International Chess Federation suspends Russia over activities in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine

June 11 : The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has suspended Russia's membership for up to three years for its failure to comply with a ruling that it should cease holding events in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine.

The decision, announced in a FIDE statement, is a victory for Ukraine and allied chess federations that have campaigned for the sport's governing bodies to take a harder line against Russia in the wake of its 2022 full-scale invasion.

FIDE said Russia's chess federation had not stopped organising events in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions and on the annexed Crimean peninsula, in violation of a March order by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The (FIDE) Council resolves to impose the sanction of temporary suspension of membership of the respective Member Federation (Russia) with immediate effect," it said in the statement on Wednesday.

Russian individuals retain the right to participate in FIDE tournaments but Russian teams will not be allowed to compete in team events, it said.