CFR Chess Federation of Russia
The national governing body of chess in Russia — successor to the Soviet Chess Federation, currently in conflict with FIDE over its post-2022 status.
The Chess Federation of Russia was founded in 1992 as the post-Soviet successor body to the Soviet Chess Federation. The CFR administers the Russian Championship (the historic Superfinal held each autumn), the Russian Cup, and oversees one of the world’s deepest player development infrastructures — a network of state-funded chess schools that traces directly to the Soviet system of the 1950s. Russian membership remains among the largest of any national chess federation at roughly 200,000 active members.
The Fide Context
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIDE suspended Russian and Belarusian teams from participating under their national flags at FIDE-sanctioned events. The Chess Federation of Russia was suspended from the European Chess Union and moved administratively to the Asian Chess Federation under a 2023 FIDE Executive Council ruling. Russian players continue to compete in FIDE events under the FIDE flag (without Russian national identification). The status remains contested and may change in future cycles.