FIDE General Assembly decisions regarding Russia and Belarus
FIDE General Assembly mandates the return of all teams and fully restores the rights of youth players in line with IOC recommendations; FIDE Council to finalise protocols for adult teams following IOC consultation. During the FIDE General Assembly held online on 14 December, national delegates voted on two separate resolutions regarding the status of Russian and Belarusian chess players. The first resolution was filed by the Russian Chess Federation, while the second resolution was proposed by the FIDE Council. Both resolutions referenced recent decisions and recommendations by the International Olympic Committee regarding players from Russia and Belarus. The FIDE Council resolution also referenced the recent Olympic Summit decision, based on the IOC EB recommendation, noting that “youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports… In addition, the standard protocols of the IF or the International Sports Event Organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing. The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and International Sports Event Organisers for their own youth events.” (see: Olympic Summit reaffirms athletes’ fundamental rights to access sport without political interference). In a procedural outcome, reflecting the diversity of views within the chess community, the General Assembly voted to adopt both the resolution proposed by the Chess Federation of Russia (61 votes in favour, 51 against, 14 abstentions and 15 delegates not voting) and the resolution proposed by the FIDE Council (69 votes in favour, 40 against, 15 abstentions and 17 delegates not voting). Following the results, delegates raised questions regarding the procedural interaction between the two adopted texts and their immediate application. Addressing these points, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich acknowledged that both decisions garnered the necessary majority and are valid expressions of the Assembly’s will. Consequently, the FIDE Council will proceed immediately with the points of consensus found in both resolutions, in accordance with IOC recommendations and the most recent guidance from the Olympic Summit on access to sport and political neutrality. The resolutions differ on the technical protocols regarding the use of national symbols (flags and anthems) in adult team competitions. The proposal from the Russian Chess Federation calls for the immediate restoration of national symbols. The proposal from the FIDE Council mandates the use of national symbols in youth and junior events, but currently requires neutral symbols for adult events, subject to further IOC consultation. To respect the legal validity of both votes, the FIDE Council considers the Council resolution to be in force immediately as the baseline for operations. This means that: Teams from Russia and Belarus are admitted to official FIDE tournaments. Full use of national symbols is allowed in youth and junior competitions, in line with IOC recommendations. Restrictions on holding official FIDE events in Belarus are lifted, in line with recent guidance from the Olympic Summit on access to sport and political neutrality. Regarding the specific divergence on symbols in adult events, the Council will execute the mandate included in the Council resolution to consult with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Council will make a final determination on the use of flags and anthems in adult team events following these consultations to ensure alignment with international sports standards and the IOC.
GCL 2025 Day 1: Defending Champions Triveni start season three with a victory
The third season of the Global Chess League began with a sold-out night at Mumbai’s Royal Opera House and three matches that set the tone for the event. The defending champions, Triveni Continental Kings, opened with a hard-fought win. The young Ganges Grandmasters suffered a heavy defeat against the home side, upGrad Mumbai Masters. In the final match, Fyers American Gambits edged out PBG Alaskan Knights in a tense encounter decided by a single decisive game. There were no easy points. Across the three matches, only a handful of games produced decisive results, and almost every board went deep into time trouble. The champions demonstrated their class, the underdogs showed they could hurt anyone, and by the end of the night, three teams had emerged with perfect match scores, with the race already taking shape. Standings after Day 1 Match 1. Triveni Continental Kings vs Alpine SG Pipers (9-7) Season three of the Global Chess League opened with a heavyweight clash between the defending champions, Triveni Continental Kings, and the Alpine SG Pipers at Mumbai’s Royal Opera House. The Kings came in as clear favorites, having won both previous seasons, and again fielded a star-packed team. Under the guidance of captain Loek van Wely, they lined up Alireza Firouzja, Wei Yi, Vidit Gujrathi, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Zhu Jiner, and GCL debutant Marc’Andria Maurizzi. About half an hour after the start, the evaluation bars pointed in Triveni’s favor. Wei Yi achieved a promising position on board two, while the remaining games were balanced. Then the mood changed. On the women’s board, Alexandra Kosteniuk fell into serious time trouble against Nino Batsiashvili. She was down to two minutes while Batsiashvili had around eight, and Kosteniuk’s position began to collapse. Batsiashvili converted, giving Alpine SG Pipers the first win of the match and the new season. Triveni struck back immediately on board one. Fabiano Caruana made a major mistake in a promising position, allowing Firouzja to sacrifice two pieces for a devastating attack. Alireza’s win leveled the score and restored momentum for the champions. Wei Yi then increased the pressure in his game against Anish Giri. Pushed back, the Dutch grandmaster kept playing, trying to create