The International Chess Federation has penalised the Russian Chess Federation with a three-year suspension from membership for its activities on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Source: FIDE press service

Details: The organisation resolved to suspend the Russian Chess Federation’s membership until June 2029 for failure to comply with the requirements of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The court had previously ordered the Russian Chess Federation to cease all activities on the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as in Crimea, granting 90 days to comply; the deadline was on 9 June.

The sanctions apply solely to the Russian Chess Federation, meaning the right of Russian chess players to participate in competitions remains unchanged.

The first ruling on the Russian Chess Federation’s activities in occupied territories was issued in 2024, when CAS ordered a fine of €45,000, with which the Ukrainian federation disagreed, filing an appeal and partially winning it.

Russia itself previously filed a complaint with FIDE over the public activities of the Ukrainian federation’s president.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich may also be included in a further EU sanctions package against Russia.

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