Lausanne, Switzerland. The International Chess Federation has suspended Russia’s membership with immediate effect after a legal challenge by Ukraine and a tribunal ruling that Russia had usurped control of chess bodies in occupied areas of Ukraine.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport in March upheld Ukraine’s complaint and gave Russia 90 days to relinquish control of chess bodies in five Ukrainian regions and stop holding tournaments there.
Tribunal ruling and suspension
FIDE said on Wednesday that Russia had not complied with the deadline set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The governing body therefore decided to “impose the sanction of temporary suspension of (Russia’s) membership… with immediate effect”.
FIDE is headed by Russia’s former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
Impact on Russian players
Russian adult players will retain the right to participate in FIDE tournaments under FIDE’s flag rather than Russia’s own flag. Only junior players can compete under the Russian flag.
In team events, Russians “may be eligible” to take part under a neutral flag, but FIDE said this would be subject to further decisions.
Responses from Russia and Ukraine
Russian state news agency TASS quoted Andrei Filatov, head of the Russian Chess Federation, as saying that its lawyers were reviewing FIDE’s decision and might challenge it.
The Ukrainian chess federation described the decision as a “historic victory”.
Symbolic significance
Beyond its practical effects, the ruling is a symbolic blow to a country with a longstanding chess tradition, where amateurs play in public spaces such as pavements and parks throughout the year.
Grandmasters from Russia and other Soviet republics dominated the top of the game from 1927 to 2007, with the succession of world champions interrupted only briefly by Dutch player Max Euwe in the 1930s and American Bobby Fischer in the 1970s.
The era of Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov has since passed, and the 21st century has been led by Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and emerging leading players from India and China.
