The incredible case of Russian chess player Khismatullin, who is ‘forgiven’ by FIDE for supporting the invasion of Ukraine

Walking through the World Rapid Chess Championship, held in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, one can find a cast of characters among the 319 players (202 men and 117 women) from 46 countries. Like 10-year-old Argentine child prodigy Faustino Oro. Or American-Uzbekistani grandmaster Timur Gareyev, the world record holder for simultaneous blindfold chess (48 games in 19 hours), who was accused of sexual assault in the U.S. Or Sara Khadem, a refugee from Iran who fled the country after she played without a hijab in the previous edition of the tournament. But the most controversial of all is Denis Khismatullin, a fervent supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine, who — unlike other Russian chess players — has never been sanctioned to a ban from playing.

On December 8, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published a statement that included a point on who will be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Games. This point reinforced the policy of the IOC has held since Russia invaded Ukraine, on February 24, 2022: “Athletes who actively support the war will not be eligible to be entered or to compete.”

In line with these guidelines, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which brings together 200 countries and autonomous territories, sanctioned the world runner-up, Sergey Karjakin, for his enthusiastic support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. The grandmaster — who was born in Ukraine (1990) and naturalized Russian (2009) — was banned from playing in any FIDE chess competitions for six months in March 2022.

In one of his many expressions in support of the war, Karjakin recorded a video to raise money for military equipment: “The occupiers really need all-terrain vehicles, helicopters, thermal imaging cameras and bulletproof vests,” he said. When he achieved this goal, he traveled several times to the front in the company of Khismatullin, and both were photographed with soldiers. Karjakin’s FIDE sanction expired in September 2022, but he did not want to play outside of Russia after that, because he would not have been allowed to play under the Russian flag.

Khismatullin (who was hired by Karjakin as a coach) plays under the FIDE flag, like all Russians who compete internationally, but on the official world list he appears under the Russian flag. Some of his compatriots do the same thing, but with an essential difference that Ian Nepomniachtchi — who was twice runner-up in the world chess championship — explained to EL PAÍS during his duel for the world title against China’s Liren Ding in Astana (Kazakhstan): “I signed that manifesto [against the invasion] with all of my heart.”

He continued: “That war is horrible, a tragic catastrophe. I understand to a certain extent the sanctions against Russian athletes, although I seriously doubt that they will help improve the situation. If I am forced to play under the FIDE flag, as was the case when Russia was punished for the massive doping scandal, I will do it. But I do not identify the Russian flag with the war, which horrifies me, but with my country, which I love.”

Nepomniachtchi continues to live in Russia, despite the fact that, under Russia’s current laws, these statements would be enough to have him immediately sent to prison.

EL PAÍS asked FIDE why Khismatullin, whose statements in support of Russia’s aggression are also unequivocal, has not been sanctioned like Karjakin. FIDE’s chief legal director, Russian board member Aleksandr Martynov, responded: “FIDE does not have a procedure to verify the statements of players. In this area, we follow the decisions of our Ethics Commission [which sanctioned Karjakin in 2022 for violating its code]. It seems to us that the judicial procedure is the best mechanism for these matters. If any interested person appeals to that commission, and it disqualifies Grandmaster Khismatullin, that decision will be strictly respected.”

Khismatullin faced and lost to world No. 1, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, in the second round game of the World Rapid Chess Championship on Tuesday. Unlike Polish player Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who refused to shake Khismatullin’s hand in the first round game, Carlsen observed the tradition. In 2022, the world No. 1 rejected Karjakin’s position on the war in Ukraine, but expressed doubts about whether sanctioning him was the best thing to do. He pointed to two reasons: one, it sets a precedent that could lead to delicate situations; and two, the sanction allows Karjakin to present himself as a martyr to Russia.

“No comment,” was the brief response from Carlsen’s father and representative, Henrik, when EL PAÍS asked him for an update on the player’s opinion. This newspaper also intended to ask whether Carlsen thinks the same about Khismatullin as he did about Karjakin, and whether Israel’s invasion of Gaza (after a savage terrorist attack by Hamas), or Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive and occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were the types of delicate situations his son was referring to in 2022. This unusual silence from Henrik comes two weeks after Magnus expressed relief that the FIDE Ethics Commission sanctioned him with only a €10,000 ($10,800) fine (he earns several million a year) for withdrawing from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis in the U.S. without just cause. In a highly controversial case, Carlsen dropped out of the tournament after accusing American player Hans Niemann of cheating, without evidence.

Putin has said publicly at least twice that regaining the world chess title is a top priority for Russian sport. The Russian Chess Federation, chaired by billionaire Andrey Filatov (who is close to Putin), left the European Federation to join the Asian Chess Federation. And he created a financial aid fund for talented young players, with the condition that they must repay the money if they choose to play under a different flag. This is part of an effort to stop the diaspora of Russian chess stars who now live in other countries or have already adopted another nationality. The beneficiaries include players such as Andrey Esipenko, who signed the anti-war manifesto and plays under the FIDE flag, but continues to reside in Russia. Or the prodigious eight-year-old, Roman Shogdzhiev, who, like Argentina’s Faustino Oro, has been amazing spectators at Samarkand with his courage to take on some of the world’s most established grandmasters.

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