eventually become just like them. It is enough to just recognise them for who they truly are. For they have a right to exist too.
I do make an exception though. I do intervene when the children are at stake. They are not ready to deal with the poison yet. But eventually they too will have to grow up and face the world. So use this to help them recognise the lies so they can choose to be different.
But lets also not be distracted from what needs to be done. And that is to build a positive and supportive culture so that chess may thrive in Malaysia. They want to sap our energy. Dont let them.
ps: I have begun to delete those comments that ask the same questions over and over again. I think the purpose of allowing negative postings have been achieved. Thank you for participating.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Sharing knowledge- It is already happening
Slightly over 2 years ago Sumant came to stay in my house and he helped Mark improve his game for nearly a week. He helped Mark change from a d4 to an e4 player and he gave us a lot of resources. After that Lim Zhuo Ren helped Mark to understand preparation by showing him how to prepare a line against an opponent. During Asean and at the Singapore Open as well as Mal/Sing Edward Lee continued to share with Mark and together developing deeper understanding of openings and strategy.
Many other juniors have shared with one another. Jianwen, Jun Jiang, Tarik, Kaushal, Roshan etc.
And during Mal/Sing Mark and Afiq Afyfy shared from their understanding of modern. And Mark helped Sumant prepare a line for his next round opponent.
Currently it is not formalised and is ad hoc but I think there is a lot of power in these exchanges. Lets consider the scenario of the juniors. First, they are no Kasparov so in reality they have no real "secrets".
Second, they have no one else to help them since there is no return of knowledge from the seniors. Knowledge gained in part from the sponsorship of the Malaysian public. So the juniors only have themselves. If they share then others will share with them too. Together their standard will rise and give each other tougher and tougher fights. By doing so they are in a way also forcing themselves to improve.
Think about it. What is the alternative for them? If we formalise this then what I will do is to put up the names of each and every senior they will have to fight. We will look at their games over the years. I will ask every junior there to share of their experience if they have played against any of the seniors before. I will ask for their evaluation and conclusions drawn from the games. I will then ask for feedback from the other players. We will examine if the evaluations/conclusions are valid or not. We will then discuss alternative ideas generated by the group.
And then we will prepare. Each preparation based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.
And then they will continue to share as they develop their weapons. And at the end of the 5 days they will emerge and give the seniors a fight for the money. How about it? Would this be a tournament you would like to see?
Many other juniors have shared with one another. Jianwen, Jun Jiang, Tarik, Kaushal, Roshan etc.
And during Mal/Sing Mark and Afiq Afyfy shared from their understanding of modern. And Mark helped Sumant prepare a line for his next round opponent.
Currently it is not formalised and is ad hoc but I think there is a lot of power in these exchanges. Lets consider the scenario of the juniors. First, they are no Kasparov so in reality they have no real "secrets".
Second, they have no one else to help them since there is no return of knowledge from the seniors. Knowledge gained in part from the sponsorship of the Malaysian public. So the juniors only have themselves. If they share then others will share with them too. Together their standard will rise and give each other tougher and tougher fights. By doing so they are in a way also forcing themselves to improve.
Think about it. What is the alternative for them? If we formalise this then what I will do is to put up the names of each and every senior they will have to fight. We will look at their games over the years. I will ask every junior there to share of their experience if they have played against any of the seniors before. I will ask for their evaluation and conclusions drawn from the games. I will then ask for feedback from the other players. We will examine if the evaluations/conclusions are valid or not. We will then discuss alternative ideas generated by the group.
And then we will prepare. Each preparation based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.
And then they will continue to share as they develop their weapons. And at the end of the 5 days they will emerge and give the seniors a fight for the money. How about it? Would this be a tournament you would like to see?
Another view of Senior vs Junior
Read here.
Dear Ilham
Thank you for sharing your views with us. I believe more civil discourse is the way forward for Malysian chess. I see we are roughly in half agreement. That is good for a start. :)
Let me try to explain further the half that we are still not jelling and see if we can have a new meeting point.
With reference to point:
1. This idea was brought to my attention by Azhar as we were travelling to Singapore.
2. I agree.
3. I think more respect can be earned by the fight. Let me give you an example. In the first round (maybe second) of Singapore Open, Mark was paired against IM Girinath of India. Mark lost but I later saw Girinath at the bus stand. After learning that Mark was my son, he told me that Mark fought well. Players know if we are fighting or not. That to me was more important than the loss. And it is accorded more respect than if the player had gone down tamely. I'd like to see a Malaysian team of fighters rather than high rating without fight.
4. Personally I would only like to see one Senior and the rest Juniors if the stories of what happened in the last Olympiad is true. The purpose of that senior is only to guide the juniors as a playing Captain. From what I know, Mas could be that person. I too think he may have lost his fire but as far as I know he is not toxic. Maybe by leading a team of fighting Juniors he too may find the fire again. I know that they do that for me. The Juniors may be scared but their spirit is not defeated. There is a difference.
5. Here you are looking from the perspective of the individuals. I think its a different picture if we see it from the perspective of what is best for the Country and development. If it is true there is no more fire in the Seniors except empty belligerence but cannot play fighting chess on the table then they are no longer playing a role. So I'd rather see a promising junior player get the exposure which will give us a better chance for future success. Remember that the next Olympiad is 2012. There is still time for the Juniors to improve further.
6. The stories are of them going and wanting to sell books, looking for business opportunities and the handphone ringing. I mentioned throwing a game. If you read that paragraph in context, the ringing handphone lead to a loss of a game without a fight. Thus in that context the game was thrown. I dont know how this statement was twisted out of all proportion. From the feedback I have received it seems only Jimmy and Irrationality and a few more of their ilk see it that way.
