Magnus Carlsen was speaking at a FIDE gala in Budapest on Thursday evening, in which he paid tribute to Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov while accepting an award for greatest player of all time.

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.

Magnus Carlsen, the 16th World Chess Champion, used the platform of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to call for the halt of the return of Russian and Belarusian players to FIDE-sanctioned competitions,

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen opposes reinstating Russia and Belarus in FIDE, supported by Garry Kasparov and Ukraine's sports minister.

Chess governing body FIDE's general assembly agreed to consider lifting parts of a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, in a vote on Sunday in Budapest.

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,

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.