The Welsh Chess Union (WCU) wishes to clarify its position to its members, and to report on the recent vote at the FIDE General Assembly concerning the status of the Russian and Belarusian Chess Federations.

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

At the General Assembly, three substantive motions were proposed:

1. A motion submitted by the Russian Chess Federation seeking full readmission with no conditions.

2. A motion submitted by the FIDE Council proposing readmission subject to further consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

3. A motion submitted by the English Chess Federation calling for the continuation of existing sanctions.

The English motion was ruled out of order on procedural grounds and was therefore not put to the Assembly for a vote.

The two remaining motions: the Russian motion and the FIDE Council motion, were both put to the Assembly and both received a majority of votes cast. However, the motions differed in scope and conditions, and their sequential adoption resulted in significant uncertainty as to which resolution should take precedence as FIDE policy.

GOVERNANCE AND PROCEDURAL CONCERNS

The WCU delegate reports that the conduct of the debate and voting process raised serious concerns regarding clarity, impartiality, and procedural robustness. In particular:

The debate was chaired by the FIDE President, notwithstanding his Russian nationality, whereas in earlier deliberations on sanctions he had recused himself.

The rejection of the English motion removed the only proposal explicitly supporting the continuation of sanctions from formal consideration.

The adoption of two partially overlapping and potentially contradictory motions created confusion as to the operative policy position.

As a result, the Assembly concluded without a clear or coherent implementation framework, leaving fundamental questions unresolved.

WELSH CHESS UNION POSITION AND VOTE

In common with the majority of European federations, the Welsh Chess Union voted against the motions to readmit the Russian and Belarusian federations.

The Assembly decisions have the effect that the Russian Chess Federation may, in principle, enter teams into certain FIDE competitions, including team events, even where the use of national symbols remains restricted. In such cases, teams would participate under neutral designation, without the Russian flag, anthem, or national identifiers. This differs from the previous position, under which only individual players could compete under the FIDE flag and national federations themselves were excluded from team participation.

The WCU’s position remains that:

While individual players have long been able to compete under neutral conditions, the reinstatement of federation-level participation represents a substantive governance change.

Such a change should only occur through transparent, constitutionally sound processes and in clear alignment with international sporting norms, including IOC guidance.

The circumstances that led to the original sanctions have not materially changed in a way that justifies their removal at federation level.

CONCLUSION

The WCU regrets that the General Assembly did not reach a clear, principled, and procedurally robust outcome. While the Assembly has voted on motions relating to readmission, the manner in which those votes were conducted, and the absence of a single coherent resolution, has left the situation confused and contested.

Mark Adams, Executive Director, WCU.

Bill Harle, President and WCU GA delegate.

Peter Bevan, International Director, WCU.

29th Dec 2025

The bio of  Amabel Moseley (a previously unknown Welsh-born British Champion) can now found on the History page.