Chess player Jan-Krzysztof Duda was in danger of losing the game by default at the World Championship, yet the Polish grandmaster decided to make a gesture to show his disapproval of his opponent’s attitude. This was the Russian Denis Chismatullin, who supports his country’s aggression against Ukraine and goes to take pictures with soldiers at the front in occupied Ukraine.
0:23
Polish chess grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda showed his Russian opponent Denis Chismatullin a gesture of resistance. | Video: Aktuálně.cz/Mezinárodní chessová federation
The Spanish newspaper El País was among the first to write about the incident. It immediately became a topic of discussion in Poland, the video spread massively on social networks. “The Russian is a Putinist and a supporter of the war in Ukraine, but he still plays at the biggest events,” wondered the daily Rzeczpospolita.
???????? Polish networks live today with the recording of the beginning of the blitz chess match, during which Polish representative Jan Krzysztof Duda refused to shake hands with his opponent from Russia. Russian Denis Chrismatulin is known for his support of the war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/qYKMbOz9Ui
— Andreas Papadopulos (@andreas_ppdp) January 2, 2024
Duda did not shake hands with his opponent, although – if Chismatullin protested – he would probably pay for it by losing the game. According to the rules, he would probably lose by default. “The weight of the decision was great, because the Pole played against the Russian in the first round of the World Rapid Chess Championship, and losing half a point (the match ended in a draw) would have been painful,” added the author of the article.
“When Janek was supposed to play a game with Chismatullin, we decided together that he would not shake hands with someone who openly supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Grandmaster Kamil Miton, coach of the current best Polish chess player, revealed to another Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza.
In the next game, Chismatullin sat down at the chessboard with world champion Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian had no problem shaking hands with his opponent, although he recently stated to Rzeczpospolita: “I think the longer the war goes on, the more the legitimacy of Russian participation in chess tournaments becomes questionable.”
Duda behaved differently because his opponent supports the invasion of Ukraine. Chismatullin has gone to the front line more than once in recent months, posing for photos with soldiers in the company of Sergey Kajrakin. He is a convinced Putin supporter who was suspended by the Ethics Commission of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for actively supporting the war and calling for collections for military equipment. The two Russians have trained together in the past.
Chismatullin competes as a neutral player. This is probably because no one has formally looked into his case. “If someone presents Chismatullin’s case and the commission disqualifies him, then we will adapt,” the Russian’s compatriot, FIDE board member Alexander Martynov, told El País.
There are more Russians participating in international events, but many of them have signed an anti-war manifesto. Among them was Jan Nepomnaschy, who more than once described the events in Ukraine as a tragedy and emphasized that he was definitely against the invasion. It is a propaganda blow, especially since Russian President Vladimir Putin has named the restoration of the World Chess Championship as one of Russia’s sporting priorities.
Last year, Duda himself got involved in helping young Ukrainian chess players, twelve-year-old Kirill Nezhchenko and thirteen-year-old Tikhon Chernach. The first of them escaped with his family from Buče and the second from Donetsk. “They have talent and they beat Carlsen and Garry Kasparov in simultaneous games,” added the daily Rzeczpospolita.
Hašek: For God’s sake, Czechs cannot work in Russia. Let the NHL pay billions because of the war. (March 16, 2023)
Spotlight Aktuálně.cz – Dominik Hašek | Video: Jakub Zuzánek, Aktuálně.cz