Anyway the truth of the matter is known only to the seniors themselves and to those who were there to observe. All the same it is a painful thing for parents to hear about since they finance almost all the other International Tournaments.
Also the point is that it could be the seniors are already demoralised and if that is so then this suggestion has merit. This is chess and not boxing but fighting spirit is just as important.
7. You bring up a good point here and I'm sure it will lead to great debate. Would we move forward better and faster if we learn to share than if we were to keep our "secrets"? Look at it this way. From a National perspective, we are stuck. We have no secrets that the great chess playing nations dont know. Even amongst our closest neighbours. If our aim is to remain Jaguh Kampong, then not sharing makes sense. If not then we have to risk sharing. Then everyone will raise the standard a notch. That will make competition in Malaysia stiffer. Then we will do better in the International arena.
Let me give you a concrete example here. For the National Junior the strategy I devised with Mark was to find the lines that forces his opponents to play a middle game. Or to find the line that can only be simplified to a losing end game for the opponent. My observation is that our Juniors are not strong in middle game. And we only trained our middle game for that tournament. We didnt have much time as it was directly after SPM. I shared this idea with the parents present there at the National Junior. Our aim was not to win the title. Our aim was to learn more about chess. With this simple strategy now known by the parents and now here on this blog, we expect to have stronger fights in the middle game from now onwards. This makes everyone stronger in Malaysia. The aim is to do well, stand tall in International tournaments. Does this make any sense?
Actually in training, we learn alot more from our peers. This is well known amongst trainers. The juniors do not need spoon feeding. They need guidance. I remain confident that if they share with one another then they will see how to take down stronger players. The knowledge is already in them. All we need to do is to make them understand strategy better and do the necessary work.
8. The challenge makes sense if the seniors are no longer fighting. Anyway there is a very simple way to kill off this challenge. Convincingly trash the juniors and convincingly show us fighting chess in International Tournaments. Btw, there was another parent present too that agreed with this suggestion by Azhar. I too agree with Azhar. I think many others too agree with Azhar. This is not only about the Seniors and the Juniors. This is also about the financiers of International Tournaments. We want to see our players fighting.
Incidentally, I met up with Greg as well when I was in KL. I believe he also sees some of our points. If more of us voice up our dissapointments then maybe we will see some changes. If we keep making excuses for dissapointing results we wont go far.
I hope we are now a little closer in understanding.
All my best to you Ilham in life and in your chess. I respect your views but these are mine.
ps: Ultimately this is an MCF decision. All we can do is to express our opinions and MCF will have to weigh the merits and if they are in agreement, come up with the structure. We saw an excellent example with Najib who was responsive to suggestions with merit. I hope MCF can show the same type of leadership by example.
Dear Ilham
Thank you for sharing your views with us. I believe more civil discourse is the way forward for Malysian chess. I see we are roughly in half agreement. That is good for a start. :)
Let me try to explain further the half that we are still not jelling and see if we can have a new meeting point.
With reference to point:
1. This idea was brought to my attention by Azhar as we were travelling to Singapore.
2. I agree.
3. I think more respect can be earned by the fight. Let me give you an example. In the first round (maybe second) of Singapore Open, Mark was paired against IM Girinath of India. Mark lost but I later saw Girinath at the bus stand. After learning that Mark was my son, he told me that Mark fought well. Players know if we are fighting or not. That to me was more important than the loss. And it is accorded more respect than if the player had gone down tamely. I'd like to see a Malaysian team of fighters rather than high rating without fight.
4. Personally I would only like to see one Senior and the rest Juniors if the stories of what happened in the last Olympiad is true. The purpose of that senior is only to guide the juniors as a playing Captain. From what I know, Mas could be that person. I too think he may have lost his fire but as far as I know he is not toxic. Maybe by leading a team of fighting Juniors he too may find the fire again. I know that they do that for me. The Juniors may be scared but their spirit is not defeated. There is a difference.
5. Here you are looking from the perspective of the individuals. I think its a different picture if we see it from the perspective of what is best for the Country and development. If it is true there is no more fire in the Seniors except empty belligerence but cannot play fighting chess on the table then they are no longer playing a role. So I'd rather see a promising junior player get the exposure which will give us a better chance for future success. Remember that the next Olympiad is 2012. There is still time for the Juniors to improve further.
6. The stories are of them going and wanting to sell books, looking for business opportunities and the handphone ringing. I mentioned throwing a game. If you read that paragraph in context, the ringing handphone lead to a loss of a game without a fight. Thus in that context the game was thrown. I dont know how this statement was twisted out of all proportion. From the feedback I have received it seems only Jimmy and Irrationality and a few more of their ilk see it that way.
Anyway the truth of the matter is known only to the seniors themselves and to those who were there to observe. All the same it is a painful thing for parents to hear about since they finance almost all the other International Tournaments.
Also the point is that it could be the seniors are already demoralised and if that is so then this suggestion has merit. This is chess and not boxing but fighting spirit is just as important.
7. You bring up a good point here and I'm sure it will lead to great debate. Would we move forward better and faster if we learn to share than if we were to keep our "secrets"? Look at it this way. From a National perspective, we are stuck. We have no secrets that the great chess playing nations dont know. Even amongst our closest neighbours. If our aim is to remain Jaguh Kampong, then not sharing makes sense. If not then we have to risk sharing. Then everyone will raise the standard a notch. That will make competition in Malaysia stiffer. Then we will do better in the International arena.
