Does the T&T Chess Association have its priorities right? DR asks this critical question following T&TCA decisions which show contempt not only for its leading member club but also for two of the country’s foremost young chess stars. Let us deal first with the Association’s treatment of Knights, undeniably the country’s most venerable, respected and progressive chess club.
In a note to the T&TCA, Knights expresses its “profound displeasure” at the decision of the Association’s management committee to host the national finals, both the Absolute and Female, on three Fridays in October 2015 following three Thursdays of the club’s popular annual fixture, the DeVerteuil Memorial tournament.
According to Knights secretary John Everon, feedback received from at least eight participants in the national events indicated that the “strain” of having to play on both Thursday and Friday nights followed by matches on Saturdays and Sundays was just too much, forcing them to skip the Knights event. The club, however, acknowledges the sportsmanship of one rising young player who participated in both tournaments, said Clayton Gomez, vice president.
In dealing with this “injustice” meted out to its club, Everon pointed out that its calendar of events for 2015 had been submitted to the Association several months before, late in 2014. In any case, the DeVerteuil Memorial had become a major fixture on the annual chess calendar for October and November over the last 23 years. So the T&TCA could not have had any doubt whatever about the timing of one of the country’s most popular open club events.
“Starting on October 10 and playing on Saturdays and Sundays alone would have resulted in the national finals ending on November 14,” the club pointed out. “Surely an extension of two weeks would not have created any major problems for the Association.” Another sad thing about this “clash” is that the T&TCA management did not have the courtesy even to consult with Knights on this dating issue.
“To compound matters, if not to rub salt in our wound, our tournament director was approached by the T&TCA treasurer asking when the club would pay rating fees for the DeVerteuil Memorial. She had to be informed by our vice president that it had been some four to five years since the Association stopped collecting rating fees, the reason being that FIDE had granted a concession to waive the fees for Federations such as ours or otherwise the cost would be picked up by government subvention.”
While payment of this fee is still an option in the Association’s constitution, Knights argues that “protocol and fairness would dictate that any decision to reinstate it would be conveyed to all clubs well before the start of any tournament.”
Also it seems logical to ask whether the Paladins tournament starting in November was the reason why the dates were juggled to the disadvantage of Knights which would have broken the record for participation in the DeVerteuil Open.
Judging from this sorry episode, it seems important to remind the Association that it is not a lone wolf organisation, that it holds office only with the approval and support of member clubs with whom it should have a cooperative and mutually respectful relationship. Also, there should be no reason to explain that chess is now a global sport having a culture, refinement and discipline of its own, one that should have a beneficial effect on our developing society, particularly on the youngsters who enjoy participating in it.