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

How chess became a pawn in Russia's political war games

Face off: the extraordinary power struggle between Vladimir Putin and Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin

How chess became a pawn in the Kremlin's power game

Erdogan Will Play Biden, But Stick To Putin Hoover Institution Erdogan Will Play Biden, But Stick To Putin

The Roots of Russian Conduct

Making Coercion Work Against Russia - War on the Rocks

Vladimir Putin freezes out hardliners after Wagner mutiny

Russia and Belarus banned from holding world chess events, Karjakin to face ethics case

Opinion Putin and Netanyahu Show Why Bad Things Happen to Bad Leaders - The New York Times