Russia in check

The Champions League final has been moved from St Petersburg to Paris and the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi cancelled. It was obvious that the Chess Olympiad, to take place in Moscow in July and August, could not continue as planned. Last week, this was confirmed by Fide, the international federation, and it is reported that the Indian federation has put forward a bid worth
$10 million to host the event.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has repercussions for chess that go well beyond the Olympiad. Fide Council released a significant statement at the weekend expressing condemnation of Russian military action and resolving to terminate sponsorship agreements with ‘any Belarusian and Russian sanctioned and/or state-controlled companies’. In addition, no official events will take place in Russia or Belarus.

This won’t be the last nettle for Fide to grasp in the months ahead. But Director General Emil Sutovsky described Russian companies’ support as ‘an important but relatively minor part of our budget – contrary to what it was several years ago’.