Look at the sports news:
"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS"
World Chess News, 06 January 2026
https://worldchess.com/news/chess-at-war-rebel-federations-take-fides-russia-decision-to-cas
Quotation:
"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed an appeal with Ukraine to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIDE. Their complaint is about the FIDE General Assembly's decision to readmit fully Russia and Belarusia into chess team sport and allow their symbols to be used."
I am an Estonian citizen, a sufficiently strong chess player, and a philosopher, and I have to announce the following:
1. I am strongly against politicizing sports.
2. I am even more strongly against politicizing sports in a selective, discriminatory manner.
For example, the US chess players or chess institutions have not been sanctioned for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars that the US started and kept for decades.
The Israeli chess players or chess institutions have not been sanctioned for the Gaza genocide committed by Israel.
Moreover, look at the phrase "full-scale invasion" in the article:
"The Russia/Belarus question has been bitterly dividing the chess world since, in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022."
The question is about why they never called the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq "full-scale invasions". It is obvious that these invasions were full-scale - if that word has any meaning at all.
Moreover, look at the complaint that FIDE has violated its rules, etc. According to the article, in its public statement, the Norwegian Chess Federation said:
"The Appellants submit that the challenged resolutions were adopted following serious procedural irregularities, including violations of the FIDE Charter and fundamental principles of transparent and lawful decision-making within international sports governance."
You have no self-respect whatsoever.
When FIDE, in 2022, decided to impose sanctions on Russia, the decision-making process was already not transparent.
Moreover, FIDE changed its rules ad hoc - solely to be able to impose sanctions on Russia.
These are the facts.
In sum, I am of the opinion that the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were completely unjustified; the Russian invasion of Ukraine was better justified, but also not sufficiently justified (taking into account the principle of proportionality and the large numbers of war victims); and the sports sanctions imposed on Russia were unjustified and discriminatory.
This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports.
@Nanomaster saidI remember you. You are the Hamas supporter, who got angry when Israel retaliated and killed off some Palestinians back in 2023. You came on this site and condemned Israel ... and me for supporting the IDF.
Look at the sports news:
"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS"
World Chess News, 06 January 2026
https://worldchess.com/news/chess-at-war-rebel-federations-take-fides-russia-decision-to-cas
Quotation:
[i]"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed a ...[text shortened]... natory.
This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports.
Welcome back. I was getting bored talking about Trump.
Let me get some popcorn. I will be back soon.
@Nanomaster saidDidn’t you quit this site in protest?
Look at the sports news:
"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS"
World Chess News, 06 January 2026
https://worldchess.com/news/chess-at-war-rebel-federations-take-fides-russia-decision-to-cas
Quotation:
[i]"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed a ...[text shortened]... natory.
This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports.
2 edits
@Nanomaster saidI don't know of a single US war in the last 50 years that was justified, for instance the Viet Nam war that killed over a million Vietnamese or any of the other ones you mentioned, the Iraq war was ESPECIALLY stupid since it looks like Cheney was the actual president and Bush Jr was his puppet and everyone was convinced by BULLCRAP evidence there was massive weapons of mass destruction and they found nothing. We have a lot to account in the US but Putin is a real barbarian, bombing MATERNITY hospitals with pregnant women inside just for sport. Putin is a war criminal ten times over and so is Trump with AT LEAST the murder of two helpless survivors of a destroyed boat clinging to life on boards floating in the water and OF COURSE they decide they must be the enemy and bombed them also, A WAR CRIME where ANY rational person would render help but not Trump he is a wannabe dictator and I would not put it past him to around November to declare national emergency and martial law and stop all elections claiming only the Orange pasted bastard can save America, he has already FKED the US to a country we can't even recognize now, bombing now THREE countries and he STILL wants the Nobel Peace prize, and I can imagine the prize committee laughing their ass off looking at all the sycophants nominating him.
Look at the sports news:
"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS"
World Chess News, 06 January 2026
https://worldchess.com/news/chess-at-war-rebel-federations-take-fides-russia-decision-to-cas
Quotation:
[i]"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed a ...[text shortened]... natory.
