«They mixed chess with mud»: Karyakin's wife — about her husband's disqualification

MOSCOW, Mar 22 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) mixed sport with mud and hypocrisy, disqualifying Russian grandmaster Sergey Karyakin for six months, said the athlete's wife Galiya Karyakina. A native of Simferopol, Karyakin was suspended for six months by FIDE on March 21 because of statements in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions to conduct a special operation in Ukraine. Sanctions against the chess player will deprive him of the opportunity to participate in the Candidates Tournament, which should be held from June 16 to July 7, 2022. The grandmaster has the opportunity to appeal against the decision of FIDE. «Chess has always been a special sport for me! This is a sport for the elite, I said and thought so. Chess is a great game! FIDE, with its policy, has destroyed this exclusivity and sublimity of chess. Mixed chess with filth and hypocrisy! It's a pity that FIDE has so disgraced this sport!» — wrote Karjakina in social networks. «Not everyone can play chess the way my husband does! The whole International Chess Federation was frightened and decided not to allow Sergey to official tournaments. The guys from FIDE hope to get into Olympic sports, currying favor with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other sports organizations. It doesn’t work in other ways,» the athlete’s wife noted. Earlier, the FIDE Council suspended the Russian and Belarusian national teams from participating in tournaments under its auspices until further notice. In individual tournaments of the World Championship cycle, the organization allowed players to compete exclusively under the FIDE flag.