Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS
The issue of FIDE's restrictions, or lack of, on Russian and Belarusian involvement in chess is not going away any time fast—in fact, it just got thrust even more to the fore.
This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed an appeal with Ukraine to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIDE. Their complaint is about the FIDE General Assembly's decision to readmit fully Russia and Belarusia into chess team sport and allow their symbols to be used.
Ukraine had already announced it was going to CAS, but now it has a rebel alliance behind it.
This is an extraordinary, albeit predictable, step. Member federations taking the world governing body of chess to the highest authority in sport—not something that happens every day.
All five federations protested FIDE's ruling which was passed by secret votes on two separate motions in the meeting that brings together FIDE's 200 member nations.
The Russia/Belarus question has been bitterly dividing the chess world since, in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two countries were banned from international team competitions. As a result, they have been excluded from a series of high-profile events, such as the FIDE Olympiad.
The Chess Federation of Russia, one of the world's biggest and most powerful national chess organisations, has been pushing hard to overturn that. At the General Assembly, it got its way—but not without opposition.
The outcome was controversial for a number of reasons—not least because the two motions appeared contradictory. Confusion followed and several delegates at the meeting also claimed it was illegal by FIDE's own rules. World Chess reported on the FIDE General Assembly and examined the debate here.
Now, with the court filing jointly lodged by five federations present at the meeting, we can say the war of words is over. Chess has now in a legal battle over this issue—a sad state of affairs for the game.
In a statement published on its website, the Norwegian Chess Federation said: "The Appellants submit that the challenged resolutions were adopted following serious procedural irregularities, including violations of the FIDE Charter and fundamental principles of transparent and lawful decision-making within international sports governance. Through this appeal, the Appellants seek an independent legal review by CAS of the procedure by which the General Assembly decisions were adopted.
"In this context, the Appellants also note that the General Assembly decisions were taken against the background of long-standing recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, first issued in March 2023 and reaffirmed by the IOC Executive Board and the Olympic Summit on 11 December 2025. This guidance sets out conditions regarding neutrality and non-representation, including restrictions on the participation of Russian and Belarusian national teams and the use of national flags, anthems, and other state symbols, particularly at the adult level."
Norway's federation also appealed for other federations and the chess community to get involved and help.
"The Appellants welcome the support of fellow federations and the broader international chess community. Other FIDE member federations that do not participate as co-appellants are encouraged to express their support through written statements, which may be submitted and referenced in the course of the CAS proceedings. This appeal reflects the shared position of the Appellants across international sport: that aggression must not be legitimized through national representation, and that international sporting institutions must uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, transparency, and the rule of law."
FIDE have yet to respond to the statement. World Chess has approached FIDE for a comment.
However, this issue is now set to run and run. Make no mistake, chess will not come out of this well.