Chess tourney director denies 'seductive dress' remarks

A local chess tournament director who courted controversy for allegedly labeling a 12-year-old female competitor’s dress as “seductive” has denied the claims and revealed how they had affected his own children. 

National Scholastic Chess Championships 2017 tournament director Sophian A Yusuf was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying that the allegations against him were “slanderous”, as he had never even met the girl in question.

“It isn’t true. I was not even there (at the location where she was playing) when this allegedly happened.

“I have never even seen this girl, nor did I even see her outfit at the time,” he reportedly said, adding that he only saw the girl’s dress when the tournament photographer showed it to him after the controversy broke out.

Sophian also said that he has since been on the receiving end of abuse from social media users. 

According to the NST, Sophian broke down in tears as he spoke about the hate mail he had received.

“I received abusive messages and threats on Facebook and via email. People used terms like ‘paedophile’ and ‘pervert’. I even looked for messages of support but there were none,” said Sophian who revealed that he has an 11-year-old daughter, who is also a chess player.

“My daughter is aware of the accusations against me. She has since become withdrawn and has refused to speak on the matter. My son has also been affected by the issue.

“When people call me names such as ‘pervert’ or ‘paedophile’ on social media, all I can do now is be strong to prove to people that these allegations are untrue,” he was quoted as saying.

Chess coach Kaushal Khandhar, who posted about the alleged incident on Facebook last week, said the matter had been relayed to the player's mother at the last minute. 

The girl then dropped out of the tournament as the discussion had happened at around 10pm and there was no time to buy a pair of slacks in time for the next round at 9am the next day, as all the shops were closed.

Khaushal also included a photograph of the girl's knee-length skirt in the post and demanded an apology from the tournament director.

Advice ignored

Sophian, however, said the issue had already been raised by an arbiter during the first day of the tournament.

A second arbiter had also instructed a female assistant to speak to the girl and advise her accordingly, he said. 

“However, the advice was ignored,” he reportedly claimed. 

Sophian said the girl had submitted her withdrawal letter from the tournament the next day and that he had later received a phone call from the girl’s mother, which he had not answered as he was moderating the event.

Sophian also said that the girl’s mother sent him an email on April 21 seeking an explanation and a public apology.

“I replied to that email the next day. I explained to her what actually happened. She did not accept my explanation and still wanted me to apologise,” he said.

Sophian added that he had lodged a report on the matter with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over the allegations on social media. 

He also lodged a police report on the incident last week.- Mkini