As FIDE considers lifting sanctions, Ukrainian chess community calls for continued ban on Russian and Belarusian players

A group of 13 Ukrainian chess players has sent a letter to the International Chess Federation (FIDE), urging the continued ban on Russian and Belarusian players from competitions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

They argued that lifting sanctions on these federations would be "premature and deeply immoral given the ongoing circumstances.”

Their appeal comes ahead of the FIDE General Assembly on September 22 in Budapest, where the assembly is set to consider the possibility of lifting the ban imposed on Russian and Belarusian players after February 2022.

"We respectfully urge you to ensure that this topic is not even placed on the agenda for discussion," the players wrote, calling for global solidarity with the Ukrainian chess community.

This letter follows a similar call from Oleksandr Kamyshin, the president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation.

FIDE has barred Russian and Belarusian flags from its events, but allowed players from Russia and Belarus to participate under the neutral FIDE flag.

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The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan