Decision follows failure to comply with Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling
The Council of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has decided to temporarily suspend the membership of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF), İdman.biz reports, citing the official FIDE website.
According to the governing body, the decision was taken due to the Russian federation's failure to comply with a ruling issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
FIDE stated that the requirements outlined in the CAS decision (CAS 2024/A/10911) were not fulfilled by the deadline of June 9, 2026. Under the ruling, the Russian Chess Federation was required to cease all activities within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine within the country's internationally recognized borders within 90 days.
The dispute originated after the Russian federation incorporated regional chess organizations from those territories into its structure, prompting legal proceedings before CAS.
FIDE also announced that its Council will meet again on June 17 to assess compliance with the CAS ruling and consider any further measures in accordance with the federation's statutes.
The case represents another significant development in the ongoing governance and jurisdictional disputes affecting international sports organizations since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
