Below, I mentioned "selection" and "focus" only due to misleading title of the question mentioning "select or unselect". The relevant part of this solution is about "checked" property.
For a control, there is no such concept as selection. If you mean check/uncheck, do this:
$(".myCheckbox").prop("checked", true);
or
$(".myCheckbox").prop("checked", false);
If you mean "focus", do this:
$(".myCheckBox").focus();
There is no such concept as "unfocus". A control element looses focus only when some other control element gets focus.
I tested both methods before posting this answer.
—SA