ECU: Russia has disgraced chess

The European Chess Union (ECU) has called the transfer of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) to the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) a disgrace. On February 28, the delegates of the ACF Assembly voted in favour of the Russian Chess Federation's inclusion in the organisation.

According to ECU Vice President Malcolm Payne, such a move by the Russians may be of particular concern to the Indian and Chinese federations, which have many young talents who may compete for the world title in the future.

According to Payne, who also heads the English Chess Federation, three conclusions can be drawn from all this

"Firstly, this is a shameful day for chess. Secondly, it is now important to protect those Russian players who want to continue to play under the auspices of the European Chess Union. Thirdly, it's quite surprising that India and China voted in favour of this transition (I haven't seen the results) because it will lead to more competition and therefore fewer opportunities for their players to qualify for the championship," chess.com quoted Payne as saying.

According to the British official, FIDE is clearly not keeping pace with the International Olympic Committee in this matter

"And once again, the Russian Federation looks like a toy in a big game in which the Kremlin is in control," Payne added.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Dmitry Peskov received a disappointing reaction from Russian fans after his comment on Russia's decision to move from the European Chess Federation to the Asian Chess Federation (ACF).

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