Sergei Karjakin (32) is banned by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for six months.
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It writes the association on Twitter. He will not be allowed to participate in any tournaments under the auspices of FIDE in the next six months. This means that Karjakin will lose this summer’s candidate tournament, where several players will compete to become Magnus Carlsen’s World Cup opponent.
The Russian chess player has on a number of occasions expressed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. This is also the reason why Karjakin is now banned.
In a letter addressed to Putin he praised the acts of war. He has also called Ukrainian authorities Nazis.
– Ukrainian authorities support the nationalists and are afraid of them. Do you think such a country has a future? Think about it before you support them, Karjakin wrote Twitter.
It is FIDE’s ethics and disciplinary committee that has decided to ban Karjakin. He has the opportunity to appeal the decision.
The 32-year-old was born on the Ukrainian side of the border, on the later annexed Crimean peninsula, but has represented Russia in chess tournaments since 2009.
In Putin’s letter, Karjakin calls the actions of Ukrainian authorities in the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donbas a genocide, saying he hopes the people there will be liberated. Karjakin claims that Ukrainian nationalists have blood on their hands for their actions in the regions.
He believes that Ukraine through its policies has put the country and Europe in danger. He believes that Russia’s invasion is the result of several provocations by Ukraine.
Several other Russian chess players, such as Jan Nepomnyashchy, have distanced themselves from Putin and Russia’s hostilities.
In 2016, Karjakin was Magnus Carlsen’s challenger for the World Cup title. It ended 6-6, Carlsen won after replay.
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