Chess-Karjakin likely to skip World Cup, Carlsen's coach calls for sanctions

PARIS :Sergey Karjakin, who last year was banned for publicly backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is unlikely to take part in the World Cup after his social media followers urged him not to participate without the Russian flag or anthem.

World number 11 Karjakin missed last year's Candidates Tournament after the international federation (FIDE) handed him a six-month suspension for breaching its code of ethics.

Since his ban expired, Karjakin has only played competitively in Russia.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus, including in the world of chess, have been banned from competitions following Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

They have since returned to competition as individual neutral athletes. Teams from both countries are still banned from competitions.

On his Telegram page, the 33-year-old Karjakin posted a video in which he said: "I’ve received an invitation from FIDE for the World Cup. It’s my favourite tournament, with a knockout format. I’ve played well there in the past. But in the upcoming tournament I can’t represent my country, play under my (country’s) flag, and if I successfully perform, I will not hear my country’s national anthem.

"I am categorically against this. My position doesn’t change and I have voiced it many times. It's my position and I want to know what my followers think."

Under the video is a poll, asking: "Play without a flag and anthem."

On Thursday, the ongoing poll showed 90 per cent of the participants saying 'No'.

FIDE responded by saying that Karjakin had not been "invited" but was instead eligible based on his results, and it reiterated its neutrality rules for Russian and Belarusian participants.

"He keeps using it for his