Chess governing body FIDE's general assembly on Sunday upheld a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, while backing a move to consider easing restrictions on disabled and junior players.

Both Russia and Belarus were excluded from the International Chess Federation in the wake of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia's chess team is to remain banned from international competitions, officials have ruled. In a dramatic move, an International Chess Federation (Fide) general assembly meeting in Budapest voted to maintain sanctions against Russia and its ally,