This detail from the FIDE Congress that will take place during the Chess Olympiad 2024 would not capture much attention, if we did not have a previous news that the Kyrgyzstan Chess Federation submits resolution to restore the full membership rights of RCF. Peter Heine Nielsen, coach of Magnus Carlsen, comments, “Head of the FIDE Ethics Committee seems like a fitting reward”

Today, the German Chess Federation, in an official press release, strongly objected such development.

Statement by the German Schachbund

The general assembly of the world chess association FIDE will take place from September 21st to 22nd in Budapest. Some proposals are highly politically explosive. Point 4.3.1 “Federation proposals regarding Russia and Belarus restrictions” is about enabling the return of Russian and Belarusian players to international boards without restrictions. This is met with strict rejection by the German Chess Federation.

If two chess associations, the Kyrgyz Chess Union (KCU) and the Russian Chess Federation (CFR) have their way, according to their applications, Russian and Belarusian players should again be admitted to international tournaments “fully and equally”.

This would overturn a decision of the FIDE Council, in extraordinary meetings on February 27, 2022 and March 14, 2022, according to which Russian and Belarusian chess players were suspended due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The national teams of Russia and Belarus were banned from participating in official FIDE tournaments by decision of the FIDE Council. Since then, players from these countries have only been allowed to take part in individual tournaments of the FIDE World Championship cycle under the FIDE flag. Russian and Belarusian state symbols, the flag and the anthem, have been banned from all FIDE-rated international chess events.

“I feared that something like this would happen to us,” says Ingrid Lauterbach, President of the German Chess Federation, about the application. “But our position here is clear: From our point of view, these applications do not correspond to the stance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and also our stance on this war.” We are in line with the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and of the IOC, said Lauterbach: “Athletes from a country that is waging a bloody war of aggression are not allowed to take part in international competitions with the anthem and flag, those athletes who support the war are to be completely excluded, as the IOC is also doing for the Summer Games Paris has handled.” Ingrid Lauterbach further emphasizes: “We are deeply in solidarity with Ukraine. We have to clearly draw the line here – and even though I highly doubt it, I hope that the majority of associations see it the same way.”

The motion is available in three possible voting variants:

1. To lift all restrictions imposed by the FIDE Council on Russian and Belarusian chess players,
2. To ease the restrictions (in an unspecified form) and
3. To not lift the FIDE Council resolution and thus the suspension.

Ingrid Lauterbach: “For us, only the third variant is an option. The exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players must remain.”

Ingrid Lauterbach and the German Chess Federation are so consistent in their stance that as president she is currently trying to avoid any direct contact with the Russian FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. The FIDE Ethics Commission reprimanded Dvorkovich in June of this year. The background to this is Dvorkovich’s closeness to the Russian Chess Federation RCF, which the Ethics Council provisionally suspended from FIDE membership for two years because the Board of Trustees and the Supervisory Board include several members who have been subject to international sanctions as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The FIDE congress will take place during the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest. Having in mind the ongoing war and the Olympic commetee / sports world guidelines, the Kyrgyzstan Chess Federation request seems out of line.

The actual letter by the Kyrgyzstan Chess Federation by Babur Tolbaev reads:

Dear Arkady Dvorkovich,
Dear FIDE team,

Please find attached a letter for consideration. It is our proposal for the General Assembly Agenda.

Thank you!

Best,
Babur Tolbaev
Kyrgyzstan Chess Union

Link to original document: https://doc.fide.com/docs/DOC/2024GA/Annex_4.3.1.1.pdf