Russian chess players have been denied the right to participate in the World Chess Olympiad scheduled to take place in Samarkand from September 16 to 27. This decision was made by the presidential council of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
The refusal was announced by Alexander Tkachev, Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation. He expressed his disappointment with this decision, noting that FIDE's motto, 'We are all one family,' 'only exists on paper' in practice.
As a result, Russian athletes will miss the third consecutive similar tournament, as they did not participate in comparable competitions in 2022 and 2024.
Tatyana Tarasova, Honored Coach of the USSR in Figure Skating, also commented on the decision. She admitted that she had anticipated the possibility of barring Russian chess players but did not expect it to happen at such a significant tournament.
The World Chess Olympiad will take place in Samarkand from September 16 to 27. Additionally, elections for the president of FIDE will be held in Uzbekistan on September 26 and 27.
Previously, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced the launch of a new awards system—the FIDE Excellence Awards. This program will be held every two years to recognize the most important achievements of the global chess community. The first awards ceremony is scheduled for September 2026 in Samarkand.