Israeli chess players have reportedly been excluded from next month’s World Amateur Chess Championships in Malaysia, despite assurances from the sport’s international governing body that it would try to facilitate their participation.
Two Israeli competitors who registered for the tournament, scheduled to take place in Klang from November 4 to 13, are missing from the published list of entrants.
One of them, Lior Aizenberg, alleged that he was excluded for being an Israeli national even after registering using a foreign passport.
Aizenberg, a pro-Israel activist who runs the Chess4All club in Savyon, central Israel, criticised the decision and called on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to remove Malaysia’s hosting rights.
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