Benefits of Foreign Players

With the Malaysian Open recently played and won by yet another foreigner, local chess scribe Quah Seng Sun wonders about the benefits of foreign players to Malaysian chessers.

I think, by and large, the answer must be in the affirmative. There are benefits. When playing foreigners, you learn to be on your guard. You may get away with murder against local players but foreign players tend to punish you instantly for all the little inaccuracies you commit.

After all, they wouldn’t be here if they were not already good enough. Most of them did not come for a holiday; they came to win prizes. So the competition that foreign players bring can only be good for the locals.

Well, our Malaysian friends should invite more of our Pinoy neighbours. The Filipinos will always give anyone a run for their money. They're also good teachers. Hec, there's a bunch of them in next door Singapore. As for more Aussies? Well...