The International Chess Federation (FIDE) Council has temporarily suspended the membership of the Russian Chess Federation.
This is stated on the FIDE website.
This decision was made because Russia failed to comply with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)ʼs request.
The story goes back to 2024. Then, after a complaint from the Chess Federation of Ukraine, the Russian Chess Federation was suspended from membership in FIDE for two years due to work in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Russia appealed the decision, and FIDE replaced the suspension with a fine of €45,000. But Ukraine appealed.
As a result, CAS sided with Ukraine. The court ruled that the actions of the Russian Chess Federation threatened the territorial integrity of Ukraine and violated FIDE rules. CAS also recognized that the fine was insufficient and ordered the Russian organization to cease operations in the occupied territories within 90 days.
If this did not happen, the court threatened to expel the organization from FIDE for a period of up to three years. The deadline for implementing this decision expired on June 9.
FIDEʼs statement said that the sanctions only apply to the Russian Chess Federation and are not a restriction on chess players — meaning they can still qualify for competitions.
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