This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports.
Do you live in Estonia now? I think it is a hot bed of chess, lots of GM come from Estonia some 9 I am told, a lot for a small country and of course Russia outnumbers everyone else because they chose to make chess a national game supported directly by their government.
At least we had Bobby Fischer for a while till he turned nuts.
Do you mind me asking what your peak rating was in FIDE? I am only a B player, like 1750 USCF and about the same here on RHP.
@Nanomaster saidThe war in Afganistan was justified. AlQueada was hiding Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist that killed thousands of Americans on 9/11. Justified
Look at the sports news:
"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS"
World Chess News, 06 January 2026
https://worldchess.com/news/chess-at-war-rebel-federations-take-fides-russia-decision-to-cas
Quotation:
[i]"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed a ...[text shortened]... natory.
This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports.
The Gaza war was justified. Hamas with the full support of the Palestinians raped, killed hundreds of Jews and took 1200 hostages. They started the war. Justified
What is the justification for the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Nothing. Unjustified.
@Rajk999 saidI am not a Hamas supporter. I have repeatedly claimed on the Red Hot Pawn, Debates Forum, that Rajk999 is a slanderer.
I remember you. You are the Hamas supporter, who got angry when Israel retaliated and killed off some Palestinians back in 2023. You came on this site and condemned Israel ... and me for supporting the IDF.
Welcome back. I was getting bored talking about Trump.
Let me get some popcorn. I will be back soon.
@Nanomaster saidWhen I called Hamas terrorists you corrected me and said they were freedom fighters.
I am not a Hamas supporter. I have repeatedly claimed on the Red Hot Pawn, Debates Forum, that Rajk999 is a slanderer.
@sonhouse said"Do you mind me asking what your peak rating was in FIDE?"
I don't know of a single US war in the last 50 years that was justified, for instance the Viet Nam war that killed over a million Vietnamese or any of the other ones you mentioned, the Iraq war was ESPECIALLY stupid since it looks like Cheney was the actual president and Bush Jr was his puppet and everyone was convinced by BULLCRAP evidence there was massive weapons of mass ...[text shortened]... your peak rating was in FIDE? I am only a B player, like 1750 USCF and about the same here on RHP.
Thanks for the question.
I played the OTB games some 30 years ago. Then, I was three times the champion of the town Tartu. I was a strong master's candidate. However, I played only as an amateur. My ELO rating was somewhat below 2200.
Some years ago, I started to play again, but only (or mainly) online. My ELO rating has been lost together with my data, somehow.
My ICCF ELO is something like 2350. I stopped playing on the ICCF, because they are using chess engines. Soon, I will stop playing correspondence chess altogether, because everyone is using chess engines.
Currently, I have an official FIDE ID through the FIDE Online Arena. There, I just started and quickly obtained the FAM title (Fide Arena Master).
&&&
Concerning war crimes.
The crime of aggression (starting an unjustified war) and war crime are different things. War crimes are mainly about killing civilians, prisoners of war, and so on. It is not about whether the war is just, but about the behaviour during the war.
I am not so good friend of Putin as to know whether he ordered to bomb the maternity hospital for pure joy or whether he ordered it at all.
However, I know for sure that during the Russia-Ukraine war (started in 2022), both sides have committed war crimes - as usual. Also, during the Ukrainian civil war (started in 2014), both sides (Ukrainian forces and Donbass separatists) committed war crimes.
One additional reason I object to sports sanctions is the incompetence of chess players. The chess players are not professional journalists or experts on international law, for example. They are making their decisions purely based on propaganda. There are many important facts they do not know. For example, most of the Western chess players probably do not even know some publicly proven facts like the massacre committed in Odessa in 2014 by Ukrainian nationalists. Analogously, in Russia, people probably do not even know some facts about Russian war crimes.
Right now, FIDE is publishing articles with the phrase "full-scale invasion". I am absolutely sure they do not even know whether it is a military phrase, a term from international law or what.
