2nd MCF GM/IM Invitational 2026: Photo Story from Kuala Lumpur

by Devansh Singh - 03/08/2026

Last year, the inaugural GM/IM Invitation Chess Event wrote itself into Malaysian chess history. It was at that historic tournament where then-IM Yeoh Li Tian achieved his third and final GM norm, officially becoming Malaysia’s first-ever Grandmaster. Fast forward to 2026, and the search for Malaysia's next Grandmaster and International Master continues! The 2nd GM-IM Invitational Chess Championship 2026 is currently underway from 29th July to 6th August 2026 at the scenic Jeumpa d'Ramo Boutique Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photos: Edwin Lam

Sneak Peek of the event

Organized by the Malaysian Chess Federation, this 9-round classical event brings together a diverse mix of international talent featuring Grandmasters and International Masters from Europe, Australia, and Asia alongside Malaysia’s top young prodigies, teenagers, and ambitious rising stars.

With 6 rounds now complete, let's take a look at the playing hall, the critical encounters, and the vibrant atmosphere through this dedicated photo story.

Playing Hall

Games in action

Malaysia's first GM, Yeoh Li Tian, who is also the defending champion of this event

GM Yeoh Li Tian vs IM James Morris

IM James Morris looking troubled in his game vs. GM Yeoh Li Tian

GM Gabor Nagy - he is the present-day Petrosian and is pretty hard to defeat!

FM Kavin Mohan, a student of GM Akash G, has achieved 3 IM norms and would need to just hit the 2400 rating to get his title

GM Petr Kiriakov

IM Tan Jun Ying

FM Anderson Ang Ern Jie

The battle of the two FMs: Anderson Ang vs Wong Yinn Long

The battle between the leaders after 5 rounds: IM Lee Junhyeok and IM Chan Kim Yew

GM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam

The only untitled player in the event, Aqil Alauddin, has been having a good run so far

GM Mayank Chakraborty of India

Post mortem between Gabor Nagy and Kavin Mohan 1

IM Angelo having a look at the game of CM Chow

CM Chow Yi Chen, the youngest player in the invitational event

A huge thanks to Mr. Edwin Lam Choong Wai for sharing the details and these wonderful photos from the event!

Rank after Round 7 in GM Pool

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5	Rp	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	9	IM	Lee Junhyeok	KOR	2408	4	0	14	3	1	2418	2418	7	4	3,88	0,12	10	1,2
2	8	IM	Morris James	AUS	2422	4	0	13,75	2,5	2	2440	2440	7	4	3,80	0,20	10	2
3	7	IM	Chan Kim Yew	MAS	2374	4	0	13,25	1,5	2	2445	2445	7	4	3,30	0,70	10	7
4	4	FM	Kavin Mohan	MAS	2250	3,5	1	12	2,5	2	2408	2408	7	3,5	2,05	1,45	20	29
5	1	IM	Tan Jun Ying	MAS	2412	3,5	2	12,25	2,5	1	2378	2378	7	3,5	3,82	-0,32	10	-3,2
6	3	GM	Nagy Gabor	HUN	2428	3,5	2	12,25	2,5	0	2376	2376	7	3,5	3,99	-0,49	10	-4,9
7	2	FM	Ang Ern Jie Anderson	MAS	2319	3,5	4	11,5	1,5	1	2396	2396	7	3,5	2,78	0,72	20	14,4
8	6	GM	Kiriakov Petr	FID	2453	3	1	10,5	2	0	2343	2343	7	3	4,07	-1,07	10	-10,7
9	5	FM	Wong Yinn Long	MAS	2327	3	2	10,75	2,5	1	2352	2352	7	3	2,77	0,23	20	4,6
10	10	GM	Yeoh Li Tian	MAS	2492	3	2	10,75	2,5	1	2330	2330	7	3	4,54	-1,54	10	-15,4

Details

Rank after Round 7 in IM Pool

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5	Rp	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	9	GM	Nguyen Duc Hoa	VIE	2375	6	0	20,5	3,5	5	2559	2559	7	6	4,62	1,38	10	13,8
2	8	IM	Mayank Chakraborty	IND	2494	5	0	16,5	2	3	2402	2402	7	5	5,61	-0,61	10	-6,1
3	7	FM	Lim Zhuo Ren	MAS	2270	4,5	0	12,5	0,5	3	2360	2360	7	4,5	3,61	0,89	20	17,8
4	3	CM	Chow Yi Chen	MAS	2161	3,5	1	9,5	1	3	2243	2243	7	3,5	2,81	0,69	40	27,6
5	2	IM	Young Angelo	PHI	2119	3,5	2	9	0	3	2211	2211	7	3,5	2,66	0,84	10	8,4
6	10		Abd Aziz A Qil A Lauddin	MAS	2197	3	0	9	1,5	2	2167	2167	7	3	3,36	-0,36	40	-14,4
7	5	IM	Bajarani Ilgar	AZE	2269	3	0	8,75	1,5	1	2191	2191	7	3	3,78	-0,78	10	-7,8
8	4	FM	Genkeswaran Genivan	MAS	2209	2,5	0	7,5	0,5	2	2134	2134	7	2,5	3,30	-0,80	40	-32
9	1	WFM	Chong Kai Ni Agnes	MAS	2037	2	1	5,5	1	2	2050	2050	7	2	1,95	0,05	20	1
10	6	CM	Shahar Uzair	MAS	2228	2	2	8,25	1	0	2094	2094	7	2	3,30	-1,30	40	-52

Details

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