Malaysia's chess predicament

I don't like to say this, but I believe the Malaysian Chess Federation has got itself into a fine pickle over the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships scheduled to begin on 04 November 2026.

Some two months ago, I learnt that the World Chess Federation, FIDE, had awarded Malaysia the rights to organise the championships, with the Selangor Chess Association entrusted with staging the event in Klang. As far as I knew, preparations were proceeding normally. Then, a few days ago, news emerged that the Israeli Chess Federation was complaining that it had not received an invitation for its players to participate. And that's where the trouble begins.

FIDE's rules on hosting official international chess events include a principle of free access for representatives of its member federations. Israel is a member of FIDE, just as Malaysia is. So, from the chess world's point of view, Israeli players should be able to take part in a FIDE championship on the same basis as players from other member federations.

But Malaysia has its own government policy on Israeli nationals entering the country, and that is where the two positions seem destined to collide. Given the Malaysian government's longstanding position, I find it difficult to imagine Israeli chess players being granted entry visas simply because they have the right to play in a chess tournament. The Israeli Chess Federation is huffing to participate in a FIDE event, while the Malaysian government has made its position on Israeli athletes very clear. How is the Malaysian Chess Federation supposed to reconcile these two positions?

This is not the first time Malaysia has found itself in this position. In January 2019, the Malaysian government confirmed that Israeli athletes would not be allowed to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships scheduled to be held in Kuching that July. The International Paralympic Committee subsequently withdrew Malaysia's right to host the event because the government could not guarantee that Israeli athletes would be allowed to compete. The championships had to find another host.

That episode should have served as a warning. The government's position has been known for years, and I see no reason to assume that it will suddenly make an exception for chess players. If Malaysia cannot admit Israeli participants, how can it fulfil its obligations as host of a FIDE world championship? This is not simply a question of whether an invitation letter has been sent. An invitation is of little use if the players cannot obtain permission to enter the country.

So now, this is a problem that was not properly considered before Malaysia took on the hosting rights. When bidding for this international championship, the Malaysian Chess Federation and the organisers overlooked the conditions imposed by FIDE and the practical requirements for bringing players from all member federations to Malaysia. The government's position on Israeli participation in sporting events was hardly a secret. Did nobody consider what would happen if Israeli players wanted to take part?

I should add that I don't think the same difficulty necessarily arises with every international chess event held in Malaysia. Asian-level competitions, for instance, do not involve Israel in the same way because of the geographical zones used by FIDE. Israel belongs to a European zone in FIDE's classification, despite being geographically part of Asia. That distinction can make a difference to which federations are expected to participate. An event open to the whole world, however, is another matter altogether.

For now, I don't know how this will end. Perhaps FIDE and the Malaysian Chess Federation are still trying to find a way out of the predicament. But with the championship due to begin on the fourth of November, time is running short. After all the work that must already have gone into preparing the venue, accommodation, tournament arrangements and other logistics, it would be a real pity if Malaysia were to lose the event.

And that brings me back to the question that bothers me most. Who made the decision to accept the hosting rights without first resolving this obvious conflict between FIDE's requirements and Malaysia's policy? Was the issue raised at all when the bid was being considered? Somebody in the Federation ought to explain how this situation was allowed to develop.

I say this as someone who has been involved in Malaysian chess for many years. We should be proud when FIDE entrusts us with an event of this standing. But accepting the honour of hosting a world championship also means accepting the responsibilities that come with it. We cannot simply hope that a problem everyone should have anticipated will somehow disappear when the tournament draws near.