Let me give you a concrete example here. For the National Junior the strategy I devised with Mark was to find the lines that forces his opponents to play a middle game. Or to find the line that can only be simplified to a losing end game for the opponent. My observation is that our Juniors are not strong in middle game. And we only trained our middle game for that tournament. We didnt have much time as it was directly after SPM. I shared this idea with the parents present there at the National Junior. Our aim was not to win the title. Our aim was to learn more about chess. With this simple strategy now known by the parents and now here on this blog, we expect to have stronger fights in the middle game from now onwards. This makes everyone stronger in Malaysia. The aim is to do well, stand tall in International tournaments. Does this make any sense?
Actually in training, we learn alot more from our peers. This is well known amongst trainers. The juniors do not need spoon feeding. They need guidance. I remain confident that if they share with one another then they will see how to take down stronger players. The knowledge is already in them. All we need to do is to make them understand strategy better and do the necessary work.
8. The challenge makes sense if the seniors are no longer fighting. Anyway there is a very simple way to kill off this challenge. Convincingly trash the juniors and convincingly show us fighting chess in International Tournaments. Btw, there was another parent present too that agreed with this suggestion by Azhar. I too agree with Azhar. I think many others too agree with Azhar. This is not only about the Seniors and the Juniors. This is also about the financiers of International Tournaments. We want to see our players fighting.
Incidentally, I met up with Greg as well when I was in KL. I believe he also sees some of our points. If more of us voice up our dissapointments then maybe we will see some changes. If we keep making excuses for dissapointing results we wont go far.
I hope we are now a little closer in understanding.
All my best to you Ilham in life and in your chess. I respect your views but these are mine.
ps: Ultimately this is an MCF decision. All we can do is to express our opinions and MCF will have to weigh the merits and if they are in agreement, come up with the structure. We saw an excellent example with Najib who was responsive to suggestions with merit. I hope MCF can show the same type of leadership by example.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Words that heal
I like the message here.
What amazes me is the number of hateful people in our chess community. They can take a paragraph about the heartache that parents feel towards the stories floating around and spin it to try to start a hate campaign rather than looking at the issues. What a waste of energy and time. And how irresponsible.
This to me is a reminder of how chess can be used to damage rather than build. What happened to these people? How did they get so hateful? Just what is it about giving the juniors a chance that is so frightening to them? All we are asking for is a chance for the juniors to compete for the places. Could it be that they fear that the seniors may actually lose?
The stories mentioned is the talk of the chess community. I did not say anything that isnt already talked about in almost every congregation of chess players, parents and officials.
There is an important lesson here though. Lets be very careful that the next generation of chess players do not end up like them. It may be too late for them. I hope not but they may already be beyond the reach of reason.
Look at it this way. If the juniors are now frustrated by unreasonable roadblocks that are put up by people like this, then does that increase the possibility of the creation of a new generation of bitter people? This makes it even more important that they do not get their way. We need to break the circle of failure and abuse to build a new future.
What amazes me is the number of hateful people in our chess community. They can take a paragraph about the heartache that parents feel towards the stories floating around and spin it to try to start a hate campaign rather than looking at the issues. What a waste of energy and time. And how irresponsible.
This to me is a reminder of how chess can be used to damage rather than build. What happened to these people? How did they get so hateful? Just what is it about giving the juniors a chance that is so frightening to them? All we are asking for is a chance for the juniors to compete for the places. Could it be that they fear that the seniors may actually lose?
The stories mentioned is the talk of the chess community. I did not say anything that isnt already talked about in almost every congregation of chess players, parents and officials.
There is an important lesson here though. Lets be very careful that the next generation of chess players do not end up like them. It may be too late for them. I hope not but they may already be beyond the reach of reason.
Look at it this way. If the juniors are now frustrated by unreasonable roadblocks that are put up by people like this, then does that increase the possibility of the creation of a new generation of bitter people? This makes it even more important that they do not get their way. We need to break the circle of failure and abuse to build a new future.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Role model
Just got back. I see some interesting comments on the shout boxes. Have some news but will save it for later.
Anyway, its a question of role models. If the seniors are fighting their hearts out, I will say to Mark and the other juniors; this is what you want to aspire to. Work hard. You have to earn your stripes too so you can join their ranks.
But if the stories are true.....Do go back to that posting on what I actually said about them; there seems to be many many versions....So I say again... But if the stories are true, then the juniors deserve the slots. Here.
I will now say to the Juniors (if the stories of the seniors are true of course). Dont become jaded. Dont lose your fire. When you fight for your Country, you must fight with pride and dignity. You must give your best.
So are the seniors good role models for the juniors? That is the question isnt it?
Anyway, its a question of role models. If the seniors are fighting their hearts out, I will say to Mark and the other juniors; this is what you want to aspire to. Work hard. You have to earn your stripes too so you can join their ranks.
But if the stories are true.....Do go back to that posting on what I actually said about them; there seems to be many many versions....So I say again... But if the stories are true, then the juniors deserve the slots. Here.
I will now say to the Juniors (if the stories of the seniors are true of course). Dont become jaded. Dont lose your fire. When you fight for your Country, you must fight with pride and dignity. You must give your best.
So are the seniors good role models for the juniors? That is the question isnt it?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
New Year Quote
A New Year. What do we make of it? “For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.”
From Little Gidding II by TS Eliot.
"Habitual thought, and not environment or circumstance, has made you what you are."
(Wattles)
From Little Gidding II by TS Eliot.
"Habitual thought, and not environment or circumstance, has made you what you are."
(Wattles)
Friday, January 7, 2011
No such thing as a strong team
In a players meeting during Mal/Singapore a veteran announced that there is no such thing as a strong team only strong players when he proposed a player to play in the match. I think this is a very dangerous misconception and probably one that has kept us from moving forward.
Let us look at this statement in greater depth. Superficially there appears to be some truth in it. Chess is an individual game. It is fought one board at a time. But does team morale matter? Does it matter if a non playing team member cheer you on when you are up against a tough opponent? OK, these are psychological questions.
