The FIDE Women's World Team Championship 2025 in Linares, Spain, has been plunged into controversy before the first move is even made. The Ukrainian chess delegation has launched a formal protest against the participation of a Russian team in the prestigious tournament, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation off the chessboard.
Technical Meeting Showdown
During the crucial technical meeting held on Monday ahead of the championship's start on Tuesday, the Ukrainian delegation made their position crystal clear. Representatives from the Ukrainian Chess Federation filed an official complaint demanding that FIDE, the international chess governing body, immediately disqualify and remove the so-called "Team FIDE" from competition.
The heart of their objection centers on FIDE's controversial decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under the organization's neutral flag. This decision was formally approved during the second FIDE Council Meeting of 2025, which took place virtually on July 18. The council voted to permit a team of Russian nationals to participate without displaying any national symbols, competing solely under the FIDE banner.
Legal Grounds for Protest
The Ukrainian delegation, led by team captain GM Mykhaylo Brodsky, delegation head Volodymyr Kovalchuk, and team coach GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko, presented a compelling legal argument. They asserted that FIDE cannot legally field a Russian team without obtaining a formal "non-objection letter" from the International Olympic Committee.
According to the Ukrainian representatives, the absence of such approval means FIDE would be violating both IOC guidelines and its own established rules. They maintain that no such approval from the IOC exists, making FIDE's decision fundamentally flawed from a procedural standpoint.
FIDE Legal Director Aleksandr Martynov countered this claim by producing a letter from IOC's Sports Director Pierre Ducrey. Dated July 28 and addressed to FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, the letter stated that the IOC "would not take a position" on the matter. Martynov revealed that all participating teams had been informed about this IOC communication on August 28, with the document available to any delegation upon request.
Growing International Opposition
The Ukrainian protest is not happening in isolation. Earlier, the European Chess Union had already voiced strong opposition to FIDE's policy change. The ECU released an official statement condemning what they described as a direct contradiction of decisions made during the FIDE General Assembly in Budapest.
In their statement, the ECU emphasized that "two motions for lifting the sanctions against the Russian Chess Federation were rejected by a vast majority by FIDE member nations" during the Budapest meeting. This suggests that FIDE's current decision goes against the expressed will of its own membership.
The tournament itself features 12 of the world's top women's national teams, including chess powerhouses like China, India, Georgia, France, United States, Spain, and Ukraine. The presence of the Russian team under the FIDE flag has now become the central talking point, overshadowing the competitive aspects of the championship.
FIDE has defended its position by pointing to similar practices adopted by other international sports federations, including World Aquatics, the International Fencing Federation, and the International Gymnastics Federation. In their July statement, FIDE clarified that their decision "builds upon the precedent set by the January 2025 FIDE resolution, which allowed neutral teams of vulnerable groups to participate in team competitions."
As the championship begins in Linares, the chess world watches closely to see how this diplomatic chess match will unfold, with legal arguments and political principles taking center stage alongside the competitive games.
