Russia is accused of usurping control of the game in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces from 2022 onwards.
Published June 11, 2026
The governing body of world chess has suspended Russia, which has dominated chess for decades, following a successful legal challenge by Ukraine.
In March, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an international court, upheld Ukraine’s claim that the Russian Chess Federation usurped control of the game from 2022 onwards in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.
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Russia has been given 90 days to relinquish control of chess organizations in five regions of Ukraine and cancel tournaments in the regions.
But on Wednesday, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), chaired by Russia’s former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich, announced that it had decided to “impose the sanction of immediate suspension of[Russia’s]membership” due to Russia’s failure to comply with the deadline.
Russian adult players retain the right to participate in FIDE tournaments under the FIDE flag rather than their own flag. Only juniors can play under the Russian flag.
In team competitions, Russians “may be eligible” to participate under a neutral flag, but this will be subject to a further FIDE decision, the world body said. Russia’s state-run TASS news agency quoted Andrei Filatov, head of the Russian Chess Federation, as saying that the federation’s lawyers were reviewing FIDE’s decision and may appeal.
The Ukrainian Chess Federation hailed the decision as a “historic victory”.
passion for chess
Beyond the practical consequences, the ruling is a symbolic blow for a country with a deep and proud chess tradition, where amateurs can be seen crouching on pavements and boards in parks almost any time of the year.
>Grandmasters from Russia and other Soviet republics occupied the pinnacle of the game in a procession of world champions from 1927 to 2007, interrupted only briefly by Dutchman Max Huve in the 1930s and American Bobby Fischer in the 1970s.
But the days of Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov are long gone, and the 21st century is dominated by Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and a host of rising stars from India and China.
Currently, there is only one Russian player in the top 20 in the world. In April, Russia’s Andrei Eshpenko finished eighth in the Candidates Tournament to challenge for India’s Gukesh Donmaraj’s world championship title later this year.
The conflict over Ukraine, now in its fifth year, focuses on who will run the chess in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which Russia claims as its own territory but only partially controls.
Russia’s suspension bucks a recent trend in global sports beginning to readmit Russian athletes to compete after years of sanctions, first over a massive doping scandal and then over the war in Ukraine.
In previous Olympics, athletes who were allowed to compete could only compete as neutrals without carrying a national flag. Swimming, fencing and judo are among the sports announced in recent months to lift these restrictions.
