This year's National Junior Chess Championships attracted a total of 58 players, the lowest attendance in the history of these games. The poor participation in this important event, organised by the T&TCA over the last two weekends, is unfortunate since it appears to tell us a surprisingly sad story, that interest among our young people in this beneficial mind game is waning instead of growing.
Here is the detailed attendance at the championships played at St Mary's College in six age groups: Under-8: three males, two females; U-10: six males, three females; U-12: eleven males, four females; U-14: seven males, seven females; U-16: six males, one female; U-18: five males, three females. By comparison, the championships of the last three. years drew the following totals: 2011: 71; 2012: 113; 2013: 86.
For any sport, the interest it holds for young enthusiasts is a fairly reliable indication of its future. The obvious question for anyone interested in development of chess, then, is, why has the junior championships attracted such paltry numbers this year?
The answer, as DR has come to learn, seems to lie more in the inexperience and internal problems of the T&TCA rather than any falling away of youthful interest. Largely, the problems appear to be, first, an abrupt change in dates of the event which were originally and unanimously set for the four school holidays, January 2-5.
Subsequently, at a special meeting, the dates were changed, conflicting with the resumption of school on January 6. Second was the reportedly late and untimely notification as some schools were invited to the event during the Christmas holidays. Also, for whatever reason, the schools in Tobago were not invited.
Double Rooks, in fact, is dismayed to learn that all is not well within the executive of the T&TCA, elected only a few months ago. After the divisive "trauma" that ended the term of the previous administration, we expected that a new spirit of cooperation and progress would prevail among their successors. But reports now indicate otherwise; they tell instead of a troubling measure of disenchantment among certain members of the executive and the emergence of a "cabal" which has assumed virtual dictatorial control over the organisation.
Much of this lack of cohesion, the ignoring of advice from the more experienced administrators, seems to have resulted not only in the disappointing turnout of youngsters at the Junior Championships but also in a number of organisational hitches and omissions at the tournament. Why, for example, were schools in Tobago not invited to this national event? Now that a chess-in-schools programme is well underway and a new generation of players is emerging on the island, it must be a grievous oversight to deny these young Tobagonians an opportunity to test their skills at this level.
By comparison, it seems invidious for the T&TCA not only to invite the Moruga Chess Club to the Championships but also to provide seven of its players with transport to and from the event plus accommodation in Maraval and a waiver of registration fees.
Also, holding the National Junior Championships in Port-of-Spain may well impose a disadvantage on young players and their parents who have to travel to the capital city from distant parts of Trinidad on the four days of two weekends.
In such a case, the Association may want to consider a return to the more equitable format of four regional tournaments from which the two or three winners would meet to decide the champions in a round-robin final.
However, DR would like to think that all is not lost and that the many lessons offered by these championships would be well and truly learnt.
Essentially, members of the new executive must decide to work together as a team, to adhere to the rules of the game and, in all their endeavours, to place the interest of the sport above their own personal considerations.
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