FIDE Suspends Decision on FSHR Membership Pending Appeal

MOSCOW, August 4 The Ethics Commission of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has postponed the decision to suspend the membership of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) pending consideration of the appeal, according to a document on the RCF website.
Earlier, the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission deprived the RCF of membership in the organization for a period of two years following a complaint by chess player Peter Heine Nielsen, the Ukrainian Chess Federation, and Ukrainian grandmaster Andrey Barishpolts in connection with the organization's activities in Crimea, the DPR, LPR, and the Kherson region. According to FIDE head Arkady Dvorkovich, he received a reprimand for participating in the work of the Russian federation's board of trustees. The RCF has filed an appeal against the deprivation of membership, in which it asks that this decision be completely annulled.

«The Appeals Chamber unanimously ruled that the execution of the sanction of the temporary exclusion of the RCF from FIDE membership will be suspended for the time being. The suspension will end simultaneously with the publication of the final decision of the Appeals Chamber in the case,» the statement said.

After the start of the CBO, FIDE banned Russians from participating in team competitions; the Russian teams missed the 2022 World Chess Olympiad. In March of the same year, FIDE allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in individual tournaments only in neutral status; this decision was extended several times.