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KUALA LUMPUR – The Vibes sports team has exhausted the Malaysian Chess Federation’s (MCF) opinion towards ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ since its rise.
In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spoken to MCF’s General Secretary Mr Najib Abdul Wahab, former player, Vice President II of MCF and member of the MCF selection committee Mr Yeoh Chin Seng, as well as 2019 SEA Games, champion Yeoh Li Tian.
Yet, just highlighting their opinion on the series’ impact on chess in Malaysia holds no substance unless action is taken to further develop the sport.
So, what’s the next step for our chess connoisseurs?
According to Mr Yeoh, chess should be recognised as a mainstream sport because it carries a high educational value.
“Compared to other sports, chess has many educational advantages. It helps players appreciate science as it is heavily engrained within the sport.”
Fellow MCF committee member, team manager and technical vice president, Encik Muhammad Firdaus Ismail, adds that chess also relies on strategising and focus.
"As chess is a very mental sport, the ability to strategise and focus throughout the game is very important.”
As it is undeniable that chess carries significant educational value, our government is initiating chess clubs in an attempt to implement the sport at schools.
Yet, how often have we joined a club, only to have a teacher leave us be after being taught the basics?
Just like any other sport, chess is not a self-taught avocation — even Beth Harmon from ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ had a handful of mentors.
In order to hire coaches and mentors, funds will have to follow suit and, at the moment, MCF is fully self-funded.
“We get a few sponsors here and there, and we get occasional funding from the World Chess Federation, but we mainly work with whatever funds we have at the moment to organise tournaments and send players to compete,” said Firdaus.
Although MCF is currently working hand-in-hand with the National Sports Association (MSN) to obtain funding, especially to send athletes to compete in the next SEA Games, things are not set-in-stone.
Ideally, MCF would require approximately RM500,000 to not only send players to compete overseas but also to hire grandmasters to coach their athletes.
Compared to other mainstream sports that require at least RM1 million a year, the cost for chess to be a mainstream sport is significantly lower, especially when we have athletes like Yeoh Li Tian bringing home the gold.
Still, the educational value and low cost is not the only reason why Yeoh dreams of chess becoming a mainstream sport.
When The Vibes reached out to Yeoh, he shared that chess aptly reflects our racial representation in Malaysia.
“Malaysian chess reflects our division of race very well. For example, if the percentage of Malays in Malaysia is 70%, you can expect that chess to also be represented by 70% of Malays — I like to call chess the ‘The Muhibbah Game’,” Yeoh says.
After speaking to the committee of MCF, it is clear that their ultimate goal is for chess to be considered a mainstream sport.
With its affordable maintenance, high educational and social values, the future of chess looks bright. – The Vibes, 15 December, 2020
