Chess pro risks DQ after refusing to shake Russian opponent’s hand

Polish chess Grand Master Jan-Krzysztof Duda could have been disqualified after refusing the handshake of Denis Khismatullin, but they did not file a complaint.

Duda, the 25-year-old Polish number one refused to shake the hand of Khismatullin at the World Rapid Chess Championship on Tuesday.

Khismatullin, who plays under a FIDE banner did not choose to file a complaint with FIDE, which could have led to Duda’s disqualification.

GM Magnus Carlsen who defeated Khismatullin at the tournament did shake his hand, although he has admitted his attitude towards facing Russians has shifted since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

Refusing to shake hands constitutes a serious breach of FIDE rules

According to Article 12 section 1 of the official FIDE rulebook, “12.1 The players shall take no action that will bring the game of chess into disrepute.”

Infractions of this article can justify arbiters to punish players, ranging in severity from warnings, time penalties, losses, point reductions, and, even expulsions from an event.

In 2008, GM Nigel Short won his game against Bulgarian GM Ivan Cheparinov after his opponent refused a handshake, which he described as a “clearly calculated insult.”

Short called over an arbiter and reminded him of an at-the-time recent rule and behavior norm whereby players who refuse to shake hands or insult their opponent “will immediately and finally lose the relevant game.”

This is just the latest in a long string of dramas facing the chess world lately. At the World Chess Championships, Anna-Maja Kazarian was fined for wearing what an arbiter called “sports shoes.” Shortly after, FIDE penalized two players after a quick draw led to accusations of match-fixing.