@Nanomaster saidFIDE going Full scale invasion? What is the context of that remark?
"Do you mind me asking what your peak rating was in FIDE?"
Thanks for the question.
I played the OTB games some 30 years ago. Then, I was three times the champion of the town Tartu. I was a strong master's candidate. However, I played only as an amateur. My ELO rating was somewhat below 2200.
Some years ago, I started to play again, but only (or mainly) onl ...[text shortened]... y sure they do not even know whether it is a military phrase, a term from international law or what.
@sonhouse saidThe articles published by FIDE and FIDE publications constantly use the phrase "full-scale invasion" concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in 2022. That phrase also appears in the article I shared in my original post.
FIDE going Full scale invasion? What is the context of that remark?
The point is that these FIDE officials or journalists who use that phrase do not know its meaning or whether it is a special military term or one from international law, etc. And, as I wrote above, they have never used that phrase in the case of other invasions which were "full-scale" as well. It is one of the proofs that, when applying sports sanctions and justifying them, these people actually do not know what they are talking about.
@Nanomaster
"Freedom fighter" and "terrorist" are not mutually exclusive terms. I have always said that. Besides, it is off topic.
@Nanomaster saidHehe, sorry, but speaking of off topic, what was your Phd in, not saying you don't have one or anything like that, but my son in law is a Statistical physicist and his thesis was on foraging, he is known now as the father of foraging and my daughter Heather, his wife is working on her Phd in music, Heather and I are both musicians, but I did very high tech work myself besides music, in semiconductor manufacturing machines like ion implanters, about as complex as they get and sputtering tools, also complex and gas fed furnaces for coating wafers as well as sputtering and such. But I play professionally in folk bands, got some great gigs but Covid killed folk music which is like house concert, intimate settings like coffee houses and small venues but some very large ones also but after that now pretty much to old to back to bands so compose folk tunes and post to Sound Cloud, 527 tracks there now. Latest one a protest tune about bringing back our troops off the coast of Venezuela, Soldiers Marching Home. Anyway my tiny part to protest the disgusting display of a thug who happens to be our so called president.
@Nanomaster
"Freedom fighter" and "terrorist" are not mutually exclusive terms. I have always said that. Besides, it is off topic.
2 edits
@sonhouse said"Freedom fighter" and "terrorist" are notions that belong to different categories.
Hehe, sorry, but speaking of off topic, what was your Phd in, not saying you don't have one or anything like that, but my son in law is a Statistical physicist and his thesis was on foraging, he is known now as the father of foraging and my daughter Heather, his wife is working on her Phd in music, Heather and I are both musicians, but I did very high tech work myself beside ...[text shortened]... my tiny part to protest the disgusting display of a thug who happens to be our so called president.
There is no logical contradiction contained in the phrase "a terrorist freedom fighter".
As a matter of fact, as well, letting logic aside, we know from history that there have been a lot of freedom fighters who have been terrorists, bandits, and so on.
It is simply impossible that I would ever say "Hamas is not terrorists but freedom fighters," (as was said, for example, by Turkish president Erdogan), because I know that these terms - "freedom fighter" and "terrorist" - are not logically exclusive.
As a matter of fact, I have never said that "Hamas were not terrorists, because they were freedom fighters".
Instead, I have several times publicly expressed that it is nonsense to say that "Hamas are not freedom fighters but terrorists" or that "Hamas are not terrorists but freedom fighters."
Take, for example, Ukrainian freedom fighters, defenders of their country. Unfortunately, several of them are war criminals.
Concerning the accusations appearing here, that I am a supporter of Hamas and that I have said "They are not terrorists but freedom fighters," I answer that:
1. It is off topic. My post was about chess sanctions - I regard any politically motivated sports sanctions as stupid, malevolent and unjustified.
2. It is defamation, slander, and an ad hoc argument, which means that it is not an argument at all.
Insofar, presumably American correspondence chess players, here, in the Forum, have had absolutely nothing to say about my arguments against sports sanctions.
You have been absolutely meaningless.