A FIDE flag player is a chess player who is unaffiliated with any national federation, and thus does not officially play for any country or national federation in

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...

-sanctioned tournaments. The flag takes its name from the French acronym for International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs)

Alireza Firouzja Alireza Firouzja ( fa, علی‌رضا فیروزجا, ; born 18 June 2003) is an Iranian and French chess grandmaster. Firouzja is the youngest ever 2800- rated player, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carlsen by more than five months ...

is among the notable players who played under the FIDE flag. He formerly represented

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

but opted to play as a neutral athlete under FIDE in 2019 due to Iran's sports policy of boycotting Israel. He eventually transferred to France's federation in 2021.

Ian Nepomniachtchi Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi ( rus, Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, r=Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, p=ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj, a=Ru-Ian Alexandrovich Nepomnyashchij.ogg; born 14 J ...

of Russia was speculated to be required to play under the FIDE flag in the

World Chess Championship 2021 The World Chess Championship 2021 was a chess match between the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi to determine the World Chess Champion. It was held under the auspices of FIDE and played during Exp ...

due to the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's k ...

's sanctions against Russia in the Olympics and tournaments considered as world championships. He officially played for the

Chess Federation of Russia The Chess Federation of Russia (), known until 2018 as the Russian Chess Federation, () is the governing body for chess in Russia, and the officially recognized arm of the FIDE in Russia. It was founded on 15 February 1992, following the dissolut ...

(CFR) instead with a flag bearing the CFR's logo and abbreviation. Following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, FIDE decided that "no Russian and Belarusian national flag be displayed or anthem be played in all FIDE-rated international chess events". FIDE offered players to play under the flag of their national chess federation, or under the FIDE flag. Since FIDE's decision, most top-level Russian chess players play in international events under the FIDE flag, including Nepomniachtchi at the

2022 Candidates tournament The 2022 Candidates Tournament was an eight-player chess tournament to decide the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2023. The tournament took place at the Palacio de Santoña in Madrid, Spain, from June 16 to July 5, 2022,2023 World Championship.

References

Independent athletes Chess terminology {{chess-stub

See also

References