FIDE allows Russian citizens to represent teams under neutral flag
In June 2024, the FIDE Ethics Commission upheld an application by three FIDE members, including Peter Heine Nielsen, and threatened the Chess Federation of Russia with suspension unless it ceased its practice of holding chess tournaments in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich was also reprimanded for his close relationship with the Chess Federation of Russia.
Dvorkovich lodged an appeal within FIDE against this measure by the FIDE Ethics Commission, and the appeal was upheld on formal grounds. The Ukrainian Chess Federation then brought its case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section
In its ruling of 11 March 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the FIDE appeal decision in its essential elements. Instead, the Chess Federation of Russia was ordered to cease all chess activities and events in the city of Sevastopol and the regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, and to confirm that it was complying with this order. FIDE was instructed to monitor this measure.
The Court further ruled that the Chess Federation of Russia's FIDE membership should be suspended for a period of three years if it failed to comply with the order to cease activities in the illegally occupied territories. The Court gave the Chess Federation of Russia 90 days to comply with the instruction.
The first page of the TAS/CAS Arbitral Award | Read it in full
Now that the deadline has expired without the Russian Federation even having responded, the FIDE Council complied with the CAS ruling and suspended the Federation with immediate effect. As a result of the suspension, the Chess Federation of Russia loses, among other things, its voting rights in FIDE elections. Under the statutes of the International Chess Federation, the FIDE General Assembly must still confirm the decision. The FIDE General Assembly will meet during the next Chess Olympiad in September.
According to the FIDE Council, however, the suspension of the Chess Federation of Russia will have no effect on Russian players, who may continue to compete in individual tournaments under the FIDE flag as before. Russian juniors may even play under the Russian flag.
Nor is the decision intended to have any effect on Russian teams. After Russian and Belarusian teams had long been excluded from team tournaments following Russia's attack on Ukraine, the FIDE leadership allowed them to return under a neutral flag. At the most recent Women's World Team Championship, a Russian women's squad competed as a team, albeit under the neutral FIDE flag, and won the tournament. The FIDE leadership apparently does not intend to be dissuaded from this plan by the CAS ruling, either.
In a statement, the Nordic Chess Federation, which comprises the Scandinavian and Baltic federations, criticised the FIDE Council's incomplete implementation of the CAS ruling:
In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.
The chess federations of Denmark, Faroe Island, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden welcome FIDE's decision to suspend the Chess Federation of Russia. It is right and important that FIDE respect the ruling from The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
However, we have one very clear position: Russian teams must not be allowed to participate in any FIDE competitions, such as the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan in September - not even under a neutral flag or FIDE flag - as long as the Russian Chess Federation remains suspended. According to FIDE's own rules, a suspended federation may only have individual players, arbiters and trainers participating. There is no exception for teams.
We strongly oppose any attempt to allow Russian teams to compete while the suspension is in place. We urge FIDE to follow its own Charter and fully respect the CAS ruling without loopholes.
For The Nordic Chess Federation
Håkan Jalling,
President
The German Chess Federation has also criticised the way in which the FIDE Council implemented the CAS ruling, in comments to ARD-Sportschau. The German Chess Federation President Paul Meyer-Dunker noted that the implementation of the CAS ruling undermined the CAS decision and was impermissible:
As long as the Chess Federation of Russia does not withdraw from Ukrainian territories, there can be no sporting participation for the Chess Federation of Russia!
FIDE Council resolution - Conclusions
Read the full document
The council resolved:
1. To recognize the membership of the Chess Federation of Russia in FIDE as temporarily suspended, within the meaning of Article 13.1(f) of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code, from 10 June 2026 for a period of 3 (three) years or until compliance with the CAS Award. The above is without prejudice to point 6 below and to the authority of the FIDE General Assembly.
2. To confirm that individual players retain all rights to participate in FIDE tournaments, as provided in Article 13.6 of the FIDE Charter. As per IOC Summit recommendation, the youth players retain right to participate under the national flag, the adult players participate under the FIDE flag as per already existing procedure. To instruct the FIDE Management Board to develop and implement the necessary procedures for the submission of such applications by players on their own behalf.
3. To confirm that teams composed of players who are citizens of the Russian Federation may be eligible to participate in FIDE team competitions under a neutral flag subject to the further FIDE Council decisions.
4. To instruct the FIDE Management Board to develop and implement a procedure for the inclusion in the FIDE rating system of tournaments held in the territory of the Russian Federation and for the assignment of FIDE IDs to citizens of the Russian Federation. In accordance with CAS Award (par.#2) this procedure excludes the aforementioned territories.
5. To instruct the FIDE Management Board to develop and implement a procedure for applications by individual players, arbiters, trainers and other persons for official FIDE titles, norms and distinctions.
6. In accordance with Article 26.10 of the FIDE Charter, to submit the issue of confirmation of the sanction pursuant to the CAS Award and this Council' decision to a vote of the next FIDE General Assembly.
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