Kyiv checkmates Moscow with ban on Russian chess players

In depriving Russia of a way to project soft power, ban hits its elites where it hurts

- Lin Suling

A geopolitical game unfolded on Sept 22 as Russia and Ukraine jostled over a proposal to lift sanctions on Russian participation – in international chess competitions.

The winner? Kyiv, which successfully maintained the ban on Russian chess by the International Chess Federation (Fide), in place since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Victory was hard won. A third of all voting members had opposed the ban - Russia, its allies and friendly nations in Asia and Africa. A compromise was floated on exceptions for junior players and the disabled.

“Russia, as an aggressor and invader, must be punished in all spheres of life including sport,” the Ukrainian Chess Federation's president Viktor Kapustin told media on the same day.

What seems like a petty squabble on the surface is more accurately a symbol of the deep-seated zero-sum tussle permeating all aspects of international life since that fateful February, where compromise is seen as legitimising, even supporting, Russia's violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity.

It is impressive that Russia had spared no effort in aggressively moving to reinstate its players - from stacking Fide with Russian officials, to prodding ally Kyrgyzstan to table the motion and successfully rallying more than 20 developing countries for support.

Perhaps few sanctions matter more to Russian elites. Chess in Russia is reportedly of personal interest to President Vladimir Putin, with a Kremlin spokesperson and a former defence minister on the national committee for the sport and top chess players enjoying strong ties to the Kremlin.