Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, one of the world’s top players, has been suspended for six months by the International Chess Federation after publicly voicing support for his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Karjakin, who was at one point the youngest ever player to attain the title of grandmaster (at just age 12), had previously represented Ukraine in international competition before switching his allegiance to Russia in 2009. He has been vocal in his support of Russia’s invasion on social media since hostilities began, which has led to confrontations with fans and his fellow chess players.
He has also been circulating Russian propaganda:
In light of this, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) recently opened disciplinary action against Karjakin and another Russian player who has been publicly pro-invasion, Sergei Shipov. While clearing Shipov because he “is considerably less known and has, therefore, a less powerful platform,” Karjakin has been found to have breached FIDE’s code of ethics.
The ruling was published on the Federation’s site:
Responding to the suspension, Karjakin wrote on his Telegram page (as translated by The Guardian):
