Russian chess player officially transferred to the Swiss national team

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A chess player from Russia, 38-year-old Alexandra Kosteniuk, has announced that she will represent Switzerland from March 3rd. She announced this on her Instagram page. She also posted a screenshot from the website of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), where she is now marked with the Swiss flag.

It became known in January that the chess player decided to move to the national team of another country. At the same time, it was stated that Kosteniuk would not be able to represent Switzerland this year — in such a case, the Swiss Chess Federation (FSE) would have to pay a commission of ten thousand dollars to the Russian Chess Federation (FSR). The transition was scheduled for January 1, 2024.

The situation changed after Russia was admitted to the Asian Chess Federation (ACF). After that, FIDE allowed Russian athletes to transfer to any other European federations without paying fees. This applies to chess players who have already submitted or will submit a corresponding application in the period from March 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023.

Kosteniuk — 12th World Women's Chess Champion, two-time Russian champion, European champion, three-time winner of the World Chess Olympiads as part of the national team. The athlete has Swiss citizenship, as she was married to a Swiss.
In March, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the international federation allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to individual tournaments, but only in a neutral status under the FIDE flag.

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