“I first hesitated to join Fide’s presidential campaign, but seeing the deep ties between failures and politics, and inspired by my wife’s ideas on Ukraine and Lithuania, I felt that it was my duty to defend transparency and integrity in the world of chess,” he said.
Ukraine’s struggle to rupture
For Ukrainian Kamshin, the champion represents more than strategy: it is a battlefield where principles, diplomacy and national identity meet.
The former kyiv strategic minister of strategic industries, who led the country’s rail infrastructure at the start of the Russian war, Kamshin was elected president of the country’s chess federation in early September 2024. He is one of the most influential people in the country and is closely linked to President Volodyr Zelenskyy. And he has several ambitious objectives for his mandate in charge.
Kamyshin wants to strengthen the position of Ukraine within Fide, defend the suspension of the Federation of the failures of Russia and put pressure for the elimination of Russian citizens from the management of Fide. It will be a difficult struggle.
“Fide Today is a strategic front lost for the civilized world,” said Kamyshin, stressing how Moscow has rooted in the chess director, controlling its decisions and operations. “It is not only a Russian citizen leading to Fide – it is a federation led by Russian standards.”
One of the most controversial questions in progress in chess diplomacy, said Kamshin, is the push of Russia to reintegrate its players under national flags and hymns despite its continuous aggression. “As long as they are carrying out an unfair war, killing our athletes, chess players and civilians, it’s unacceptable,” he said.
Politices
