The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) yesterday issued a press release denying that they had expelled committee member of the GCF Suhai Feng from the body for failing to attend three consecutive meetings.
“The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) strongly objects to a grossly inaccurate Stabroek News report dated October 4, 2011 which states that Suhai Feng, junior member of its executive committee was expelled by the federation recently,” the release from the GCF stated yesterday.
The GCF release added:”Feng remains on the executive of the federation since the local chess body never made a decision to expel Feng as claimed by Stabroek News.”
The GCF also stated that the 2011 National Closed Junior chess championships begins today as scheduled “contrary to another erroneous Stabroek News report on September 26 which claimed that the championships would begin on October 1 and the junior participants were threatening to sit out the championships due to the composition of the Inter Guiana Games team.
“All eight participants of the 2011 National junior championships have confirmed their participation to the federation,” the release stated.
Stabroek News’ Sports Editor Donald Duff last night said that he was standing by the report that Feng was told at last Saturday’s meeting at Olympic House that because he had missed three meetings, he was being expelled from the executive.
According to Duff, this newspaper was told this by more than one person who attended last Saturday’s meeting by including Feng himself.
On the subject of the date for the Closed National junior championships this newspaper met with seven junior players at the City Mall on September 25 and in the subsequent interview the seven players, Carlos Petterson, Kana Khan, Sham Khan, Anthony Drayton, Rashad Hussein, Ron Motilall and Feng stated unequivocally that they would refuse to participate in the tournament which they stated was scheduled to start on October 1 unless the GCF met with them to discuss the selection of the IGG team.
The GCF has been very tardy in giving out information as to the dates and venues for tournaments.
One such instance is the very release sent yesterday which stated that the “2011 National Junior Championships begins on Saturday October 8 as scheduled.”
Yesterday’s release failed to state where and at what time the tournament was scheduled to be held.
Apparently this information was not passed onto the players in a timely manner for two players enquired from Stabroek Sport last night whether this newspaper had any knowledge about where the championships were going to be held while one player posted on the Guyana Chess Federation Facebook page that “So 2morro’s nationals and players dont know where it is or what time it is starting sigh.. thats GCF for yah.”
Stabroek Sport called GCF vice president Irshad Mohammed who late last night said that the tournament was being held at the West Demerara Secondary School and that the starting time was 10am.
Mohammed, in his release yesterday, also acknowledged that the IGG team published by this newspaper from our sources who were present at Saturday’s meeting, was accurate. He has also not refuted what our sources told us that the tournament was originally scheduled for the Guyana Olympic Association building but informed this newspaper that there were some developments with the GOA building which was why the championships were now being held at the West Demerara Secondary School.
