The controversial vote that could readmit Russia and Belarus to the world of chess

The Russian and Belarusian chess federations could see the current sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow’s troops lifted. At the FIDE (international federation) general assembly to be held on September 21 and 22, coinciding with the Olympics underway in Budapest, delegates will have to vote on a controversial proposal put forward by Kyrgyzstan, aimed precisely at absolving the two countries, which would thus be reintegrated into the international circuit. Currently, neither can take part in major chess events, including the Olympics.

The story, told by Peter Doggers on Chess.com, arose from a letter dated June 5, 2024 and signed by the president of the Kyrgyz federation, Babur Tolbaev, where he asked to proceed with the vote to “restore full rights to the Russian Chess Federation and the Belarusian Chess Federation” regarding their membership and participation in FIDE, all with “immediate effect”. Several Western federations protested against the proposal while the Ukrainian one expressed its dissent through a post on X by its new leader, Alexander Kamyshin, consigliere del Presidente Volodymyr Zelensky for strategic affairs, who posted a thread with a photo where the red of the Russian flag turns into blood that stains the most iconic piece of the game, the king.

On September 16, a letter also appeared on X, signed by several Ukrainian titled players, including Vasyl Ivanchuk, Ruslan Ponomariov and Anton Korobov, urging national federations “to ensure that this topic is not even put on the agenda” and asking the chess community for “solidarity and support” for Kiev.

It is not a given what can happen in Budapest. The FIDE voting system is very democratic, so the vote of the smallest nation has the same weight as that of the United States or China. The outcome, therefore, is not a given, and in the case of readmission, a dangerous precedent would be created in the world of sports with chess suddenly at the center of media attention due to the ‘sports’ events involving Russia and Belarus.

Tolbaev, according to Doggers, did not provide any arguments in support of his proposal, but expressed his federation’s “concern over the decision taken by some FIDE structures in 2022” to suspend Russia and Belarus and noted that “such an important decision should be taken by the highest authority, the FIDE General Assembly” and not by the top following the lines recommended by the IOC.

The suspension of Russia and Belarus

The suspension of the two countries from FIDE has been official since March 16, 2022 when the Council excluded them from official international team tournaments. Individual players, however, can play under a neutral flag, especially after having expressed opposition to Moscow’s actions on Ukrainian soil. It is also forbidden to play their national anthems during official events. Likewise, all events already assigned to Russia and Belarus have been canceled and consequently moved, with the identification of new venues. Finally, sponsorship agreements with companies from these countries have been torn up.