That's the reason given by some states as why they did not send a team to the recent Malaysian Inter States Team Chess Championship in Pahang.

Yes. Having not enough funds to come here is a big problem I admit. However calculating ones chances since only 3 team prizes are offered seem to have been  another reason for  not taking part sounds a little strange to me.

However I am glad my state, Perak did send a team even though they knew they would not likely end up in top 5. In fact Perak didn't even finish top 10! So not having a chance to get prize money wasn't a deterrent from them to take part.

Then comes the other reason - NO MONEY. My personal opinion is that this shows the lack of financial planning and development by the state association itself when they fail to find funds to send a team here. So in short, that state has failed when compared to other poorer states who managed to scrounge enough money for travel and living expenses to Pahang. Kudos to Sabah and Sarawak, even though relatively far, made their way here.

Also I don't think it's about winning money to cover expenses. The Inter States is a place where players get to meet players from all over Malaysia. Team managers, state Presidents get to congregate and share ideas. It's not only a competitive event but also a social event.

Hopefully the reason for no funds and not enough prize money will not be used for the next Inter States. It is my personal opinion that these states have missed out. But if the same states still want to stay away from this national event, it is their perogative I guess.

So what do you think? Having not enough funds or the event not having enough prizes is reason enough not to participate?

An interesting game from Round 2 (Johor vs Selangor)