Chess.com stops displaying Russian, Belarusian flags

Moscow: Chess.com, the world's most popular chess website, has stopped to display the Russian and Belarusian flags of users from these countries over the military operation in Ukraine. "We are not displaying Russian or Belarusian flags in broadcasts of any FIDE or prize events. On Chess.com, the Russian flag has been replaced with this flag [blue one].

The flag links to this article outlining present policy," the website said in a statement. The website also banned accounts of some Russian and Belarusian players sanctioned by the global community. At the same time, the portal has not banned most users from these countries. "Chess.com is not instituting a ban on all Russian or Belarusian players on our site and events.

We believe it is counterproductive to isolate innocent Russian and Belarusian citizens from the global community. Participation in the global community is important to spreading truth," the statement added. The website also proposes to all players from Russia and Belarus to sign an open letter in support of Ukraine and to call for peace. (UNI)