FIDE Press release, 21 March 2022
The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) has reached a verdict on the case 2/2022, relating to public statements by grandmasters Sergey Karjakin (FIDE ID 14109603) and Sergei Shipov (FIDE ID 4113624).
The EDC First Instance Chamber, formed by Yolander Persaud (Guyana), Ravindra Dongre (India), and Johan Sigeman (Sweden) as Chairperson, unanimously decided as follows:
Sergey Karjakin is found guilty of breach of article 2.2.10 of the FIDE Code of Ethics, and is sanctioned to a worldwide ban of six months from participating as a player in any FIDE rated chess competition, taking effect from the date of this decision, 21 March 2022.
Sergei Shipov is found not guilty of breach of article 2.2.10 of the FIDE Code of Ethics.
The article 2.2.10 of the Code of Ethics reads as follows:
“(…) Disciplinary action in accordance with this Code of Ethics will be taken in cases of occurrences which cause the game of chess, FIDE or its federations to appear in an unjustifiable unfavorable light and in this way damage its reputation.”
“The statements by Sergey Karjakin on the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine has led to a considerable number of reactions on social media and elsewhere, to a large extent negative towards the opinions expressed by Sergey Karjakin”, reads point 7.37 of the 10-page document where the EDC explains the reasons and legal background for its decision.
It continues: “A necessary condition for the establishment of guilt is that the statements have reached the public domain. This concept, with respect to disrepute clauses in sport, is not the world at large but the sport in which the accused engages, such as chess. Information concerning the accused's conduct which is not published in the media, but which can be learnt without a great deal of labour by persons engaged in the chess world or a relevant part of it, will be in the public domain and satisfy the public exposure element. The EDC Chamber is comfortably satisfied that this condition is fulfilled in this case.”
“The EDC Chamber finds, against the background given above, on the standard of comfortable satisfaction that the statements of Sergey Karjakin, which, by his own choice and presentation, can be connected to the game of chess, damage the reputation of the game of chess and/or FIDE. The likelihood that these statements will damage the reputation of Sergey Karjakin personally is also considerable”, it concludes.
The Chamber explains its decision to not sanction Sergei Shipov with the following argument: “In comparison with Sergey Karjakin, Sergei Shipov is considerably less known and has, therefore, a less powerful platform. The statements made by Sergei Shipov are also of a slightly different and less provocative character than the ones made by Karjakin. In an overall evaluation of the potential negative impact on the game of chess and/or FIDE, the EDC Chamber is not sufficiently convinced that Sergei Shipov’s statements qualify as a breach of article 2.2.10.”
Sergey Karjakin has been advised by EDC that this decision may be appealed to the Appeal Chamber of the EDC by giving written notice of such appeal to the FIDE Secretariat within 21 days from the date upon which this decision is received. The notice of appeal must clearly state all the grounds for the appeal. Failing the due exercise of this right of appeal, the EDC Chamber's decision will become final.
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What did he actually say that was so wrong or so offensive and outside the bounds of free speech? Exact and attributable quotes please, otherwise the reply is worthless. Also please use your real names, as a signature block perhaps.
Put your credibility where your mouth is.
Yes, if those words are just opinions. However, you can´t encourage the commission of a crime. "Let´s kill and rape all the British women and children." There is a line you can't cross.
Supporting a genocide is considered a crime in civilized countries, maybe Karjakin is not fully aware of what he is doing by his statements which might be a reason why he still has GM title.
Applying Voltaire here is plain wrong, and it is surely not what he had in mind. It is contradicted by the tolerance paradox. As Popper described it: in order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must retain the right to be intolerant of intolerance.
The populists and extremists, mostly from the right side, that again plague todays societies, always start howling when their lies and hate is exposed and rejected, complaining about being oppressed and their right to free speech and free opinion being violated. And here comes the clue: hate is not an opinion. And that directly points to Karjakin.
This defines the test of the framework of free speech.
Disapprove of Karjakin's words all you like, but defend his right to say it.
