Federation Internationale des Echecs, better known as FIDE is the governing body for everything regarding chess all over the world. Behind a nearly spotless reputation, FIDE has been the governing body of chess for over 99 years.
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy about FIDE’s activity. If you’re struggling to keep up with what’s currently happening, we’re here to help you out. Continue reading to find out the history of FIDE’s most TOXIC actions.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Due to this being a sensitive topic, any players mentioned will not be named. There are many high-profile cases, with multiple players being accused of sexual misconduct. The problem comes when these players are still able to play in FIDE tournaments as well as have jobs in FIDE. If you’d like to read more about this, here’s the article from Lichess.
FIDE has released an article about these players’ toxic behaviour, however, they used very vague vocabulary and did not address the problem. This then resulted in huge amounts of backlash, from both Social Media and the other chess federations (USCF, ECF, etc)
THE BANNING OF TRANSGENDER PLAYERS
1 week ago, FIDE published a paper, stating that ALL Transgender players are banned from playing competitive chess in their gendered category. However, the laws are more extensive than that. The chess player must have their gender in their ID, which means they have to be 18 or higher. And even after that, you’d have to wait for 2 years before you’d get to play.
Once again, the Chess Social Media Community protested against this change. The laws were obviously ridiculous, therefore, USCF, ECF, and other chess federations did not follow this rule, however, it does not mean this law still has a significant effect.
HOW CAN WE GET THINGS CHANGED
This is obviously a huge issue, so, how can we get things changed?
Social Media:
You can comment, like and share posts on Social Media made by bigger influencers.
Or you can post about the bigger problem. Together, we can change these policies.
Emailing FIDE Higherups and Employees
By Emailing them, you can make your voice heard, which can impact the future of FIDE!
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Please do not be rude, or mean to any FIDE employee or member, because that ultimately does not help our cause. Be very respectful; show your concern from a space of love, not a space of hate.
