Chess sanctions against Russia: The Russian Chess Federation has been suspended for three years
12 June 01:55
The FIDE Council has suspended the Russian Chess Federation from FIDE membership for three years. The reason was the chess tournaments and events that the Russian side continued to hold in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The decision was announced on the FIDE website, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
It is related to Russia’s failure to comply with the requirements of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which had previously ordered it to cease holding chess events in the occupied territories.
Why FIDE suspended Russia
The Russian Chess Federation was given 90 days to comply with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling. This deadline expired on June 9.
The Russian side was required to cease organizing chess tournaments and events in the territories of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. This includes Crimea, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
Since the requirements were not met, the FIDE Council decided to suspend the Russian federation from membership in the organization for three years.
What led to the decision
The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport was issued on March 11 following Ukraine’s appeal in 2024. The court ordered the Russian Chess Federation to cease operations in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
The Russian Chess Federation had previously made no secret of the fact that it did not plan to comply with these requirements. It claimed that the decision allegedly contradicted Russian law.
It was precisely this failure to comply with the decision that served as the basis for sanctions imposed by the International Chess Federation.
Will Russian chess players be able to participate in competitions?
Despite the suspension of the Russian Chess Federation, individual chess players from Russia will still be able to participate in international tournaments. They will compete under the flag of the International Chess Federation.
At the same time, under the current approach, junior players from Russia may compete under the Russian Federation’s flag.
This decision means that the sanctions are primarily directed against the Russian Chess Federation as an organization, rather than against all individual athletes.
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The decision still needs to be voted on
FIDE notes that the Council’s decision on Russia’s temporary suspension must be put to a vote by the organization’s General Assembly.
The General Assembly may uphold this decision or opt for a different, less severe sanction. Its decision will be final.
A historic decision for world chess
World Chess notes that this is the first time in the modern history of chess that a federation representing one of the world’s strongest chess nations has been suspended from FIDE.
This decision is part of a broader reaction by the international sports community to Russia’s actions and its use of occupied Ukrainian territories to host official or semi-official events.
Ukrainian chess on the international stage
Amid the decisions regarding Russia, Ukrainian chess players continue to achieve strong results on the international stage.
In April 2026, 17-year-old Roman Degtyarev from Kharkiv won the European Chess Championship. He made history as the first European chess champion without a grandmaster title.
Thus, FIDE’s decision regarding Russia was not only a disciplinary measure but also an important signal to the international sports community: holding competitions in the occupied territories of Ukraine has consequences.
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