MOSCOW, 6 Apr. The President of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF), head coach of the Russian men's chess team Andrey Filatov is filing an appeal against the decision of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Commission on Ethics and Discipline to disqualify Grandmaster Sergey Karyakin for six months, the RCF website reports. It is noted that Filatov's appeal was prepared by leading sports lawyers with extensive experience. Previously, FIDE disqualified Karjakin for six months from March 21 for publicly supporting the Russian special operation in Ukraine, depriving him of the opportunity to speak at the Candidates Tournament, which will be held from June 16 to July 7. The winner will play a title match with the reigning world champion Norwegian Magnus Carlsen. On Tuesday, Carlsen questioned the correctness of the decision to disqualify the Russian for «an opinion that differs from another.» On Wednesday, Karjakin said he was open to the possibility that FIDE would seek his life ban. A FIDE representative said that if Karjakin continues to violate the organization's code of ethics, then new charges may be brought against him.
