Russian chess grandmaster suspended by FIDE

Seguéi Karjakin, will not be able to play for six months, and will miss the Candidates Tournament in Madrid

Most of the world has condemned the war actions, carried out by the Russian army and Vladimir Putin; although there are people who are, in some way, favorable to this situation, or question the media approach to the conflict.

This happens, mainly, with a large number of Russian citizens, the inhabitants of Crimea, Oblast and Ukrainian pro-Russian areas; including other regions of the former Soviet world.

One of the main figures of current chess , the Russian GM Sergei Karjakin, has been punished with a severe sanction, since he issued opinions favorable to the war in Ukraine, which FIDE considered a violation of its regulations.

This decision will not allow him to face the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, in the Madrid Candidates Tournament, which will be held from June 16 to July 7.

GM Sergei Karjakin's comments

Sergey Karjakin has been very active on social media supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine, posting defiant comments, even appearing in a photograph, wearing boxing gloves, alluding to the Russians' struggle on Ukrainian soil.

The FIDE disciplinary commission considered that Karjakin's comments brought the sport of chess, the federation, and its reputation into disrepute ; what is treated, as a breach of the FIDE code of ethics.

For his part, the Russian GM says that he does not go back on his words, that before being a chess player, he is a “citizen and a patriot”.

Sergei Karjakin's punishment

For having violated the FIDE regulations, the commission determined that Karjakin should be out of competition for a period of six months, with the option of appealing this decision, to see if he could resume his chess competitions.

However, Sergei Karjakin said that he will not make the appeal, since the FIDE body and the respective authorities will "put on the European side", so he will dedicate himself to continuing to practice during these six months.

Actions against Russian chess players

FIDE has joined the sanctions that, worldwide, are carried out against Russia, its companies and athletes.

Players from Russia cannot participate in any competition unless they play under the FIDE flag; something that allows the federation with players from countries where there are difficult situations.

As chess is a world sport, with deep roots in countries that have been subjected to armed conflict; as in the Middle East, or former republics of the Soviet Union, etc., you can play with that flag, although without recognizing the victory to any federation.

The last statements of GM Sergei Karjakin

Wait for an apology from FIDE

In an interview offered to Russian television, Sergei Karjakin expressed that he expects at least an apology from the federation.

Equally, he stated that he expected at most a compensation for not participating in the Candidates Tournament in Madrid; tournament in which he deserved to participate, since he is one of the best players in the world.

Another interesting statement that he left in this Russian media was that he hoped that a new chess federation would be organized, which would rival FIDE, but without getting into political matters. He also pointed out that several personalities would support this new organization.

For many chess players, coaches, etc., the world of FIDE seems authoritarian, so not a few people would support this initiative.

The proposal could be carried out by the Russians, since as Karjakin comments, there are many Russian sponsors of this sport, who have been left out due to sanctions.

In addition to these words, Karjakin also referred to the Russian Arkady Dvorkovich, president of FIDE, who, despite being Russian, has allowed the player to be out of the competition; exhorting him to resign from his position, because "he has gone against his country."

Sergei Karjakin was part of the Ukrainian federation until 2009, when he became a Russian national, representing this country in all international competitions.

However, the Ukrainian region where GM Karjakin was born is the Crimean Oblast, an area very close culturally to Russia.

Spanish-Ukrainian basketball player, is pronounced by the way in which the war conflict has been shown

Vladi Orlov, a Ukrainian basketball player who also has Spanish nationality, has been critical of the war between Russia and Ukraine, but with a different perspective, where he questions the role of the EU, NATO and the media.

Currently, Orlov plays in Spain in the Silver League, the third professional basketball category in this country, although he has won two European championships with Ukraine; one Sub -18 and another Sub - 20.

The Ukrainian basketball player's statements were made in radio interviews on Spanish soil, where he stated that the pro-Russian areas have been bombed for eight years by the Ukrainian army, and that no one has shown these events in the news.

For Orlov, all this way of showing reality in the Iberian country responds to the fact that Spain is part of NATO, so they only show the side of this story that interests them.

On the invasion and the war carried out by Russia, he says he does not agree, since he rejects all kinds of violence, emphasizing this approach at various points in the interview.

Another position of the basketball player on the conflict points to the role of NATO and the United States, considering that they "have backed down" in defense of Zelesnky, to show Russia as the bad guys; leading many civilians to death.

Putin and the Russian position are not to his liking, since much violence and destruction is being generated in these territories.

The player, Vladi Orlov, thinks that this situation was caused by Ukraine's proximity to NATO, coupled with the "Ukrainian genocide" in pro-Russian areas, carried out since 2014.

These positions of the war between Russia and Ukraine make us think about the reality we live in, the different interpretations of the conflict, together with the power of the media, both Russian and Western, in the way of thinking of the population.