Shameful State of Maldivian Chess: Nooh Ali’s MCA Fails Players with No Soap, No Prize, No Respect
For years, the Maldives chess community has endured disorganization, delays, and blatant disrespect from the very institution meant to serve it — the Maldives Chess Association (MCA), led by its long-time incompetent president Nooh Ali.
Recent events and past investigations reveal a consistent pattern of arrogance, incompetence, and mismanagement that continues to drag Maldivian chess backward.
Prize Money Delayed, Players Disrespected
Top players who earned prize money in the recent Club Championship 2025 are still waiting for what they rightfully won. The delay is simply because the MCA management under Nooh Ali and the current executive committee is utterly dysfunctional.
The tournament schedule itself was released only after the event had already started, around the third or fourth day. This lack of organization made it impossible for players to plan their time properly.
During the technical meeting, Nooh Ali talked nonsense for most of the session, offering no clarity or structure. He even promised publicly that prize money would be distributed during the closing ceremony, a promise he later broke. When players approached to collect their prizes, they were told payment would come after the Commonwealth Championship ends, with no specific date.
This same pattern has happened before. After the last National Club Championship, players had to wait more than a month for their prize money. When one top player emailed to ask about the delay, Nooh Ali called the inquiry “impolite.”
Such words are insulting, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable from someone holding the highest office in Maldivian chess.
Terrible Conditions at the Playing Hall
The playing hall conditions were equally unacceptable.There was not even soap or tissue in the toilets, something players repeatedly complained about to officials. They said they had informed Nooh Ali, but he did nothing.
It is shameful that top national players have to compete in unhygienic conditions because the incompetent president refuses to act on such basic needs.
Moreover, there was no hospitality whatsoever, not even tea, coffee, or water, despite every club being charged MVR 2000 to participate.
This complete lack of care for the players shows how deeply out of touch the MCA leadership has become.
FIDE’s 2018 Report Exposed the Same Failures
These problems are not new. The FIDE Presidential Board Annex 38 (2018) report an official investigation by the world chess federation, documented a long list of serious issues under Nooh Ali’s leadership.
We leave a link to the report from FIDE website for readers to investigate themselves here: FIDE Annex 38, 2018
According to the report :
1. Election and Governance Irregularities
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FIDE found that it was alleged only two clubs participated in MCA elections — one owned by Nooh Ali himself and another by his close associate.
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He blocked new clubs from joining by setting an unreasonably high monthly fee (MVR 1,200).
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As a result, the MCA functioned without real elections or democratic legitimacy, effectively controlled by one man.
2. Financial Mismanagement
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The treasurer was denied access to federation accounts and authority over spending.
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FIDE discovered pre-signed blank cheques and a complete lack of financial transparency.
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The report concluded that Nooh Ali “had not conducted himself properly as President.”
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This level of mismanagement amounts to financial malpractice and abuse of office.
3. Interference in Tournaments
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FIDE recorded that “Mr. Nooh Ali interferes a lot and manipulates results of important tournaments.”
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Tournaments were changed mid-way (for example, from Swiss to Round Robin formats).
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Some events were renamed or restructured without player consent.
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When participants objected, they were told, “Leave if you don’t like it.”
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These are clear abuses of authority that destroy the credibility of national events.
4. Misadministration and Lack of Transparency
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The Maldives Sports Council itself found “a lot of mismanagement and misadministration” inside the MCA.
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Annual General Meetings were held without quorum, and committee members refused to sign minutes due to irregularities.
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The MCA has become a closed, unaccountable institution, operating in the dark under Nooh Ali’s control.
5. Collapse of Trust
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FIDE’s investigator met with players, coaches, arbiters, and parents during a 2018 visit.
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The report clearly stated: “There was not a single soul who stood up for Mr. Nooh Ali.”
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Every section of the chess community — from top players to parents — had lost confidence in his leadership.
A Broken System Keeps Him in Power
Yet despite years of documented failure, Nooh Ali was somehow re-elected as president again in 2025.
This is not a victory of merit, it’s proof that the MCA’s structure is fundamentally broken and unsuitable for modern sports governance. The election system ensures that power remains in the same hands year after year, regardless of performance or accountability.
This man, who has been publicly condemned in an official FIDE report for mismanagement and manipulation, should be kept miles away from the Maldives Chess Association.
As the 2018 FIDE report itself made clear, “he has not conducted himself properly as President.” Keeping him in charge again is an insult to every honest player and volunteer who works for the betterment of chess in this country.
A Silent Executive Committee
Vice President Adam Nasih (Koky) and other executive committee members including Fathimath Ithmeena, Mohamed Fazeel, Zeeshan A. Raheem, and Adam Shakir seem equally indifferent.None of them have shown any initiative, response, or concern for the deteriorating state of MCA.
They appear to be living their own lives, detached from the sport they were elected to support.The closing ceremony of the Club Championship 2025 was so dead and disappointing that fewer than 15 people attended — a reflection of how little enthusiasm and respect remain under this leadership.
Where Are the Authorities?
This ongoing crisis raises urgent questions for the Maldives Sports Commissioner and the Ministry of Sports, Fitness and Recreation:
Why have they failed to act?
Why are players never consulted about the state of their own federation?
The last time a meaningful player feedback initiative took place was during a USAID-sponsored sports governance project. Players were finally asked to share their experiences with federations. But after the U.S. government dissolved USAID, that project ended and with it, any real accountability.
If the Sports Ministry and Sports Commission remain silent while MCA continues to fail, they become complicit in the destruction of Maldivian chess.
A Federation That Belongs to Its Players — Not Its President
The Maldives Chess Association was created to promote chess and support its players, not to serve the ego of a single individual.
Under Nooh Ali and his current executive committee, the MCA has become a symbol of delay, disrespect, and dysfunction. Prize money is withheld, schedules are hidden, and legitimate questions are silenced.
Even FIDE itself has exposed his manipulation, and mismanagement, yet he continues to lead, unquestioned, unchecked, and unaccountable.
Call to Action
It is time for real intervention and reform.
The Sports Ministry, Sports Commissioner, and FIDE Ethics Commission must immediately investigate the MCA’s conduct and leadership.
The Sports Ministry must reintroduce player feedback mechanisms and enforce basic accountability in sports governance.
The Sports Commissioner must demand transparent financial and administrative audits of the MCA.
And FIDE must review whether its earlier warnings were ignored and take disciplinary action if necessary.
Maldivian chess players — the true ambassadors of the game — deserve an association that supports them, not one that exploits them.
If nothing changes, the sport will continue to rot under the same failed leadership, while the rest of the world moves forward.
It’s time to reclaim chess in the Maldives — for the players, by the players, and for the future of the game.
