Photo credit: M. Mishin. Press Service of the Mayor and Government of Moscow / mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)
The Russian Chess Federation (RCF) has become a member of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), TASS reports. This decision was supported by the participants of the ACF General Assembly, its meeting was held on Tuesday, February 28, in Abu Dhabi. 29 delegates were in favor of including the CRF, and six abstained. Another one voted against.
This decision became a response to the restrictive measures taken against Russian athletes by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the European Chess Union (ECU). These organizations, due to the special operation in Ukraine, deprived Russian and Belarusian chess players of the opportunity to take part in team competitions.
In individual tournaments, athletes from Russia and Belarus can participate under the flags of FIDE or another federation. The ACF brings together federations from more than 50 countries. There are many strong chess powers in Asia - China, India, Vietnam, Iran and others.
The famous Russian chess player, world champion Anatoly Karpov announced his support for the decision to move to the Asian federation. According to him, this reflects the strengthening of Russia's ties with the countries of the region.
Russkiy Mir
