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.

To Balik Pulau and back

Did something a little different yesterday. We followed the monks from the Nandaka Vihara Meditation Society on a visit to two Buddhist monasteries in Balik Pulau and a meditation centre in Bukit Mertajam. It turned out to be quite a day, almost like putting in a full day's work. We left home at 9.30am and didn't get back until 5.30pm. Eight hours out and about, and thankfully, I wasn't the one behind the wheel.

That job was left to a younger volunteer, which was just as well because it rained heavily for much of the day. Driving in that sort of weather can be quite challenging for me, especially when visibility is poor and the roads are wet. I was quite happy to sit back and leave the driving to someone younger!

Our first stop was the Balik Pulau Buddhist Hermitage. Getting there was an adventure in itself. We turned off onto a road that seemed to get narrower and narrower until it was barely wide enough for a car to pass through. For a moment, I wondered whether we were heading in the right direction, but eventually we arrived at the hermitage. It was a rather secluded place and practically desrted. We had to let ourselves in through the gate. The only person there was the chief monk.

After that, we made our way to Vihara BoonRaksa Forest Monastery, also in Balik Pulau. This place was more accessible than the first, without the narrow approach that had made our earlier journey so interesting. We'd actually visited both places two or three years ago, so this wasn't our first time there. Not much seemed to have changed, although I had the opportunity to explore a little more this time around.

From Balik Pulau, we headed back to the mainland for our final stop at the Bukit Mertajam Buddhist Meditation Centre. By then, the day was already getting on, and after all that travelling in the rain, I was beginning to feel the effects of being out for so many hours.

We finally got home at 5.30pm, feeling thoroughly bushed. And this was despite having done none of the driving! I suppose eight hours of travelling, getting in and out of the vehicle and walking around the various places can take its toll on an old fellow like me. Age is catching up. Even a day spent visiting Buddhist monasteries can feel like a day's work...

Advanced glycation end products

Lately, I've been attending more health talks than ever before. Whether this is a good thing or not, I don't know lah. Maybe it's a sign of getting older when health becomes a more frequent topic of conversation. On Friday night, I was at The Old Frees' Association for a session that included constipation and hernia. Yesterday, I was at the Adventist Church in Bukit Mertajam for a talk on kidney health. Some of the slides certainly opened my eyes to a few things.

This wasn't my first visit to the church. In fact, I go there quite often, even though I'm a Buddhist. The church members have been very accommodating to both my wife and me, and we've taken part in some of their activities as well. Religion aside, I've always felt comfortable joining in. I don't see why we shouldn't be able to take part in one another's activities. 

The talk included something called Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGEs for short. These are compounds that can form when food is cooked at high temperatures, especially when meat is fried, grilled or roasted. The slides explained how AGEs are associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, which can affect our health, including our kidneys.

We all know that too much fried food isn't good for us, but how often do we think about the way our food is cooked? Dr Kuan suggested steaming, boiling and stewing instead, as these methods generally produce fewer AGEs than high-temperature cooking. Nobody is asking us to give up our favourite fried chicken or roast meat altogether, of course. But perhaps we can make a few changes to the way we prepare our food.

The other advice was very familiar enough: eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, and pay attention to our diet. Unfortunately for me, these things are easier said than done. I know that as someone who has to keep an eye on his health, understanding what we should do and actually doing it are two different things.

Anyway, that's another health talk attended and another bit of information picked up along the way. I've certainly been going to more of these talks lately. Whether I'm becoming more health-conscious or simply more aware of the things that can go wrong as we grow older, I'll leave that to my wife to decide.