A "strong" chess player's mind is like a castle...no negative thoughts can penetrate this well fortified mind. I think that is his point. What does the evidence show you? Think of the "strong" players we have. Does this statement reflect on the evidence?
And then what about when your team mate helps you prepare a special line for your next round opponent. When they want to share because they feel included. They may have specific knowledge about the opponent you are going up against. Does this tip the balance?
There are so many other examples to show that this statement holds no water and yet the fallacy has stayed for so long. Deeply entrenched excuses that have kept us back for so many years. Bad demoralising behavior by officials, coaches and even sponsors explained away with this statement.
The morale of the team is important. I hope we will take note of what happened at Mal/Singapore and get rid of this terrible excuse once and for all.
I believe the sharing culture of our Juniors (if they can keep it up) will trump the island mentality of the Seniors. Lets put it to the test.
Let us look at this statement in greater depth. Superficially there appears to be some truth in it. Chess is an individual game. It is fought one board at a time. But does team morale matter? Does it matter if a non playing team member cheer you on when you are up against a tough opponent? OK, these are psychological questions.
A "strong" chess player's mind is like a castle...no negative thoughts can penetrate this well fortified mind. I think that is his point. What does the evidence show you? Think of the "strong" players we have. Does this statement reflect on the evidence?
And then what about when your team mate helps you prepare a special line for your next round opponent. When they want to share because they feel included. They may have specific knowledge about the opponent you are going up against. Does this tip the balance?
There are so many other examples to show that this statement holds no water and yet the fallacy has stayed for so long. Deeply entrenched excuses that have kept us back for so many years. Bad demoralising behavior by officials, coaches and even sponsors explained away with this statement.
The morale of the team is important. I hope we will take note of what happened at Mal/Singapore and get rid of this terrible excuse once and for all.
I believe the sharing culture of our Juniors (if they can keep it up) will trump the island mentality of the Seniors. Lets put it to the test.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Mal/Singapore- The story
Just got back this morning from Singapore by night train. We travelled home with most of the contingent. For me that train ride was the highlight of the entire event. I saw such a powerful spirit in our National Juniors. The joy of victory after so long was intoxicating. The players were buzzing with revived bonhomie. It was an amazing sight to behold. To me they displayed to us last night what Malaysia truly can be.
I was watching our kids with a Malay parent and I asked him if it wasnt a heartwarming sight. He turned and said to me that this is the spirit we must preserve and he also warned that it can so easily be lost. I agree with him.
What a difference from Friday night, when we were trailing badly and the talk around camp was that we cannot defeat Singapore. They are too strong and we are too far behind. In the last Mal/Singapore, we were ahead and they pipped us by a half point on our home ground. What more when we are playing away?
Here I must tell you about the heroic battle of parents, players and officials to try to hold the line; to keep our boys and girls from turning negative. Parents counselled other parents, counselled their kids. Players encouraged other players, helping each other prepare, sharing knowledge. Many pulled together to try to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat. And in the end, the line held. Each doing their part. Our kids did us proud on the final day. They gave it their all, they fought their hearts out.
Well we did have a couple of negative incidences but on the whole the spirit of Malaysia boleh won the day. The spirit of Malaysia boleh won this one day; the day of the 1st of January 2011. The net result is we have our first victory over Singapore after 10 long years. I hope we have many more such days to come.
I was watching our kids with a Malay parent and I asked him if it wasnt a heartwarming sight. He turned and said to me that this is the spirit we must preserve and he also warned that it can so easily be lost. I agree with him.
What a difference from Friday night, when we were trailing badly and the talk around camp was that we cannot defeat Singapore. They are too strong and we are too far behind. In the last Mal/Singapore, we were ahead and they pipped us by a half point on our home ground. What more when we are playing away?
Here I must tell you about the heroic battle of parents, players and officials to try to hold the line; to keep our boys and girls from turning negative. Parents counselled other parents, counselled their kids. Players encouraged other players, helping each other prepare, sharing knowledge. Many pulled together to try to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat. And in the end, the line held. Each doing their part. Our kids did us proud on the final day. They gave it their all, they fought their hearts out.
Well we did have a couple of negative incidences but on the whole the spirit of Malaysia boleh won the day. The spirit of Malaysia boleh won this one day; the day of the 1st of January 2011. The net result is we have our first victory over Singapore after 10 long years. I hope we have many more such days to come.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Holiday quote
Yes, there is Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a
green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.
-- Kahlil Gibran
green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.
-- Kahlil Gibran
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Role models
I find our National Juniors an amazing bunch of kids. They share knowledge freely among themselves. Even during SPM they are online helping one another do better in their exams.
This positive attitude speaks well of them and in my opnion its also why they are the National Juniors in the first place. If we use them as role models then we will go far.
This positive attitude speaks well of them and in my opnion its also why they are the National Juniors in the first place. If we use them as role models then we will go far.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Musings
Last paper in SPM today. Just paid and signed up for National Junior. So its back to the tournaments. There is something very special about chess competitions which is so hard to explain to people who havent experienced it. That special sense of dignity and integrity that comes from healthy competition.
In this environment I see the possible full potential of what Malaysia can be. It shows what we can do when we apply ourselves to a problem. The seed is there if we can appreciate and nurture it. Look carefully. There are many many positives.
In this environment I see the possible full potential of what Malaysia can be. It shows what we can do when we apply ourselves to a problem. The seed is there if we can appreciate and nurture it. Look carefully. There are many many positives.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Dear Syazrin
In reply to your post. Here.
I wish your tournament every success. Let me first say that I think there is nothing wrong with a Malay, Chinese or Indian tournament if it is all in fun and in healthy competition. Iron sharpen iron and we need more healthy competition to be strong so that we can all stand tall in the International arena.
