Reuters —
The governing body for world chess has suspended Russia, which dominated the game for decades, after the world’s top sports tribunal ruled in Ukraine’s favor.
In March, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld Ukraine’s claim that the Russian Chess Federation had seized control of the game in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. The deal gives Russia 90 days to return control of five regional chess organizations and cancel tournaments there.
On Wednesday, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), chaired by Russia’s former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich, announced that Russia’s membership in FIDE had been suspended with immediate effect for failing to meet the deadline.
The Ukrainian Chess Federation hailed the decision as a “historic victory,” but some critics of Dvorković accused him of merely creating the appearance of enforcing CAS rulings, when in reality he was creating new loopholes to benefit Russian players.
FIDE said that Russian adult athletes will be able to participate in FIDE tournaments under the FIDE flag rather than their country’s flag, as they currently do. Only juniors can play under the Russian flag.
However, a key paragraph of the statement also said that, subject to further decisions by FIDE, Russians “may be eligible” to participate under a neutral flag in team competitions.
This could pave the way for Russian players to compete as a team at the next Chess Olympics, to be held in Uzbekistan in September. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russians have been banned from participating in the past two Olympic Games (chess’s equivalent of soccer’s World Cup).
Malcolm Payne, FIDE’s UK representative who is preparing to potentially challenge Mr Dvorkovic in the next presidential election, told Reuters there were a significant number of countries that strongly disagreed with FIDE’s decision.
“It’s designed to give the appearance that organizations are complying with the (CAS) ruling when they clearly haven’t,” he said in a phone interview, adding that this could lead to further legal action in court.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency quoted Andrei Filatov, president of the Russian Chess Federation, as saying that the federation’s lawyers are considering FIDE’s suspension and may appeal.
Russia has a deep and proud chess tradition, and amateurs can be seen hunched over their boards on sidewalks and in parks almost any time of the year.
FIDE’s suspension “is not just about chess. It’s about the global trend of excluding and canceling Russian players,” said Yaroslava, 38, who was playing in the summer chess area set up by the city authorities, opposite Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater.
Nearby, chess teacher Alexei Ryslov ignored FIDE’s move. “Russians love chess. Chess is a national sport…I don’t think this wrong decision will affect us too much,” he said.
From 1927 to 2007, grandmasters from Russia and other Soviet republics occupied Chess Summit in a procession of world champions, 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 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 last in eighth place and won the Candidates Tournament to challenge India’s Gukesh Donmaraj for the world championship title later this year.
Russia’s suspension bucks a recent trend in which global sports are beginning to allow Russian athletes back into the sport after years of sanctions, first because of a massive doping scandal and then because of 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.
