In a prolonged weblog publish in the present day, the open-source web chess server, Lichess, introduced they may formally finish all cooperation with each the U.S. Chess Federation and Saint Louis College Chess Membership (STLCC), citing two high-profile, sexual misconduct instances involving grandmasters Alejandro Ramirez and Timur Gareyev. Here is a short abstract of the difficulty: In February, chess commentator and writer Jennifer Shahade publicly accused grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of sexual misconduct. Her allegations sparked a swift and extreme backlash towards Ramirez, who was compelled to resign from the Saint Louis Chess Membership (STLCC), earlier than being completely banned by america Chess Federation (US Chess). The allegations additionally uncovered obvious failures at US Chess and STLCC. But, neither group has confronted any severe scrutiny or accountability for his or her dealing with of the case.
And Ramirez isn’t the one one. In accordance with interviews and paperwork reviewed by Lichess, one different distinguished American grandmaster has additionally been accused of sexual misconduct by a number of girls, elevating additional troubling questions on how chess organizations cope with such issues.
Lichess has determined to cease cooperating with each organizations attributable to severe issues about their accountability. We is not going to present them with assist, and we is not going to promote their occasions. Ladies and ladies in chess already face an uphill battle. They deserve a secure and supportive surroundings. However too usually, they encounter abuse, harassment or worse. And too usually, they really feel powerless to report it or search justice. It is time to assist break the silence. Lichess urges US Chess and STLCC “to publicly acknowledge their previous errors, be extra open with the general public, and maintain those that interact in misconduct accountable.”
Whereas they acknowledge US Chess has taken some steps to enhance its processes, Lichess mentioned “each US Chess and STLCC have did not reveal an necessary facet of accountability — a willingness to acknowledge and tackle previous shortcomings.” They added: “We don’t assume that reconciliation might be attainable with out this acknowledgement.”
