British grandmaster’s bid to be chess president faces checkmate over Russia links

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FOR decades the Cold War was played out, in part at least, by eccentric grandmasters from the Soviet Union and the West hunched over a chessboard during tense tournaments.

But the recent collapse in diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain over the Skripal poisonings have meant the chess world is once again being buffeted by international events.

The English Chess Federation (ECF) has revealed it is at loggerheads with Nigel Short, the British grandmaster, because of his friendship with Arkady Dvorkovich, a senior Kremlin politician and chess supremo who “ridiculed” the UK over claims Russia was behind the Salisbury attack. Mr Short, the only Briton to challenge for the world chess title, is bidding to become president of the game’s governing body Fédération Internationale des Échecs (Fide). However, the ECF – Short’s own national association – has refused to back him and his anti-corruption campaign.

Instead, the ECF has endorsed Georgios Makropoulos, a Greek journalist who has Malcolm Pein, the British international master and Telegraph chess columnist, as his running mate.

In a statement on its website the association rubbished Mr Short’s chances of winning and rounded on Mr Dvorkovich for using a BBC interview to criticise Britain following the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.

“The board felt it was paramount to support a strong ticket with English participation, and it was apparent that Nigel Short’s campaign had gained little traction,” the association said.

“Furthermore, in view of current UK-Russian relations, the board felt unable to support the candidacy of Arkady Dvorkovich, or anyone connected with it. The board felt this particularly in the light of Mr Dvorkovich’s highly political interview on BBC HARDTalk in which he ridiculed Britain’s concerns about Russian involvement in the Salisbury attack.”

Mr Short said the process had been “rigged” and he had been denied the chance to present his case. Voting will take place during the Chess Olympiad – in which Russia are one of the favourites – in Batumi, Georgia, on Oct 3.