On separation of chess and politics

We like in a world full of on-going stress – be it personal, work-related or any other kind and we like to have our safe havens. In those havens, the reminders about how horrific the world can be just do not penetrate. We do not let them - We want these places to stay carefree.

If you are anything like me, chess is one of these places of comfort. The issue is, when we decide to look behind the veil or worse, someone wants to forcibly remove that veil and remind us that this carefree approach comes at a cost.

What is the behind the veil? The reality – the fact that chess mirrors society – chess is deeply affected by politics and other socio-economic issues. Be it war, be it sexism, be it classism, be it whatever else that we pretend is not here when we say, “Chess should be apolitical, let’s not bring these matters to the table on a chess website.”

What I would argue is: If we are carefree about sexism in chess, we enable it. If we are carefree about pro-war sentiments by chess public figures, we enable them. If we stay quiet and say and do nothing, we are complicit with the status-quo. That is just the unfortunate reality of it.

And if you are not only silent, but go one step further and say: “Let’s not discuss troubling political or socio-economic matters here, Lichess is a place for fun and relaxation” what you are really saying is: “I have this toy and I want to have fun with and I don’t care about the pain and hurt going on around me, because I only care about my fun. Go away, reality.”

I will let the reader decide if that is reasonable or selfish.

What I would offer as alternative: Try to stay with the discomfort once someone brings the issue of politics or grim socio-economic realities of chess on the table. If you manage to do that and do not push the discomfort away, you will be in the position where you can start to think about how to contribute to positive change in chess, and thus in the world.

When it comes to trying to create positive change, discomfort can be our friend. It can be a call to try to do better.

So lets not run away from it.