FIDE Hands Latvian IM 5-Year-Ban For Obscene Letters To Top Female Players Over A Decade

FIDE's Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC) has banned Latvian IM Andrejs Strebkovs for five years after finding him guilty of sexually harassing several top female players, some of them children, by sending them obscene letters for over a decade.

FIDE announced on Monday that the 43-year-old will not be able to participate in any FIDE-rated event as a player—or even be physically present at one. The full decision is available on EDC's website.

The case against the Latvian IM was brought to the EDC after a complaint by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who said: "FIDE will not tolerate any form of harassment or abuse within the chess community, especially in the cases where minors are involved."

Background

The decision comes 2.5 years after Meduza, an independent Russian news magazine based in Latvia, in an extensive piece of investigative journalism, detailed how Strebkovs had sent obscene letters to young female players, mostly Russian, for more than 10 years.

The reporting revealed that the letters were sent from Riga and included pages from pornographic magazines and used condoms, often addressed to the players' homes, clubs, universities, and tournament venues.

At least 15 players received the letters, according to Meduza's investigation. Five of them were under the age of 18 when they received them. GM Valentina Gunina, IM Bibisara Assaubayeva, IM Alina Bivol, IM Anastasia Bodnaruk, IM Anastasia Savina, WGM Daria Voit, WGM Dina Belenkaya, WIM Irina Utiatskaja, and WIM Anna Styazhkina. The first known letter was sent in 2009, and five more were received during the FIDE Grand Swiss, which took place in Riga in 2021.

EDC's decision also reveals that another letter with the same obscene material was received by a player as late as August 2023, more than a year after Meduza's story came out.

Latvian Police Investigation And Strebkovs Response

Following Meduza's investigative story, the case was also reported to the police in Riga by FIDE's managing director, WGM Dana Reiznieve-Ozola, who is a Latvian native. According to EDC's report, the Latvian police conducted an investigation with two experts eventually concluding that biological material found on the envelopes matched Strebkovs' DNA profile.

However, in January 2023, they concluded that Strebkovs' actions were not a criminal offense under their law, and no action was taken. Russian police had previously refused to open a case.

In May 2024 a complaint was brought to the EDC by Dvorkovich, based on Meduza's story and Riga police's investigation. EDC noted:

The Complainant submits that considering the evidence and conviction by the Riga Police, there is confirmation without a doubt that the Respondent did send letters to five female chess players in 2021. 

The EDC said that Strebkovs, in his defense, did not deny sending the letters. He instead argued that FIDE lacked jurisdiction over the matter, claiming that the letters were "private correspondence unrelated to chess activities."

The Respondent further claims that the letters do not concern FIDE or the national chess federations and the activities of those organizations. The Respondent even suggests in a hypothetical manner that the 'ordinary correspondence of private persons' is not related to chess. 

Strebkovs' arguments didn't convince the EDC, which noted that the letters were unsolicited and that misconduct had occurred within the context of FIDE tournaments and involved members of the global chess community.

The EDC ruled that Strebkovs had multiple violations of FIDE's Code of Ethics, including damaging the reputation of FIDE, "in particular FIDE's inability over a lengthy period to trace and act against the offender." They also noted:

When considering the contents of the letters sent by the Respondent, it appears as if the Respondent has a penchant for inappropriate, explicit, and downright disturbing conduct towards women, minors included. The conduct of the Respondent is not socially acceptable behavior.

Strebkovs' five-year ban prohibits him from participating in or being physically present at any FIDE-rated event globally. The EDC also noted that while they would not revoke his FIDE title, the severity of his actions warranted a stricter sanction than in previous cases. Last month, the EDC gave a top international arbiter a ban of two years following multiple reports of sexual harassment against a FIDE employee.

"We want to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all players, regardless of whether they are male or female. We welcome the decision by the Ethics & Disciplinary Commission, which sends a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated," Dvorkovich said in a comment about the decision.

FIDE also noted its partnership with Safe Sport International, a non-profit commited to ending all forms of discrimination and harassment, in 2023 and has begun the process of developing a Safeguarding Framework within the organization.

Removal From First Saturday Tournament

Strebkovs currently has a FIDE-rating of 2279, and achieved his IM title in 2009. The Latvian chess community had previously suspected him of achieving his title dishonestly, Meduza reported.

Since that story broke, Strebkovs has been playing tournaments in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. On the day the EDC announced its decision, he was participating in First Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, an invitational 10-player round-robin tournament.

Speaking to Chess.com, organizer Laszlo Nagy said he was not aware of the allegations against the Latvian but was informed after a complaint by one of the female players.

"I regarded him as innocent as I didn't see evidence of him being guilty of anything. She sent a letter to FIDE, who informed me that he had been banned for five years, so I removed him when they told me to."

Aleksandr Martynov, FIDE's Legal Advisor, confirmed that to Chess.com. "When a decision was made and when we were informed that the player was participating in the event, we just officially informed the organiser about the decision and Strebkovs was removed."

Chess.com has not been able to contact Strebkovs for a comment about the decision, but through Nagy, he said he doesn't want to provide one.

"He told me he is innocent and that he will protest the decision of FIDE," Nagy said.