The Russian Chess Federation leaves Europe for Asia. Russian players should be able to start under the Russian flag again.
In the face of ongoing tensions over the Ukraine war, the Russian Chess Federation leaves the European Chess Union (ECU) and joins the Asian governing body.
At the Asian Chess Summit in Abu Dhabi, 29 delegates voted in favour, one against and six abstained. The change should officially take place on May 1st. The Russians submitted the application in January.
With the first change of a sports association from a European to an Asian umbrella organization, Russian teams are to be admitted again and Russian players allowed to compete under the Russian flag. Other Russian sports associations are also said to be considering changes.
“A historic event happened today: For the first time, a chess federation, one of the strongest in the world, moved from one continent to another,” said Russian federation president Andrei Filatow in a federation statement. Thanks are due to the delegates for their support.
FIDE currently lists 190 Russian grandmasters
Russia plays a big role in chess. The world association FIDE currently has 190 Russian grandmasters. The Russian FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich was only re-elected last August.
Last week, FIDE decided that Russian chess players living in Europe could transfer to a federation in Europe free of charge with immediate effect. They also get the right to participate in the European Individual Championships.
On March 3, 2022, FIDE and the ECU expelled the Russian and Belarusian federations because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. However, athletes could compete internationally under the “neutral” banner of FIDE.