# FIDE’s neutral flag shields chess players from geopolitics 2026-08-09T03:40:45+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet FIDE, chess’s governing body, has a long history of letting players compete under a neutral flag to shield them from geopolitics. The practice, rooted in its motto “Gens una sumus” (we are one family), began in 1976 when Soviet defector Viktor Korchnoi was allowed to play under the FIDE flag after seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Times of India reports it continued with Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja in 2019, who fled state-mandated boycotts of Israelis, and Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2023, after the invasion of Ukraine. The neutral banner protects players’ careers from state actions they cannot control. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Chess, exiled players, FIDE, geopolitics, neutral flag, sports diplomacy Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fides-neutral-flag-shields-chess-players-from-geopolitics/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fides-neutral-flag-shields-chess-players-from-geopolitics/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.