With 2 days to go before the closing date, MCF begins to receive entries from its State Affiliates led by Pulau Pinang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka. While the number of entries could be the lowest number of entries in recent years, the overall number of participants in the event is the second highest at 118 players, compared to the 2011 numbers of 126 players. Last year, the total number of players was 102 players, the 4th highest behind the 2015 total of 104 players.

Currently at only 37 players in the Open category and 11 players in the Women category (with 2 days to go), this could be the lowest number of participants for the Malaysian Chess Championship. The previous lowest number for the Open Category was 46 (when it was held in Terengganu in 2013 and last year in Bangi) and 18 for the Women (when it was held in 2012, 2013, and 2018 in KL, Terengganu and Tg Malim respectively.