But let me tell you a story so you can understand my concern. Last year during MSSPK I witnessed this event. In the girls category there was a young chinese girl who badly wanted to be champ as she felt that year would be her last chance. After winning a round she was surrounded by her malay teachers and forced to take a draw. I suspect that they wanted a particular malay girl to be champ. I know all of them for many years. The teachers as well as the young malay and chinese girl both of whom I have seen growing up.
I remember to this day the young chinese girl's tears when she told me about the forced draw. I dont think there were any really bad people here but the need to produce a malay champion seemed to have overtaken better judgement.
My concern is for both the young chinese girl as well as the malay girl who eventually became champ. I fear the young chinese girl would be damaged for a long time and will not play strong chess again. And the really decent malay girl who would have to carry this guilt of having taken something she did not deserve from a friend and fellow competitor. The decision was not in their hands. The young girls did not decide this. In fact my belief is that if they had been given the choice they would have chosen to fight fairly.
I also want to say that I have never witnessed anything like this anywhere else. So I think that in our chess community we still believe in fair and healthy competition. And these cases are still the exception. I am not very political. My concerns are that we give the kids a good culture in chess. So they can learn to believe in themselves and win the right way.
I wish your tournament every success. Let me first say that I think there is nothing wrong with a Malay, Chinese or Indian tournament if it is all in fun and in healthy competition. Iron sharpen iron and we need more healthy competition to be strong so that we can all stand tall in the International arena.
But let me tell you a story so you can understand my concern. Last year during MSSPK I witnessed this event. In the girls category there was a young chinese girl who badly wanted to be champ as she felt that year would be her last chance. After winning a round she was surrounded by her malay teachers and forced to take a draw. I suspect that they wanted a particular malay girl to be champ. I know all of them for many years. The teachers as well as the young malay and chinese girl both of whom I have seen growing up.
I remember to this day the young chinese girl's tears when she told me about the forced draw. I dont think there were any really bad people here but the need to produce a malay champion seemed to have overtaken better judgement.
My concern is for both the young chinese girl as well as the malay girl who eventually became champ. I fear the young chinese girl would be damaged for a long time and will not play strong chess again. And the really decent malay girl who would have to carry this guilt of having taken something she did not deserve from a friend and fellow competitor. The decision was not in their hands. The young girls did not decide this. In fact my belief is that if they had been given the choice they would have chosen to fight fairly.
I also want to say that I have never witnessed anything like this anywhere else. So I think that in our chess community we still believe in fair and healthy competition. And these cases are still the exception. I am not very political. My concerns are that we give the kids a good culture in chess. So they can learn to believe in themselves and win the right way.
Monday, November 22, 2010
What are the right questions?
It doesnt look like we are coming back with medals from Asian despite our boast that Malaysian players can take on International champions. So we feel embarassed and let down. The game that we all love is made a laughing stock yet again. As a community we have spent many years in defeat after defeat. What would it take to see Malaysia as a front runner in an International competition? We have the talent. Our kids have shown us this.
It doesnt have to be this way. I am sure our officials in MCF would like to bring back the medals for us. I am sure we would all want to celebrate a Malaysian victory of note. In this desire we have unity of purpose.
A good start in my opinion is to leave behind our past baggage. Stop pointing the finger and look hard at what we have now. And plan from there.
We need to consider that our officials need to survive too and so we need a model where they can be fairly compensated for their efforts.
We need to aim for one goal that is achievable and we need to start early.
We need to pull together our resources and work as a team.
What else do you think we need? What do you think are the right questions? I will open this post for contructive comments. Please do not use this as an opportunity to attack someone. Lets try this again. We are looking for solutions not more drama. Offensive, out of point comments will be deleted.
It doesnt have to be this way. I am sure our officials in MCF would like to bring back the medals for us. I am sure we would all want to celebrate a Malaysian victory of note. In this desire we have unity of purpose.
A good start in my opinion is to leave behind our past baggage. Stop pointing the finger and look hard at what we have now. And plan from there.
We need to consider that our officials need to survive too and so we need a model where they can be fairly compensated for their efforts.
We need to aim for one goal that is achievable and we need to start early.
We need to pull together our resources and work as a team.
What else do you think we need? What do you think are the right questions? I will open this post for contructive comments. Please do not use this as an opportunity to attack someone. Lets try this again. We are looking for solutions not more drama. Offensive, out of point comments will be deleted.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Our chess community
Chess Ninja is right when he says that we must raise awareness. But the awareness we must raise is not the abuses only. The awareness that also need to be raised is that we are a community.
When I was the coach in Asean, I paired every senior player with a junior. I told them that the success of this outing is also dependent on the weakest amongst us. The kids saw that and I feel proud that they all did their part.
Our struggle to get our community on its feet must not degenerate into character assasination. It needs to be based on issues. That means if Hamid does something right we must defend him. If Greg does something right we must also do the same. This was also my message to PICA. If they want the bad publicity to stop, then do the right thing. Stop the abuses.
But we have a distance yet to travel. Let me tell you a real story. When Mark was still U12, there was another boy who was one year older and at that time a stronger chess player. In many open tournaments they competed. This boy was also the son of a high ranking PICA official who himself is a strong chess player. When Mark was abused by the officials this boy will protect Mark. And they became close friends. But Mark was catching up with the boy. Match fixing was never proven but I remember the boy going up to Mark and telling him that Mark was really the stronger player despite him winning the tournaments. We understood what he meant. The pairings and results seem off too many times. Over the years this boy dropped off from chess and I heard he since became highly unpopular with the kids. I often wonder what happened to that gentle boy I knew who became a bully. In my personal estimation they were about equally gifted but this boy was not allowed to win his own battles. Every win in his mind was not his and he lost his self confidence.
