The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has upheld a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting an angry response from the Kremlin chiding FIDE for bowing to Western pressure.
At FIDE's general assembly in Budapest on September 22, delegates upheld the ban but backed a compromise that would consider allowing some competitors from Russia and Belarus to return to international events.
That came after delegates rejected a motion by Kyrgyzstan to fully reinstate the two countries, a move not only opposed by Kyiv, but the U.S. State Department and many players, including five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen.
Belarus has also been barred from many international sporting events for supporting the Kremlin by allowing Russian forces to use its territory to enter Ukraine.
In reaction to the decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on September 23 claimed FIDE had caved to Western and Ukrainian pressure.
"Unfortunately, FIDE is not free as well from the politicization of sport and the world of chess in particular," he said.
Forty-one delegates voted not to readmit Russian and Belarusian players, while 21 countries favored lifting the ban entirely and 27 abstained or were absent.
In the end, delegates from 66 countries supported a last-minute proposal by the FIDE Council to consult the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about letting some players and teams from Russia and Belarus, including those with disabilities or youth under 12 years of age, to return to international competition.
The FIDE Council is an oversight body chaired by FIDE President and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who has sought to avoid criticism in both Russia and the West.
In line with the IOC's stance on the two countries, Russian and Belarusian players including 2021 and 2023 world championship runner-up Ian Nepomniachtchi are allowed to participate in international events under a neutral flag.