Putin defense. How politics split Russia's chess community

In January, the chess community discussed a new scandal: Iranian referee Shohreh Bayat said she was a victim of politically motivated persecution after FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich suspended her for writing “women, life, freedom” on a T-shirt. The scandal questioned Dvorkovich's legitimacy as president of FIDE and highlighted the politicization of chess. The Russian chess community split immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Forty-four signatures, including those of thirty grandmasters, were placed under an anti-war appeal, while Sergei Karjakin wrote denunciations against his colleagues and set up chess tournaments in the occupied regions. Karjakin failed, however, in the Chess Federation elections, and apart from Karpov, none of the prominent chess players were on his side. Grandmaster Igor Glek tells a story of how Russian chess was divided into black and white.Читать на русском языке

The Russian Gambit That Divided the Chess World - WSJ

Putin Is Winning the War Over Ukraine, Both on and Off the Battlefield

Vladimir's Putin's History of Vengeance Against the West

Making Coercion Work Against Russia - War on the Rocks

Cold war chess

Direct Line with Vladimir Putin • President of Russia

The negative consequences of Putin's strategy - Atlantic Council

Why “General Armageddon” got demoted - GZERO Media

Russia - The Boston Globe

Putinism's demise will be chaotic and violent – POLITICO

How Russia's invasion of Ukraine is sending shock waves through the chess world

Chess master: Putin makes own rules - POLITICO

Russia-Ukraine War: 24-Hour Revolt by Wagner Mercenaries Undermines Putin's Authority - The New York Times

Chess federation bans Russian over vocal support for Putin – DW – 03/22/2022