Friday June 27, 2008
Clearing the air
Chess by QUAH SENG SUN
I RECEIVED a strong e-mail last week from the World Chess Federation (Fide) general secretary Ignatius Leong. The content that I’m reproducing below is self-explanatory. For clarity, the only bits I have left out include the excerpts he quoted from my article, his attachment of internal Fide communications and some remarks.
“I refer to your article in The Star on May 16 referring to events conducted in Malaysia and which you had stated that the MCF had submitted the tournament reports and that the rating records did not appear in Fide’s records.
“You drew the conclusion that the delays could not have been the fault of the MCF, which draws implication that Fide was at fault.
“After reading the article, I communicated with the Fide Rating Administrator Mr Casto Abundo. His final e-mail to me read: ‘Yes, but Elista Fide Office advised all who submitted by e-mail to instead use the Fide Ratings Server. I personally informed Hamid that he should upload himself to the Fide Ratings Server.’
“I have always thought one would check all facts from various sources before pointing a finger. I am all the more alarmed because the responsibility (sic) seemed to be a long-time chess administrator and experienced arbiter. As a matter of fact, I noted that only after the MCF changed its Rating Officer that the results were finally submitted in the correct way.
“I have copied this e-mail to all my colleagues to clear them from the embarrassment deriving from your article. I hope you will set the record straight in your next article.”
Ignatius, thanks for your e-mail. I really welcome your feedback because it gives me an insight into the way that Fide operates.
But in returning to the matter at hand, yes, I’ve been told that at the end of last year, Abundo did indeed remind the previous MCF secretary to use the Fide Rating Server to submit tournament results.
But I also understand that the MCF faced problems while attempting to log into the Fide Ratings Server and later, with the submission of data. If there were reasons why the MCF could not react fast enough to Fide’s procedural changes, I wouldn’t know what had happened. Nonetheless, I heard that the MCF did e-mail people in Fide for help from late last year and their difficulties were finally resolved some time in February.
The MCF is but a small member of the worldwide chess fraternity. It’s small but all the same, it is a respectable Fide member with positive chess ideals. It’s wonderful when I see the MCF and the affiliates carry on with their tasks to promote chess in whatever way they can. To us here in Malaysia, we’re only able to organise a handful of Fide-rated events in a year. It is a big blessing to us that we can organise them at all.
With so few opportunities for our players to earn their Fide ratings, there can’t be a reason at all why the MCF would want to delay submitting the tournament results. Indeed, the reverse must be true. It’s only for the good of our own players that they become Fide-rated.
But what happens when a member country hits a brick wall with, for example, the Fide Rating Server when results cannot be submitted according to requirements? Please allow a temporary alternative measure while the member attempts to find a solution in the meantime, that’s what I say!
Next, of course it stands to reason that the results were finally submitted in the correct way after the MCF changed its Rating Officer. That was why a new Rating Officer was appointed in the first place: to look into resolving the issues with a fresher mind. (I would have loved to become the Rating Officer myself but a computer illiterate like me would probably hit the brick wall even sooner, make a mess of it all and possibly start an international incident somewhere.)
Ignatius, I’m sorry if you had assumed that I was implying it was Fide’s fault but seriously, it was never the intention. All I was interested in was the end result: the Shakespearean “all’s well that ends well” which was exactly the phrase I used in my column. At the end of the day, when I addressed my Malaysian readers, I merely wanted them to know that the delay in rating the tournaments had been resolved.
Lastly, I don’t think your colleagues in Fide should have anything to be embarrassed about with a localised matter that, in the grand scheme of worldwide chess development and promotion, is comparable to a tiny molehill of an incident that’s normally consigned to a little footnote in chess history.
In summary, I’d like to urge you to accept my explanation in good faith so that we can all move on. But of course, your clarification have been very helpful to enable common Malaysians to understand how rating reports should be handled and submitted to Fide henceforth.
Oh yes, by the way, please do include the fifth Arthur Tan Malaysia open tournament in the Fide tournament calendar as soon as possible, won’t you? Many thanks for that, and Gens Una Sumus!
Penang SLC open
The SLC open chess tournament will be played in Bukit Mertajam tomorrow. For this event, the categories are open, ladies and veterans. Entry fees are RM10 for members of the Penang Chess Association (PCA) and RM20 for non-members. Closing date for entries is today.
If you want more information or to register, contact Tan Eng Seong (012-429 9517 / estan64@streamyx.com) or Tan Eu Hong (012-488 2133 / euhong@gmail.com) after 7pm.
The venue for both events will be the SLC Auto Academy along Jalan Sungai Rambai in Bukit Mertajam. Players from the island can contact the above-named to arrange for transport to the mainland.
MBSSKL open
The Methodist Boys Secondary School in Kuala Lumpur will hold their third open chess tournament at the school on July 5. This event will be played in four age groups, from under-10 to under-19.
Entry fees are RM10 for students of the Methodist Boys Secondary School and RM15 for all other players.
Registration and inquiries: N.K. Chin (% 03-207 82293 Mondays to Fridays 8.30am-1pm / wmbs@tm.net.my). Alternatively, visit mbsskl.edu.my for details.
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