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KURTIS
CHONG, member of Knights Chess Club, parent, coach, organiser
and prominent player, has renewed his call to the T&T
Chess Association for an open colloquium of the national
chess community to discuss the state of the sport in the
country. When he urged such a measure some years ago, Double
Rooks gave it his fullest support and and we do so again,
hoping that it would no longer fall on deaf ears.
Chong, whose all-round record of activity in the sport speaks
volumes for his commitment, repeats his call for a national
seminar in his note thanking T&TCA president Roderick
Noel for responding to his request for information on the
National Age-group Championships now in progress.
Chong said the colloquium would discuss goals for the future
of chess and the strategies which could be adopted to achieve
them. He added: “The ideas and suggestions coming from
this forum, which would include a wide cross-section of
the chess community, could then be used by the Executive
to influence the T&TCA’s strategic plan.”
As far as DOUBLE ROOKS is concerned, the need for such a
debate can be seen in the fact that no national plan for
the development of chess in T&T has been issued by the
Association, inspite of the chest-thumping of the former
president who served seven years until he was replaced by
Noel at last year’s annual general meeting. The sport,
which has been growing disjointedly over recent years, badly
needs such a blueprint which would not only be the product
of consensus but also serve as a guide for concerted action
and an asset in the efforts of the Association to secure
funding, sponsorships and assistance from the world chess
body.
Chong’s request with respect to the age-group championships
comprised 25 specific questions aimed at clearing up doubts
and discrepancies which had mounted over the years. The
questions were referred to Guelmo Rosales, the T&TCA
official in charge of junior chess, who promptly answered
them.
In asking the questions, Chong noted the growing significance
of junior tournaments. He added: “They are no longer
mere chess events to determine who are the best players
at a point in time - many children still see them in this
light and for still many others they are just fun events!
No, there are parents who see these events as a doorway
to success, scholarships, accolades, trips abroad, media
attention and the resume enhancement of their children and
that may even include me.
“I
have no problem with that. But now this situation places
a greater burden or responsibility on the organisers to
be transparent and impartial and, most importantly, TO BE
SEEN to be so! And this is particularly important when some
organisers themselves have children involved in the sport.”
Chong felt that his questions were not unreasonable given
what has happened in the recent past. “But let’s
not fool ourselves,” he observed, “there will
be those who will attempt to brush them aside and attempt
to operate with the unbridled arrogance to which they were
accustomed in the past. The local chess community is no
longer prepared to accept that kind of behaviour.”
Chong pointed out that the same standards that apply to
senior tournaments should apply to junior events. “In
one sense,” he noted, “the standards should be
higher because in general parents are not knowledgeable
enough to understand whether their child is or is not being
treated fairly - they can only go on their perceptions.
“Further,
children can no longer be treated like little sheep to be
herded around and treated anyhow for the expediency or the
convenience of organisers. Children today are smarter and
more aware and they now have coaches looking out for their
interests.”
In thanking the T&TCA president for his “very professional
and comprehensive way” in dealing with the matters
he had raised, Chong noted that it was “a far cry from
the way in which issues were handled in the recent past.
The days when such potentially contentious issues would
be dismissed with arrogance and impunity are gone, thankfully.”
Chong recalled that last year’s fiasco of “the
conveniently erroneous manual tie-break calculations”
had caused great disaffection among a cross-section of players
and their parents. He pointed out also that the rules governing
the award of prizes at the national age-group championships
were “unclear and inequitably applied and then, quite
mysteriously, changed from January to February!”
The well known player-coach urged the publication of the
T&TCA’s responses to his questions and hoped that
his inquiry would help to bring clarity to issues of great
importance to all stakeholders.
“The
cloud of hopelessnes and helplessness that engulfed those
of us who dared to hold dissenting view has finally been
lifted.”
He added: “I am confident that under your stewardship
transparency and accountability will take their rightful
place in the running of our affairs and the opportunities
for manipulation and chicanery by divisive elements in our
midst will completely evaporate.”
Unfortunately, DOUBLE ROOKS is unable share Chong’s
rosy confidence. According to the latest events, it seems
to him that manipulation and chicanery in the T&T chess
arena are alive and well as ever.
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