There are many elements to this story. I went to his fathers office when I was in PICA. I tried to tell him that it was the fixed tournaments that killed off his son's interest in chess. Now, I have no doubt that this man loves his son but he was not aware of the consequence of his actions. He was not aware of his responsibility as an official and he was not aware that chess can give his son the gift of confidence.
Can you imagine how he would feel if he came to that awareness after supporting the abuse for so many years? If he begins to realise that he was partly responsible for how his son turned out? Do you think he will resist any attempt to stop the abuses? Is he a "bad" person? What do you think will happen if he is continuously made aware when he sees other parents bringing up strong kids from healthy competition? Does this explain why PICA officials and many Perak players almost never leave Perak to go to tournaments? How can we help them if we truly care about the chess players in Perak? In fact how can we help these type of officials who are not necessarily "bad" but more misguided? We can only be as strong as our weakest link.
So it is not just the love of the game and of our children that can bind us. It is also our awareness of our individual role that will make this community work.
I see the very same people who cry abuse from the officials then go to fixed tournaments, the same people who complain about MCF continue to sponsor them. So it is about our own self awareness. Stop pointing the finger as though it is not our responsibility as well. Stop writing wish lists. Do something. However small. It is our collective consciousness, an individual at a time, that will change things.
If you vote not to go to a fixed tournament you are doing something to make change happen. If you vote not to sponsor an event unless the other partys carry their responsiblity too you are also doing something to make change happen. If you stand up for one abused kid, support one abused official that tries to do something right, change will come.
But if you just sit down and hope they will change, nothing will happen. When we become more aware that we are a community and that what happens to one of us can happen to all we will have the leadership we deserve. Right now we have the leaders we deserve. We have empowered them. So stop complaining and just do something. Be aware of how a community works. Each of us has a role. And the GM will come.
When I was the coach in Asean, I paired every senior player with a junior. I told them that the success of this outing is also dependent on the weakest amongst us. The kids saw that and I feel proud that they all did their part.
Our struggle to get our community on its feet must not degenerate into character assasination. It needs to be based on issues. That means if Hamid does something right we must defend him. If Greg does something right we must also do the same. This was also my message to PICA. If they want the bad publicity to stop, then do the right thing. Stop the abuses.
But we have a distance yet to travel. Let me tell you a real story. When Mark was still U12, there was another boy who was one year older and at that time a stronger chess player. In many open tournaments they competed. This boy was also the son of a high ranking PICA official who himself is a strong chess player. When Mark was abused by the officials this boy will protect Mark. And they became close friends. But Mark was catching up with the boy. Match fixing was never proven but I remember the boy going up to Mark and telling him that Mark was really the stronger player despite him winning the tournaments. We understood what he meant. The pairings and results seem off too many times. Over the years this boy dropped off from chess and I heard he since became highly unpopular with the kids. I often wonder what happened to that gentle boy I knew who became a bully. In my personal estimation they were about equally gifted but this boy was not allowed to win his own battles. Every win in his mind was not his and he lost his self confidence.
There are many elements to this story. I went to his fathers office when I was in PICA. I tried to tell him that it was the fixed tournaments that killed off his son's interest in chess. Now, I have no doubt that this man loves his son but he was not aware of the consequence of his actions. He was not aware of his responsibility as an official and he was not aware that chess can give his son the gift of confidence.
Can you imagine how he would feel if he came to that awareness after supporting the abuse for so many years? If he begins to realise that he was partly responsible for how his son turned out? Do you think he will resist any attempt to stop the abuses? Is he a "bad" person? What do you think will happen if he is continuously made aware when he sees other parents bringing up strong kids from healthy competition? Does this explain why PICA officials and many Perak players almost never leave Perak to go to tournaments? How can we help them if we truly care about the chess players in Perak? In fact how can we help these type of officials who are not necessarily "bad" but more misguided? We can only be as strong as our weakest link.
So it is not just the love of the game and of our children that can bind us. It is also our awareness of our individual role that will make this community work.
I see the very same people who cry abuse from the officials then go to fixed tournaments, the same people who complain about MCF continue to sponsor them. So it is about our own self awareness. Stop pointing the finger as though it is not our responsibility as well. Stop writing wish lists. Do something. However small. It is our collective consciousness, an individual at a time, that will change things.
If you vote not to go to a fixed tournament you are doing something to make change happen. If you vote not to sponsor an event unless the other partys carry their responsiblity too you are also doing something to make change happen. If you stand up for one abused kid, support one abused official that tries to do something right, change will come.
But if you just sit down and hope they will change, nothing will happen. When we become more aware that we are a community and that what happens to one of us can happen to all we will have the leadership we deserve. Right now we have the leaders we deserve. We have empowered them. So stop complaining and just do something. Be aware of how a community works. Each of us has a role. And the GM will come.
Monday, October 11, 2010
A parody of the blogs
First GM: Hey guys, I have an idea, I think I know why we are still in the same spot after 30 years. I think we have damaged our spirit. I think that may be a clue to why we dont do well after U12. It's about imagined fears. It's about the inner child. It's about us neglecting the other 3 parts of the components of chess.
Jimmy: We have covered this over 10 years ago.
First GM: Really? Sheesh, I only finished this work a few years ago. Even the American war veterans Association wrote in to learn more about it. Wah! you really advanced man. Sorry about that. But can I still write about it so others can also learn? They may not have the same resources as you have.
Jimmy: Stick to what you know. This is Malaysian chess. Here we only look at technical.
First GM: But hey, NJ just said maybe even all of his loses not due to technical.
