Dear Editor,
I have been playing chess for over five decades now and although I am not competitive, nor have I played in tournaments I have kept a close association with the game. My brother-in-law, Mr Chris Shervington was a player and former secretary of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF). He was also one of the founders of the Monarch’s Chess Club which was housed at his premises on Fourth Street Campbellville, so indirectly I have always been exposed to chess and its happenings.
There seems to be an outpouring of sentiment about chess this past week, and accusations that chess here was destroyed by a group of executives in the ’80s. I am adding my voice to this issue because that is a serious and dishonest distortion of the truth. If these So – Called resuscitators of chess, Messrs Loris Nathoo, Shiv Nandalall, Omar Sharif, Irshad Mohammed and Errol Tiwari would find the time to drop by my place of abode at the above address I am willing to bring them up to date on what happened in chess in the ’80s. Even Ray Charles (who is blind) could have discerned that Guyana achieved its highest status as a chess-playing nation during that period. The Chess Hall was renamed the Forbes Burnham Chess Hall after the death of former President, Forbes Burnham (who was also the President of the GCF). That building was a hive of activity during the ’80s, moreso when Roy Sharma took up the position of tournament director and caretaker of said premises. We had the Trinis, Bajans and Surinamese flocking to Guyana to take part in the Guyana Open with over one hundred participants. There were programmed tournaments and team tournaments also. Mr Errol Tiwari can verify that during his UG years and his stay at the very Chess Hall, how often players convened for chess. After school and work, the Chess Hall was used by all chess players on a daily basis. What has this new administration done to find a place for chess players to call home? It was in the ’90s that chess took a nose-dive for the worse, and not the ’80s. Errol Tiwari was involved in Chess at that time so let him tell us what caused Chess to die a slow death. Those who were involved in the game at that time can maybe shed some light on why the GCF disintegrated.
Mr Roy Sharma used my abode at the corner of Robb and King Streets in the late ’90s to keep chess going, and there were numerous persons playing there. Students from many schools congregated there on a daily basis and some parents even picked up their children there in the afternoons.
It was also during that very period that Shiv Nandalall of Keishar’s store got Mr Roy Sharma to do a training programme at Bishops’ High School with my friend Mr Obataiyo Nelson, who was the Spanish teacher at Bishops. At the end of the school year and presentation of achievement for the end of term, Mrs Massiah, who was headmistress of Bishops commended Mr Sharma for what she termed a hugh achievement to keep the interest of over one hundred students, and that over such a short time she saw the results of their schoolwork much improved against those that did not play chess. Mrs Massiah had the vision that chess should be taught as a subject and classes were introduced (albeit for a short time) by Mr Nelson.
Some persons are trying to rewrite the history of chess in Guyana to suit their own agenda, but little do they know of the illustrious past that chess achieved and the many distinguished persons who were indelibly linked to chess and its development in the immediate past. Former President Forbes Burnham, Manni Ram, David Granger (yes – the majority leader in parliament), Chris Shervington, Allan Lee, Ewan Devonish and many others. I am getting a sour taste in my mouth that because of Mr Ray Sharma’s linkage to some of the above persons, there is this myopic view that he is not welcome in the chess arena. Chess has been the source of pleasure for hundreds of Guyanese over the last four to five decades and it is the one game that transcended race, colour, creed and political affiliation.
The vibes of this administration which affirms that it seeks to take chess forward are negative ones. Over the last few years, it seems as if only one class of people are allowed to hold office. Cliqueism has reared its ugly head in chess and the marginalization of certain persons is again entering a sporting body. What has happened to Ronuel Grenidge, Learie Webster and Wendell Muesa? Why are no African Guyanese qualified to be elected to the executive of the GCF? Why at the recent AGM of the GCF, no African-Guyanese was elected? I am contending that it was not an election but a selection. How come Mr Krishnandan Raghunandan from Berbice can be elected and Anthony Drayton not? Hardly anyone at that forum knows Mr Raghunandan whereas Mr Drayton is a known top junior player and very visible. Ryan Singh and Ronald Roberts are also committee members and again they were elected over Anthony Drayton. I would like the powers that be, the Director of Sport and the Ministry of Sport to take a close look at what is happening. When an Alex Joseph can be elected national trainer overwhelmingly against a Roy Sharma then, something is wrong in the body politic of this organization. This is like comparing chalk to cheese. Both Mr Sharma and Mr Joseph are friends of mine and I know for a fact that these two gentlemen play a lot of chess together and Mr Joseph goes to Mr Sharma to learn.
My advice to Mr Joseph is that those who live in glass houses do not throw stones. It was indicated to me that Mr Sharma only allowed himself to be nominated as trainer so that the general public could see what took place.
I am calling on this chess administration to do the correct thing and put themselves in order or there is going to be another breakdown of a game that each and everyone should learn to play. Right the wrongs and with a new political dispensation at a national level let us also embrace those who can help chess to go forward and not turn a blind eye to progress.
By seeming to keep certain persons out, an organization is being destroyed that can show the rest of Guyana that integration and harmony is the basis of mutual respect and trust. I can safely say that all the persons that are involved in chess in Guyana today, none, (and I mean none) can match the zeal and passion to see chess spread across the length and breadth of Guyana as Roy Sharma.
Dialogue is the way forward and not recrimination. The juniors who are the blood of chess are being used as pawns in a game of cat and mouse. Stop the nonsense. I want to quote a sentence used in an exchange between Mr Ron Motilall and Mr Irshad Mohamed on Facebook, and I quote the latter: “After all the hard work we have put in, others want to come and reap the benefit, that wouldn’t happen sir, I’m assuring you that.”
I close by saying that with that statement above, Mr Mohammed might be so kind as to respond and let me know what benefit he is talking about.
Yours faithfully,
Rudolph Thomas
