FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich speaks out against the war in Ukraine

by ChessBase
3/15/2022 – The American magazine "Mother Jones", seven times winner of the "Magazine of the Year" award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, just published interviews with 36 prominent personalities from the world of chess about the war in Ukraine. One of them is FIDE President and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who spoke out against the war: "My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians. ... Wars do not just kill priceless lives. Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections." | Photo: David Llada
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.

From "Mother Jones"

Exclusive: Former Top Kremlin Official Who Chairs Global Chess Federation Decries Russia’s War on Ukraine

"My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians," says Arkady Dvorkovich.

Note: The author is Mother Jones staff editor Daniel King of the United States, not to be mistaken for ChessBase author and popular chess commentator GM Daniel King.

Two weeks ago, the world’s top chess authorities voted to sharply rebuke Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The unanimous decision by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to ban Russians from competing under their own flag, and strip the country of the Chess Olympiad slated for Moscow this summer, is extraordinary not just because it sidelines Russia from the game it had dominated for half a century, but because of who joined the chess world in repudiating Russia: former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

In an interview with Mother Jones, Dvorkovich, who is now president of FIDE, voiced his opposition to the war, becoming one of the very few, or only, former senior Kremlin officials to openly criticize it. "Wars are the worst things one might face in life…including this war," Dvorkovich tells me from Russia, where he says he is "safe with my family and friends."

Dvorkovich, who served at the Kremlin for 10 years, joins scores of chess leaders in decrying Vladimir Putin’s invasion. "My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians," Dvorkovich tells me. "Wars do not just kill priceless lives. Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections."

Read the full article and interviews with 36 top chess personalities at Mother Jones...

Links

Topics: Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE, Mother Jones
Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

Mamack1 Mamack1 3/15/2022 08:51
Disappointingly, he appears to have backtracked now. No doubt he was put under a fair bit of pressure to do so.
Raymond Labelle Raymond Labelle 3/15/2022 07:10
Given that Arkady is Russian and a former aparitchik, let us be aware of the courage it took to express that position.
Sonorr Sonorr 3/15/2022 05:05
@siciliov main reason is quite frankly, because of relevance. A war in palestine is more relevant to europe/america than one in africa, but a war in ukraine is more relevant than one in palestine.
Same reason you are terrified if a family member gets in a carcrash, concerned if a colleague and mostly indifferent if a person you don't know.

Another reason is also that russia and ukraine are way more relevant in the chess world than israel or palestine.

And in general, the number of lives directly affected by this war is much higher than that of the israel-palestine war with much greater risks still on the table, such as chemical or nuclear warfare by putin.
Leavenfish Leavenfish 3/15/2022 04:41
@siciliov - hate when people bring along their pet gripes to something really quite different. Wrong is wrong, yes...but 'wrong' when you have nukes and keep reminding people to not interfere with your overt, mass killing in a country NOT attacking you... BECAUSE (he reminds us) I 'have nukes', is a totally different ball game. It threatens us all. He will do anything for those warm water ports and to end any chance Ukraine has of joining NATO for protection.

Like someone said...we are seeing a 'Hitler with nukes'.

This is what happens when a 'Trump-like' persona gets into power in a country where he can endlessly continue consolidating that power, install his 'yes men', stomps out all dissent and...oh, did I mention...has nuclear weapons.

Think 'no-limit poker'...the pot on the table gets big enough and the guy with the big stack...throws the equivalent of 'nukes' onto the table...everyone backs off and lets him have all the money now on the table because their survival is at stake.
KevinConnor KevinConnor 3/15/2022 04:07
@siciliov This seems to be THE excuse voor what Russia is doing in Ukraine. So it is ok to invade a country, to kill thousands and thousands of civilians just because somewhere else in the world there is war too? Well I hope the Russian people who are to afraid to speak out against their midget president are going to enjoy their isolation of the rest of the world.
siciliov siciliov 3/15/2022 03:11
Why FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich haven't spoken out against the war in Palestine??? 20 days of war and all the western media are screaming about war in Ukrain, but why they've been "mute" against war in Palestine for 74 years (more than 27000 days)??
arzi arzi 3/15/2022 01:20
Good for FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Stop the war.
Previous12