Following a formal invitation received from the organizer of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022, the Malaysian Chess Federation is calling upon interested (and qualified) chess players who are keen to don our national colors to apply for a spot in the National Chess squad bound for the grand event which is scheduled to be held from 27th July to 12th August in Chennai, India. Initially scheduled to be held in Moscow, Russia – but was moved out due to the conflict, the All India Chess Federation has agreed to bid as the replacement country and the biggest chess festival is now set after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Only 4 spots are available for each of the Open and Women’s Team that will be filled by interested applicants, with the 5th spot to be automatically given to the eventual winner of the 2022 Malaysian Chess Champion set to be held from 8th June to 12th June at Hotel Tenera Bangi. The announcement and invitation to participate in the Malaysian Chess Championship 2022 have been sent out to all the State Affiliates and the Open invitation to all players will be made public by early next week.

Those who are interested to apply must comply with the following requirements before their application can be considered – being a Malaysian citizen is one of the more basic requirements in order to be selected. The requirements are:
1. Each player applying must have a valid FIDE ID
2. Players applying for the Open Team must have a minimum FIDE Rating of 1600 while players applying for the Women Team must have a minimum FIDE Rating of 1400.
3. There shall be NO APPLICATION FEES for players with MCF ID. For players without MCF ID, a non-refundable application fee of RM40 shall apply. Note: Players are recommended to register as an MCF Registered Player prior to applying to be on the team.
4. Closing date to apply shall be 18th May 2022.

Interested parties can go to https://forms.gle/rkGwHUwXPqEgXKj97 to apply by completing the form and inserting the necessary proof of payment – where applicable.

Players are also reminded that the Malaysian Chess Federation reserves the right to reject any application without providing any reason whatsoever. And, while the MCF Selection Committee strives to select only those who applied via the application portal that has been prepared, MCF may opt to consider selecting or offering players via other measures such as based on FIDE ranking or, a junior player(s) with potential or, a former champion or, other indicators that will make him/her worthy to be included in the team.

We seek the support and interest of the chess community and hope to field a strong Malaysia Team at the biannual event. Based on Malaysia’s previous history, we have never failed to participate in the Olympiad and similarly, we would not want to waste the opportunity – whatever the circumstances may be.

For more info, please contact mcfselection@malaysiachess.org or mcfsecretariat@malaysiachess.org