World chess chief faces endgame after EU announces Russia war sanctions

The world of chess has been thrown into turmoil after the president of the International Chess Federation (Fide), Arkady Dvorkovich, said he was stepping aside because he was included on the European Union's latest sanctions list.Dvorkovich, 54, a former deputy prime minister of Russia and adviser to the Kremlin, now faces an EU travel ban and asset freeze.The EU said his inclusion was due to "publicly supporting the annexation of Crimea and calling occupied Ukrainian cities 'new territories' of the Russian Federation".In a statement, Dvorkovich said he had decided to "voluntarily suspend the exercise of my powers and duties", external, but told the BBC he had not resigned.He called the sanctions decision "unlawful and unfair" and said the sanctions were meant "to prevent me from running and serving for Fide".Ukraine has hailed the move as "an important victory".Dvorkovich was first elected as Fide President in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. The EU also cited his presence on the board of the Chess Federation of Russia, external, which has organised tournaments in occupied areas of Ukraine. "We hope never to see this man in the chess world again," said Volodymyr Kovalchuk, first vice...