It is a fact that innocent people -- approximately 14 000 -- have been slaughtered in Ukraine during the last 8 years by those neo-nazi batallions. The killing in Ukraine didn't start last month. The goal of the Russian operation in Ukraine is partly to de-nazify the country and stop those killings and partly to stop the NATO-expansion eastwards to the Russian border.
No, I don´t mean that Karjakin has said those things, I mentioned of.
The former Holocaust survivor Borys Romantshenko, was killed yesterday in Kharkiv. He was 96 years old. He survived concentration camps in Buchenwald, Dora-Mittelbau, Peenemünde and Bergen-Belsen, the death conveyor belts created by the Nazis. But he did not manage to survive a Russian grenade that hit his apartment in Kharkiv.
Every day of this war, it becomes more and more clear what Nazi - Putin means by his so-called 'de-Nazification' of Ukraine. Namely, a total slaughterhouse, where anyone who does not do as the monstrous Nazi - Putin wants it to be killed. Putin is the very definition of a war criminal.
You could also listen to the comments of guesting here.
If organizers of invitational tournaments choose not to invite him, on the other hand, that's their right.
I wonder who would be the next highest rate person on the rating list with the required # of games come May 1? Aronian? So? Ding doesn't have anywhere near enough rated games. If no one has enough games given the pandemic...maybe they can make a reasonable choice, cite the pandemic and simply allow Ding...or maybe just allow whomever finishes 3rd his current qualifier to go thru to the candidates? That may just be the best and least controversial option.
I simple can not believe that anyone human on this Earth with a little dot of sense can find it normal bombing a school or a hospital full of pregs and children. Sorry, THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
In any case, how ironic that some would defend Karjakin's 'right' to say certain terrible things when he lives in a country and celebrates a man named Putin for whom the the right to say things extends only as far as he himself will allow.
@fgkdjlkag - Yes, arguably so. I have a feeling if the mentally ill Fischer had tried to play in FIDE tourneys after spewing his hatred of Jews, he too would have been "penalized"...and rightly so. I am certainly no fan of 'cancel culture', but "Free Speech" has it's limits and an organization has a right to distance itself from it.
You write,
“What a pity that the western mainstream media has not told the western people what is and has been really going on in Ukraine and why…”.
So how about learning it from the Russian media instead:
https://meduza.io/en
It is merely about not being punished by the government.
Nobody is stopping him from saying whatever he wants. Nobody is even trying to. However, decent people won't want to be associated with him, certainly won't want to shake his hand, and professionals probably don't want to appear in group photographs of him. Especially, for example, award photographs.
Those of you defending him have merely failed to de-nazify your own mind before attempting to embark on a special propaganda campaign, though it turns out you have no power over the events. No matter how you stamp your feet and pretend to be making a principled argument.
2) However, has enjoyed good reputation among ancient warlords how to 'dry run' their military actions.
3) Let's found a multinational organization to define undisputed world chess champion and team championship (Chess Olympiad)
4) Let's find out that world politics already controls the opinions how things should be run. Arguably the organization is very disliked.
4) The time passes, aversion continues. Kasparov forms PCA which quickly dies. At this point it's transparent that dirty money and schemers run Fide actions.
5) It's 2022, Fide is used as a platform to stage world politics. Warlords and politicians play chess with real people and sanctions.
Circle of life. Gens una sumus.
“I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.”
The age of principles have long since gone. But, it’s still fun to quote, and to imagine how it must have felt to actually mean it.
Of course, nobody does, and perhaps never has.
Actually 6 months is not enough. Not because he is Russian. Not because he has some opinion.
But because of his provocative and absolutely disgusting tweets. A person like that has no place in the chess events of civilized world.
Well done.
Opinions are free as long as they are my opinions.
Shameful.
This is a dark day for world chess.
But I'm not a fan of censorship either...
Many chess players have repugnant opinions, and defend evil of various kinds (though perhaps popular evils). Once FIDE declares itself to be in the business of becoming arbiter of personal and political expression, it discredits itself and the game of chess. This marks a significant turning point in the history of FIDE and sport. All those involved in this decision should receive 5-year bans from chess - it would be much more appropriate.