Chess is officially in Asia
The Russian Chess Federation (RCF) became a member of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF). This became officially known after the delegates voted “yes” on the issue during the ACF General Assembly.
The General Assembly is currently being held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, 29 delegates voted for its inclusion in the FSR, with six abstentions and one against.
On April 14 last year, the supervisory board of the Russian Chess Federation decided to move from the European Chess Union (ECU) to Asia. And then on February 22 this year, the Council of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) approved it, after which the transition became legally possible.
At the same time, the transition will not happen instantly, and therefore Russian chess players will be able to participate in the European Championship, which will start on March 3 in the Serbian city of Vrnjachka Banya.
“Legally, we are entering the ACF from May 1. And we will not delay – we will immediately participate in Asian competitions. About the performance at the European Championship? I hope we will show a valuable result there,” said FSR Chairman Andrey Filatov, as reported by TASS.
first reaction
Naturally, such an event caused an immediate reaction in the chess world.
“Asian colleagues and friends appreciate Russia’s contribution to the development of chess. As quoted by TASS, FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich, for Russian chess players this is an opportunity to play more freely in tournaments, to participate in continental championships in a very difficult time we are currently going through.
– This is a mutual decision, mutual agreement – we have a chess family. We expect the whole family to be in good shape in the end.”
Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said:
“Good news. This event will open the door for Russians to participate in world competitions.”
“This is the first call”
For socialbites.ca, this decision was also commented on by the State Duma deputy, the head and vice-president of the Moscow Region Chess Federation.
The decision is correct and in this context it is correct in every respect, both politically and sportingly. The opponents are stronger there, especially the Indian and Chinese teams, but other countries as well. It will be more difficult for us. You have to understand that initially we came to European competitions as favorites, and in Asia there will be other favorites – at best, we will be one of many – said grandmaster and head of the Moscow Region Chess Federation Sergey Karyakin. .
“You have to be ready for this. But that’s good – this sport, wrestling, it will be a good incentive for our athletes. I’m sure it will be very interesting for us to play in the Asian championships, besides, the attitude towards the Russians is better there.”
An even more detailed comment was given by Sergey Smagin, Deputy Head of the Moscow Region Chess Federation.
“Life itself confirms the correctness of such a decision. The main result is that our athletes in all categories, from professionals to amateurs, can play with peace of mind in any official or commercial Asian competition. It is very important that children can participate in children’s championships without any restrictions. There is an opportunity for both veterans and the disabled. We are completely renewing all chess competitions for the participation of our athletes. This is the main conclusion – because the events surrounding the European Chess Union did not give us any hope for the coming years. In an interview with a socialbites.ca correspondent, the official said that there was absolutely nothing to expect.
– Yes, of course, at first there will be serious problems with logistics, it will be necessary to understand how much and where to fly – previously these questions confused very few people. But it seems to me that all this can be overcome.
If this is done in advance, prices for even the most remote Asian countries could be comparable to what is currently available in Europe. But the main result, I emphasize once again, is that we can fully participate in all official international competitions.”
State Duma deputy and chairman of the physical culture and sports committee Dmitry Svishchev also answered socialbites.ca’s request.
“This is the first federation to declare that it has come under the Asian flag. This is a very important step and a wake-up call for our colleagues at the FSR to take the lead, for other federations to pay attention to this, to examine the transition experience and see how Russian chess will evolve in Asia. . For other federations to consider transition. Since the process of training and competition is very important for a representative of any sport, Svishchev said.
How positive this experience will be, we will find out now. I hope they have taken a conscious and correct step. Another question is what it gives. Each sport should be approached individually. But Asia is the birthplace of chess. Historically, Chinese athletes, Azerbaijan, India and other countries are top masters. For this reason, I think our athletes will feel comfortable performing in various tournaments.
But does the transition to Asia give the right to be selected for the World Cup, other competitions? This is a non-Olympic discipline – what about the Olympic ones? The IOC has left the situation at the mercy of the international federations, now they are investigating the situation very carefully – whether to allow the Russians. I don’t think it will be an easy road but they are thinking slowly. I repeat, each federation has its own choice, but there is no right to make mistakes because the price of failure is the fate of young athletes who continue their sporting development and careers.”