Rationality: Let me demonstrate how we strong chess players think. Let me analyse Mas's, draw.
First GM: Great! But what about Qe3?......(Confusion, some back peddling).
Chess Ninja: Hey guys, you are missing the point. It's about Hamid. He is a grandmaster you know. I know even though I am blind folded....(In case you missed that, that means I can play blind folded chess).
First GM: Did anyone of you even read before you threw out what I am saying?
Jimmy, Rationality and chess ninja: Cannot read lah. Read means must acknowledge you are on to something.
Jimmy: Dubai our best Olympiad.
First GM: We have nothing to lose. Any of you guys got a suggestion? None of you are engaging the information.
Jimmy, Rationality: No. Dont want to listen. We are closing our ears. We like complaining. Who wants solutions? Besides if anyone listens to you, we wont look "terror" anymore.
Jimmy: Damn it! Did anyone check out Dubai?
First GM: What is the point? That is in the past. We are looking for solutions in the here and now.
Terminator: Raymond Siew is a liar. Listen to me. I know even though I am hiding behind a pseudonym. Please believe me. I may be a crook, a criminal but ignore that. I am working with someone in MCF and PICA. See, I can say these things. So I must be in the know.
First GM: Hey man. Show yourself. I am sure you are a credible source of information. It is tough on this blog. Even when the evidence is shown people are still slow to engage. These are chess people. They are thinkers. So show yourself. Present your credentials and the evidence. I wish you luck. Do a good job. Then you will be the best terminator you can be.
Jimmy and Rationality: We have had enough. We are going to strike you off our blog roll.
Chess Ninja: I'm telling you guys its Hamid. Blame it on Hamid.
Terminator: Lets attack the women and children guys. We know that Raymond gets upset when we attack the children. We saw it in Perak. That is his weak chink. His Achilles heel. Why dont you guys do that and I'll take it to the next level. I'll attack the women. Trust me guys. This will work. We need to shut him up. He is making us look bad.
Ilham: We are the champions, my friend. And we'll keep on fighting to the end.....
First GM: Sheesh, and all I said was examine the evidence. You have tried technical only and you have not got far. In fact you are still in the same spot. Hasnt anyone noticed that?
The unknown: Hey guys try NLP. They are the experts not this Raymond Siew guy. I dont know how to read. This is the "penultimate" opinion. But believe me. I too need to hide because otherwise you will know that I dont know anything.
First GM: The noise level going up. Now someone who can just about identify the letters NLP has joined the fray.
Chess Ninja: It's Hamid I tell you. He is a grandmaster, he can do funny things. I saw that through my blind fold.
First GM: Hey this is starting to sound like what went on inside my mind while I was writing my inner child work. Why my mind resisted me and tried to prevent me from growing up. Thanks guys, you are the best. Thank you for helping me see this. So if you are right, this work can also be applied to the chess community. All this noise is because you guys dont want to grow up. Hmmmmmm
Ninja, look at the tricks applied over these years, if it was Hamid that is. There are no new ideas. It is the same trick over and over again. No accounts, use your fears against you, smear their good name etc. If Hamid was all that smart, he would have brought us to the next level. Stop fighting this demon. Let it go. A GM has many many ideas. So go out and find some more ideas. Stop this stuck tape. He is no grandmaster. We have been stupid. And there is a world of difference between the 2 conclusions.
Think about it. If we can be fooled by the same tricks again and again by a not so clever guy, then where are we really?
Jimmy: Hey check out Dubai please....I'll give you a clue. See who was on the team.
Ilham: We will we will rock you.........
First GM: Chess is a mind sport. Check out the mind. If you make a dumb mistake because of the chatter, technical wont help. If you stop fighting because of a failure in courage, technical wont help. Look at the evidence. Our strongest chess minds are even afraid to engage in new information. That is where we have gone wrong. The mind is often called the last frontier. Some even argue it holds more complexity than outer space. It is much much much much bigger than the 64 square puzzle. Still the mind and those puzzles will reveal itself. Stop running away. Focus on the problem.
Jimmy: We have covered this over 10 years ago.
First GM: Really? Sheesh, I only finished this work a few years ago. Even the American war veterans Association wrote in to learn more about it. Wah! you really advanced man. Sorry about that. But can I still write about it so others can also learn? They may not have the same resources as you have.
Jimmy: Stick to what you know. This is Malaysian chess. Here we only look at technical.
First GM: But hey, NJ just said maybe even all of his loses not due to technical.
Rationality: Let me demonstrate how we strong chess players think. Let me analyse Mas's, draw.
First GM: Great! But what about Qe3?......(Confusion, some back peddling).
Chess Ninja: Hey guys, you are missing the point. It's about Hamid. He is a grandmaster you know. I know even though I am blind folded....(In case you missed that, that means I can play blind folded chess).
First GM: Did anyone of you even read before you threw out what I am saying?
Jimmy, Rationality and chess ninja: Cannot read lah. Read means must acknowledge you are on to something.
Jimmy: Dubai our best Olympiad.
First GM: We have nothing to lose. Any of you guys got a suggestion? None of you are engaging the information.
Jimmy, Rationality: No. Dont want to listen. We are closing our ears. We like complaining. Who wants solutions? Besides if anyone listens to you, we wont look "terror" anymore.
Jimmy: Damn it! Did anyone check out Dubai?
First GM: What is the point? That is in the past. We are looking for solutions in the here and now.
Terminator: Raymond Siew is a liar. Listen to me. I know even though I am hiding behind a pseudonym. Please believe me. I may be a crook, a criminal but ignore that. I am working with someone in MCF and PICA. See, I can say these things. So I must be in the know.
