Russia to reportedly carry new rule on chess gamers switching citizenship: The whole lot it is advisable know

The Russian Chess Federation will reportedly contact all main sponsors of the nation’s gamers, whereby the events will focus on on a possible clause within the gamers contracts. In response to a report in TASS, a information company based mostly in Russia, gamers who change citizenship from Russia to a different nation will likely be required to return the sponsorship cash beneath the clause.

The Russian Chess Federation has determined to contact all main Russian sponsors who assist chess gamers and their groups to ensure that contracts embrace a clause that requires a chess participant to return all sponsorship cash within the occasion of a change in sports activities citizenship,” Andrei Filatov, the President of the Russian Chess Federation, advised the information company.

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“The Russian Chess Federation has drawn conclusions and has already launched an identical apply after quite a few chess gamers modified their citizenship after 2022,” he added.

Russian chess gamers have been taking part in beneath the banner of the Worldwide Chess Federation (FIDE) ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In December 2024, the FIDE Council authorised the extension of FIDE Flag Illustration for Russian and Belarusian gamers until 1 January, 2026.

In 2023, 99 Russians opted to signify a special nation in chess, in response to a report in The New Indian Categorical. And as per FIDE’s data, between 2022 and 2024, a complete of 760 gamers from Russia and Belarus switched to competing beneath the FIDE flag.

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Filatov said that the proposed rule is important within the present scenario. “This step is important within the present actuality, though it causes a painful response amongst many coaches who’re connected to proficient chess gamers and attempt to manipulate them,” added the 53-year-old.

Gamers who’ve modified Russian citizenship

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri is likely one of the famous chess gamers to have switched his citizenship from Russia. He switched from Russia to Netherlands in 2009, and is now the No 1 participant there.  In 2023, GM Nikita Vitiugov switched from Russia to England amid the Russia-Ukraine warfare. Ian Nepomniachtchi, who was the challenger to Magnus Carlsen within the 2021 World Chess Championship, at present competes beneath the FIDE banner. Ian, nevertheless, stays a Russian citizen.