In a prolonged weblog publish right this moment, the open-source web chess server, Lichess, introduced they are going to formally finish all cooperation with each the U.S. Chess Federation and Saint Louis College Chess Membership (STLCC), citing two high-profile, sexual misconduct circumstances involving grandmasters Alejandro Ramirez and Timur Gareyev. This is a quick abstract of the difficulty: In February, chess commentator and creator Jennifer Shahade publicly accused grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of sexual misconduct. Her allegations sparked a swift and extreme backlash in opposition to Ramirez, who was pressured to resign from the Saint Louis Chess Membership (STLCC), earlier than being completely banned by the USA 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 will not be the one one. In line with interviews and paperwork reviewed by Lichess, one different outstanding 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 resulting from 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 women in chess already face an uphill battle. They deserve a secure and supportive setting. However too typically, they encounter abuse, harassment or worse. And too typically, 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 have interaction in misconduct accountable.”
Whereas they acknowledge US Chess has taken some steps to enhance its processes, Lichess stated “each US Chess and STLCC have didn’t exhibit an vital side of accountability — a willingness to acknowledge and handle previous shortcomings.” They added: “We don’t assume that reconciliation will likely be doable with out this acknowledgement.”
