Mike,
You are correct, so let me hang some more dirty laundry. I will provide you with a summary of what happened. Some may question the facts, but there are witnesses to what occurred that have little if anything to do with Weibel Chess. During the third round in the High School section of the CalChess State Grade Level Championship, Dr. Azhar who was the organizer, not the chief TD, that was John McCumiskey NTD, went to a Tournament Director of the High School section informing him that his son would be late due to oral surgery. The Director, whose own son was a top competitor in section, told one of my players, scheduled to play Salman's son, not to start his clock. Something that should never have occurred. This is a decision that must be made by the Chief TD and not by an organizer and not when it pertains to the organizer's own son. Yes, the game started late and was played. My player lost. I asked him why he didn't just start his clock. He said he felt like he had no choice. I spoke to John and said I felt that the game should not have been played. I learned that Dr. Azhar's son had been at a gathering at his cultural club which delayed him. John ruled that a forfeit win would be awarded to my player and that Salman's son would receive a forfeit lose. The next day, and I am still not sure why, John changed his ruling and gave Salman's son a 1/2 point bye. I spoke to Michael, my player and filed a protest on his behalf as the rules of the tournament said that no 1/2 point bye could be awarded after the event began. I lost and the committee gave both players forfeit wins in the event and ordered the game rated as an extra game. That is the background and the protest I lost.

Salman came to me after Sunday's first round began and said something to the effect that he was innocent of any wrong doing. I told him I did not believe that was true. We both lost our tempers, but that is when the ugliness started. He proceeded on calling my player a liar. Knowing the young man as one of the most sincere and nicest kids I have, I told him he was out of line. If it had been left at that all would have been fine. From my perspective he then went off the deep end. As Michael and his Mom were heading for the second Sunday round in a crowded hallway, Salman called Michael a liar. Michael's Dad confronted Salman in a gathering of coaches and Salman continued to call Michael a liar. The worst was yet to come. It was one of those days.

Before the last round, a parent of another player started screaming at one of my fourth grade players--the top seed in the section. I was not there, but what was reported to me was that a couple of other parents tried to stop the guy from screaming. One went to Salman and asked him to please stop this parent. Salman refused to act and told this parent, who is himself a TD and not from Weibel, that it was just a Weibel kid and he would not intervene. The parent said he was calling 911 if he didn't do something. Salman finally called the hotel security. By that time, Anthony's Dad (the boy who was verbally attacked by the parent) had arrived and was going at it with the parent who had attack his son. Salman had security remove both parents from the site. Meanwhile, I had arrived and learned what happened. A few Weibel parents tried to calm Anthony down. He had been crying since he was being screamed at. The woman who Anthony's Dad asked to take care of him finally convinced him to go in to play his last game. Anthony's Dad was waiting outside the hotel. Salman heard about it and went down there and demanded he get off the sidewalk which was hotel property. Anthony's Dad reports that he said he would wait across the street on public land. Apparently, this did not satisfy Salman who went in to the playing hall without discussing what he was going to do with the Chief TD and removed Anthony from his game which had been underway for awhile. One of the Weibel parents followed them fearing for Anthony's safety. She says that Salman left the child in a dark hallway unattended to go get his father. Can it get worse?--it did. One of my parents picked up a discussion that Salman's son had on face book with his friends. Salman participated in this exchange. The boys, including Salman's son, made various racist stereotype remarks. Salman did not interject and condemn these comments. A transcript of this conversation was forwarded to the USCF.

A number of parents were ready to collect money to institute a lawsuit. I thought this was a bad idea and said they should follow earlier advice presented to Michael's Dad by Elizabeth Shaughnessy, former USCF Board member, that they file a report with the US Chess Federation. They did. Since some of the parents were refusing to attend the CalChess Championships in the Spring, I held a meeting with all the team parents--we have 81 players. Most were there and the vote not to attend any tournaments Salman held was overwhelming. Parents expressed their fear that if Salman lost his temper again as he had done there and done with another Team's children and parents at an earlier event that it would be extremely harmful to their kids. They did not want their children called names and removed from an event due to misdirected anger. Some feared that the next step might not be just leaving a child in a darkened hallway alone but it might escalate from verbal violence to physical violence. The CalChess President was invited to this meeting, but he could not attend and did not send a representative. The meeting was taped & that tape is online.

Salman and I communicated via e-mail for a short while. I tried to identify to him that this issue was not between myself and him, but between him and the parents. I wrote to Salman that he needed to call the parents and apologize to them. He cut off communication at that point. I am afraid that many people like Chris have tried to make this an issue between Salman and myself. It may have started that way, but it became a public attack on children and their parents. Some have said that I am strong enough to resolve this. Well, I am not. Salman, as I told him, must call the parents and talk with them. He has their numbers.

Well that's it folks and for awhile, as tomorrow the games begin.
From Nashville,
Alan