Chess pro banned for five years after sexually harassing young players

FIDE has imposed a five-year ban on competitive chess for Andrejs Strebkovs, a Latvian International Master, due to his sexual harassment of young players.

The organization’s statement regarding disciplinary action on August 12 stated that, following two investigations, it was determined that Strebkovs had violated the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Code. As a result, the player has been banned from participating in any FIDE events as a player and is not permitted to be physically present at any FIDE events worldwide for a duration of five years.

The investigations conducted by the EDC revealed that the Latvian master had been involved in a concerning pattern of harassment against female chess players for the past ten years.

According to the statement, numerous female players, including some as young as 14, were targeted with indecent letters containing inappropriate content and items. These letters were sent to their residences, clubs, universities, and tournament locations.

The disciplinary decision revealed that Strebkovs was the source of the letters, as determined by DNA analysis during the investigation.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich stated that any type of harassment or abuse within the chess community, particularly when minors are involved, will not be tolerated by the organization.

This investigation and ruling have been years in the making.

Despite the recent revelation, the scandal has been brewing for some time now, with both The Telegraph and the Russian news site Meduza reporting on the letters back in 2022. According to the report, several of the players who received the letters were prominent Russian competitors.

FIDE stated that it promptly reported the letters to the Latvian police when the allegations were made.

According to FIDE, Latvian authorities conducted an investigation into Strebkovs, but determined that his actions did not violate any criminal laws in Latvia.

The community is once again criticizing FIDE for its treatment of female members compared to their male counterparts. FIDE and its top leadership have faced previous accusations of enforcing sexist regulations and making biased decisions against women chess players.