counter-chances, but Wei Yi maintained his concentration and finished the job, putting the Kings ahead on the top men’s boards. In the Indian derby, Vidit Gujrathi and R Praggnanandhaa played a tense game that ended in a draw. The women’s game between Zhu Jiner and Hou Yifan was also complex, but neither side managed to break through, resulting in another draw. The last game to finish was on the prodigy board, where Marc’Andria Maurizzi had a slight edge against Leon Luke Mendonca. Once he realized a draw would be enough for a team victory, he chose a safe path. The position simplified, and the opponents split the point. On the scoreboard, Triveni Continental Kings won the match 3.5–2.5. With three points for a win with White, four for a win with Black, and one point for a draw, this translated to nine game points for Triveni and seven for Alpine SG Pipers. The champions started their title defense with three match points. Match 2. Ganges Grandmasters vs upGrad Mumbai Masters (4-17) The second match of Day 1 presented a clear contrast in styles. The young Ganges Grandmasters faced the experienced upGrad Mumbai Masters, who enjoyed home-crowd support in Mumbai. upGrad started with all Black pieces but showed they were ready to fight on every board. For the first half hour, the match was roughly balanced, but the first serious problems appeared for Ganges on the Icon board. Viswanathan Anand, with White, was under heavy pressure from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. At the same time, Ganges had reason for optimism, as Vincent Keymer took the initiative against Wesley So on board two and looked ready to press. Then came a turning point that hurt Ganges badly. On the prodigy board, Raunak Sadhwani blundered a piece in an equal position. The mistake was so significant that he resigned immediately. upGrad took four game points and an early lead. Ganges still had chances on the remaining boards. Polina Shuvalova was better against Humpy Koneru, while Javokhir Sindarov, fresh from his World Cup victory in Goa, outplayed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and reached a very promising position. For a moment, it looked as if the young team might turn the match around. Instead, upGrad struck again. The second game to finish was on the top board, where Anand had to resign against Vachier-Lagrave. Another four game points went to the Mumbai side, pushing Ganges closer to a must-win situation on the remaining boards. That put extra weight on Keymer’s shoulders. He had a superior position against So and knew the team needed a victory. In time trouble, Vincent had more time than his opponent, but a rushed bishop sacrifice changed the balance. So defended accurately, escaped the danger, saved the game, and preserved upGrad’s large lead. Ganges finally scored when Shuvalova converted her advantage against Humpy Koneru, earning three game points and putting her team on the scoreboard. The match stood at four game points for Ganges against nine for upGrad, with two games still in progress. Both remaining games descended into wild time scrambles. On one women’s board, Stavroula Tsolakidou outlasted Harika Dronavalli in a nervous final phase to score the second win for Ganges. On the other side, Mamedyarov turned the tables against Sindarov and took the full point, extinguishing any hope of a comeback. The games were often close on the board, but the overall numbers told a different story. The final score was 4.5–1.5 in favor of upGrad Mumbai Masters, who took three match points. In game points, upGrad scored 17, while Ganges Grandmasters finished with four. The experienced home team started their campaign with a convincing victory. Match 3. PBG Alaskan Knights vs Fyers American Gambits (8-5) The opening night of the Global Chess League ended with a duel between the PBG Alaskan Knights, led by World Champion Gukesh D,
Turkish Championship 2025: Işık Can captures maiden title
GM Işık Can has emerged as the winner of the 2025 Turkish Championship, claiming his first national title. The 60th Turkish Chess Championship, organized by the Turkish Chess Federation and hosted and supported by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, was held at the Müzeyyen Erkul Science Center in Gaziantep from December 3–14. The competition followed last year’s format: ten players who qualified via a preliminary round were joined by six top seeds – GMs Mustafa Yılmaz (2594), defending champion Vahap Şanal (2546), Işık Can (2527), Cem Kaan Gökerkan (2502), and IMs Arda Çamlar (2490) and Alparslan Işık (2464) – in a 16-player knockout bracket. The rating favorite cruised to the quarterfinals, which produced the first major upset when top seed Mustafa Yılmaz was eliminated by qualifier Kerem Erten. Erten advanced to the semifinals alongside Şanal, Can, and Gökerkan. The Şanal–Can semifinal was an exciting clash in which the lower-rated player showed his mettle. In the first game, Can achieved a winning position with White in a Scotch Opening but let his advantage slip away. After a series of mutual mistakes, the opponents split the point. In the second game, Can again emerged with a better position but opted for a tempting piece sacrifice, leading to a roughly equal yet unbalanced endgame. Still Şanal faced some problems with potential Black’s pawn-chain advance in the center. The 2024 Turkish champion made a couple of subpar moves and found himself in a tough position. Can offered him a lifeline at one point, but Şanal immediately committed a grave mistake that cost him the game – and a spot in the final. In the second semifinal, Cem Kaan Gökerkan prevailed over Kerem Erten in a rapid tiebreaker to advance to the final. The final was dominated by Işık Can, who won both classical games to claim the championship title outright. In the match for third place, Vahap Şanal outplayed Kerem Erten to secure the bronze medal. Official website: tr2025.tsf.org.tr/ Photos: official website