The Malaysian Chess Championship is organized by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF; Malay: Persekutuan Catur Malaysia). Known as the National Closed Chess Championship prior to 2016, the first edition was held in 1974. A separate Malaysian Women's Chess Championship has also been held annually since 1990. FIDE Master Christi Hon has won the national title a record five times, while Woman International Master Siti Zulaikha Foudzi has won the women's title a record eight times. Curiously, it has occurred twice that a pair of siblings have won the national and the women's titles in the same year: Kamal Ariffin Wahiddudin and Nurul Huda Wahiduddin in 1991, and Zarul Shazwan Zullkafli and Nur Shazwani Zullkafli in 2007.[1]
National championship winners
Year Champion[1][2][3] 1974 Choo Min Wang 1975 Chan Swee Loon 1976 Goh Yoon Wah 1977 Tan Bian Huat 1978 Christi Hon 1979 Tay Chong Thai 1980 Jimmy Liew 1981 Christi Hon, Goh Yoon Wah 1982 Christi Hon 1983 Christi Hon 1984 Jimmy Liew 1985 Peter Long, Francis Chin 1986 Peter Long, Francis Chin 1987 Christi Hon, Lee Soi Hock 1988 Kamal Abdullah 1989 Kamal Abdullah 1990 Ng Ek Leong 1991 Kamal Ariffin Wahiddudin 1992 Mok Tze Meng 1993 Yeoh Chin Seng 1994 Mas Hafizulhelmi 1995 Mas Hafizulhelmi 1996 Lim Yee Weng 1997 Lim Yee Weng 1998 Ng Ee Vern 1999 Jonathan Chuah 2000 Ng Tze Han 2001 Lim Chuin Hoong (Ronnie Lim) 2002 Wong Zi Jing 2003 Nicholas Chan 2004 Nicholas Chan 2005 Marcus Chan 2006 Jonathan Chuah 2007 Zarul Shazwan Zullkafli 2008 Lee Kim Han (Edward Lee) 2009 Evan Timothy Capel 2010 Tan Khai Boon 2011 Lim Zhuo Ren 2012 Roshan Ajeet Singh 2013 Aron Teh 2014 Fong Yit San 2015 Yeoh Li Tian 2016 Yeoh Li Tian[4] 2017 Wong Yinn Long 2018 Fong Yit San 2019 Kamal Abdullah 2022 Tan Jun Ying 2023 Lim Zhuo Ren
Women's championship winners
Year Champion[1][2] 1990 Audrey Wong 1991 Nurul Huda Wahiduddin 1992 Nurul Huda Wahiduddin 1993 Eliza Hanum Ibrahim 1994 Roslina Marmono 1995 Khairunnisa Wahiduddin 1996 Eliza Hanum Ibrahim 1997 Eliza Hanim Ibrahim 1998 Eliza Hanum Ibrahim 1999 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2000 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2001 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2002 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2003 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2004 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2005 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2006 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2007 Nur Shazwani Zullkafli 2008 Alia Anin Azwa Bakri 2009 Tan Li Ting 2010 Fong Mi Yen 2011 Nur Nabila Azman Hisham 2012 Nur Najiha Azman Hisham 2013 Nur Nabila Azman Hisham 2014 Renitha Narayanan 2015 Nur Nabila Azman Hisham 2016 Tan Li Ting[4] 2017 Nur Nabila Azman Hisham 2018 Tan Li Ting 2019 Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa Azhar 2022 Siti Zulaikha Foudzi 2023 Ainul Mardhiah Mohd Afif
Precursors
Malayan championship
Prior to the formation of Malaysia, a Malayan Chess Championship was organized by the Malayan Chess Federation which was founded in 1949. It was usually hosted in Singapore and was open to players outside the Federation of Malaya. The first winner, Johannes Fernhout, was a Dutchman from Java.[5]
Malayan championship winners
Year Location Champion[6] 1949 Penang Johannes Fernhout 1950 Singapore Pat Aherne 1951 Singapore J. C. Hickey 1952 Singapore G. H. Brownbill 1953 Singapore Tay Kheng Hong 1954 Singapore Richard Lim 1955 Kuala Lumpur David B. Pritchard 1956 Singapore M. Davis 1957 Singapore J. C. Hickey 1958 Singapore J. C. Hickey 1959 Singapore J. C. Hickey 1960 Singapore R. E. Fontana 1961 Kuala Lumpur Tan Lian Ann 1962 Singapore Tan Lian Ann 1963 Singapore Tan Lian Seng
Malaysian championships prior to 1974
In April 1965, the Singapore Chess Federation and the Chess Association of Malaya hosted "the first Malaysian chess championship" in Singapore, which was open to "people in all Malaysian States." The winner was Tan Lian Ann of Singapore.[7] Afterwards, national championships in Malaysia were held irregularly due to a lack of organizers. Before the Malaysian Chess Federation replaced the Chess Association of Malaya, the last national tournament took place in 1972–1973 in Kuala Lumpur and was won by Chan Mun Fye.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 "Malaysian Chess History". 7 November 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- 1 2 "Former NM & NWM". Sabah Chess Association. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ Quah Seng Sun (17 June 2005). "They were the champions". The Star. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- 1 2 "2016". 11 August 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ Jayakumar, Shashi; Urcan, Olimpiu G. (2017). Singapore Chess: A History, 1945–1990. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. pp. 5–6. ISBN 9789814733212.
- ↑ Jayakumar, Shashi; Urcan, Olimpiu G. (2017). "Appendix A: Winners of the Malayan Chess Championship (1949-1963)". Singapore Chess: A History, 1945–1990. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. p. 361. ISBN 9789814733212.
- ↑ Jayakumar, Shashi; Urcan, Olimpiu G. (2017). Singapore Chess: A History, 1945–1990. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. p. 74. ISBN 9789814733212.
- ↑ Foo Lum Choon (October 1979). "A History of the National Championships" (PDF). Catur Magazine. pp. 9, 11. Retrieved 3 November 2022.