First GM: Hey man. Show yourself. I am sure you are a credible source of information. It is tough on this blog. Even when the evidence is shown people are still slow to engage. These are chess people. They are thinkers. So show yourself. Present your credentials and the evidence. I wish you luck. Do a good job. Then you will be the best terminator you can be.
Jimmy and Rationality: We have had enough. We are going to strike you off our blog roll.
Chess Ninja: I'm telling you guys its Hamid. Blame it on Hamid.
Terminator: Lets attack the women and children guys. We know that Raymond gets upset when we attack the children. We saw it in Perak. That is his weak chink. His Achilles heel. Why dont you guys do that and I'll take it to the next level. I'll attack the women. Trust me guys. This will work. We need to shut him up. He is making us look bad.
Ilham: We are the champions, my friend. And we'll keep on fighting to the end.....
First GM: Sheesh, and all I said was examine the evidence. You have tried technical only and you have not got far. In fact you are still in the same spot. Hasnt anyone noticed that?
The unknown: Hey guys try NLP. They are the experts not this Raymond Siew guy. I dont know how to read. This is the "penultimate" opinion. But believe me. I too need to hide because otherwise you will know that I dont know anything.
First GM: The noise level going up. Now someone who can just about identify the letters NLP has joined the fray.
Chess Ninja: It's Hamid I tell you. He is a grandmaster, he can do funny things. I saw that through my blind fold.
First GM: Hey this is starting to sound like what went on inside my mind while I was writing my inner child work. Why my mind resisted me and tried to prevent me from growing up. Thanks guys, you are the best. Thank you for helping me see this. So if you are right, this work can also be applied to the chess community. All this noise is because you guys dont want to grow up. Hmmmmmm
Ninja, look at the tricks applied over these years, if it was Hamid that is. There are no new ideas. It is the same trick over and over again. No accounts, use your fears against you, smear their good name etc. If Hamid was all that smart, he would have brought us to the next level. Stop fighting this demon. Let it go. A GM has many many ideas. So go out and find some more ideas. Stop this stuck tape. He is no grandmaster. We have been stupid. And there is a world of difference between the 2 conclusions.
Think about it. If we can be fooled by the same tricks again and again by a not so clever guy, then where are we really?
Jimmy: Hey check out Dubai please....I'll give you a clue. See who was on the team.
Ilham: We will we will rock you.........
First GM: Chess is a mind sport. Check out the mind. If you make a dumb mistake because of the chatter, technical wont help. If you stop fighting because of a failure in courage, technical wont help. Look at the evidence. Our strongest chess minds are even afraid to engage in new information. That is where we have gone wrong. The mind is often called the last frontier. Some even argue it holds more complexity than outer space. It is much much much much bigger than the 64 square puzzle. Still the mind and those puzzles will reveal itself. Stop running away. Focus on the problem.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Another level
I am going to take a break till after UTP. This is a tough blog to read and I want to thank you all for taking the time to contribute or just to read. Harsh words were sometimes exchanged but this is to be expected by people who care with such passion. I have always maintained my faith in our chess community. I believe the love that we all share for this game will eventually pull us through.
Allow me share again what I see. Despite our laggard performance, we still have people who care enough to give of their time. See below. Despite all the criticisms I have levied on MCF and CS solutions, I can say that I met both Hamid and Najib at the Merdeka Rapid and both of them behaved like gentlemen. Despite me calling Greg weak, he still offered Mark a place for World Youth which we turned down because of SPM.
To me this marks another level of maturity. A sophistication in thinking that we will need if we are to move to the next level.
Note: I am not advocating unfounded attacks on MCF. I am saying that pettiness and narrow mindedness wont take us far.
You can see this too if you flip the coin, change your lenses.
We need to learn to compete as well as learn to partner. There is knowledge in both.
Chess Ninja, you have a point. The vast majority of people in our chess world do not know what is going on but that is OK. We have over 100 people reading this blog daily and spending time here. That is enough. These people care, you care.
So if you still hear someone saying something negative about this community, I hope you'll point them in the direction of our National Juniors. Point them to Nabil and Shakir, Lim Zhuo Ren, Sumant, Tariq, Edward, Mark, Kaushal,.....and so many others.
They know how to compete and they know how to befriend. Take heart in this. We are the guardians of very special boys and girls. They will be our future. So lets take a page from them and learn too.
Lets take care of this environment so they and the ones after them can flourish. The GM will come. We the adults, just need to look after the present.
Allow me share again what I see. Despite our laggard performance, we still have people who care enough to give of their time. See below. Despite all the criticisms I have levied on MCF and CS solutions, I can say that I met both Hamid and Najib at the Merdeka Rapid and both of them behaved like gentlemen. Despite me calling Greg weak, he still offered Mark a place for World Youth which we turned down because of SPM.
To me this marks another level of maturity. A sophistication in thinking that we will need if we are to move to the next level.
Note: I am not advocating unfounded attacks on MCF. I am saying that pettiness and narrow mindedness wont take us far.
You can see this too if you flip the coin, change your lenses.
We need to learn to compete as well as learn to partner. There is knowledge in both.
Chess Ninja, you have a point. The vast majority of people in our chess world do not know what is going on but that is OK. We have over 100 people reading this blog daily and spending time here. That is enough. These people care, you care.
So if you still hear someone saying something negative about this community, I hope you'll point them in the direction of our National Juniors. Point them to Nabil and Shakir, Lim Zhuo Ren, Sumant, Tariq, Edward, Mark, Kaushal,.....and so many others.
They know how to compete and they know how to befriend. Take heart in this. We are the guardians of very special boys and girls. They will be our future. So lets take a page from them and learn too.
Lets take care of this environment so they and the ones after them can flourish. The GM will come. We the adults, just need to look after the present.
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