The MCF Rating has been updated as of 1st December 2025, with 13 additional events added to the rating calculation. This includes the MCF Office Series, Malaysian Amateur Chess Championship, and the Perlis Community event that was held in Perlis, and a few smaller events such as the KIP Mall events and the 1000 Chess League events held in Melaka and Muar.
The next few events to be added at the end of December are the National Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship and the recently concluded Commonwealth events, as a few updates need to be completed before the rating can be calculated.
As of 1st December, a total of 5,670 players are listed as active players in the MCF rating list, with 3,572 players rated, or 62% of the signed-up list. The number is still below MCF’s target of at least 10,000 players by the end of the year, but with new initiatives to be introduced by early 2026, it is hoped that the target can be achieved by Q3 of 2026.
On the global number, i.e., FIDE listing, Malaysia is ranked 18th in the world as the most populated country with FIDE-registered players at 19,932. Not surprisingly, India leads the pack with 179,529 players, followed by Russia at a distant second with 136,435 players.
Out of 19,932 players, Malaysia only has 3,138 players that hold a Standard FIDE Rating – a low 16% considering our remarkably high number. For Rapid FIDE Rating, the rate is slightly higher at 21% (or 4,231), which does not provide any comfort, considering the many rapid events being hosted locally and players swarming to sign up.
As a guide, according to the FIDE List, the global average number of players of a country that has a Standard FIDE Rating is 43%, compared to our low 16%. Even within our ASEAN Region, the average is higher at 18% despite us having the most registered players within the neighborhood.
For FIDE Rapid Rating, the global average is 36% per country against our 21%, but our standing in the ASEAN region is just a tad lower against the region’s average of 22%.
In short, MCF hopes to encourage more Standard play amongst the locals, but the challenges related to the number of playing days (quality Standard events require at least 5 days), cost to run, lack of high rated players participating in tournaments, and commitment from the community to steer more focus towards Standard events; must be overcome requiring gradual but effective improvement, changing mindsets and structured approach to attract the masses.
Next update for MCF Rating shall be end of December 2025.