As of today, 4 players from KL and 2 players from Penang has shown their interest to be part of the Zonal Hybrid event which is scheduled to start on 1st May 2021. The Federation would need to respond to the Asian Chess Federation by 20th of April (just less than 2 weeks from now) of its intention to send players, and all payments must be completed by the said date.

That being said, while MCF has stated that the cost for players to play in the tournament may reach RM1,500 per player – as the players would need to cover the cost of the Hybrid Center and the Arbiters, the more players showing their interest, the lesser the amount needed to be paid. MCF calculated that if there are at least 8 players playing, the amount may reduce by more than half of the projected cost. Considering that players have to travel, book accommodations and spending time away at a foreign country when playing in an Over-The-Board Zonal event, the Hybrid mode offers a more affordable option for players who wants to play in a highly competitive and quality FIDE rated event that offers opportunity to challenge wits against some of the best players in the region.

There are a few players who have also written in to apply but, many did not pass the minimum qualification mark of ELO Rating 1900 to play in the event.

The closing date to inform your interest is tonight at 10:00pm and once all the names are in, MCF will start the discussion as to where will be the most convenient spot for players to play from .At the moment, all the Hybrid centers in the Klang Valley area – Chess Hacks (Shah Alam), Traju Center (Putrajaya), KL Chess Academy (Hartamas) and Maxsoft (Bangi), have agreed to host the event. But due to regulations and costing purposes, only 1 Hybrid center will be chosen unless there are more than 10 players indicating their interest