Israeli Chess Players Barred From World Championship in Malaysia

Several Israeli chess players have reported being excluded from the World Amateur Chess Championship, scheduled to take place in Klang, Malaysia, from November 4 to 13. Their names are absent from the final participant list, despite efforts by the players and assurances from the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Lior Aizenberg, an Israeli player and head of the Chess4All club in Petah Tikva, stated he was barred from the competition even after registering with a foreign passport, calling the decision discriminatory based on his Israeli nationality. Malaysia, which lacks diplomatic relations with Israel, generally prohibits Israeli citizens from entering the country, creating a recurring obstacle for Israeli athletes participating in international events held there. The Israeli Chess Federation had previously stated that FIDE committed to making every effort to help Israeli players obtain visas for the championship. The official competition rules also indicated that entries were open to all member national federations. In response to the exclusion, Aizenberg is calling for the tournament to be moved to another country, arguing that an international competition cannot maintain its world championship status if participants are barred due to their nationality. This controversy echoes a 2019 incident where Malaysia was stripped of the World Para Swimming Championships by the International Paralympic Committee after refusing entry to Israeli athletes.