On the Common Meeting of the Worldwide Chess Federation (FIDE), to happen September 21-22 alongside the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, delegates will vote on a controversial proposal by the Kyrgyz Chess Federation to take away present restrictions on the Russian and Belarusian chess federations. A number of Western federations have protested the proposal.
In a letter dated June 5, 2024, Kyrgyz Chess Federation President Babur Tolbaev requested to place up for a vote the proposal to “restore the total membership rights of the Russian Chess Federation and the Belarus Chess Federation, with such a call taking rapid impact.”
Tolbaev doesn’t present arguments for the proposal however expressed his federation’s “concern relating to the choice made by sure FIDE constructions in 2022” to droop Russia and Belarus and famous that they imagine that “such a big resolution needs to be made by the best authority, the Common Meeting of FIDE.”
Suspension of Russia and Belarus
On March 16, 2022, the FIDE Council suspended Russia and Belarus from participation in official FIDE workforce tournaments whereas particular person gamers might nonetheless play in tournaments underneath the FIDE flag. This got here greater than two weeks after the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) had really useful on February 28, 2022 to worldwide sports activities federations and sports activities occasion organizers that they “not invite or permit the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officers in worldwide competitions.”
A day earlier than that – three days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – the FIDE Council had determined to droop all official FIDE chess competitions and occasions in Russia and Belarus, to cease exhibiting Russian and Belarusian nationwide flags or taking part in their anthems in FIDE-rated worldwide chess occasions, and to terminate sponsorship agreements with Belarusian and Russian sanctioned and/or state-controlled corporations.
Protests towards the proposal
With the vote on the Kyrgyz Chess Federation’s proposal, which is more likely to happen on September 22, the FIDE delegates have the ability to nullify the FIDE Council’s selections of 2022 and totally reinstate the Russian and Belarusian federations. This prospect has led to protests from various chess federations, most prominently Ukraine.
Alexander Kamyshin was elected President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation solely a few weeks in the past. He lately stepped down as Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industries however nonetheless has a job within the authorities as advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky on strategic affairs. On social media platform X, he expressed his outrage in a thread, the place he famous:
Whereas chess gamers in Ukraine are killed by Russian navy terrorists, there is no such thing as a place for the Russian and Belarusian flags at chess tournaments. The Russian anthem has no proper to sound within the international locations of the free world. Furthermore, no self-respecting chess participant who values their popularity will go to a rustic that’s day by day killing the peaceable folks of one other nation. I want to remind you that for the reason that starting of the Nice Conflict, 21 chess gamers have already been killed in Ukraine, and two extra chess gamers are nonetheless lacking. And these are solely the information which can be at present identified. Subsequently, on behalf of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, I formally declare our categorical disagreement on this agenda merchandise.
I’m beginning my work on the Ukrainian Chess Federation @uachessfed with a difficult and necessary battle on the worldwide entrance.
Sure, it’s once more about russia.
And no, we won’t allow them to prevail, as we don’t let it on the battlefield. #NoBloodyRussianFlagBackInChess pic.twitter.com/MawQiCmSOI
— Alexander Kamyshin (@AKamyshin) September 9, 2024
Final Monday, September 16, a letter was posted on X, signed by GMs Vasyl Ivanchuk, Ruslan Ponomariov, Anton Korobov, Natalia Zhukova, and others, who’re urging nationwide federations “to make sure that this matter is just not even positioned on the agenda for dialogue.” They ask the chess group for “solidarity and assist” for Ukraine and to “promote peace.”
Vasyl Ivanchuk and different Ukrainian chess gamers signed a letter to @FIDE_chess urging to not raise sanctions towards the russian and belarusian federations@Ponomariov @AndriyVolokitin @Natalichess @EvgeniyaDoluhan@AKamyshin @Eljanov @PHChess @AndriyBar @TarjeiJS @ChessProblem pic.twitter.com/BADHLhPEM6
— Tribuna.com Україна (@tribunaua) September 16, 2024
Different chess federations are protesting the vote as properly. The Norwegian Chess Federation has already introduced that it’ll vote towards, alongside neighboring international locations. Deputy chairman of the Norwegian federation, Jon Kristian Haarr, instructed newspaper Nettavisen that the Nordic international locations will include a joint assertion on the FIDE Congress.
One other federation fiercely towards the Kyrgyz chess federation’s proposal is England. Its delegate, IM Malcolm Pein, instructed The Telegraph: “It’s clear that Kyrgyzstan is only a proxy for Russia on this occasion, and they’re clearly aligned with Russia. This may be discerned from the sudden colossal improve in commerce between Western international locations in Kyrgyzstan that began as soon as sanctions have been imposed, and clearly exhibits that lots of sanctions busting is happening by means of the nation as properly.”
It’s clear that Kyrgyzstan is only a proxy for Russia.
—Malcolm Pein
Going towards the IOC?
Pein famous that if the movement passes, “there is a hazard that chess will grow to be a pariah in world sport.” Whereas this may not be seen as such by everybody, it does seem that reinstating Russia and Belarus could be going towards IOC suggestions.
The IOC’s stance on the matter, as extensively put into phrases on March 28, 2023, hasn’t modified since. It consists of the next suggestions:
- Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport should compete solely as Particular person Impartial Athletes.
- Groups of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport can’t be thought of.
- Athletes who actively assist the struggle can not compete. Help personnel who actively assist the struggle can’t be entered.
The German Chess Federation, one of many first to reject the proposal that’s up for vote, additionally famous the IOC suggestions. Its President, Ingrid Lauterbach, mentioned in a assertion on August 23: “I used to be afraid that one thing like this might occur to us. However our place is evident right here: From our viewpoint, these motions don’t correspond with the place of the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) and likewise our place on this struggle.”
FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Fee
Associated to the upcoming vote is the resolution of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Fee (EDC) on September 12 that FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and the Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) have efficiently appealed current penalties. In June of this yr, the EDC punished the CFR with a two-year conditional ban and reprimanded Dvorkovich, in each instances for violations associated to Russia’s invasion of and continued aggression towards Ukraine.
Each the CFR and Dvorkovich appealed efficiently aside from one cost: the CFR’s alleged recognition of the occupied Ukrainian territories of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as a part of the Russian Chess Federation’s territory. For that, the CFR’s conditional ban has now been became a forty five,000 euro high quality.
The Ukrainian Chess Federation, GM Andrii Baryshpolets, and GM Peter Heine Nielsen, who introduced the unique case to the EDC in September 2023, haven’t given up the battle simply but. In a tweet on Tuesday, Nielsen famous that they’ve “knowledgeable the FIDE workplace of a possible battle of curiosity, involving the FIDE Ethics Committee Chairman Francois Strydom because of his connections to the Russian Regulation Agency SILA Legal professionals.”
At this time we now have knowledgeable the FIDE workplace of a possible battle of curiosity, involving the FIDE Ethics Committee Chairman Francois Strydom, because of his connections to the Russian🇷🇺 Regulation Agency SILA Legal professionals.https://t.co/PwUiLtCsWI pic.twitter.com/gqtAaC03g3
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) September 17, 2024
Because it seems, Kyrgyz Chess Federation President Babur Tolbaev, who introduced the proposal to raise the restrictions on Russia and Belarus, is among the many candidates for changing into the brand new Chairman of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Fee.
Many count on that Kyrgyzstan’s proposal will obtain sufficient assist to be handed, in what might be a vote through the FIDE Congress on September 22. In FIDE’s voting system, the vote of small (typically tiny) federations are valued equally to the votes of huge members just like the U.S. or Germany. Just a few months into the struggle, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich of Russia was re-elected with a vote tally of 157-16.
