Russia has banned one of the world’s largest chess websites over its support for Ukraine.
Chess.com announced on Sunday it was banned by Roskomnadzor, a Russian technology regulation agency known for regulating and banning several other websites, over the website’s decision to post content critical of the invasion of Ukraine on its website.
“We reaffirm our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the Russian government’s war of aggression against Ukraine and will continue to publish content to that effect,” the website said in a blog post. “We will continue to welcome Chess.com members from Russia who defy the government’s ban and play on Chess.com.”
The regulatory agency reportedly wanted to ban two particular webpages on Chess.com from being viewed in Russia. These included “On the Invasion of Ukraine,” which outlined the website’s policies regarding the players and nations involved in the invasion, and “Ukrainian Chess Players In Times of War,” which included several interviews with notable Ukrainian players.
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However, Chess.com relies on an HTTPS protocol, limiting Roskomnadzor’s ability to ban single pages. So the agency decided to ban the entire website instead.
Russia has a long history with the game of chess. The game was introduced to the country via trade routes with Eastern nations, and it developed a following with the Russian population. The game became particularly popular during the rise of the Soviet Union after the overthrow of the Russian nobility made the game accessible for most Russian residents. The country also has the most chess grandmasters of all time.
However, Russia’s politics have disrupted the country’s presence on the international chess circuit. The International Chess Federation suspended chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin on March 22 for his support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Karjakin advocated for Chess.com’s ban due to its “anti-Russian choices” and “insulting propaganda,” according to France 24.
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Roskomnadzor has restricted access to several websites and news sources that have expressed support for Ukraine amid the invasion, including YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia.
