Sergey Karjakin, the controversial former world chess title challenger, looks set to miss the Candidates Tournament after the World Chess Federation FIDE dismissed his appeal against a 6-month ban from chess.
Pending a new appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, the ruling leaves the way open for China's No.1 Ding Liren who, as the highest-rated player in the FIDE rankings list not yet to have qualified, stands in line to take the Russian's place.
Sergey Karjakin will not be returning to Norway Chess this year | photo: Lennart Ootes
Karjakin was hit by the ban in March after he sparked anger in the chess community for his vociferous support of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The 32-year-old, who switched from representing Ukraine to Russia in 2009, had made his political views clear on social media and published a letter to Vladimir Putin offering his full suport to the Russian President.
FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission investigated and subsequently found Karjakin guilty of breaching article 2.2.10 of its Code of Ethics.
Karjakin then issued a statement in response on Telegram saying the decision was "shameful" and that he had no regrets over his actions. He was also quoted by Russia's TASS news agency saying he won't appeal FIDE's ruling. Nevertheless, an appeal followed with the support of the Russian Chess Federation.
FIDE had previously stripped hosts Moscow of the Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress set for July, and banned Russian and Belarusian players from playing in tournaments under their flag.
In April, Karjakin told TASS he planned to turn to CAS in Lausanne in an attempt to overturn FIDE's decision.
"I am now thinking whether I will play or not in the Candidates Tournament," he said. "Now all my thoughts are about filing an appeal. There are 21 days for this, and a week has already passed, and we need to hurry in this matter."
CAS has received a wave of lawsuits from various Russian sports federations against the decisions by international federations to suspend representatives of Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
In Karjakin's case, the crucial question will be whether he even has time to get a ruling before the Candidates starts in June.
In a statement issued on the FIDE website today, the game's governing body said Karjakin had been informed of the decision. It added:
In accordance with the FIDE Charter and the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Code, this decision is appealable to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within twenty-one (21) calendar days following communication of this decision. This decision shall remain in effect while under appeal unless the CAS directs otherwise.
If Karjakin's does remain banned from chess it will be Ding Liren who takes on Ian Nepomniachtchi in Round 1 of the Candidates Tournament on June 17th in Madrid, with the winner of the tournament earning the right to play Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship title.
Sergey Karjakin may face more trouble in future. He collaborated with a prank phone call where FIDE Director General Emil Sutovsky was tricked into believing he was talking to Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit.
During the call, Sutovsky promised he would campaign for a longer ban to be imposed on Sergey and resign from his post if no longer ban was forthcoming. Even if Sergey is able to play, invitations from the top private events are likely to be few and far between.
See also:
We respect your privacy and data protection guidelines. Some components of our site require cookies or local storage that handles personal information.
Using chess24 requires the storage of some personal data, as set out below. You can find additional information in our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms of Website Use. Please note that your data settings can be changed at any time by clicking on the Data Settings link in the footer at the bottom of our website.
Comments 15
Be the first to comment!