FIDE does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Chess.com does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Why does Lichess allow the use of the Russian flag?
FIDE does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Chess.com does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Why does Lichess allow the use of the Russian flag?
Might be the philosophy of the site owner not to bring politics into their platform. There are probably flags of other dictatorships and terrorist states as well.
Might be the philosophy of the site owner not to bring politics into their platform. There are probably flags of other dictatorships and terrorist states as well.
My best guess is money. When the war started, banning Russians and/or Russian flags was a polarizing topic, and ultimately they decided to keep everything the same just to avoid the politics of it and to keep providing the service to all users. It seemed like a stance of 'anti-politics' (which actually is a strongly political stance that serves to keep the status quo and protect the interests of those currently benefiting from it), but then a different thing happened where the site boycotted a chess club from the USA over some allegations of sexual misconduct; so it's obviously not true that lichess doesn't want to have anything to do with situations ongoing IRL.
What else could it be? Could it be because the situation in the club was worse than the war? I don't know the details or if there's even any proof, but I know that the Russians used sexual assault as a form of torture in the cities they controlled during the first months of the war (and they even did it to children as young as 18 months if I remember correctly). Could it be because the situation in the club is more related to chess than the war? Sure, and in the same vein it would make sense to look at the measures taken by FIDE and popular chess sites/places to measure the baseline general reaction to the war and rule accordingly; this didn't happen.
My understanding is that it's all about the money of the many Russian patrons, the patrons that don't want to see politics involved in the site, and about looking good by reacting to stuff that's wrong (but just the low hanging fruit, god forbid they make somebody mad and affect the donations). As you see, lichess may seem anti-politics, but they are playing the same games politicians play. So in short, money is always the answer.
My best guess is money. When the war started, banning Russians and/or Russian flags was a polarizing topic, and ultimately they decided to keep everything the same just to avoid the politics of it and to keep providing the service to all users. It seemed like a stance of 'anti-politics' (which actually is a strongly political stance that serves to keep the status quo and protect the interests of those currently benefiting from it), but then a different thing happened where the site boycotted a chess club from the USA over some allegations of sexual misconduct; so it's obviously not true that lichess doesn't want to have anything to do with situations ongoing IRL.
What else could it be? Could it be because the situation in the club was worse than the war? I don't know the details or if there's even any proof, but I know that the Russians used sexual assault as a form of torture in the cities they controlled during the first months of the war (and they even did it to children as young as 18 months if I remember correctly). Could it be because the situation in the club is more related to chess than the war? Sure, and in the same vein it would make sense to look at the measures taken by FIDE and popular chess sites/places to measure the baseline general reaction to the war and rule accordingly; this didn't happen.
My understanding is that it's all about the money of the many Russian patrons, the patrons that don't want to see politics involved in the site, and about looking good by reacting to stuff that's wrong (but just the low hanging fruit, god forbid they make somebody mad and affect the donations). As you see, lichess may seem anti-politics, but they are playing the same games politicians play. So in short, money is always the answer.
@Poifiend said in #1:
FIDE does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Chess.com does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Why does Lichess allow the use of the Russian flag?
Because you can be Russian without being a monster, contrary to popular belief.
@JuicyChickenNO1 said in #3:
My understanding is that it's all about the money of the many Russian patrons, the patrons that don't want to see politics involved in the site, and about looking good by reacting to stuff that's wrong
So you're saying that all Russians are evil. Way to go.
(but just the low hanging fruit, god forbid they make somebody mad and affect the donations).
What?
@Poifiend said in #1:
> FIDE does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Chess.com does not allow the use of the Russian flag. Why does Lichess allow the use of the Russian flag?
Because you can be Russian without being a monster, contrary to popular belief.
@JuicyChickenNO1 said in #3:
> My understanding is that it's all about the money of the many Russian patrons, the patrons that don't want to see politics involved in the site, and about looking good by reacting to stuff that's wrong
So you're saying that all Russians are evil. Way to go.
> (but just the low hanging fruit, god forbid they make somebody mad and affect the donations).
What?
So like you want the organization to be racist ?
So like you want the organization to be racist ?
Very old discussion...
https://lichess.org/blog/Yie1MhIAACAAk6OQ/lichess-statement-on-the-war-in-ukraine